Why This $1 Product Has Officially Replaced My Shampoo
by Raleigh Seldon
Believe it or not, tons of people are actually giving up shampoo. On purpose. So many that there’s even a name for it: the no-poo method (I kid you not). You swap your shampoo for the dynamic duo of baking soda and apple cider vinegar andsupposedly your hair literally thanks you (in the form of silky smooth almost-back-to-its-natural-state hair). This intrigued me, and thus, this two-week-long experiment was born.
If I’m being completely honest as to why I wanted to try this, it wasn’t to save a ton of cash (although that’s a huge bonus; baking soda costs 78 cents at CVS, as opposed to my regular $20 splurge), and it wasn’t to avoid all the chemicals that come with my volumizing shampoo (another added bonus), and it wasn’t because I wanted to finally embrace my inner hippie, either. I was just curious. So, here we go. Keep scrolling for my account!
Day 1: Turns out, the Internet wasn’t as helpful as I’d thought it would be. There’s not one firm answer of how the baking soda should actually be applied, so I just took a handful of the stuff and massaged it into my hair and scalp for about two minutes. It felt pretty clean after the first rinse, but that ‘squeaky-clean’ feeling your shampoo gives is nonexistent. The fact that I just rubbed a dry, chalk-like baking ingredient into my hair is very real… and I don’t know how to feel about it.
Day 2: My hair looks normal, smells normal, etc. Doing good.
Day 3: What is that GOD-AWFUL smell? It’s my hair. Awesome. Time to re-wash because I literally can’t stand myself and wouldn’t expect anyone else to.
Day 4: The good news is my hair is exceptionally clean-looking and feeling. The bad news is I just found out there’s actually a correct way to wash your hair with baking soda and my method is not it.
Day 6: Using my new knowledge from the recent discovery (see Day 4), I add water to the baking soda prior to applying it to my hair and then… you know the drill.
Day 8: Turns out, the baking soda to water ratio actually mattered and this is how my hair should have felt on day 2. Eu-freaking-reka.
Day 10: Raleigh, 4 days is absolutely your limit. Rinse and repeat.
Day 14: I think I’ve finally got the hang of this thing… also, I think I might actually like it.
Day 15: My hair is new. Brand spankin’ new, you guys! No moisturizing shampoo has ever revived my dyed-one-to-many-times long brunette hair like this. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually might ditch my good-looking and clean-smelling regular shampoo for this incredibly thrifty method of hair cleansing.
So, while you’re lathering your hair in expensive shampoo tonight, I’ll be over here smiling because my .78-cent box of baking soda will not only last twice as long, but it will also help me save up for weekend cocktails.
More From Byrdie:
How to Go Multiple Days Without Washing Your Hair
This Is What Happens When You Don’t Shampoo (See the Pictures!)
