Baking Soda Shampoo

I am always looking for ways to cut the toxins out of my house. I’m also a fan of saving money! So when I read an article about using baking soda in the place of my regular shampoo, I was intrigued. But I admit, I was also skeptical that something so simple would work on my challenging locks. I said what the heck though and gave it a try.

Before I tell you how it works, let me tell you why I liked the idea. I have struggled for years to find the “perfect shampoo” and I don’t think it exists. Many of the shampoos that appeal to me smell great and work great too, but I would take them home and look them up on one of my favorite online resources, Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com), and find that they are not the best choice I could make. Even the ones that say ‘natural’ or ‘botanical’ (or any of those buzz words) can often have a poor score because they contain potentially harmful ingredients. Then the ones that have a good score are either too expensive for me to justify or they smell yucky! And then, more times than not, they don’t work the way I would like them to.

I am also very aware of my consumption of plastic items and so I am concerned about the bottle and cap needed to bring the shampoo into my house. Yes, the bottle is recyclable but the cap isn’t and I have seen way too many photos of birds and fish dying from thinking that our plastic is actually tasty seafood. I have tried bar shampoos to try to get away from the packaging issue and the same problems persist with these products – too expensive, don’t work, smell yucky.

So back to baking soda. How harmful can it be? We have been told to switch out our cleaning supplies or brush our teeth with the stuff. It can unclog a drain and make a cake rise. I say it is on the safe side of the toxicity spectrum. I have a giant bag of baking soda from Costco that cost less than $10.00 so I took a tablespoon and mixed it with a cup of water in a plastic squeeze bottle and put it in the shower for my next hair washing.

I have been using baking soda for the past few weeks in the place of shampoo and I have to say I love it! It takes some getting used to but I think my hair feels very clean and I don’t even need conditioner anymore. I think this is because I’m not using the harsh detergents that strip all of the natural oils from my hair. I even think my hair behaves a little better. My sister asked if I had gotten a hair cut because my dead ends were gone! (I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not)

A couple of things you should know, though. You have to use a squeeze bottle because it is the consistency of, well . . . water and you cannot pour it into your hands effectively. Get your hair wet under the shower and then squeeze the bottle over your head. Massage the solution through your hair, paying attention to your scalp and then rinse like normal. It should not be a surprise to anyone but there is no lather so it takes some getting used to not having the bubbles. Also you should know that my hair type is oily so I am not sure how it works with normal or dry hair.

In all, I am very happy with my new found, money-saving, eco-friendly hair solution. I am reusing the same squeeze bottle, reducing my contribution to the global plastics problem. I have enough baking soda to last me years, even if I also use it for housecleaning. And I am reducing the chemical load that I put on my body. Feel like you are ready to give it a try? Go ahead, it can’t hurt! Let me know how it goes either by leaving me a comment here or send me an email to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com. I’m also open to ideas on new blog topics or just send me a note if you have a question about green living.