There are big changes in store for the McKeen family!
Seriously.
Shampoo and Conditioner have left our shower.
Bet you didn’t think that was what I was going to say.
Two weeks ago, I removed all shampoo and conditioner from our shower. Only David (I have no idea how his bottle of Pert Plus lasts 6 months. I didn’t have the heart to evict the mostly full bottle.) got keep his.
I now wash the boys’ hair with baking soda and water. I spray it right on and rinse it out. Viola! No more stinky boy smell!
And, I wash my hair and the girls’ hair with baking soda and water, then condition it with apple cider vinegar and water.
It sounds C-R-A-Z-Y. Generally speaking, I’m a fence riding kind of girl. I’m open to new ideas. I love my big family. But Wal-Mart is still my favorite place to shop, even if they do run all the mom and pop stores out of business. It’s okay with me that Target is owned by a French guy. I still like their girl clothes. We watch Disney movies, and for a year, owned a Ford truck. And, yes, we are completely dairy free and mostly gluten-free for health reasons, but I WILL have a glass of store-bought, ultra-pasteurized chocolate milk just as soon as I quit nursing Aaron.
As you can imagine, I was shocked that I LIKED the baking soda/apple cider vinegar (ACV) method. I did not expect it to work. I have waist length hair! Courtesy of the frizzies that I inherited from my mom, even the most expensive bottle of conditioner has never rendered my hair tangle-free. After spraying an ACV/water rinse on my hair, I have no tangles after the initial brush out! I have no idea how it works (yes, I could look it up, but really, with my brain already so full with trying to remember who is on which subject and whether or not they’ve finished their schoolwork, do you really want to add any more information in?), but I have been pleasantly surprised.
I have washed my normally very oily hair 3 times in two weeks. And it’s fine. It’s soft and manageable. And, somehow, despite the lack of chemical perfumes, it smells good!
Gotta run. The school timer’s going off. If anyone is interested in how I do it, post a comment and I’ll update my blog tomorrow with how I do the baking sode/ACV thing.
Wait until I tell you my next endeavor. It’s equally as perplexing and surprising!
We are going shampoo/conditioner free as soon as our stuff runs out. We have also started making our own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. LOVE IT!!!
I have been using a cup of white vinegar in the dishwasher and it seems to be working fine. How are you making your own dishwasher soap? Is it similar to the laundry soap?
I use that baking soda/water mixture on my children’s hair, also. I tried it on mine for more than a couple of months. But I have naturally wavy hair and it just made it feel horrible so much so that I had to go back to my natural shampoos. I just don’t think it’s good for those w/curly hair. My hair stopped being curly on top and just didn’t feel good. But my scalp was much cleaner.
What natural shampoo are you using?
I use ACV as a rinse, but haven’t found a natural shampoo (even the baking soda and water) that helps my scalp. I haven’t been able to use most shampoos since a teenager because I am allergic to formaldehyde, which is in most shampoos. Since working on my adrenal fatigue and ridding myself of the Candida my scalp has improved. I have been making my own laundry soap since 2005, and we don’t own a dishwasher (except me). I have started making my own toothpaste, but I am the only one who will use it. Good luck with your efforts Darlene, I am all about saving the money (though I don’t like Walmart and rarely shop there, and NEVER at Target – LOL!)
You definitely surprised me with this blog!!! :o) I am interested, though…. Does the apple cider vinegar smell for long? I have tried using vinegar on my hair (to get rid of the yellow “stains”) and the smell is pretty strong. It hasn’t helped, by the way. I have used so much. Could you go gray quickly and tell me a good way to take care of it? Thanks.
Hope you all are doing well!
It doesn’t smell at all, as soon as you rinse it out. It’s only on your hair for a minute.
We are doing okay. I wish I could tell you that I would go gray for you, but noticing the wrinkles in my face is stressful enough. I love your gray. Is there a way to do it gray-cefully?
Good for y’all! I’m interested!! Would you share the “recipes”, please?
It’s something with tea tree oil but I’m going to get something else that is made of organic, or at least non-bad chemicals, but suited for naturally wavy hair. I have to use a conditioner right now that is for curly hair, Frizz-ease. And while I know it doesn’t have the best ingredients, I need my curl to come out. This other stuff was recommended by a person, who is very naturally minded, and has curly hair. She bought the conditioner and only uses that. I can’t find where I wrote down what it is but I have to order it from Target, as my local one doesn’t carry it.