This white powder has become my go-to for healthy locks.

By now you might be aware of the “no ‘poo” movement out there, and for the past eight months, this is how I’ve kept my hair clean. When I first started this new hair care regime, I quit conventional shampoo and conditioner cold turkey. Good riddance toxins! Good bye expensive products! My hair went through this weird detox period; lots of greasy, limp hair days, where I was questioning the whole thing. As the weeks wore on though, my hair mellowed out and I started to see improvements in my hair’s texture and luminosity. Now I’m not going to claim that my hair is Hollywood-ready, but I’m quite pleased with it. This is what my hair looks like, candid and unstyled, three days after washing it:

and 12 hours after washing it:

For baby fine hair like mine, not too shabby.

My “No ‘Poo” Hair Care Regime

Every two – four days:

• Mix one teaspoon baking soda in one cup of warm water. Dump over head, massage in, rinse.
• On occasion, follow with a few spritzes of an apple cider vinegar rinse. I keep a mixture of a scant tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar, 8 ounces water and several drops each of rosemary and sage essential oils* in a spray bottle in my shower.

Your personal needs might require more or less baking soda or apple cider vinegar. Give your hair what it requests – don’t be afraid to experiment! I started out using one tablespoon of baking soda and realized it was drying my hair out too much and causing it to lighten. These amounts suit me best.

Have you experimented with homemade hair care?

* Adding essential oils to your rinse isn’t necessary, though it smells amazing and gives it a boost with added benefits. Rosemary and sage are amazing herbs for darker hair. For lighter hair, try using chamomile or lemon.