Going au natural

I had heard from friends for awhile now about the "no poo" method for taking care of your hair. I tried it for a time and really liked it, but I got lazy. Lazy meant back to shampoo, but two months ago I vowed I was getting back to the no poo method. Everyone does this differently and everyone's hair takes differently to it. My hair has never looked or felt better. Here's how I do it:

• Every three days or so I "wash" my hair. I brush all the tangles out before I get in the shower since I won't be using a traditional conditioner.
• I take a large, plastic tumbler and put in about 1 tbsp. of baking soda
• I fill the tumbler with warm water and pour it over my head (kinda swirl it around so the baking soda dissolves) 
• I thoroughly scrub my scalp and rinse
• Pour about 2-3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar (depends on the length of my hair at the time) in tumbler, add about a cup of warm water, swirl, and pour over my head
• I work this through my hair a bit and rinse

 Some days I let my hair air dry. If that's the case, it means I am going curly and I pull some aloe straight off the plant and work it through my hair in place of gel. TERRIFIC STUFF! Other days, I use the straightening iron (yeah, I know, it isn't natural, but give me a break). If my hair is feeling dry, which is rarely is these days, I'll work a little coconut oil through the tips to help prevent damage.

And hairspray? I make that! I rarely need it anymore.  Now that I'm letting the natural oils in my hair do their work, my hair tends to hold its style better. But if I know my hair is going to get messed up or needs to stay nice longer, I can add some homemade hairspray. There are lots of great recipes online. My favorite is a simple one:

• Fill pot of water with 2 c. water
• Slice one (medium-sized) lemon and put in the pot
• Bring water to a boil and KEEP BOILING until mixture is reduced to about 1 c. liquid
• Let cool
• Strain and pour into spray bottle
• Add 1 tbsp. of rubbing alcohol

Hairspray will keep for about 2 weeks at room temp. Make in smaller batches if you only use periodically as I do. I've read the lemon juice can have a lightening effect on your hair if used daily. I don't use it often enough to have that problem. Do you homework and find a recipe that works well for you!

The other thing I do is brush my hair once or twice/day with a good, boar bristle brush. This helps distribute the natural oils and keeps my hair healthy. I hope you have fun trying the no poo method at some point in the near future!