It’s now been over two years (25 months, technically!) since I’ve ditched store bought hair products, and my hair is happier than ever. I feel like I really “know” my hair now—that without all the artificial crap I know all about its true texture, scent, and overall attitude (ability to hold styles, cooperativeness, desire to tie itself in knots, etc.). I’d say it’s been a definite improvement, and I would never go back. While my hair has more or less settled (I’m not noticing any changes to it anymore beyond seasonal ones), I’m still learning things. Here’s what I’ve figured out since the 18 month mark.
Unfortunately, you’ll still need a trim
This is kind of disappointing, but true. No matter how well you care for your ends, you will still need a trim here and there. Since my hair is so long, I tend to need one every 6–9 months, which is much better (and way cheaper) than every 6–9 weeks, but still necessary.
My growing hat collection covers all manners of greasy roots 😛
Hats, Scarves, and Toques are Great
Sometimes, you just can’t be bothered with dry shampoo—especially in the winter (when I generally find I can’t be bothered with much, frankly). This is where head coverings come in super handy! If you’re feeling lazy (and cold), a toque is perfect. Otherwise, you can devise yourself some hairstyles based around hats and scarves that are cute, but cover your roots. I would recommend not mixing my dry shampoo with hats if you have dark hair, though, because the dark colour of the shampoo can stain lighter hats and scarves.
Using ACV around your roots will shorten your wash cycle
Back in June, Shauna asked me if I use my ACV rinse on my roots as well as the length of my hair—she’d read conflicting accounts as to if this could make your roots look greasy. At the time I said I hadn’t heard anything, but the next time I washed my hair I thought I’d give it a try. And come wash day, I didn’t need to wash my hair. So I tried it again, and once again, my wash cycle was longer. So, I’d definitely say that you should avoid ACV rinsing your roots so you can have the longest wash cycle possible.
Braids are awesome
I have become a bit of a braid nut, especially for sleep and exercise of any kind. Without all the silicone in my hair it tangles more easily, and braids are a fantastic workaround for tangles. They’ll also leave your hair pleasantly wavy if it is a bit damp when you braid it, and I love that!
Make a detangling ACV rinse
My new detangling ACV rinse became an immediate (and permanent) part of my natural hair care routine after the first use. It is wonderfully effective, allowing me to put my hair up into elaborate updos without fearing the tangly consequences.
Splurge on a pretty antique silver hair brush
It’s been two years, so why not? I looked around before finding the perfect silver brush & mirror set on eBay. The biggest thing to look for is natural bristles on the brush—most of the sets I found had nylon bristles. You shouldn’t have to pay more than $100 for the set if it is silver plated (as opposed to solid silver).
Just wanted to let you know that I am really enjoying reading your blog! I came across it just a few days ago and I love all of your ideas for soap & shampoo bars. Solid shampoo is my next DIY product on the list so thank you for sharing all of these very interesting ideas! I’ll definitely be reading your blog.
Thanks so much, Anna 🙂 It’s always nice to know all the time & effort I sink into this blog is worth it! Let me know how your shampoo bars go 🙂
I love all your DIY hair posts!! I am overwhelmed with trying to figure out what shampoo recipe of yours to use! Can you help?? I have long hair that is straight and really fine. It gets weighed down/greasy easily and I’m wondering which one would be best! I am not quite sure the differences of your soaps besides color and scent. Also, where do you get your lard, and could I use vegetable shortening instead? I have seen a few recipes with that in it, and it seems easier to find. Thank you!!!
Hi Brittney, thanks for reading! It sounds like out hair is quite similar—mine is very long, fine, and there’s tons of it. I would recommend giving my lemongrass seaweed shampoo a go 🙂 Seaweed is awesome for the hair. Then, I’d follow it up with my ACV rinse for greasy hair.
I just buy my lard at the grocery store, in the pastry/baking aisle. I’ve never had any trouble finding it. Also check the aisle with the butter, or ask a store employee. You can use vegetable shortening instead if you like, I just find it kind of dodgy.
Have fun and good luck!
Thank you so much!! I’ll give that one a try 🙂
Have fun and let me know how it goes!
Hi Marie,
Fairly new to your blog but love it – thanks for all your great info & help. I’ve recently started using baking soda shampoo; really love it and also ACV rinse, but had to stop using the ACV rinse as it really lightened my hair & faded out color. While part of me wants to stay natural, at 60+ I do enjoy having my hair color match my red-auburn shade that USED to be natural. That’s really the only ‘primping’ on myself I do, don’t wear makeup, etc. and would like to keep the color. Can you recommend any other natural rinse?
Thanks,
Ellen
Hi Ellen! Sorry for the delay in responding—things have been crazy here! First off, I’d like to direct you towards this article about why you maybe shouldn’t wash your hair with baking soda. I’ve never tried washing my hair with BS so I can’t really say one way or another, but the author’s science seems to be pretty sound, so I thought I’d make sure you had seen it 🙂
How concentrated was your ACV rinse? If it was stronger than 1:4 ACV:water, my first recommendation would be to make a weaker mixture. Other than that, you can try some herbal/ tea rinses, which should not only keep the colour, but boost it as well!
Have you ever tried dying your hair with henna? It’s a natural alternative to chemical based dyes, and it really excels in the red-auburn shades 🙂
Have fun & thanks for reading!
I was wondering, how often do you use the acv, just after you wash or more often? I find with dry shampoo, my hair doesn’t like to stay in place and tends to look messy. I just try to brush it more often. I don’t use acv or condiitoner just use a nautral clay shampoo once a week and dry shampoo inbetween.
I only use it after I wash, which works out to be once every four days. I only rinse the length of my hair, not the roots (I’ve found rinsed roots= greasy roots). I generally don’t end up in a place where I have to use dry shampoo for more than a day (if that, as I am fond of hats). In my experience, the best way to get through the greasy day at the end of your wash cycle is to comb and brush my hair the night before, part it where I want it, and put it in a braid. Sleeping on it seems to sort of “buff” the exposed hair to semi clean-ness. Then, I won’t really take it out and brush or comb it (especially around the roots), as that really brings the greasiness out. I’ll either just take it down and put it in a pony tail or something, or just leave it in a braid if I’m at work that day (we don’t care much at my office, haha).
Hello! I stumbled upon your blog almost as if it were meant to be! I recently began switching every nonorganic item in the house back to their more simple form due to the knowledge I’ve gained on the toxic chemicals we come in contact with daily. Your recipes are a blessing because you know what pairs well together, you use the correct oils for hair/skin/face, and well.. You know what you’re talking about! I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your blog. I haven’t found many sources that can tell me a bunch of vital info in one place! I do have a question you may be able to shed some light on.. I live in a state where obesity is ranked #1 (West Virginia) and people my age (23) are more concerned with their alcohol consumption rather than what it will do to them years later. So, there isnt the best selection of items because it appeals to nobody:( We do have a farmers market once a week(over-crowded and over-priced) and I benefit from my own garden when it comes to food. When it comes to herbs/spices, we have a local ‘Co Op’ but they don’t have nearly half of the herbs/spices that are in your recipes.. Also, oxides… I have not dove into the makeup thing yet, but is there a place that physically sells them? Other than that, a good website would be lovely=)
Awesome! Don’t you love it when that happens? 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and appreciating, it sure is nice to know that people are enjoying what I’m doing (and recognizing all the hard work, time, and money that goes into it).
Sorry that your town/area isn’t loaded up with awesome ingredients 🙁 I was very spoiled with that when I lived in Toronto, and Calgary is slowly improving. I do find that ordering online is still my best friend when it comes to many things. I’d recommend New Directions Aromatics for all your DIY body stuff (great prices & selection). I would think you’d be able to order spices online, but I don’t live in the USA, so I’m not really an expert in the online shops you’ve got access to. But, spices are lightweight and don’t spoil easily, so it seems like a great fit! Perhaps one of my American readers can suggest something? As for fresh fruit & veg—three cheers for gardening!
What do you do in terms of drying and styling your hair? My hair is really persnickety when I air dry it and have to resort to heat in terms of drying and styling. I’d like to kick the bought products to the curb and go for some of your recipes like the balm and the mists. Anywho, that’s my question in terms of tools and methods of styling and drying, do you use low heat or cold settings and do you curl or straighten at all and how does your hair react to these treatments.
So… I am lazy. Super, super lazy, haha. I let my hair air dry, and I comb/brush it. On some rare occasions I’ll sleep in pin curls.
I will freely admit that the reason I can be this lazy with good results is because I have well behaved hair. It’s thick, fine, and straight (frustratingly so, even). I know I’m really lucky here as I likely wouldn’t put in any extra effort if I had poorly behaved hair, haha. Anyhow, thanks to the lack of heat I apply to it, my hair is really healthy & I can go ages without a trim.
A few things that might help you would be letting your hair dry in a braid or two, and getting a boar bristle brush if you don’t have one already. I’m sure you’ve tried spritzing your dry hair with a bit of water—does that help? What do you mean by “persnickety”? Have you dyed/permed your hair a lot over the years? Is your hair curly? Dry?
By “persnickety” I mean that when my hair air dries it can either look really good and wavy and full or flat and uneven in texture. I was relying pretty heavily on my big round brush and hot air to style my hair. Right now I’ve resolved to stop using hot air, towel dry and blow dry on cold and set in pin curls for an hour or so. They come out looking great, I’m blown away by how great and voluminous it looks, I need to figure out a way to make the curls set for the day, I live in Northern Ontario and winters can be tough. If I have to bite the bullet and use hairspray I will.
That sounds really frustrating, like a hair lottery. The step towards cold air sounds like a good one, though I can’t comment on how well it will work due to my hair laziness 😛 Please report back with your findings!
As for getting the curls to hold, there’s a nice discussion on flax seed hair gel in the comments on this entry that might help you out. I’m always working on trying to develop more hair gel recipes—I tried another a weekend or two again that ended up being a massive flop, lol.
I live in Calgary, so I definitely get the tough winters. Braids are my best friend these days, which works out reasonably well as I work in a very casual office that is mostly men, who don’t notice my hair at all, haha. If you don’t mind me asking, where in Northern Ontario are you? I’ve got friends in TBay, Sioux Lookout, and Pickle Lake.
I need to exercise more patience when it comes to drying on cold. The ACV rinse is making my hair rather gritty, though I have found a silicone free conditioner, it’s just a sample size so I see how it. I just need something a little more moisturizing.
Also I live in Sudbury. A city with over 300 lakes in the area, so in the winter it’s cold and dry and in the summer it’s hot, humid and I’m a puff ball.
I feel you on the cold drying! It was -40°C with windchill when I got up this morning, and I needed to wash my hair. Irk. I’m still a bit chilly lol. At least it air dries fast when it’s this dry!
The ACV rinse definitely should not be making your hair gritty at all! Quite the opposite, really—it helps smooth the hair down, so it should make it smooth and slick, not gritty… so I’m a little concerned, I guess. Are you using baking soda? It could be that it hasn’t all rinsed out. Otherwise… hmmm. What kind of grit are we talking about?
For added moisture on the more intense side, I absolutely love hair balm and hair serum—my hair (especially the ends) just drink those up in the winter. An ACV rinse isn’t really a conditioner in the sense of imparting moisture, it’s more of a pH adjuster. I find it works well for me in tandem with homemade shampoo because homemade shampoo bars don’t strip your hair like storebought detergent shampoos do, so you don’t need as much additional moisture.
I’ve never been to Sudbury, but I envy your summer humidity! I’m sure you’ll think I’m crazy, but it’s so dry here that I always associate humidity with the tropics. I can remember getting off the plane in Toronto in August and having flashbacks to Fiji from all the moisture in the air, lol.
It isn’t so much gritty, more like dry-ish ends, the top of my hair is quite soft, ends not so much. I’m using a nice shampoo bar from a local soaper. I’m not touching BS with a 10ft pole. maybe I’m not using enough vinegar or not rinsing it out all the way through, I’ll keep at it, start the conditioner as a last resort.
Hmmm. Sounds like you need a good, deep moisturizing treatment. A super simple one is to just massage a tablespoon or so of oil through your hair, let it soak in for a while (pop on a shower cap and watch a movie), and then wash it out. You will need a shampoo bar to get it out, and it’ll take some effort, but you’ll notice a big improvement. And yes, good idea on dodging the baking soda, from what I’ve read it can slowly destroy your hair by de-naturing the proteins in it.
Hi Marie,
I have been following your blog for 6 months or so, and I wanted to thank you for all the inspiration you have provided me with!
I recently switched from liquid, silicone filled shampoo to making my own shampoo bars. I packed them with loads of castor oil, jojoba and cocoa butter which is a bit tricky to balance when compared to making a “regular” soap bar. But I did it and I love them. Initially my hair was nasty, like wear a bandana all day gross! I faithfully followed shampooing with your ACV grapefruit oil rinse…and slowly over a few weeks my hair returned to its shiny, healthy ways.
So thank you for sharing your experiences in soap making and all your wonderful recipes. I am truly grateful 😀
I have had a browse on line but have been unable to find any concrete recommendations for oils that benefit curly/wavy hair. If you have any suggestions, please pass them my way.
An early Merry Christmas to you.
Awww, thank you, Carrie! Your comment brought a big smile to my face 🙂 I’m so thrilled to hear you’re enjoying reading my blog and that you’re learning & DIYing with me. That’s my ultimate goal—to teach people & empower them to make instead of buy.
Your shampoo bars sound utterly decadent. I, too, love my lather 🙂 I don’t think I could ever go poo-free because I just adore working up a good lather, haha. Something I have learned about ACV rinses over the years is to avoid the scalp—it really helps keeps your roots less greasy over the days of your wash cycle (though if you have curly hair you may have less of a problem with this as curly hair tends to be drier than straight).
As for oils for curly hair… the only really concrete thing I’ve ever learned about the composition of curly hair is that it’s drier than straight hair because the bending of the hair makes it harder for the hair to retain moisture. I’d probably direct you towards something like my anti-frizz hair mist (and a new recipe I have coming out this weekend that I just LOVE!) to help you impart all-over moisture, but beyond that, I’d stick to hair favourites—camellia seed, argan, jojoba, and (fingers crossed as I’ve heard good things but haven’t tried it yet) broccoli seed oil.
Hi,
I love your site – you have taken natural, DIY to the next level, and it is so wonderful that you share your experiences with everyone. Thank you!
I’ve been back and forth between DIY natural haircare, but I just can’t seem to find the right formula for me. My hair is naturally curly, tends towards coarse and dry – but pretty healthy. My scalp however, is DRY (oh so dry) and flaky (not dandruff though). We have super hard water as well, so that obviously does not help matters.
For a while I used bentonite clay, ACV, raw honey mix for shampoo, and it really was great for my scalp. But my hair become super fuzzy and uncontrollable.
Any advice? Thanks again – you’re great!
Hi Talya! Sorry for being so tardy in getting back to you here. Is there a chance your scalp woes might be caused by your diet, or some other source? Do you have dry skin otherwise? Have you tried stretching out your hair washes? Did that work? Hmmmm.
Boy oh boy do I have some hair care questions for you. Not sure if you, with your lovely, dry, straight hair, could answer them, though 😉
I’m that strange combination of oily scalp, fine, thin, wavy, frizzy hair. I was fighting dandruff for a while, but switching to natural hair care seems to have fixed that problem. My biggest issue is oil control. I love the clay hair mask that I use, I try to use it once a week with a face mask as well, and my hair seems to cooperate best on that day, emerging from the shower and conditioner (only on the ends) with bouncy, curly, shiny waves and a nice, stable scalp. But I can’t seem to find a way to really stretch out my washes more than 24 -48 hours before my hair gets SUPER greasy. When it does that, all of my waves and curls go completely limp. I don’t put anything onto my scalp after washing (of the acid or not variety) and have tried doing all the “scalp stimulation” tricks. Sure, a head massage feels great, but my hair seems to be the same. While I love the way my hair is now that I’ve gone natural (Castile or other soap, acid rinse, conditioner, clay masks) I just want help reaching a longer wash cycle. Can you help me?
Here is a photo for reference of post-clay mask hair (lovely, shiny, wavy, happy, healthy). Tomorrow and the day after I’ll try to grab a photo (sans dry shampoo) of my hair for comparison.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJEQhKJjOb7/?taken-by=minicoopergirl93
I am so jealous of your lovely waves! You have no idea!
Hmm. For me, when I hit that gross stage, it’s a sort of grin-and-bear-it with disguising styles/toques, for a day or two, and that’s where the stretching comes in, and then eventually your gross day will be a few days later than it used to be. Have you ever actually let it go for three days or longer before washing?
I made it 3.5 days (where it was the weekend and I washed after lunch on the 4th day because I was feeling gross and ill all over anyways). Since then I haven’t done much stretching due to my inherent need to use a shower to destress during this stressful time in my life. I have, however, discovered that to help with stretching a little bit when I don’t have time to shower, I omit conditioner and just use a mildly acidic rinse at the end. Also the boar bristle brush helps.
https://minicoopergirl93.wordpress.com/2016/10/01/my-natural-hair-care-journey-6-mo/
Fair enough—there’s really no reason to feel like a gremlin. Do what works for you and what you like! I seem to tend towards the laze and don’t mind feeling too greebly if I’m home alone most of the time and just going to spin class, but that’s more laziness than some sort of major devotion to stretching out my hair washes LOL. And I’m glad you’re loving boar bristle brushes, but lordy is that lady in the video you shared stiff as a board haha. I’m partially convinced someone has a gun aimed at her off camera!
Oh goodness I know! But as far as good brushing tutorials go, there’s not many out there — maybe I should just make my own XD
Ha! As long as you don’t duct-tape yourself to a 2×4 before filming I’m sure yours would be WAY better!