Never Worry About Oily Hair Again!
Using natural, sulfate free shampoo and conditioner has always been one of my best habits, but no matter my efforts, I could not prevent my hair from becoming oilier as each day passed! One shower a day used to be enough, but I didn’t realize that my frequent shampooing was exacerbating my problem. Based on some great eye opening tips from a podcast, I experimented with a natural, DIY baking soda blend to remedy my problem and changed my scalp cleansing schedule. Ditching shampoo was the best choice in the end!
I didn’t know how my scalp worked and how to make it ‘happy.’ So here’s the low down on why your hair gets greasy. Your scalp naturally releases oil called sebum, which is a moisturizer that your skin needs. When you strip it away daily with a harsh soap, it fights back with vengeance! If you cleanse your scalp infrequently and use a gentle cleanser, instead of a stripper, the sebum learns to slow down production. You no longer have to fight your oily scalp and your hair can go much longer between washings.
A word of “warning” before I begin
- This is not a quick process and may include some uncomfortable transitions as you train your scalp to respond to your new habits.
- Your hair and scalp go through moods, so you may have to change your formula periodically. This process is like getting to know your hair’s personality and will serve you well in the long run.
- Over the years you will learn what works best for you. De-greasing your scalp takes lots of experimentation – but one thing is for sure – you will never regret making this change!
How to Make the Cleanser:
My husband and I do this differently. I used to do what he does, but my head changed… so after experimenting, I found a new method. What has worked best for me is shaking a little bit of shampoo into a baking soda water blend. I recommend the following two brands of natural shampoo: Alaffia’s coconut shampoo and Giovanni’s 2 Chic shampoo. I use the Think Dirty app to test out the toxicity levels of any product I put on my skin – these have great ratings! As a reference, check out this list to know which toxic shampoo and conditioner ingredients to avoid. Your body will thank you.
Make the basic cleansing liquid by dissolving 5 tbsp baking soda into 1.5-2 quarts of warm water. (Save time by making a large batch)
Fill your squeeze bottle about ¾ full and add about 15 pumps of shampoo. Or less, or more – find the right number for you as you experiment. Shake well.
(Optional: leave out the shampoo, especially for shorter hair. This hair cleansing method has revolutionized my husband’s business trips. He just brings a tbsp of baking soda with him and dissolves it into a cup in the hotel room!)
When to Use the Cleanser:
Decrease the frequency with which you shampoo your hair.
Maybe you wash your hair every day – consider decreasing to every other day. As you’re comfortable, leave two days between cleansing your scalp. Now I only cleanse my scalp twice a week, although hair can be conditioned or rinsed as often as you like! (As long as conditioner doesn’t have ingredients ending in –cone, which coats your hair in a layer of plastic.) I cleanse my hair every Sunday and Wednesday and it never looks oily.
How to Use the Cleanser:
If you’re not in the habit already, I have found it helpful to cleanse it twice in one setting. It seems to help my hair stay happier even longer. You only need to gently squirt the baking soda shampoo liquid on your scalp – the strands of your hair do not need to be washed. Massage your scalp until your arms hurt! This new process is a mindset change – you’re not ‘washing your hair’ so much as ‘cleansing and balancing your scalp.’ If you care well for your scalp, your hair will show it. Consider keeping the conditioner only on ends of your hair, it doesn’t need to be massaged into the scalp. I learned that this practice makes my hair more cooperative. Play around with techniques that work for you though; what works for one person may not work for another.
Transition Challenges:
As I mentioned earlier, your scalp is used to being stripped of its sebum almost daily so it takes a while to learn a new production schedule. When I began this, I went cold turkey and just started using baking soda water every day and didn’t touch shampoo for years. Sometimes my hair strands were dryer than I’d like them to be. It took several months of awkwardly oily hair before it kicked in. For my husband, he had NO uncomfortable transition and just does baking soda every other day. His flaky scalp condition even vanished.
After those first few months of working to lower my oil levels, I began trying different hair masks, rinses, conditioners, wash frequencies… and after several years of success, my method stopped working. This is when I introduced a little shampoo to my soda blend and it’s been working wonders ever since. My hair is shinier, less tangly, and I still only wash it twice a week. On occasion, I go a whole week just to see what happens, and it isn’t that bad!
If you try this…
I would love to hear your stories and learn from you! I shared my experience with my curly haired mother and she began experimenting as well. She has never loved her hair so much either! The benefits are endless. I spend less money on shampoo and conditioner. I take less time in the shower most days of the week because I don’t have to mess with my hair – thus saving water as well! I can go on a weekend trip and not have to worry about finding a shower head I like (I am one of those who loves lots of water pressure, which makes me only want to use MY shower!) And you can’t forget the best benefit – by using natural, biodegradable ingredients – my body AND the environment are exposed to less chemicals. It’s always worth it to ditch toxic, carcinogenic products to help keep ourselves and this precious Earth we call home happy and healthy.
