clean and green-baking soda (the good, the bad, the ugly)

Can you guess what this little cutie and I have in common?
We both have horrible hair issues.

Hair is never something I have loved about myself. Limp, baby fine, and with a tendency for dryness, I have never really liked my hair. Then there are my "baby hairs" that choose to stick out of my head like lightning rods at all the right moments. Yep, my hair and I are best friends.

So when I heard about the baking soda epidemic going around and how fabulous it was, I had to try it out. Not only was replacing your shampoo and conditioner with baking soda super green, it also saves you some green. Hair care products can get expensive especially when you use designer products. Or Head and Shoulders. Just sayin.

Anyways, everyone I knew who tried it had rave reviews. Their hair was moisturized, soft, silky, clean, and chemical free. Some said it gave new life to their dull ugly hair. Well, sign me up please!! Maybe I too could be a no poo convert.

So, I tried it.


Before I share my results, I wanted to talk about baking soda and how great it is.
I use it all the time in various ways. To clean with (it acts as a fab scrubbing agent that is also totally safe for small children and the environment), I use it to bake with (obviously), you can use it added to your toothpaste to help whiten your teeth (just dip a tooth brush, with toothpaste already on it, right into some baking soda), and it can even be for you hair as a great clarifying booster.

When I used it as a booster to my shampoo I was blown away by how great it was. I added about a teaspoon to my regular amount of shampoo and mixed together to make my paste. I had simply brought a little cup into the shower and just dumped it into my hand with the shampoo. I then washed as usual and then conditioned really well as baking soda can be drying. The results were amazing! My hair was so soft, like baby soft. It made me think even more about these ladies (and men) who had replaced their shampoo with it completely. If a little was this great, surely a lot would be even better!! My oh my how this thought gets me into trouble every time!

So back to my results. For me it was horrible. I'm just going to be honest here. Not everything that works for some will work for you.
I did it several times, using different formulas in hopes to make it work.
My hair had never felt more dry. Well once, when I spent 12 hours at the salon getting my almost black hair bleached to platinum. That dry. It felt like straw and was horrid. My scalp itched beyond belief and also broke out. I even tried a vinegar rinse as suggested to help condition and it did nothing but made me smell like a pickle all day.
I wanted to love it. I really did. Unfortunately, I am just now starting to get my hair back to normal. There is A LOT of deep conditioning going on at my house.

I have pretty healthy hair despite it lacking movie star quality, but it takes a lot of conditioner to make it that way. Perhaps if you have naturally healthy hair and don't have to use conditioner every shower, then this could be perfect for you. Just be careful. Baking soda, I still love you and all your great uses, but my hair is just not one of them.

I want to go green and do my part. And I do every day. I am slowly converting all areas of our life to be more eco conscious. But at the same time it has to work for us.

So I suppose there is no miracle cure for my hair after all. But that's okay! Duck hair is totally going to become the next trend. Just wait and see.