A few months ago, I read No Impact Man and the author inspired me to think about the amount of trash I generate everyday; along with the types of products I use. In one section of the book, Beavan talks about shampooing his hair with baking soda.
Why baking soda? Well…
Commercial shampoos and soaps and cleaning products have about umpteen million chemicals in them that are bad for the environment—bad for the drinking water, bad for aquatic life, just bad (is there a commenter out there who can give us the details of the bad chemicals?).
I ran out of shampoo recently and decided to try the baking soda route. So far so good. The texture feels weird (kind of like sand) and it doesn’t sudd’s up, but it cleans my hair really well.
As far as baking soda goes, we’re set. Last year, we purchased one bulk baking soda can. I should have enough baking soda for baking and hair care for the next year. 
For more information read: Drugs Are in the Water. Does it Matter?
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m still in the middle of making those kind of changes in my life. Sometimes I think I should slow down a bit and make certain changes first. minimalism is still my top priority. But this one seems rather easy to make.
And let’s be honest girls take better care of their hair than guys, so if you say it’s ok I definitely believe you. I hope it doesn’t feel too weird. How much should I use? Just the small portion that my fingers can grab?
LOL – well give it a try and see if you like it. I take about 3 big spoonfuls of baking soda, pour the soda into a cup and then mix it with a little bit of water. You’ll want the mixture to feel like a paste. It’s easy to add to much water.
Let me know how it goes…
Good luck!
I am going to try baking soda shampooing when I run out of shampoo the next time. Do you really need three big teaspoons? How long is your hair?
@Keira – I’m still trying to figure out the correct amount. I’ve been making more than necessary. So I use the extra for cleaning.
Ok so I tried, and true, it’s ultra easy to add to much water and create a small mess within seconds. The texture is weird to say the least, but my hair feels nice and clean. I guess a bit of practice may solve it!
On the other hand now I need extra baking soda, but that is no big deal.
@Alejandro Right on! I’m glad you tried it out. The texture is weird and hard to get used too. I miss the suds of “normal shampoo.” I’ve made a few small messes too. Practice makes perfect, right?
Tammy- I’ve been following the “No Poo” method for probably a year now or close to it. Occasionally I use baking soda but often just use plain water. My hair started out dry, curly, and damaged. Now it’s in the best condition ever! It’s still curly but no longer so dry, damaged, or unmanageable. For people with normal to oily hair, the baking soda would probably be the best bet. I’m thrilled to have discovered this method.
@Lisa! Cool. I hadn’t heard of the “No Poo” method before. Using plain baking soda is working really well for me. My hair feels so much better! It’s really amazing.
Tammy!
I love the article you posted once on your monday roundup called the great unwashed about the lady who doesn’t shampoop her hair. As soon as mine is grown out enough to ponytail and hide under a bandana until it stops being greasy (according to that article, about 3 weeks), I’m going to try it. If I don’t have to spend money on shampoop, I’m not going to! I know it sounds grody but I think it would be neat to have soft controllable hair and not have to put chemicals on it!
I also heard that some people do the baking soda and apple cider vinegar thing on their hair… mmm vinegar!
@Lelly – I don’t think it’s “grody.” If you can save extra money that’s fantastic!
Adding a bunch of chemicals to my hair freaks me out.
I want to try this. I’ve been using baking soda for deodorant and it really works. I make a paste with a little cornstarch (3:1 soda to starch) so it’s not so gritty and I add a little essential oil so it smells good. It works better than the deodorant I used to buy.
Piper: How do you apply the deodorant? Fingers? Do you wait to put on your shirt until it dries?
I’ve been doing baking soda (about every other day) followed by diluted apple cider vinegar for about 2 months now. The key is using only as much apple cider vinegar as you need, as it has a conditioning effect and can make your hair look greasy. Experiment to find what works!
Hi Tammy, just trippin through from a link on Everrets blog, (far beyond the Stars) and saw this.
My 2 cents.
I have heard that this BS, er baking soda can be used for dry washing your hair when no water is available.
Rub a good amount into the hair and brush it out.
Never been there yet, but good to know.
Chuck – sweet! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment about “BS.” Good to know. Hopefully, I won’t find myself without access to water anytime soon. Happy Holidays!
I tried the noo-poo and it worked fine for some time but after I while my scalp was really dry so I’ve gone back to regular schampoo. My hairdresser was appalled when I told her what I had been doing…
I also tried using it as “dry schampoo” but it was quite hard to get out so it didn’t save me any time and I ended up washing my hair the regular way instead. But I might give it another try
Ohhh bummer! Well you have to do what’s best for your hair do.
Good luck!