New #27: Brew Some "Shampoo" and Use It

Recently I've discovered Stumble Upon, which, simply put, is the best internet invention ever. All you have to do is let it know what you like (art, alternative music, anarchy, whatever), hit "stumble" and it will pull up a random website you'd be interested in. So. Addicting. Anyway, one of the first sites I came across was a potion of sorts, explaining how to make your own shampoo. Really, the "shampoo" was just baking soda and water. One tablespoon baking soda for every cup of water, to be exact. This article also talked about the evils of traditional 'poos, how they're basically a detergent that strips your hair of natural oils and leaves your scalp dependent on more chemicals and products and what not. You can read all about for yourself here. I bookmarked the page thinking it was somewhat interesting. Then I ran out of my own shampoo. With a new needed on the horizon, I decided to give homemade haircare a try.

The formula was ridiculously easy to make. All you need is one tablespoon of baking soda mixed with one cup of water. I just funneled these into my empty evil shampoo bottle, gave it a shake and was good to go.


In the shower, I got my hair wet and poured a tiny bit of the potion on top. Unlike other shampoos that bubble and foam all over your head, this just felt like I was pouring on cold water (which is kind of all I was doing). The directions said to add little bits of the baking soda/water mix and massage it into your scalp. Without bubbles it was hard to tell if I was getting it all over my head, so I just kept splashing on more and more. In the end, I'd gone through about half of the bottle. It actually left a funny soapy/waxy feeling on my hands, but seemed to wash out of my hair well enough. Or so I thought.

After the shower, I was thrilled I was able to comb through my hair without it falling out (it is a little scary using baking soda - which kills all sorts of things around the house - on your head). All was well ... until my hair dried. Then that soapy/waxy feeling surfaced in my hair. Reading back on the original directions, it said to use just a small amount of the shampoo each wash. I guess "apply liberally" does not apply to baking soda shampoo.

My hair felt like straw all day, and was a nightmare to get a brush through. But I have to say, it was indeed clean, which is the basic purpose of shampoo, I guess. I may use it one or two more times to see if using less leaves less of a yucky feeling in my hair. But realistically, I'll probably be buying another bottle of the devil's shampoo next time I go to the store. Sorry, hair. I'd rather you feel nice and soft, even if it means you're a detergent-rinsed chemical junky.