No Poo?

I know what you're thinking... HUH? Is she talking about poop? Well, I do have a chronically constipated daughter with short bowel syndrome, so that wouldn't be completely abnormal... But no, I'm not talking about poop! I try to keep those topics limited to Faith's blog.
So, what am I talking about? I'm talking about a super simple, super cheap way to take care of your hair! With the exception of about a week, I have been shampoo-free since January 2010. At first glance, it seems complicated, not worth the effort, etc... but I don't honestly think I will ever go back to shampoo! (Seriously, I tried... when the seasons changed from winter to spring, my hair got funky, so I went out and bought some natural shampoo, and I have used it maybe twice, it just doesn't get my hair clean!)
How do you go shampoo-free, you ask? It starts with 2 simple ingredients- baking soda and apple cider vinegar. You'll also want to have a container of some sort for the baking soda, and an empty (washed) shampoo bottle for the cider vinegar. I use a small plastic food storage container for the baking soda.
There are many ways to do No Poo... some people use very diluted baking soda, some use thicker paste, some people put it on dry hair, some do it in the shower... you have to experiment and see what works best for you.
Personally, I put probably about a cup of baking soda into my container, add maybe 10-15 drops of Tea Tree Oil, and sometimes some Eucalyptus Oil. Then I add water until it forms a thin paste, not much of a different consistency than actual shampoo. I keep the container on a shelf in the shower. I wet my hair thoroughly when I get in the shower, then scoop up a little handful of the baking soda mixture and scrub it all over my head. It doesn't lather like shampoo, but I do use pretty much the same technique that I would use to lather shampoo. Then I let it sit in my hair for a minute or two, before rinsing with my shower turned to a high-pressure setting to get all of the baking soda out.
Maybe once a week or every 2 weeks, I follow with a rinse of the apple cider vinegar. I fill my empty shampoo bottle about halfway with vinegar, and then add water to fill it all the way. Some people add essential oils to the vinegar to make it smell better, but since I don't use it that often, I prefer to add my oils to my baking soda. I shake it before I use it, then just pour it on my head (being careful not to get it in my eyes- vinegar BURNS!). You can rinse it or leave it in, personally I rinse it out. I have experimented with using the cider vinegar more often, but it makes my hair oilier than using the baking soda alone.
The benefits of going No Poo? Well, I used to have to wash my hair EVERY DAY. I was lucky to even make it 24 hours without my hair ending up totally oily and dirty looking. Now, I use baking soda every other day, at most. Most weeks, I only need to "wash" my hair with baking soda 2-3 times a week. My hair is super healthy, has good body, and is shiny and nice. And, baking soda is CHEAP! I buy the big 12-lb bags that they sell by the swimming pool supplies, the last bag I bought cost less than $6, and I've used it for baking, cleaning, and bath & body care!
Let me know if you try this, and what works for you!