A lot has been written about all the »magic« qualities baking soda has in this world, including the topic I shall write about today.

Following the discussions I had with my friends, only one uses baking soda as a shampoo regurarly, some (3) have tried it, but do not make use of it regurarly as they also use other shampoos, that’s a small nuber and it’s what helped me made my decision to write some more about this topic.

I have been practicing using this »shampoo« regularly for a little more than a month and now feel comfortable enough to share my experience. One word – incredible.

The first time I tried it, I put the powder on dry hair and massaged the scalp for about a minute, then washed it out with warm water. I didn’t use any conditioner because I was testing the pure effect of baking soda on my long hair. I wasn’t very satisfied, as I had to wash my hair after three days already, and it usually gets greasy after five to seven days.

Next time I tried a different method – I put the powder on wet hair, not soaking wet, but wet still. Massaged it for about a minute – be patient on this point, take your time. Then rinsed it and there it was – perfectly washed hair which lasted me for six days!

As I have pretty long hair (mid-back), I have to use a conditioner so it doesn’t get too dry or tangeled – for now. The only good one I ever came across is this one by Lush.

Natural, vegan, awesome. I only use it about every other time I wash my hair or even rarely, because I’m still testing how the hair would cope without a conditioner (it is in fact completely fine without it. The only difference is when the hair is still wet, it may be a bit more tangly, but once it’s dry, it’s all the same, regardless of using a conditioner).

Soda doesn’t just wash away the grease and other dirt but also removes and stops dandruff as it has an abrasive effect and scrubs the scalp while massaging. The latter is just a short term effect, but it also has a long term one – it changes the pH of the skin, so the yeast (which causes the dandruff) no longer has favorable conditions for prospering.

You just have to be careful to really wash it all off so that you’re not left with soda dust on your scalp or hair. It isn’t hard to rinse though, it has never happened to me that any soda would be left in my hair and I don’t rinse excessively.

Have you ever read the ingredients on your shampoo bottles? Chemicals, chemicals and more chemicals – some things we’ve never heard of before, other things we know are bad. Even on those which say are “natural”. Therefore using soda is a completely natural way of washing our hair, as it has a clear formula (NaHCO₃) and contains nothing else, absolutely nothing harmful. Plus it’s incomparably cheaper. I use one box (500 g) per year which costs less than two euros (and not just for the hair). How much does your bottle of shapoo cost? If it’s say from Lush or a soap from Ma Provence, then it’s about 6-10 €. And how many bottles do you use up per year? In my case, a little more than two soaps per year which is about 12-20 €. Talk about saving!

Want to know how to use baking soda as a toothpaste? Or how to make your own toothpaste? Interested in difference between washing and baking soda? Don’t miss out on my future posts. 😉