Your Questions Answered: More About My Baking-Soda Shampoo

In my last Q&A, I answered some of your questions regarding using my baking soda shampoo. As it turns out, you had even more questions about making and using your own homemade shampoo! So, here's Part 2...

Q: You mentioned in your first post that you use herbs. Do you use fresh or dried and how much? Also what type of herbs do you use since I have a similar hair type...

Well, the first couple times around that I made my baking-soda shampoo, I did include herbs, specifically dried rosemary, which is supposed to help if you have dry scalp. The first time, I just dumped some dried herbs into the mixture, but that ended up turning the water a brownish color and ended up stuffing up my pump at times.

Then, I decided to try to make a little sachet, putting about a teaspoon of dried rosemary into a square of gauzy fabric and tying it at the ends so the herbs couldn’t fall out. Then I submerged it into the mixture. That worked better at keeping the herbs from clumping in the pump, but after a few times it seemed like a bit more work than I felt like, so I’ve since stopped including rosemary at all.

After all this, someone recommended using essential oils instead of the herb itself, and just add a drop or two to the mixture. That way you take advantage of the natural properties of the herb without the mess of the herb itself. I have yet to pick up some essential oil and try it, myself, though.

Q: Did you miss having the lovely smell of highly fragranced shampoo? What does your hair smell like now? I am curious since if I skip a day of washing, my hair has this oily smell that I do not like.

Well, to be honest, I don’t think my hair smells like anything other than hair! I’ve never put much of a priority on how my shampoo smells, anyway though, so the lack of a strong fragrance doesn’t bother me at all. I care more about how well the shampoo actually works!

However, if you do miss a perfume-y smell, you can also try experimenting with adding essential oils to your mixture. As I mentioned before, I haven’t tried adding essential oils, but it seems like a great way to personalize and perfect the smell you want, using natural fragrances rather than synthetic ones.

Have you tried adding essential oils to your baking-soda shampoo? If so, please share your suggestions or combinations of ones to try in the comments!

Q: Does your husband wash his hair with this solution too?

Good question, because the answer is that, no, he does not use my baking-soda shampoo! He keeps his hair pretty short with a closely cropped buzz-cut, so he doesn’t really need to use shampoo at all. Instead, he just uses Dr. Bronner’s castile soap, which we use as our body wash of choice, as well. I think for him, it’s just easier to keep using that.

What Other Questions Do You Have For Me?
Recently, I invited you to ask me any questions you might have that I could answer in upcoming posts, whether it's follow-up regarding anything I've written about in the past, curiosities regarding any of my personal experiences, or your general blogging questions.

In the following weeks I will continue to respond to your questions, so please feel free to ask any that come to mind in the comments below or send me an email. I have some questions in the queue regarding my thoughts on tattoos and some kitchen insights, so those and more to come!