March 19th, 2014 
Jessica 
Some time ago I decided to see how long I could go without buying shampoo and conditioner. I had so many free samples on hand, and so many arriving in the mail each month that I just started going through them. I started in May 2012, and last week I finally caved and bought my first bottles of shampoo and conditioner in almost 2 years.
When I had gaps between free samples, I began experimenting with going “poo-free,” a technique I had read about on Pinterest. When a friend of mind admitted that she’d been going “poo-free” after reading an article by Tsh Oxenreider, I decided to give it a whirl myself. I have naturally curly hair that is a mystery to me, so I’m up for trying anything to manage it.
I used the recipe Tsh suggests on her website, The Art of Simple:
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda + 1 Cup of Water = Shampoo
- 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar + 1 Cup of Water = Conditioner
I actually hesitated to share my experiment with anyone, because I was pretty sure it would gross them out. Even my husband thought I was a little weird for trying this DIY experiment! The transition period to “poo-free” can last from a few weeks to a few months, so I often went back to using shampoo and conditioner again as soon as I got another free sample. So I admit I didn’t really follow Tsh’s advice to the letter.
One thing that I noticed right away was that my hair was oilier, but for you non-curly folks out there, that was a good thing for my hair. When my hair is too dry, it won’t curl well. It needs moisture and its natural oils to curl well. I also have very long hair now, which began to get more tangled without regular conditioning. If I were to do this experiment again, I would also want to find better applicator bottles than the two empty soda bottles I used.
In the end, I have gone back to regular shampoo and conditioner. Old habits die hard. But I’m still willing to try going “poo-free” again, when I can spend more time adjusting the amounts of baking soda and cider vinegar to the right chemistry for my hair.
Have you ever considered, or gone “poo-free”? What was your experience?
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I’ve wanted to try this but I hadn’t found a good recipe! Yours is much easier than the others I was thinking of trying. Others had all sorts of extract and other “flavorings” in it. Ha.
I’ll try this one though, I’m interested to see how well it works on my head. 🙂
Karilyn
Have fun! I would definitely recommend reading the links I included, because they give a lot more details on how to do it right. 🙂