Hippie Hair- an update

I was a bit unsure of myself in October when I decided to stop using shampoo. I had read a lot of websites and many accounts of people who swore that ditching shampoo did wonders to their hair. I liked the idea of using fewer chemicals on my hair and ultimately making my hair more natural. I liked the idea of spending less money on hair products. And mostly, I liked the idea of being able to go more than a day in between washing my hair and not having my head look like an oil slick. I decided I would give it a try- I chose to use baking soda wash with an apple cider vinegar rinse (BS/ ACV). I alternating using this combination daily to every other day. I experiemented with the amounts of BS/ACV. The first few weeks were... well, rough. They weren't kidding when they said my hair would go through a transition phase. I spent the entire month of December battling my hair. How could it be possible for my hair to be greasy and staticy at the same time? I almost gave up on numerous occasions. But, since I had read that everyone goes through the transition phase, I decided to stick with it. I knew my scalp trying to rebalance the amount of oil it needed to produce. My poor scalp was used to being completely stripped everyday since I was little. I've determined that this process of eliminating shampoo is a bit of trial and error. I have a handful of different items that I use to clean my hair, but none of them are conventional shampoo. I still do BS/ACV about once a week or so. I was amazed by how well ACV detangles my hair. Who knew that something typically used for cooking would make my hair so silky? I also occasionally use a natural shampoo bar that I found at a health food store near my house. But, I think my favorite shampoo substitute is Dr. Bronner's. It's made with a combination of oils- coconut, jojoba, hemp, and olive oil. You can use Dr. Bronner's for pretty much anything- you can dilute it and use it as a household cleaner, you can use it as soap, shampoo, and even toothpaste (I have not used it as toothpaste, and probably won't anytime soon). I also have Dr. Bronner's in foaming hand soap dispensers by all of my sinks. Another thing I like about Dr. Bronner's is that it's a fair trade product. I wish there were more fair trade products! I recently read that the company caps their executive pay at five times what their lowest paid employee makes. Can you imagine if more companies functioned this way? Once you get past the cooky sayings on the bottle, Dr. Bronner's is quite a product. For those of you wondering if I stuck with it- yes!- no more Garnier, Suave, Pantene, or Redken for me. And what a relief- fewer products, fewer chemicals, and healthier, natural hair!