I have struggled to find something that would work for my finicky hair for years. I used a lot of natural shampoos and conditioners, but each brand would only work for a couple months, and then I would have to change to something else.
I was very excited when I found Burt's Bees Gud Shampoo and Conditioners. There are several different scents and though they all work equally on my hair, I prefer the vanilla.
I have been using Gud for around a year and a half and it works so well!
But, though it is a natural hair product, I wanted to really get down to the basics.
As I said, my hair is extremely finicky. I even have to be careful how I dry it, as using the wrong process with cause all sorts of problems and tons of split ends.
Keeping my hair happy and healthy has been a real challenge, so when I found the Gud hair products, I didn't want to ever use anything else as long as they were still working.
However, I recently came across an article that encouraged me to branch out and try something different.
The first thing I did was use honey as a conditioner. I thought, seriously, how am I supposed to get it out of my hair?? But I bravely decided to try it anyway.
I mixed the honey half and half with my regular conditioner. I used about two tablespoons of each and that proved to be about twice the amount I needed. It does store well, so you can mix up a larger batch.
After washing my hair, I applied the honey/conditioner mix to it. I usually only use conditioner bottom part of my hair, but this time I used it all the way through.
The post I read said it is more effective if you leave it in over night and wear a shower cap or something, but I just left it in for about fifteen minutes.
When I went to rinse it out, I kept rinsing and rinsing because my hair was so soft and smooth, I thought the honey was still in it! You can feel the difference even when it is wet (and the smell is amazing!!)
After about two hours, my hair was dry enough to brush and I could really tell a big difference. Once my hair dried all the way, the results were even better. My hair was smooth and shiny and the ends did not frizz. It will take awhile to really get my ends healthy, but the honey definitely helped a lot.
This probably wouldn't be something I would do every time I wash my hair...many once a week or so as maintenance, but it really works!
Another thing I tried was washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar. I had heard of this method before, but I just couldn't quite see washing my hair in something like that!
But I was in a experimenting mood, so I gave it a try.
I mixed two tablespoons baking soda with about half a cup of water and in a separate cup, I mixed two tablespoons vinegar with approx. half a cup of water and two-three drops lavender essential oil.
You can use the baking soda mixture on wet or dry hair, according to what I read online, but I wet my hair first, then rubbed the mixture in thoroughly. It feels strange at first, but you get used to the sensation.
The article I read said not to wash your ends with it because it will dry them out and since most of the oils in your hair are on the top of your head, the ends do not actually need washed as much.
I scrubbed it into my hair well, then rinsed it out. Then I used the vinegar mixture. I really did not like this part. #1 Vinegar smells and even with the lavender oil, I didn't like it. #2 I could not get it out of my hair. It took forever to rinse out, even though I rinsed it with cold water like the article said too. I tried it with warm water as well, and it still wouldn't come out. It took a long time and lots of water before I was satisfied it was all out.
I did love the results of the baking soda though, so I think in the future, I will forgo the vinegar and use the honey/conditioner instead.
I remember reading about the Indians using some plant/herb to wash their hair with, so I want to do more research on natural hair products. Perhaps that will result in more hair care posts :)
Do you have any natural hair products you use or hair care tips to share?
I was very excited when I found Burt's Bees Gud Shampoo and Conditioners. There are several different scents and though they all work equally on my hair, I prefer the vanilla.
I have been using Gud for around a year and a half and it works so well!
But, though it is a natural hair product, I wanted to really get down to the basics.
As I said, my hair is extremely finicky. I even have to be careful how I dry it, as using the wrong process with cause all sorts of problems and tons of split ends.
Keeping my hair happy and healthy has been a real challenge, so when I found the Gud hair products, I didn't want to ever use anything else as long as they were still working.
However, I recently came across an article that encouraged me to branch out and try something different.
The first thing I did was use honey as a conditioner. I thought, seriously, how am I supposed to get it out of my hair?? But I bravely decided to try it anyway.
I mixed the honey half and half with my regular conditioner. I used about two tablespoons of each and that proved to be about twice the amount I needed. It does store well, so you can mix up a larger batch.
After washing my hair, I applied the honey/conditioner mix to it. I usually only use conditioner bottom part of my hair, but this time I used it all the way through.
The post I read said it is more effective if you leave it in over night and wear a shower cap or something, but I just left it in for about fifteen minutes.
When I went to rinse it out, I kept rinsing and rinsing because my hair was so soft and smooth, I thought the honey was still in it! You can feel the difference even when it is wet (and the smell is amazing!!)
After about two hours, my hair was dry enough to brush and I could really tell a big difference. Once my hair dried all the way, the results were even better. My hair was smooth and shiny and the ends did not frizz. It will take awhile to really get my ends healthy, but the honey definitely helped a lot.
This probably wouldn't be something I would do every time I wash my hair...many once a week or so as maintenance, but it really works!
Another thing I tried was washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar. I had heard of this method before, but I just couldn't quite see washing my hair in something like that!
But I was in a experimenting mood, so I gave it a try.
I mixed two tablespoons baking soda with about half a cup of water and in a separate cup, I mixed two tablespoons vinegar with approx. half a cup of water and two-three drops lavender essential oil.
You can use the baking soda mixture on wet or dry hair, according to what I read online, but I wet my hair first, then rubbed the mixture in thoroughly. It feels strange at first, but you get used to the sensation.
The article I read said not to wash your ends with it because it will dry them out and since most of the oils in your hair are on the top of your head, the ends do not actually need washed as much.
I scrubbed it into my hair well, then rinsed it out. Then I used the vinegar mixture. I really did not like this part. #1 Vinegar smells and even with the lavender oil, I didn't like it. #2 I could not get it out of my hair. It took forever to rinse out, even though I rinsed it with cold water like the article said too. I tried it with warm water as well, and it still wouldn't come out. It took a long time and lots of water before I was satisfied it was all out.
I did love the results of the baking soda though, so I think in the future, I will forgo the vinegar and use the honey/conditioner instead.
I remember reading about the Indians using some plant/herb to wash their hair with, so I want to do more research on natural hair products. Perhaps that will result in more hair care posts :)
Do you have any natural hair products you use or hair care tips to share?
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