It seems like no ‘poo comes and goes in waves. Suddenly, 20 women will show up out of nowhere saying they’re about to try it. With every wave comes a small, but vocal, backlash.
“Backlash” may be a strong word. A better word may be “fear.” There are always several people who say, “Never. I could never, ever try that.”
It’s scary to go no ‘poo. Even more, it doesn’t work for everyone. No matter how hard you try, how badly you wish to be a no ‘poo goddess, your hair has other plans. I’m not sure the reason why it’s so difficult for some people, but the fact remains … it is.
In one small, silly way, I was one of those people. I decided NOT to go back to no ‘poo, simply because my hair looked annoyingly icky whenever I’d try to dry it with the blow dryer. And the longer it gets, the longer it takes to air dry.
For about three months, I’ve been using castille soap to wash my hair. It’s not really no ‘poo, but it’s not really shampoo. It’s sort of sorta ‘poo.
The only downside was that it didn’t lather, and there were occasions where my hair didn’t feel completely clean.
Then … coconut milk happened.
Homemade coconut milk happened.
And the world of sorta ‘poo was blown wide open into a thriving, gorgeous utopia.
How to Make Sorta ‘Poo With Coconut Milk and Castille
You’ll probably want to know why you should make your sorta ‘poo with coconut milk and castille.
It’s all about the lather, baby.
Coconut contains natural, extremely gentle surfactants that create lather when mixed with pure castille, just like we’re all accustomed to in our shampoo. In fact, many cosmetic companies use a compound called cocamidopropyl betaine, which is derived from coconut, in their products for just this reason. (Whether or not it’s truly natural or safe is questionable, so if you’d like to know more, read The Chemical of the Day entry on it.)
So when you mix the castille and the coconut milk together, you get amazing, breathtaking, bubbly magic that gets all up in your hairs and squeaks them clean. It is neither drying nor oily. It is like store-bought shampoo with benefits and without synthetics. (And, fyi, you don’t need to condition afterwards, but you will probably want to use a very dilute apple cider vinegar rinse – we’ll talk about that at the end.)
So here’s how you do it, and it takes about 5 seconds total to mix each batch.
Ready? This is tough. Pay attention.
Mix together 1 tsp coconut milk and 1 Tbsp castille soap in a small jar.
(I like Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs castille soaps, personally.)
This is all a “single-serving” batch (although if you have short hair, it’s a double serving batch). If you want to make it in larger batches, that’s cool. Just store it in your refrigerator (should keep up to a week or so).
So after you’ve poured the castille and the coconut milk into a small container, just swish it around.
Very gently.
Or you’ll have lots and lots of bubbles.
Again, see what a tiny amount that is? Using all of it at once produces TONS of cleaning, softening results.
And a multitude of lather.
Lather that looks like this:
Try to keep it out of your eyes, though, ’cause it burns.
It may only burn, though, when you’re keeping your eyes open for 15 minutes while suds are dripping down your face and you’re trying to take a picture of lather on your head to show all your bloggy friends how awesome sorta ‘poo is. That may be the only time it burns.
It’s the only time it’s burned me.
So there you have it.
How to go sorta ‘poo, which is sorta awesome. It’s lacking anything synthetic. It’s lacking anything contaminated. It’s lacking anything but castille and coconut milk.
Oh, and as for how to condition: For your conditioner, use a diluted mixture of 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar to 3 cups of water. Rinse your hair with it, after rinsing out the shampoo (with water). Concentrate on the ends. Leave the ACV rinse in your hair or wash it out with water – whichever you prefer.
Your hair will (if it’s anything like mine) be shiny, bouncy, and soft.
Just like you sashayed out of the salon.
I kid you not.
If you want to read more about going no ‘poo, start with these posts and threads:
And I have to give a shout out to Jessica H. on Pinterest for this hair-saving idea. Jessica, you’re a crunchy pioneer if there ever was one.
Homemade Coconut Milk – The Recipe to Remember
is it possible that you meant ~ 1 tsp of soap and 1 tbl of the coconut milk? Instead of the other way around?
Help! I have two preteen girls and myslef to make this for. The problem is, they will not remember to go to the fridge for it at every shower. I know it really isn’t a good idea to keep it in the shower but I need a better storage solution that is kid friendly! Ideas please!
Hi Betty, I would really like to thank you for this post! I was always interested in starting no poo, but was uneasy about many factors, mostly, how it won’t bubble up, and make the shampooing process really un-finished. But after having come across your blog, I decided to give it a try, and wow, amazing! I have been using the castile soap and coconut milk formula for about 2 months now, with acv for rinsing, and it is yielding unbelievable result! Now i don’t even look at shampoos any more! My hair that I thought was just hopeless, has significantly improved! It is not so silky smooth, and I still have to wash hair almost every day, but I am really glad I gave it a try, and it’s all thanks to you! I guess I was also lucky because water in my region seems to be the soft type that works well with castile soap.
For those who are interested, my formula is half castile soap, quarter coconut milk, quarter water. For rinsing, I am using half acv and half water. Only concern is that the manufactured coconut milk that I buy from market, looses its bubble quite soon, so I have to keep buying it whenever I make my routine amount which is rather small, but it only costs about $1 so it is still fine I guess!
Anyways, Betty, once again, thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate all the effort you have put in for this post! 🙂 Kudos to sorta poo!
If we don’t use homemade coconut milk, can we used canned? Or would it be better to use the refrigerated coconut milk (for cereal and smoothies)?
Oops… I got an error the first time I posted, so I didn’t think it went through.
If we don’t make our own coconut milk for this, can canned coconut milk be used? Or is it better to use the refrigerated coconut milk (for cereals and smoothies)?
Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! I have been no-pooing for about 3 months with . I stopped dyeing/straightening/coloring my hair about 6 months ago. I’m 59 yo and have very curly fine/frizzy/greying salt & pepper bob haircut hair. The no-poo thing has been my worst hair nightmare – until today. OMG what a difference using the Bronner’s soap and coconut milk has made. NO frizz and it actually feels soft instead of like a brillo pad. Sigh – I can actually look in the mirror again without saying YUK! Hopefully it will keep on working over time. 🙂
Hello,
i want to know, if i can wash out coconut oil/shea butter (i do it in my whole hair overnight!) with your receipt?
Thanks
Artemis
If not going the homemade route, what kind of coconut milk are we talking about? The canned variety or the carton kind?
You will have problems using a coconut milk shampoo with acv rinse in the case that your hair is still greasy, oily or stringy…because you have bleached and or color treated your hair. The reason why is because the natural fat from the coconut milk will adhere itself to damaged hair. That’s why it will look stringy. In addition to washing your hair with the natural coconut milk shampoo, it has helped to also use a mild baking soda goop (baking soda dissolved in hot water) and directly apply it to the color treated part of your hair. Then rinse and finish off with an acv rinse. It will get rid of the fat and make your hair fluffy and soft, like you want it to be.
Betty, I love you. You have solved a long-time inner struggle I’ve been having since I started on this natural DIY beauty products journey.
I spent hours snooping and reading the bottles in the shampoo aisle looking for that magic one with no CRAP in it. They just don’t exist (unless you want something that doesn’t work very well or smells funny). I want my hair to be CLEAN, not EARTHY. Dr. Bronners [by itself] just doesn’t satisfy for bathing in the shower.
So then I settle for a bottle of ‘poo that at least has no sulfates and no parabens. I go home, and feel ashamed that I can’t DO THIS MYSELF!! (see the inner demons coming out?!?)
I tried your recipe. Made the milk, added some Dr. Bronners, and gave it a try.
– pause for effect –
*squeee* Fabulous saponarific lather! OMG. Betty, I love you for introducing me to this simple, cheap, perfectly benign, two ingredient NO CRAP ‘poo recipe. In fact, I bathed my whole body in it. My skin feels SOFT and SMOOTH even before I slathered with my homemade lotion!
Words just can’t describe. My inner demon is finally silent. Thank you! Thank you!
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I really like using this sorta poo shampoo, but I was wondering is there anything that I could add to it to make it thicker, I don’t like it so runny? Thanks in advance!
Hi, I have a question. Is it Ok to use coconut oil instead of coconut milk? If so, can I use the same amount as coconut milk instructed in the recipe?
NO! it is not the same. learn from someone who made the mistake of smoothering her hair with coconut oil since it was dry. it didnt come out for like a week. You can make coconut mile by buying a coconut, draining the water (hammer a nail in the “eyes” and leave upside down on cup) and then opening the coconut once it finishes draining (I open mine on my balcony with a 20 lbs handweight) and removing the meat and throwing the water and meat in the blender. Then you strain it from the blender and there you go!
This was a life(hair) saver, thank you so much!! I’ve been no-poo for about 3 months and have just been using water for the last 2 months and my hair has loved it, but while doing a banana hair mask last week I decided to add some cocoa powder as I heard it’s good as a natural hair dye. Unfortunately i’m a fool and used sweetened cocoa powder and consequently my hair has been disgusting, sticky mess since. Nothing I used helped, I scrubbed and scrubbed but it just wouldn’t budge and I was really so close to giving in and going back to regular shampoo. Thankfully I stumbled across this recipe and have just used it to wash my hair and instantly it feels SO much better. It cleaned it so well, (although I was horrified by the amount of grey gunk that was washed out my hair – so gross!!). May need to use this once or twice more until my hair is 100% back to normal but it’s really helped loads, thank you!!
This is my bodywash recipe that I got from LiveSimply.me!(With the addition of Vit. E oil as a natural preservative) Can’t wait to try it as a sorta’ poo! Also, thanks for the post about making your own coconut milk, that’s next on my homemade project list!
I have been using Dr. Bronner’s castille oil diluted with water for a few months and now it is starting to make my hair oily right after my shower. (it feels super uncomfortable. its like i washed my hair with castille oil straight out of the bottle) Now i have “oily” hair… Well im not sure because it looks like it… Do you think the coconut and castille will be suitable for my hair? Also, i used to use pantene and i got pimples on my scalp so now my scalp is a bit sensitive and i sometimes get pimples.
Coconut smells delicious on the hair.
For the no poo thing, you can also try to skip washing your hair a few days a week. It will actually make your hair look better and softer. Plus the natural oils of your scalp helps to protect your hair from damage.
I’ve been doing the no-poo method for about 2 months now and I’ve never experienced the greasy “transition” stage most people have mentioned. I think this is because I also use cornstarch, not just plain baking soda. Cornstarch helps to absorb the grease and rinse it away better. My hair is waist-length fine blonde hair, and it’s never looked better since I stopped using shampoo and conditioner. So for those of you who are experiencing the greasy woes, I cannot stress enough that you should try cornstarch too. I use 1/2 tbsp cornstarch and 1/2 tbsp baking soda mixed together with about 1/8 cup of water. And of course, I always rinse with a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and plain ole tap water (great for detangling).
Thank you! I’ll try this.
All the natural, super gentle things have failed for me. BC, shikakai, tea rinse, etc, etc, etc.
I’ve been using natural SLS-free shampoo bars, which are great, but now that my hair is getting pretty long, not enough for my ends.
I will try this next.
Honestly, I think the reason real no poo doesn’t work for some people is because of our environment. I live in a city. My water is dirty. My air is dirty. I can’t expect clean hair using something with low cleaning power when I’m rinsing it off with dirty water. I can’t expect to go two weeks without needing to wash my hair when my head is surrounded with pollution 24/7. That’s just how it is. And when I read of other people having problems with no poo, it’s almost always people in cities, like me.
The other thing is that BC can actually be insanely drying for some people. I know it’s way too harsh for me (and yes, it doesn’t clean my hair either!!).
So those of us living in the denser parts of civilization often need a little more kick.
I’m surprised this works for anyone. Terrible results and broke out my back and shoulders after one use. Nappiest hair I’ve ever had. Ick, never again.
It says to use homemade coconut milk…how does one make this? I have store-bought coconut milk, will this do just as well?
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Hi everyone, I’ve been at it for 2 weeks and I’m not having much luck so far, my hair is far from light and bouncy like Betty mentioned above. It’s heavy and oily and not shiny at all. I used to use quite a bit of pruduct plus I coloured my hair often. Am I just having a longer transition period or should I be adding more castile? Or more avc in my rinse? My hair feels so gross 🙁
Hi! this is long winded but there’s a question at the end. I have tried to go no-poo many times with no luck, maybe because of my hard water, but I have tried to tough it out and just havent had good results yet. I’ve also tried to make coconut milk/aloe vera shampoo, my hair was sooo soft but was so greasy it looked wet even when it was dry lol. I’ve tried castile soap recipes and even using a vinegar rinse have a white waxy coating on my hair. I’ve noticed though when I take the gel out of an aloe leaf, blend it with water, and put it on my hair, it almost lathers, or feels like it at least. Makes it very soft, and it isnt super greasy after but also not clean feeling (weighted down still).So I’m trying to come up with a way to use it in a shampoo recipe that will still give me fluffy, bouncy clean feeling hair (anyone have any tips!?). Anyways, besides all this, I’m just wondering if there is any sort of natural home-made .. hair perfume? My boyfriend is really big on the perfumey smells of store bought shampoo, and the happier he is the easier my life is lol (hes not happy with the vinegar rinsed hair). Should I just mix some EO’s with water in a spray bottle and spray it during styling/air drying? or does anyone know of another option? I havent found that adding EO’s to vinegar rinse has made a difference. any tips are HUGELY appreciated, I adore this blog! maybe theres something already on here and I just havent found it yet, if so I’m sorry! 🙂
Have u tried to infuse the vinegar with the herbs instead of the EO? It’s made using similar methods as Crunchy Betty does in her herbal infused oils, just over a longer period of time, two to three weeks in a cool dark place, shaken once a day or so.
I have to agree with infusing.
hi betty, I’ve been using this shampoo for almost three months now and I’m seeing awesome results. I’ve even received several comments on how long and luscious my hair looks. It’s become wavier and blonder, and I’m only “washing” my hair once every 7 days (with the shampoo, otherwise, I’ve just been rinsing it when I shower every day) as oppose to every other day- which I was doing before. The only complaint I have, is how dry my hair seems to be. Even though it doesn’t look greasy or dirty, it doesn’t feel soft as it used to be. Is there any way I can make a moisturising conditioner which I can use alongside this shampoo once a week? I don’t have time to sit with a hair mask on for thirty minutes :/ By the way, I’m in Melbourne, Australia writing to you, and this is one of the best DIY websites I’ve every come across.
I’ve been desperately trying to go poo free or even sorta poo free. I’ve tried various amounts of baking soda in water (1/2 TBSP up to 2 TBSP), coconut milk, Castile soap(various amounts of this as well from big to little), lemon juice, salt, honey, glycerine, eggs…. And just plain rinsing only. NOTHING is working. I’m in week 4 and my hair is either just plain greasy… Which I’m willing to tolerate for a bit for the “adjustment phase” or it’s so heavy and weighed down. The later being mostly If I use Castile soap. I’m going crazy here. The best one so far was the eggs, lemon juice, baking soda, olive oil and tea tree oil shampoo I made. But I can’t use the lemon juice to much (darnit) or it will lighten up my hair to much. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS!!!???? Next up is aloe gel
Try Dr. Bronner’s castile soap as a shampoo followed up with their Shikakai citrus hair rinse. Lisa Bronner has a blog and is wonderful about answering questions about their products. There is a lengthy post about this topic.
Tina, I have the same problem on and off but just last night I tried something that worked twice so far, I make my coconut milk shampoo ( coconut milk, Castile, few drops of tea tree or whatever, and distilled H2O), this batch I cut with more water. I had about a half cup of poo in the bottle, I added about another half cup of water. I have thin wavy hair so what I was using was too heavy, I figured I just try thinning it out, why not, can’t hurt right? Then I did the rinse with about eh, 2 T of acv mixed with about 2 1/2 c water, rinsed out with water, then last, I used a tiny bit of (store bought I know) renpure organics color protecting conditioner on my tips left it in for about a min, rinsed, I don’t dye my hair but for some reason my hair likes it better than the green regular bottle. But anyway, it worked! No heavy, no greasy feel, I was happy I finally found something that worked twice in a row.
Oh sorry, btw, I use the baby mild bronners in the shampoo.
Ok sorry a couple more things, I have been experimenting with sorta poo methods on and off for the last year, so you don’t think I’m a total noob, and also, I make my own coconut milk and freeze it in ice cube trays, once frozen I pop them out and bag them for future kinda poos and body washes :). Great job btw Betty. You have a good site…
Where does one find coconut milk?
Asian and Spanish food section or health food section of your grocery store. Also, any health food store.
You can pick it up at a Trader Joe’s (it’s cheap and I think also organic!:)
This is awesome, and has been working for me for quite a while. Thank you!
Oh my god.. I absolutely love this method. Coconut milk and castiel soap? You’re a genius! I use peppermint castiel soap. Apparantly peppermint makes hair grow faster. Am i weird for liking minty hair? Thanks again! 😀
Has anyone else had problems with split ends when doing the sorta ‘poo with coconut milk and castile? or with the baking soda no ‘poo?
I was doing the CM & C sorta ‘poo for a few weeks, then decided to try the BS no ‘poo a couple of times, and I was using conditioner with both as my lengths can get really dry. I haven’t had split ends in about 15 years and all of a sudden they are back with a vengeance!!
Hi, Betty! Just to let you know, coconut milk + Castile is da bomb. I have been using it for about 2 months, and my hair is very happy. I did get seduced momentarily by the coconut milk + aloe vera recipe, but it did not work, and I’m back to CM+C. (Some people do not like Dr. Bronner’s.) Thank you for posting – it’s been a blessing. Happy Holidays!
So is there a problem using the castile soap on color treated and/or bleached hair?
Thank you so much for this post! I was one month into No-poo and it was just not working for me. This left my hair soft and smooth which I had yet to experience with the no-poo method. Keep on doing what you’re doing!
THANK YOU for this recipe! I was going insane doing no-poo with a mix of coconut milk and aloe vera gel. My hair felt greasy and disgusting, and the ACV rinse left it smelling like barf. Then I tried your castille soap + Goya coconut milk recipe, with some aloe vera gel, baking soda, and vitamin E oil mixed in (with an ACV rinse) — it worked wonders! My hair doesn’t feel greasy, it’s soft and touchable, and it only smells slightly of ACV. Thank you and thanks to the other reviewers for suggesting the baking soda! I just hope the castille soap doesn’t mess with my hair color — I dye it blonde (horrible, I know, but I’ve been blonde my whole life and won’t let getting older change that), so I hope the soap doesn’t strip the color. We’ll see. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Hi.
Love your blog!!! I have a question on the coconut milk shampoo… Mainly the end part where you say to “condition” with ACV. What does ACV do for your hair? I use a similar version of this shampoo and it works great for be. However (and it may just be the way I style my hair) it has absolutely no volume whatsoever. Does the ACV help with volume. I’ve used it in the past and my hair seemed much more oily than it ever was. I may have been using to much though. Anyway I seem to have started rambling so I’ll leave it at that. LOL
Thanks, Sarah
thanx for resipy it is relly gud an i luv it!!!!
Oops, sorry! Saw that my question was addressed earlier:)
So, can you make a larger batch and leave it in the shower? Is a preservative needed? Refrigeration?
Hi! I’ve actually done the ‘no poo’ shampoo, and it did not work at all. My hair was always greasy, and since there was no lather, a lot of my hair wasn’t getting cleaned. (I have tons of hair) and so I gave up for about a month, and then I stumbled upon this.
I became sold, and have washed my hair a couple of times. Even after I brush my hair, it’s hard to get the brush out, like it’s really tangly, and I can’t put my hand in my hair very well, and when I brush, it leaves this dandruff-like substance that is gross and sticky, and I fell like it’s all over my hair also, since my hair just feels gunky. Is there something I’m doing wrong? PLEASE tel I’m doing something wrong, because I really want this to work!
I have really thin hair and I think that’s one big reason why this works well for me. As I was transitioning, I kept mixing baking soda into this mix. That was a lot more clarifying than I wanted or needed, but maybe that will help you? Also, do you remember to do the ACV rinse? I read in some of the comments above that some people have trouble with the guar gum in their store-bought coconut milk. So maybe make your own coconut milk or make sure the coconut milk you use has no guar gum. Someone in an earlier comment said she uses Goya coconut milk with no guar gum and hasn’t experienced any problems. I use Chaokoh (in Asian groceries or Asian food aisle) which has no guar gum either. Good luck!
I’m new to all this crunchiness, but this recipe might have me sold. It worked wonderfully for me last night! I used unscented Dr. Bronner’s and light coconut milk from Trader Joe’s (making my own is still beyond me), and I followed up with the diluted ACV rinse as recommended. My hair felt oddly sticky after I rinsed the (immense) lather out of it, but it felt clean by the time I finished the ACV rinse. The ends were feeling a little dry, so I rubbed them down in the morning with some of my OCM oil mix (jojoba and castor oil… maybe I should stick to just jojoba in the future, but it worked fine). The results are on par with those of my old Dove shampoo and conditioner, and way better than those of any of the “natural” commercial products I’ve tried. I have yet to give no ‘poo a really fair shot, but I think I’ll stick to this for a while and see if maybe I can gradually reduce the amount of it that I use. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Betty, I’ve been lurking on your blog for the past two weeks and am so grateful to have found it. I’m not going to gush too much on how my life is changing — I’m saving a load of $$ and feeling poison free — because this journey is really just starting. But I just had to comment on THIS POST that I LOVE LOVE LOVE this non-shampoo recipe. I can’t bring myself to do fully no ‘poo yet, but this formula has been awesome so far. For the past 10 years, I’ve been using Neutrogena T-Gel because anything else gives me crazy dandruff. I just bit the bullet and accepted that my hair would just keep falling out. But since I began using this formula just two, not only have I been dandruff-free, my hair hasn’t had as much fall out, it’s bouncier and shinier. I even think it’s getting thicker… and by that, I don’t mean my hair strands are getting fatter, but I think my hair might be re-growing. WHAT WHAT?! Anyway, thanks for bearing with the long note… just had to say thank you.
P.S. For grimy days when I need clarifying shampoo(every other week??), I add 1 tsp of baking soda to the mix and mix it all together; works great. Also, I just started the ACV rinse this week; I hate that it smells like baby vomit but I love the softness, body and shine. Yeehee! =)
Hi Thank you for posting the recipe! I tried it and loved how my hair felt when washing it and even after I got out of the shower..when my hair is dry though it still has a greasy feeling and I was wondering what suggestions may be helpful to solve the greasy feel after? I really love the smell of the coconut oil and I know it is great for your hair
Thanks!
i like it lotz it iz sooper fun and kool!!! o k thnx bi
Is this kinda poo friendly for henna colored hair?
Has anyone with colored hair tried this? I really want to use this recipe, but would appreciate some insight! Thanks!
Hi Amy,
According to Lisa Bronner (daughter to Dr. Bronner)castille soap can strip color from hair. I didn’t worry about it because I am letting my hair go back to it’s natural color. I don’t remember where I found the post, but I’m sure you can find it on the web somewhere.
Melissa
oh wow. no ‘poo is no shampoo. I feel so stupid. no more questions today)
Maybe that is a silly question, but what’s so ‘poo about Castille soap? Isn’t it all natural? I thought no-poo is about not putting chemicals on your body. Or maybe lye in the ingridients? It’s not really a bad chemical tho. I’m confused!
I am apprehensive to try this (but I am going to anyway) ONLY because I am not sure if your castile soap is the same one I have – mine says to dilute 2 oz. in a gallon of water (if you use it to wash) but we aren’t diluting it when we use it here. Does yours also say to dilute? I’m just afraid I’ll use mine and it will be too too concentrated of a soap and then I’ll get irritated skin or something!
Just a TBS of castile soap mixed with a tsp. of coconut milk will do 2 washes or more of my shoulder-length hair. It makes nice suds. Your hair will feel awful if you use too much castile! (I’m using Dr. Bronner’s)
Just a guy that stumbled here through stumble upon, but thought I would throw this out there… I use Kirks Coco Castile soap bars, it’s castile soap made with coconut milk. I started using it because the smell reminded me of my great grandmother’s house, but then I started reading about it, and it’s great stuff. If you don’t want to mix your own, try this. I get it at Kroger, but there is a website too, or if your local store doesn’t carry it, you could ask the manager if they could order some for you. (Don’t be afraid to ask, I used to manage a grocery store, and we don’t mind special ordering things that will keep loyal customers coming back.)
I have been no ‘poo for a couple weeks and my hair was looking awful. Like truely awful-do you ever shower awful. Even just after washing with BS and ACV. Today I made a mask with two beaten eggs, a few drops of Castile soap, and a pinch of baking soda. I let it sit on my hair for several minutes. I used chamomile tea with a squirting of lemon juice and a splash of ACV in a big mason jar for my rinse. I just poured it over the ends, let it sit for a couple minutes, and rinsed out. My hair looks AMAZING! It looks even better than it did when I used to shampoo and use the 3 minute miracle conditioner.
Hey! I really really wanna try this! 🙂
How long does it take for your hair to get used to this shampoo replacement?-I don’t want to try it and then go to school with horrible looking hair…And how often should you wash your hair with this per week?
This is absolutely the most amazing shampoo I’ve tried yet. A suggestion: if you have hard water add just a little bit of baking soda to the mix. The shampoo will not leave a residue if you do this.
How long does this keep if you make it in larger quantities and keep it in a bottle? Would it need to be refridgerated?
I just tried this today and saw that some people have frozen their coconut milk as ice cubes and just mixed it when they are going to use it. I think this is the best option as some people say it will keep 1-2 weeks at most.
I have been doing sorta ‘poo for about a week now and the ACV wash doesn’t make my hair silky or smooth, it doesn’t really do anything at all. Any suggestions? Before this, I have been using cheap shampoo, like Pantene Pro V.
I have been trying the no poo method with my dad’s homemade castile soap bar. And genuine castile soap because my dad makes it with olive oil from our own andalusian olive farm. My dad has been using only that soap for years to wash his body, hair and shaving… also to wash the dishes, so he has been a pioneer on this. I tried to follow his example but as castile soap does no lather and as I have super long hair I used several amounts of soap, and it caused me a dandruff problem. I quit it, but now I am back with diluted soap and ACV. But I MISS THE LATHER!! So I am off to the supermarket to buy shreded coconut right now! Thank you very much!!!
Hi! I’ve recently started “going crunchy” and I love it so far! I’ve made lotions, body butters, deodorant, and homemade cleaners, and I want to try so much more! I love your site! I was wondering if this recipe would be good to use for a bubble bath for my 2 year old? I read your post about having to give up bubbles, and then I came across this one. Would the water in the bath just dissolve all the bubbly goodness? I’m not sure what is safe for babies and toddlers yet, but I’m sure most of it is better than the store-bought stuff! I am pregnant right now and would love to find some posts about baby’s skin care and such!
Thanks for the post! I’m not ready for no ‘poo yet, but I like this solution. I do have to say, however, I don’t think I’d call it even sort of ‘poo. Dr. Bronner’s is concentrated castille soap and right on the bottle it says it can be used as shampoo. Even the most basic connotation most of us use when talking about shampoo–sudsy, soap-like thing used to clean hair–makes this shampoo. All that said, I did this today and though it’s still wet, my hair feels clean and great. I’d been having problems with hairline breakouts from my regular shampoo (Head & Shoulders) and my skin does not feel irritated with this. Win!
win! ohohohohooh me 2
Hey! Here’s what happened.
First, I got a PACK of coconut milk in a tetra pak, and I know people said that store bought coconut milk is less likely to work, and for some reason I assumed people meant canned coconut milk, and that a tetrapak coconut milk would be better. haha. It wasn’t, my hair was all grimy and nasty and just gross, like some people commented!
And then I made my own coconut milk the day after, and it worked like GREAT. So it does matter! The guar gum really does gunk your hair up! The shredded coconut had SO2 bleach in it, so hopefully next time I’ll be able to get pure coconut shreds. Anyway, then I tried the vinegar rinse for the first time (white vinegar) and yeah, my hair turned very soft, and it cut down the slight griminess from the shampoo!
The only issue I found was that I still found that it was hard to run my fingers through my hair even after the rinse, but it could just be my hair still getting used to this natural process. And my hair smells slighhhhhhtly of vinegar still, but hopefully once it fully dries it’ll leave. And next time I’ll try ACV.
HERES MY MAIN POINT!
for people who experienced griminess like I did:
.. homemade coconut milk really does make a difference, a. because it doesn’t have guar gum in it, and b. possibly because its not as rich and thick!
.. I THINK, at least I FELT like even with the homemade coconut milk my hair absorbed the shampoo, not immediately, but after a short while. I think it helps to lather up quick, make sure you’re focusing on the roots, and rinse the mixture off as soon as you can (but don’t rush haha).
Anyway, thanks for this recipe! I’m going to recommend it to people (:
Just btw, I have soft water.
Anna and anyone else who had problems using canned coconut milk: I use Goya and it does not contain guar gum – only coconut milk, water, and a preservative (potassium metabisulfite). And the sorta-‘poo works great with it.
Oh thanks for putting this up- I used canned and it didn’t work very well! I’ll retry with the goya:)
Mix castile soap and water about half and half and use t that way, it sudses for me.
This sounds awesome, but I’m a little skeptical because I have masses of really thick hair that I’ve been dying bright red for a few months (forgive me my chemical sins), and I was wondering whether there’s anything that I should maybe add to the mix to keep the colour? I would like to postpone my return to dirty blonde a little longer!
Honey or lime juice lightens hair color. Try those.
Did we ever find out if this is color safe? I color my hair with a more natural-ish coloring system (Aveda)…and it’s the only chemicals I really allow on my body, and I’d like to try this…but I don’t want to literally wash my money down the drain. Any suggestions? I was thinking of doing this with a black tea and rosemary herbal infusion in both the shampoo and ACV/water rinse with a hot oil treatment once every two weeks or so…help! Thanks 🙂
This didn’t really work for me, after a few weeks I realized it just didn’t spread through my hair well enough or lather well enough. I tried all sorts of concoctions, but nothing really worked. And then, after getting some shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley and getting nothing but gunky, sticky hair, I finally thought to get a bar of Dr. Bronner’s castille soap, and wouldn’t you know? It works!!! I just rub it on my head, lather up, and rinse it out! I don’t even need a vinegar rinse! Although I often do one anyway and I usually put a tiny amount of coconut oil in my hair after I shower. My hair is soft, shiny, and clean! Without any gross chemicals!
Since my hair is very picky I don’t think this coconut milk concoction will work but I think I’ll give Dr. Bronner’s bar castille soap a try. On average how much do you go between washes?
I tried the “no poo” but my face dries up from the ba
king soda. I have dermatitis and extremely dry skin so when I was “washing” my hair with baking soda my skin would feel dry and irritated. The baking soda exfoliate your skin and if you use it to wash you hair at least 3 times a week that means you exfoliate your face 3 times a week and that’s way too often for my dry and sensitive skin. I tried the coconut milk and really works, the only thing is you have to keep it in the fridge and goes bad after a week. So one day I ran out of coconut milk and I used some aloe vera juice mixed with castile soap and it does the same work. Initially I wanted to try the aloe vera juice as a conditioner, then kind of got lazy and mixed it with the castile soap to create. something like two-in-one shampoo and I love it. I mix one part soap and one part aloe vera juice. After that I use more juice as a conditioner and my hair feels like being washed with commercial shampoo. Best part is that aloe vera juice costs $8 for a gallon in trader joes and doesn’t go bad as quickly as the coconut milk.
holy hanna.
I started to use this a few days ago and I SERIOUSLY love it. I have dyed, super oily on top, dry on the bottom, fine hair, but TONS of hair. Normally, I use a volumizing shampoo, a moisturizing conditioner, and a load of product to give my hair any kind of volume. I bought the Dr. B’s almond castile soap and organic coconut milk. First, I was not expecting to get that much soap out of such of a little amount. Second, holy lather, batman! this stuff is great! It does leave my hair a bit funky feeling after I rinse it (along with my hands), but I find that the ACV cuts right through it all. I just rinse with it after i rinse out the “sorta ‘poo”, leave it on for a minute, then comb it wet and rinse. I now use absolutely no product to give my hair volume. It is insane! it comes out all soft and big after i blow dry it. It’s really amazing. the only downside is that it smells pretty gross with the ACV. I really have to get the soap out to the point where i can’t smell it anymore before i do the AVC rinse (which is a bummer because the almond and coconut smells delish!). But man, this stuff is crazy amazing for my hair so far! I LOVE IT!
I tried this today with a ACV rinse. I can’t believe how shiny and manageable my hair is. I’ve got volume and I didn’t have to put tons of product in. My hair’s fine and tends to go limp. I’m definitely going to keep this up and then maybe switch to the no ‘poo and see how that helps my scalp. I can’t believe how much money I’ve spent on hair products only to find that they don’t make my hair look like it does after this inexpensive treatment!
oh wowie! i hop u hav gud timez
I tried this with dr. bronners tea tree castille and homemade coconut milk, which i may have made too thin and watery. since the area i live in has hard water, i added a few pinches of baking soda. I’m just curious to see if i did it properly. did anyone else notice your hair feeling stringy like barbie doll hair and have trouble running your fingers through your hair? i followed up with an apple cider rinse of 1/2 TBS of vinegar for 3 cups of water. were any of my ratios or ingredients off? does my hair just need some time to adjust? any suggestions would be great! 🙂
I’m glad to see someone else is having the same issue as I am. I also have hard water and was left with unfortunate Barbie hair after trying the sorta poo/ACV rinse. Had to rewash but still feel the funkiness. Let me know if you had any revelations since your post!
Update: Attempts #2 (original recipe with 1 tbsp BS) and #3 (original recipe with 3 tbsp BS) were less funky but still not great. Hair seems almost…slick. Not lovin’ it. Anyone else with hard water issues feel free to chime in with a super-awesome solution.
Barbie hair is a great way to describe it! My hair’s not all the way dry, so I shouldn’t jump the gun, but so far it feels like barbie hair at the bottom and greasy at the roots.
I used canned coconut milk though, so I’m not sure if that was the problem. I’m not sure if I have hard water or not, but I suspect I do.
Yup. I have tried no ‘poo (for 2.5 weeks), coconut milk and castile (for a week)and just 1/4 cup castile to 1 cp water (for a week). My hair is gross feeling ALL the time. My water is super hard and I am starting to give up hope. Has anyone with hard water found anything that works?
I have awfully hard water as well in an apartment, so no changing it! I bought a showerhead with a filter and that really helped! Good luck!
Also a good thing to do before you do the no poo challenge, try detoxing your hair with bentonite clay. I bought a tub of it at the local health food store and mixed up a tablespoon with some water (don’t use metal bowls or utensils with the clay, it will deactivate the clay). Put the clay on damp hair for 30 up to an hour and then rinse off in the shower. Don’t let the clay dry in your hair or it will be impossible to rinse out. Now when I did this the first time, nobody told me that it feel weird in your hair so don’t freak out. What the clay will do is pull out all the crap you have been putting on it, like other chemical shampoo or gel or hairspray. In the beginning I did it two times a week for a couple weeks until I noticed my hair going back to normal. But after that adjustment period you can do the mask once a month or whenever you feel your hair needs a pick me up. When I started the no poo challenge my hair was really weird, it would get really oily or all the sudden get really dry but once you get past the weird phase you will really appreciate all that work, I know I do. I hope this helps everyone! Good luck, any questions you can email me at stephanieschlehuber at hotmail dot com.
I used sorta ‘poo tonight for the first time. All I had was canned coconut milk, and after reading some of the comments here about that, I decided to add some baking soda to prevent my hair from becoming way too greasy. It foamed up so nicely, but left my hair dry and brittle feeling. Even now that it has air-dried, my hair feels a little more dry than normal. I’m wondering if next time I should leave out the baking soda and/or add a little coconut oil to the mix, or if I should just stick it out for a little while longer?
Try the ACV conditioner after washing your hair with the coconut shampoo. I noticed the “conditioner” rebalances your hair. I can brush my hair without an tangles.
Thank you so much for this!!! My hair has never been so soft and manageable! My hair was always frizzy and hard to style…this is a life saver!!!
I don’t know what I did wrong but this sorta poo sorta didn’t work very well for me. My hair felt coated and greasy after sorta pooing. Even with the acv conditioner. Maybe I’ll try the no poo and see if that works.
I just tried this for the first time, I have very long hair, down to my butt, and I am liking it so far in a sense that it’s so pure. However, I’m thinking next time I will rinse with the ACV. I am hoping that will solve the issues I’m having right now (kind of dry/sticky feeling, can’t run my fingers through it, not fluttery-lol). But I was already using dr bronners for shampoo, so thanks for the twist!
dats good
Can I use store-bought coconut milk????
may b but y??? al natral is teh way 2 go! :0
I am so GLAD I found your website! I tried the sorta ‘poo last night (just in case my hair was crappy in the morning I could wash it before I went to work!). My hair is AWESOME this morning! Thank you so much!! I am trying the chia face wash and the activated charcoal whitening. Another thing you can do with the hard coconut oil is melt it and fry eggs in it. I have done that for years and the eggs taste so…clean is the only word I can think of. Again, thank you so much and I will definitely be checkign other things out.
I tried the sorta-poo….and wasn’t a fan. I’ve started mixing a few tablespoons of applesauce, some baking soda, a tablespoon or so of natural conditioner, some chamomile and lavender oils, and some water together and using that insted of plain baking soda, and it gets my hair so much cleaner than plain baking soda and water! I was having a really difficult time adjusting to plain baking soda–hating the greasy roots! But this makes my hair feel much cleaner without the guilt of shampoo.
I LOOOVE THIS. I have very long, fine, straight hair that shows oils extremely easily. I was worried that this wouldn’t get my hair clean and it’d look greasy, but it doesn’t at all! It’s amazing! It looks so clean. Even if my hair is smothered in coconut oil I only need to wash it once with this to get it all out. That’s a huge step up from normal “clarifying” shampoo! Which is never being used again. I only need half the amount of this that I’d need of chemical shampoo to cover my hair with suds.
looks gret. is this color safe?
I would think so! Castile soap is just oils (olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil).
I would like to try this shampoo recipe; is it safe to use on a daily basis?
Yes!
THANK YOU for restoring my faith in finding a natural shampoo recipe!! No poo was a no-go for me even after a year of trying all kinds of variations. Then I tried this recipe and I feel like its 90% perfect. I made it with the homemade coconut milk to avoid any unnecessary preservatives but when I was shampooing I felt my roots were becoming stiff and tangling. I had to use a lot of vinegar rinse to be able to comb through my hair. Do you think adding a little oil (argan or jojoba) would help? And has anyone made a larger batch to keep in the shower? I’d hate to have to mix single servings every time =P
I like this recipe and all the comments about how well it works. I wanted to know about adding essential oils to the shampoo, something like carrot seed oil which is great for moisture among other things. Any ideas? Suggestions? or emotional outbursts?
I make a similar sorta-‘poo with 1/3 cup coconut milk (store bought, sorry – Goya) mixed with teaspoons of honey (preservative and good for hair), glycerine, aloe vera gel, and a few high-vitamin-E and/or good-for-hair oils like jojoba and sunflower (or straight vitamin E), mix those, then add 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s liquid baby castille. My fiance and I love it, and I use it as body wash and to shave with too. I’ll look into the carrot seed oil – my thinnish, long, curly hair is always thirsty! And if you want fragrance (my fiance and I do not), you can probably add an essential oil for fragrance and/or one of the fragranced Dr. Bronner’s (as long as it’s not artificial fragrance!).
I have been happy with my baking soda/water poo and apple cider vinegar but I have a question that I’ve never seen addressed. I have thick curly hair that above my chin. I also color my hair. I do crossfit at least 5x a week and I sweat A LOT. Drippin like a peasant woman in the field. My hair normally does not have to be washed a lot but I am assuming that in between shampoos during workout days, I should just rinse with water Would that be correct?
i made 2 batches- coconut milk in the cooking section and coconut milk beverage from trader joe’s. I will report how it goes in the bath tonight.
I’m curious about how that went….I’d like to make this, but I don’t want to make my own coconut milk. I was thinking of just buying some at the grocery store, but don’t know if that’ll work.
I know you posted this a WHILE ago, but I am just starting this whole No ‘Poo thing, and I was wondering…can I use this Sorta ‘Poo as if it was BS with the No ‘Poo Method? I mean using the “shampoo” then taking a few days off until I don’t have to use it at all. I have a very dry scalp already and I know that the baking soda will dry it out more and make it even more painful. If anyone has any experience trying this out, Let me know!!!
I’ve been making/using ‘no poo’ for about 6 months and I decided to try the ‘sorta poo’ so I went out and got me some Castile. I’d like to continue using my lavender & rosemary infused chamomile tea, so what ratio of Castile to tea would you recommend?
Let me just say this changed my life. I’ve been doing the BS/ACV no-poo for a few years but my scalp was always too dry… This is the answer I’ve been waiting for. Plus a weekly coconut oil overnight treatment and I am good to go. I can’t stop touching my hair! My husband also approves (he who was trying to convince me to use Head & Shoulders instead!) 🙂 hallelujah!!!
I’ve been trying this for a couple of days now and my hair is like a big ‘ol grease ball! l noticed in one of the other no’poo recipes I saw, they used baking soda. Can I add that to the coconut/bronners mixture? Would it affect the soap? Would it help with the grease? Or do I just need to give it a few weeks? Thanks for all your post and for all the ideas! Love reading your blog 🙂
I have the same issue. Also, do you HAVE to refrigerate this recipe? I left it out for a few days, didn’t realize refrigeration was required…
I’m late to the party, but wanted you to know I loved this! I have not tried making this with homemade coconut milk yet, but I did try it with canned organic coconut milk. I let the can sit in the fridge for 24 hours first and the “cream” rose to the top. That is what I used in the recipe and it worked well. It did not cause greasiness at all. Next I made a batch the same way but added a little honey and olive oil. Even better! And it does not need to be refrigerated to stay fresh. I keep it in the shower and no problems. My recipe is 3/4 cup coconut milk “cream”, 1 cup castile, 1 Tablespoon honey, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Shake well before each use. I have fine thin hair and this makes it soft, smooth, shiny, and full. I do rinse with a weak Apple Cider Vinegar rinse afterward. Thanks, Crunchy Betty!
what does the honey do?
Honey is a natural germicide, antifungal and preservative; natural (unpasteurised) honey is also full of probiotics, micronutrients and is hydrophilic (attracts moisture)… Not to mention that it smells wonderful!!: )
I’ve been no poo for 7 weeks. I have thin, straight, short hair. Its been sort of a nightmare. However, regular shampoo is worse. My hair does absolutely nothing when I wash with regular shampoo, but using bs and acv leaves my hair either too dry or too oily. I’m about to try your sorta poo 🙂 I will need to buy some castille soap (husband took in on a business trip). I am VERY eager to try this!!! Thanks for the blog!!
Ok, did it. Hair is definitely super clean. However, part of why I don’t wash my hair is because when its super clean it does NOTHING! So, my hair is flat and lifeless now. I think I’d like to do this maybe once a month just to give it a good clean feeling, but its just too clean and doesn’t do anything :/
Works great with Trader Joe’s low fat coconut milk (they don’t use any preservatives!) and Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild. My hair felt light and clean, and looks great. Thanks for sharing this uber-simple recipe.
omg seriously i’ve been looking for this! thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for this recipe! I’ve been trying the no-poo challenge for the past 8 weeks and it just wasn’t working for me. Too little baking soda=greasy. Too much=dry. It also was stripping the henna right outta my hair. Not that henna’s expensive when you mix it yourself, but it’s gotta stay on your head for 4 hrs so totally inconvenient to do more often. BUT! Tried this today and my hair feels clean for the first time in 8 weeks. Super soft and static free too. No conditioner necessary besides the ACV rinse. Must admit that I cheated on the coconut milk and bought a can of it (unsweetened) and it worked like a charm. Also great for shaving. Anyhow, very pleased with it. Would recommend.
first, can you use coconut oil instead of coconut milk in sorta ‘poo? this is the second crunchy thing i’m trying and i bought the wrong thing! second, can you use coconut oil to make coconut milk?
I wouldn’t recommend using the oil instead of the milk , although the coconut oil can be used as a conditioner (and MANY other wonderful things). You cannot make coconut milk from the oil, but there is a fair amount of the oil in canned coconut milk. Some people make it themselves, but I just buy the canned. Works great! You can wash your hair with it, shave with it, use it as a hand soap… It’s not just a great shampoo.
I just finished my first batch of milk for my first batch of Sorta ‘Poo. Couldn’t find my mesh strainer so I used my river with pretty good results. Only a few floaters! Thanks for the inspiration and motivation!
I used about 1/2 tsp coconut oil (from the coconut milk recipe) melted in a tiny amount of boiling water. Added 1 tbsp. Castile soap. It works beautifully!
Thank you! This is a wonderful recipe…It worked great for me even with canned coconut milk (I had already bought it before I read all the comments)…I added baking soda to counteract the hard water and rinsed with ACV…I have very fine hair and even after sleeping on it it isn’t greasy and still has volume! Highly recommend!
How much baking soda did you use?
One thing I’ve been wondering is when you go to a salon, they’re obviously going to wash your hair. Would one washing with actual shampoo & conditioner throw a wrench in all the damage you’ve been reversing?
Also, would store bought coconut milk be okay to use for this?
Haile, one thing you can do is wash your hair right before you head to the salon. You can either go wet and the stylist may just need to re-wet it some, or go after it’s dry and tell your stylist that it’s already washed/clean. They should be able to dampen it or cut it dry. Some stylists prefer doing dry cuts as it’s easier to see the final lay of the hair than when wet. Talk to your stylist. And if you don’t have a regular person you see, just make sure to bring it up to the new stylist. I haven’t run into a problem with this yet.
I don’t have an answer to your question though about one shampoo ruining your progress. I’ve wondered this too.
just found out, by mistake, that it’s kind of the same even if you blend a tbsp of milk and a tsp of brinner… money-saver, huh? -))
so i guess 1:1 also should work great.
I accidentally did the same thing… in the pic the tablespoon is in front of the coconut oil and the teaspoon is in front of the soap, so I gues the visual cues overrode the text for me. I thought is was a little greasy and not very sudsy using 3 parts coconut milk and 1 part soap. Did not realize I did it until after I used it once. I just added more soap to the bottle of shampoo, so next time should be more balanced.
I’m on the end of my second week of the “no-poo” challenge and have been using your recipe. It seems like most people have had their amazing turning moment around the end of week one. My hair continues to be waxy, dry at the roots, greasy in the middle, dry at the ends not to mention really bad flakes. I wash with it every other day. Is there something I’m doing wrong? Will it get any better? HELP!
I tried this and after the first week of my hair getting used to it, I LOVE it! I did however find it a bit annoying that I had to make coconut milk every week since I was running out of things to do with it. I found I was jealous of that shampoo bottle that lasted for months and didn’t need refrigeration. I decided to freeze a small batch of coconut milk into 3-tsp cubes – now each week I plunk a coconut ice cube into my jar with 3 tbsp of Castille and I’m set for the week without dragging out the blender!
Wow Elizabeth,
That is a great idea! I Love It! Thanks for sharing
I also want to thank you for this recipe! My son has cradle cap really bad and nothing has worked for it. My doctor suggested I use Selsun Blue on him but I was really reluctant to do that. When I found this recipe I decided to use the Mild Baby Dr. Bronners with the coconut milk and after 2 washes his cradle cap is almost gone. I also use it on myself and love it!
So, I haven’t actually tried this process yet, but I’m interested in learning more. In reading through the comments, I noticed some people complained about a gluey texture after the process. I can’t double check this at the moment, but I remember in the past trying to clean something with castille soap and vinegar. Instead of being an amazing cleaning solution like I thought it should, it clumped up. I recall the vinegar causing the castille soap to solidify. I’m out of soap at the moment, so I can’t double check, but I wonder if there’s any correlation, with the vinegar reacting to residual castille soap. Hope this thought might help somebody.
The vinegar and castile soap will solidify but its only temporary. If you wait a few minutes and shake it up it should be fine. I use lavender castile soap, white vinegar and water as a cleaning solution.
Any thoughts about how I can get this to lather? I can’t use Dr. Bronners (allergy to corn and gluten) but I bought organic castile with almond (Whole Foods Brand) It had more bubbles in the bottle than I did when I used it.
Dr. Bronner’s is gluten free! Hope that helps!
Didn’t have castile, but I have African soap, and it worked well and very lathery. Though I will have to use the apple vinegar rinse next time to bring the Ph level back to normal because it felt aweful afterwards. Funny it works great for my son, maybe because his hair has a silkier texture than mine, I don’t know.
I can’t wait to try this! My grocery store ONLY had sweetened shredded coconut, so my wonderful husband cracked open a real coconut for me tonight. I blended some of the flesh with water to make coconut milk, and after I wash dishes (hehe…) I’m going to take a shower!
I’ve been using the castille soap for months, no coconut oil and it works fine for me and it does lather. Perhaps its the kind you have. I have the same brand, but the rose and hemp one.
So, I know this post was a while ago, but I started using this method using peppermint bonner’s a few weeks ago, and I mostly love it. I love the way it smells, and I love the way my hair feels! I use it as a body wash too.
However, I have had one problem, and I was wondering if you (or anyone else) could help:
I get these pimple-like things on the back of my head, and a really, really itchy, scaly scalp. I’ve always had this too some degree, but it seems to have gotten worse with the sorta-poo. Over thanksgiving I went to my parent’s and used normal shampoo for a week, and it got better. I thought it was a coincidence, with the changing seasons my skin always freaks out, but then when I went back on sorta-poo it got worse again! This doesn’t make any sense to me, as all of the ingredients are meant to be so good for dry skin and an itchy scalp. Any ideas what’s going on? Should I maybe use more apple cider vinegar, to increase the ph? Is it maybe just a complete coincidence? It could be related to stress (grad school, exams, ick). I don’t even know. I really want this to work, but my poor scalp is crying out for attention!
Sounds like you and I might have the same issues. I was diagnosed with psoriasis of the scalp about six months ago. Altho I have yet to use this method, it is likely you need more moisturizer in your scalp. Try using one of the other Bonner’s soaps, maybe the one meant for babies or the lavender…
Thanks guys! I’ll try the different bonners
Actually, Lisa, I do think that I probably have psoriasis. What do you use to wash your hair? Have you found anything that helps?
I don’t have psoriasis, but I do have seborrheic dermatitis, which has the symptoms that you describe. I have it only on my scalp and have periodic outbreaks which I haven’t discerned a pattern in yet. Did you find the “almost poo” helped when you switched to not peppermint? The most recent thinking on causes of seborrheic dermatitis are that it is fungal in origin, so adding natural antifungal oils to the mixture might help.
Peppermint is a major skin irritant (try getting some in a cut .. ouch!). I use the baby-mild dr. Bronner’s with no problems. Hope this helps.
I found your blog through Pinterest because of this post. I am so glad I did! I have been up late every night this week reading all about essential oils, coconut oil, and all of the other wonderful things you have talked about, hehe. I have been using this “sorta poo” all week on myself and my daughter and I am HOOKED. Our hair looks fabulous 🙂 I also used this to shave with (just made the lather in my hands and slathered it on) and my legs have never felt so smooth! Thank you for the recipe!
Giiiirl I have been using this for 2 weeks now, along with the curly girl method of hair keeping, and I tell you its just awesome!
Hi:
Thank you so much for the recipe. I tried it today with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint and it came out with so much suds…I have a question though, if I want to mix the coconut milk + peppermint castille soap in large batches, will it go bad in 1 week? Coz you mentioned that if I keep it in the refrigerator it should keep for 1 week. Is that before mixing it with the peppermint castille shampoo or before? Thank You.
Holy massive lather, Batman! This was awesome. I’ve followed the no poo for almost two weeks but my hair was still very oily looking, even though it felt rather nice, one wash with this and it is so much nicer, it still is not the normal shampoo feel but I can live with that. My hair felt kind of tacky as it was drying but it now is very soft and shiny, though possibly a little staticky. I have very straight, fine, thick hair and it feels great! I made the homemade coconut milk and it sure makes a difference with the Castile soap, one hint with the Castile soap that I have found is that, if you have hard water, you should mix a little Baking Soda with it because the Calcium in the water reacts with the soap and that is what leaves the scum feel. Bubble and Bee is a company that makes hair soap and they have a lot of good information on dealing with soap. http://www.bubbleandbee.com/shampoofaqs.html
How much baking soda would you add?
Okay im not sure exactly what went wrong, but I didnt get the breathtaking lathers you talked about. Any suggestions?
I just picked up some coconut milk powder with this idea in mind; however, I’ve never used it before and I’m not sure if it would work. Do you have any idea how much powder and water I would need to mix together to get the right amount? The only reason I picked the powder up was because it was sitting on a clearance rack and dirt cheap … and I could not find shredded unsweetened coconut anywhere. I tried the BS/ACV method the other night and didn’t like the way my hair felt. I’m eager to try this.
Probably too late, but I believe 1/2 tsp hot water with 1 tsp of the powder will make the right amount of milk.
I agree that when wet it is very unmanageable. I had a horrible time trying to braid it for work tonight. I am hoping it gets better when it dries or I will be back to the cancer in a bottle shampoo and conditioner.
On the other hand it lathered beautifully, but I left it in while finishing my shower and my hair felt so gross by the time I rinsed it out that I almost re-washed it with the ‘other’ shampoo. Then the diluted ACV rinse just made it feel worse.
I am going to try it for the next week or so, hopefully it gets better if it is rinsed out immediately.
Now that my hair is dry (I am on my second day of washing with this) it feels like I washed it with Elmer’s glue and no water. I really want to be more health conscious but this is starting to get ridiculous. Everything I try for cleaning our bodies has made it worse. Drying, itching, sticky, unmanageable.
Is there any other way to get around the glue feeling without using ACV?
My hair felt the same way but after I towel dried I put ran some almond oil into my hair payin particular attention to the dry areas. I found that my hair dried faster using this shampoo m my scalp feels really nice n clean n not heavy like commercial stuff. I found that letting my hair towel n air dry then application of the almond oil helped m after it completely dried my hair was so so nice, shiny n soft. Hope this helps! I also thought about applying coconut oil after as a leave in. Didn’t have any on hand but I will try it when I do.
Bree, I felt the same way. I loved it initially, then it seemed like it was gunky in my hair when I tried to rinse. I have REALLY hard water, so I am going to try Heather’s suggestion next time.
I have to clarify, the recipe says 1 teaspoon coconut milk… but the picture has the tablespoon in front of it instead. Should we go by the written recipe or the picture above it.
Thanks
I would like to know this also! It must go by the recipe or I figure other people would have noticed it was wrong.
I just had to comment to let you know that I tried this today for the first time followed by the tea/lemon juice rinse. My husband, who never notices anything different about me, EVER, actually commented that my hair was “nice and soft” today. Thanks!!!!! I LOVE it! I just transferred the rest into a mini empty baby shampoo bottle I had laying around. And the coconut milk!!!! Oh, don’t even get me started! Poured some in the blender with a banana and some honey… soooo good!!!
Has anyone tried making soap nut shampoo? Also, Naturoli has recently come out with their soap nut shampoo and it’s getting rave reviews!!
Can I use this every day, or should I do a every 2 or 3 day wash with this?
Just whipped up a batch of Sorta ‘Poo today. I love love love the suds! I can’t wait for my hair to dry though – because much like with No ‘Poo, it feels weird and unmanageable when it’s still wet. The coconut milk is to.die.for. Thank you!
Hey there,
I recently came across Crunchy Betty via Stacia Kane’s blog, and although I do lots of lurking I don’t normally comment on the blogs I follow. But.. I just had to let you know how well this method worked for me. (I loved it so much I bought your wonderful e-book, pinned your kiwi body scrub recipe and am telling lots of people about your blog.)
I have long dreadlocks so I mostly follow the no ‘poo method, but every now and then my hair needs a good thorough clean. I usually use Lush shampoo bars and have been known to use Castille soap, but was a bit unsatisfied with the lack of foaminess. I definitely steer away from commercial shampoos because I don’t like the idea that there are chemicals sitting in my hair for such a long time with ample opportunity to soak in to my scalp.
So I bought some coconut milk yesterday, mixed it in with some rose castile soap and gave my dreads a thorough wash. I followed up with an apple vinegar rinse, with about half a cup of rose hydrolate in to make it smell lovely. My dreads are smooth, shiny, frizz free and smell lovely! Total convert here. Thanks for the inspiration in this post, in your book, and ongoing as I read what you have to say next! xx
Tried this today and it is wonderful! Thank you so much for this recipe! I ended up with very clean, silky soft hair. (Hair was dry and sticky, and scalp was oily-itchy on my 3rd week of experimenting with BS, ACV, and WO rinses) I used Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castille and added a little more coconut milk (1 part coco to 2 parts castille) just because I made too much coco milk. I also used the mixture as a body wash. AAAH. Refreshing.
Now the question is, how do I make larger batches? (enough for a month or two) I guess the main thing is to keep the coconut milk from going bad since I don’t mind mixing in the castille soap later. Might Rosemary extract help? I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this since this could very well be my new (sorta) ‘poo. I just don’t want to have to make a fresh batch of coconut milk every 2 days or so. ~_~
Thanks for any tips!
freeze the coconut milk in ice cube trays
Hi. I enjoy your writing style! Entertaining and informative. Thx for sharing! “Sorta Poo”! Love that name.I want to try.
Any reason why this wouldn’t work on the body too? Should be fine I reckon. Will try tomorrow and report back…
Thanks for all of your awesome information. We are doing a No Poo Challenge over at the Green Baby Diaper Service Blog and linked up to you so our readers can benefit from all of your tips and tricks!
I am now a true baking soda/ACV convert, but this sounds luxurious and yummy. I want to try it!
I’ve just stumbled across this site and I can’t wait to try this! I have sensitive skin and extremely fine hair, so I think that using just the baking soda to wash may be a little harsh for me; however, using this recipe sounds like it would be nourishing without weighing my hair down. I’m excited to try it! Thanks for this site!
You would be surprised at the baking soda wash. I too have very fine hair but use it once a week or so to clarify. If you do try it, be sure to use a vinegar rinse.
Thanks, Debbie! I’ll try using it to clarify. 🙂 It’s always good to get a recommendation from another fine-haired soul.
So the refrigerated coconut milk wouldn’t work? http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/product.php?p=so_delicious_beverage_hg_original
???
I’m very excited to try this, but still very nervous. I have hair that gets pretty oily by the end of the day. Is this something good for oily hair types and can I use it every day? Still too scared to go the no poo route. Btw, your page has changed my life. My skin has never felt more soft or healthy. Thanks!!
this sounds awesome! only concern is…. the smell? does it smell delightful, does it leave no smell at all? whats the deal? :p
Are you asking about the coconut milk shampoo mix, the vinegar or the citric acid rinse? The coconut milk/castile soap mix smell like, well, a bit of coconut and whatever scent castile soap you use. Personally, I’m not a fan of the vinegar, but lots of people aren’t bothered by it when you dilute it to a TBSP or so per cup. The citric acid rinse really doesn’t have a scent. That’s why I like it, that and it works really well!
I have tried both ACV and white vinegar diluted in water. I don’t like either smell! But, once dry my hair does not smell after using white vinegar, however, does after using ACV. So I stick with white vinegar and add a few drops of essential oil (right now using lemon to go with my lemon castile soap) to the vinegar/water mixture and it cuts the vinegar smell!
Okay, I’m new here – and here’s another recipe I have to try soon! Normally I use a foamer bottle filled about 1/4 full with Dr. Bronner’s liquid castille, filling the rest of the bottle with warm water, leaving room for a couple TBSP organic cold-pressed coconut oil (using warm water ensures the coconut oil doesn’t immediately become solid when added to the mix). Using the foamer bottle, the castille soap comes out, well, foamy! Now I’m wondering what coconut MILK + castille soap is like.
Also, I always pre-poo with half organic EVOO & half organic cold-pressed coconut oil. This always seems to increase the lather for me & makes sure my hair doesn’t dry out. Never had a problem washing the oils out, but my hair loves oils even though it is fine. Wavy though.
Oh, sorry for blabbing on, but…Noticing a lot of people hate vinegar rinses. Count me among them. What works for me is using 1/4 tsp citric acid (from Mtn. Rose Herbs)in about 8 oz. water. Inexpensive, easy & non-stinky. I still have to use conditioner – one with researched ingredients – using the citric acid rinse after that seems to work well. If you use conditioner before the citric rinse, I’m not sure it would do any good as acidic rinses close the cuticle & the conditioner wouldn’t really be able to penetrate the hair. My two cents anyway. Shutting up now.
I’ve been using castile with just a little bit of jojoba oil added – I take a small quantity of that and mix it 50/50 with water to wash my hair – and it gets a great lather. I started using it after you posted this and I was going to be away from home for 2 weeks so I couldn’t reasonably bring homemade coconut milk with me (although I definitely want to try making it). I also do my usual ACV rinse, and I have to say that my hair has never been better – it just feels natural and smooth and doesn’t break as much as it used to! Also, sometimes if my hair is feeling oily, I just add a little baking soda to my “poo”. Thanks for being my inspiration (in this and all the other crunchy things I’ve started doing).
So I tried this recipe with Dr Bronners Baby Mild Castille Soap and canned Coconut Milk. I wasn’t sure the canned stuff would work, but I figured what the heck, it only had coconut milk and water in the ingredients, how bad could it be? Well, I found out the hard way that canned coconut milk does not work! My hair felt greasy and sticky, and it was extremely staticy. I did the ACV Rinse hoping that would help. I went ahead and blow dried it, and it was unbelievably full of static and just had a strange, dirty-feeling texture.
So do you have to make homemade coconut milk in order for this recipe to work? Or are there any store-bought brands that would work?
Yeah – someone tried it with canned the same day I posted the recipe and had the exact same review about it. My thoughts are, it has to be fresh and coconut milk you make yourself. The preservative they add to coconut milk totally renders this recipe useless. But fresh is incredible – not just in your hair, but to drink and play around with. So there’s a silver lining. 🙂
Okay, so I wish I would have read the comments before I tried it! LOL, no wonder. Loved the lather though!
I went sorta ‘poo about a month ago myself using a Castile soap and vinegar rinse. I have NOT tried it with coconut milk yet but had this very same reaction. After some research, I discovered it’s because I have hard water and/or did not rinse the soap out of my hair well enough before the vinegar rinse went in.
If you have hard water, the minerals in the water will react with soap to create soap scum that will leave your hair waxy/greasy and static-y. Also, even if you don’t have hard water, if you don’t rinse all the soap out of your hair before the vinegar rinse, you will trap that soap in your hair which will give the same result. Hope that helps!
Hilarious and awesome post! I have been having a major skin reaction around my eyes, even had a chemical patch test at the dermatologist that resulted in a major reaction around my eyes, but NO trace of a reaction where the chemicals were tested on my back. It was said that I might be allergic to my shampoo. So, I am PUMPED about trying out the shampoo/conditioner thing. I’ve gotta have my conditioner (or apple cider vinegar).
It’s perfectly fine to add essential oils to the “shampoo” or the rinse. I’ve been adding a generous dose of yummy tangerine essential oils to my rinse since my husband told me my wet hair smelled “sorta like a pickle”.
As for the mom and daughter with thick, curly hair: you described my hair to a tee, and the ACV rinse is the best detangler I’ve ever come across. I’d absolutely recommend it for you. Either way, if in doubt, try it out! What’s the worst that could happen? One bad hair day, and then you wash it out. 🙂
Also, I’d previously tried shampooing with straight Castile soap, but it left a residue as some have described. If your hair is feeling dry, stringy or waxy, try cutting the Castile soap with an equal amount of water. This, with the coconut, was the magic formula for me.
Hi! First of all, I want to say that I’m new to this site but I’m already in love with it. It all started with cinnamon contour powder, I just had a random idea that maybe cinnamon or cacao could be used as bronzing and thus was redirected here (by the way, I used club-moss spore powder instead of corstarch, I thought I’d just share). And, well, I simply got addicted!
Anyway, what I’m REALLY interested in is, do you think almond milk would work too? I’ve heard that almond oil helps to thicken your hair and I think it would be fantastic to have such shampoo. I think I’ll try…
So, not being brave enough to go full no ‘poo, I tried some Castile soap as shampoo (I’d bought Dr. Wood’s with tea tree oil and shea butter, because I have acne AND dry skin). Round one was a disaster. I didn’t get it all out of my hair, so it felt all dingy and as if I hadn’t washed it at all
Then remembering this post, as I was attempting to lather, I decided to throw in some baking soda, since I’m out of coconut milk (an advantage to being lactose intolerant!). It worked wonders. I opted to skip the ACV since my hair is short, and maybe save that for every other wash. My hair is fluffy and bouncy but frizz free. The ends are a tad dry, but that’s a normal issue for me, anyway. Thanks for inspiring me to try this!
I was wondering if you could add ACV to the actual poo? I’ve got psoriasis on my scalp and ACV has salicylic acid in it, which helps to remove the scaling (also helps with dandruff) . I have used ACV straight before directly on my scalp with no ill effects. It doesn’t burn and Im lucky enough to like ACV enough that I’d drink it straight, so the smell doesn’t bother me! Im just worried it’ll break down the suds. I like suds! It would be so much easier to shampoo with the ACV instead of with a direct application to target areas. Then have to shampoo, then rinse again.
I know this is a special case, but Im sure SOMEONE out there has to have the same, or similar, problem. I’d appreciate any advice on the subject.
Please, don’t! See the above posts; adding vinegar TO the soap unsaponifies the soap and turns the mixture into a nasty sliminess that is extremely difficult to remove. Shampoo, then use ACV. But you could always shampoo first in your shower, then pour the ACV straight or diluted on your scalp and leave on for the rest of your shower. Hope that helps!
Do you think I could use organic creamed coconut instead of the coconut milk?
also is the acv rinse necessary for this to work? I don’t like the smell it leaves in my hair?
I don’t think canned (or jarred) creamed coconut will work. Someone tried it with coconut milk, and the preservatives they put in it make it stick to your hair too much.
ACV is pretty necessary, but if you dilute it well and add an essential oil to help with the smell, the ACV scent should dissipate when your hair dries (I’ve never smelled it afterward at all). Good luck!
thanks for that 🙂 I am going away on holiday now so will probably try this when I get back and let you know.
Is the ACV necessary for the hard water? If you had soft water would it be better? I think I was using way too much before I just saw the quantities you recommended now…
I added 1 tsp of ACV to the above recipe and washed my hair. It worked on my scalp very well but my hair felt awful. I had just done a yogurt/honey/cocoa powder hair mask and thought it may have been because of the residue from it. So I tried washing my daughters hair with it as well. SOOOO bad.
I dont know if it was the ACV or the castille. My hair felt like it was sticking together, like it was a lump at he end of a dingy mop head. Stringy, greasy (though this may have been because of the treatment) I dried my hair, tried corn starch then got back in the shower and washed with normal shampoo. I did not condition. MUCH better. My daughters hair felt the same.
Lesson learned: do 1 thing at a time, so you know really what works and dont have to back track and do it again to figure it out!
Yeah, I tried a recipe that mixed the vinegar with the soap. Thank goodness I felt the solution before trying this on my hair. I later learned that adding acidic items to soap unsaponifies it. It basically kinda turns the soap back into oil form, just much, much more slimy and extremely hard to get off of anything it gets on. Took me washing my hands about three times & then scrubbing them with baking soda two times to even remotely start to remove the stuff. Cannot even imagine if I had put that into my hair.
Oh, goodness, you guys. For some reason, I totally missed this whole discussion. I definitely wouldn’t add them all together. (Look at the castille/coconut milk as a shampoo and the ACV as a conditioner.)
(But HOORAY for your experimental spirit!)
I’m about to post another option that you can use after the castille/coconut milk (and if it hasn’t been covered here, the coconut milk CANNOT be from a can or box … it has to be fresh and WITHOUT preservatives).
I’m just still trying to figure out (thinking out loud here) why people still occasionally report the stickiness AFTER doing the ACV rinse. I know for sure that it happens to my hair without it, but as soon as I rinse it with ACV (and the new rinse), it’s SO soft and clean.
It’s kinda a mystery at this point.
Anyway. Back to writing. Just wanted to check in here, now that I noticed your experimenting!
I think it has to do with the fact that mixing the 2 (castile + vinegar) unsaponifies the soap. Therefore, I think we are not rinsing the soap out well enough before using the vinegar on our hair, essentially combining the 2 and unsaponifying the soap which leaves this sticky waxy residue on our hair! So rinse like you’ve never rinsed before and then put the vinegar on your hair.
It could also be due to the fact that some of us have super hard water and some don’t. I have hard water. An in-line KDF filter (amazon less than $20 for the type I needed) helped a lot.
I’m sticking with the BS no ‘poo myself, because my hair loves it, but after re-reading this post I had a flash of inspiration. I mixed up a batch of sorta ‘poo in an old baby food jar and used it in lieu of shaving cream when I shaved my legs. Holy crap, my legs have never been softer! We’ve been looking for a shaving cream alternatives for a bit now- my husband’s going to try shaving his face with it in the morning. (Yay for crunchy husband!)
In all the years I’ve been finding various recipes and how-to’s on the Internet I have never once commented on anything I’ve found.
Until now…
This was freaking awesome! By far the best shampooing experience of my life. The lather was amazing, absolutely amazing. I’m a little worried that it might dry my already parched hair so I might have to tweak it a bit but only if it doesn’t affect the lather.
You are a fabulous, fabulous lady!!
i get some water hot, dissolve the baking soda, add green tea and black tea, and a drop of lemon EO. with conditioner, i get hot water,honey, ACV, rosemary and lemon EO, and mix it all together. best thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a question.
Me and my mother are new to this and very curious, seeing as everything is so expensive and we have such sensitive skin, is there any way to make the conditioner a little more effective?
We both have thick curly hair that tangles and matts easily and usually use thick herbal essence shampoo and that works, but as I said, we’re curious and doubtful of just apple cider vinager.
hey crunchies!
just a quick question…is it okay to use ACV on colored hair? I just used it for the first time and it seems to have stripped some of my color…
thanks
aisha
Would adding a drop of essential oil to the shampoo ruin its cleansing power? I made the homemade coconut milk and bought Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Castille Soap because I wasn’t sure which smells would mix well with the coconut. I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be able to smell the coconut milk, so now my hair has this funky smell to it. It’s just the smell of my scalp and natural oils, but I would much prefer to mask it. So could I add a drop of EO to the shampoo? Or even to the ACV rinse? Also, my hair doesn’t feel nasty, but last night when I was brushing and braiding it I noticed this filmy feeling in my hair which stayed on my hands. Is that normal? I tried the No’ Poo Method and it didn’t work for me, so I really hope this method works, and I’m willing to give it a fair trial, but I thought it might feel cleaner. Any suggestions?
I put some tea tree oil in mine, because I battle dandruff/SD. It stinks, lol! But I don’t see why adding an EO would be a problem.
Okay, so I tried the no ‘poo for a month. It was okay, but my hair never did get very shiny without using nasty products on it and was always kind of weighed down and limp, so, I have now started washing with Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap (With peppermint oil, I LOVE peppermint), but it left my hair kind of dry on the ends. My hair is already extremely damaged from multiple bleachings and colorings, so it feels like straw (I will be cutting off the most damaged part within a week or two). What can I use for conditioner besides the ACV rinse (I will puke if I smell ACV, it never fails) that is safe for colored hair? Heeeeellllppp!
I love rinsing with honey!! I’ve been washing my hair with BS for well over 2 yrs now. I dilute 1 Tbsp of BS, 3-5 drops of rosemary essential oil (depends on if it gets away from me or not :D) and sometimes a little dollop of honey, in warm-to-very warm water in a pint sized mason jar. I stir it up well to disperse the EO, then pour about half the jarful (hair length right now is a bit below shoulder length) over my scalp and proceed to scrub away like with “normal” shampoo. Sometimes I rinse with dilute ACV (I’m talking VERY dilute – no color anymore in a pint jar of water, which is about 1/2 -1 tsp ACV or less) OR a honey rinse: about 1/2 tsp honey in a pint jar of warm water, mix well to dissolve. I always rinse out the ACV (or it makes my hair wayyy to oily/greasy) but sometimes I leave in the honey rinse, or just pour a jar of cold water over it.
Forgot to add that I rinse the BS out thoroughly before the conditioning rinse! d’uh to me
I really, really want this to work for my hair but I’m not having much luck. My hair is naturally oily, but after several days of the castille/acv mix listed above my hair is super-duper oily. As in almost dripping with oil. I’ve tried both cutting back and increasing the amount of acv to no avail. Any thoughts?
Hey, I’m new (as in, I started this week) at the whole crunchy thing and sick of $12 bottles of organic natural shampoo. Going over my budget for them is just frustrating. I made coconut milk last night (smelled fantastic!) and mixed up a serving of this sorta ‘poo. I LOVED the lather, but it felt like it was kind of gunk-ing up my hair. Despite rinsing well and using a diluted vinegar rinse it felt like there was residue left over – from the castile soap perhaps? We have VERY hard water and no water softener (or money to install one) so I’m wondering if the hard water is preventing the soap from rinsing cleanly. In which case I may just have to stick with baking soda (which did rinse cleanly) and hope it works. 🙁
Try this little trick: put 1/2 of the sorta poo and 1/2 baking soda in your palm and wash with that. rinse VERY well and use a vinegar rinse also. if you can afford to, get a KDF filter for your shower. The one I got on amazon was less than $20 and helps, not as much as a water softener would, but helps some.
I was just going to say vitamin e, but that seemed a bit too simplified. So, I came across this website which had some useful information to check out. It helped me too, I liked this question since I’m sure so many of us have wanted to know. As I’m in the middle of flood damage, fun summertime water fun, ha ha, I would have looked further. I’m sure there is a lot more info on the internet.
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/library/preservatives.asp
Any ideas about adding a little something to make it slightly preservative? I would like to make larger batches and possibly some batches for friends and such… Any ideas would be appreciated. I’m thinking essential oils would help a little bit.
i am now a poor universaty student, but at least i can still be natural with this! *thumbs up*
I stopped using shampoo cold turkey about two weeks ago. I tried using baking soda, but it just made my hair too difficult to work with, almost like it was TOO clean, if you know what I mean. At the same time, I don’t have a lot of time or energy to make a lot of the homemade shampoos posted on the internet. I thought about using sugar to use as a nice scrub for my scalp, and came up with a wonderful, easy, super cheap cleanser: Two egg yolks, a handful of brown (or white, I’m sure) sugar, and a dash of apple cider vinegar. AMAZING! Afterwards, I used the leftover egg whites and mixed them with prepackaged oatmeal. I see no problem with using that as opposed to plain oats. It works the same way, and your face smells awesome! I thought I should share this. It worked so well for me and I didn’t even have to step out my front door.
Question: does this work for hair that has color on it? I would love to try it, but don’t want it to take the color out of my hair.
I have been using castile soap for months but have missed the lather. How do you get the milk from the coconut or do you use canned milk? I would love to try something like this.
From reports I’m getting in, canned coconut milk doesn’t work as well. The issue is probably the guar gum they use in it. Actually, the day before I posted this post, we learned how to make coconut milk from shredded, unsweetened coconut. Here you go! http://crunchybetty.com/homemade-coconut-milk-the-recipe-to-remember
THANK YOU!!! Not just for the way my hair feels right now (I JUST used this and my hair is drying as I type), but for this post and the one about homemade coconut milk. I was in a funk today–a huge funk–ugh. Then I pulled out the coconut flakes, food processor…and things were flying around the kitchen–and I felt good! I now know that making homemade things is my calling. If it can pull me out of a funk, then this is my true calling!
Anyway, back to the sorta ‘poo…I was skeptical at first,after how greasy my hair got with the tiniest amount of coconut oil as a pre-shower conditioner…but this is AMAZING!!! I usually just wash my hair with a baking soda/water/tea tree oil/guar gum mixture (I added the guar gum trying to get it to lather!), and then rinse every other day with ACV/water. My hair was starting to get greasy again, like it was when I used shampoo and didn’t wash it every day, and I was starting to get annoyed!
I’m glad I don’t have to hide under a hat anymore 🙂 It wasn’t the end of the world, since I’m a stay-at-home mom and can wear a hat or bandana everyday, but it’s nice to not have to hide! I’m also very excited because we’re going to see The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks in 3 days, and I couldn’t be going with my head all greasy and nasty, now could I? So, THANK YOU!!! 🙂 (the people that I’m going with also thank you!)
I love this idea! Will it work with coconut oil as well, or do I need coconut milk? Also, I’m an avid any kind of vinegar hater. I hate the smell of it in the worst way. I will hold my nose and avoid while doing the rinse, but will the smell of vinegar follow me throughout the day?
I use white vinegar as fabric softener in my laundry and once it dries there’s no smell. Rinse the ACV out well and you should be ok. But I guess it depends on how porous your hair is too?
Add a few drops of essential oil to your vinegar and like Denise said, rinse very well. For me, I can’t use ACV as the smell stays in my hair even after drying, but white vinegar does not so I use white vinegar and some lemon essential oil. Lemony scent while rinsing, no scent after drying!
I tried it this morning and it worked really well! I didn’t do the ACV after but I think I will next time because my hair felt a little heavy. I was amazed at the amount of lather – even more so than regular shampoos!
Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this!! This is the BEST blog EVER!! I have tried bs/acv rinse like most here and my hair was either to greasy or too dry and it was kind of a pain to do while traveling. So now I’m back to organic shampoo from Whole Foods and have been looking for something new to try that I can make myself.
Tried it. Really strange using shampoo, even a tbs, and having lather! but the combo smidgen of shampoo and coconut milk (canned) is amazing. extra shiny. extra strong. squeaky clean.
Will definitely try. Am currently a no poo girl and love it except when I dye my hair with black henna. reluctantly to use bs afterwards, am convinced it strips the black color and i’m back to grey 10 days later. so a little bit of lather, bit of coconut milk. we’ll see. hope my scalp likes it.
I have tried this 2 days in a row now and my hair seems to be so greasy this morning. I never had a problem with greasy hair before. Does your hair adjust and get better?
Are you using the vinegar rinse? If not, definitely do. And if you are, you might want to try increasing the amount of vinegar in your mixture. 🙂
Iiiiinteresting…I’ve been alternating 2-3 days lavender castile soap with one day regular shampoo/conditioner, and that works fairly well. My traditionally normal-to-oily hair tends to get dry and stringy if I use just the castile for too many days in a row, though…it’s the weirdest thing – looks GREAT in the front, but really, really awful in the back. 😛 I will definitely have to try this!
This coconut and castille lathering thing is HUGE. It is all about the lather.
This is truly a big deal. Because going all natural and whatnot like we hot babes are, we pretty much have to become chemists to learn how to use and mix all this stuff. It’s all very science-y and I love that. (I want a white coat and a clipboard)
It’s so fun to experiment and compare notes with each other.
“Shall you be Professor Betty now?” I say to you in my fake but oh-so-fun British accent…….Shall you???? Hmmm Sweetie?
Also effin love the “That’s what she said” bit 🙂
You made this post for me. It is fate that made me read this post today. Because I just quit no ‘poo ’cause I was fed up with withdrawl. There’s no withdrawl with this? *w*
This looks amazing! I have been washing my hair with lavender castile soap mixed with baking soda. Together they have a very shampoo-like consistency and my hair feels so clean afterward. The baking soda also lightens my naturally blonde hair, which I love. BUT it does dry my hair out, so I am looking forward to trying some coconut milk! Thank you, lady!
I LOVE this blog. ok, now that’s out of the way 🙂
i got REALLY exactly two weeks ago after finding the no poo page and decided to give it a try. i was a HAVE TO WASH MY HAIR EVERY DAY WITH STORE-BOUGHT SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER OR I CANT FUNCTION kind of girl for, well as long as i can remember. so for the past two weeks ive been washing every 3-4 days with baking soda/ACV. while i love not using shampoo/conditioner, the BS has been drying out my hair like crazy. so im super excited about finding this new recipe. will let you all know how it works out 🙂 feeling optimistic….
I went with the baking soda/acv and no poo for about a year. At first it seemed just greasy, then it was like straw. Luckily we live near the beach so the ocean took care of a lot of the problem. I finally knew I wasn’t convincing my girls and they would continue to buy Suave or some type of thing. I explained how we can make out own concoctions, at least do me that favor, ha. They did start buying good organic shampoos most of the time. I told them, look at the ingredients and see if we can’t start with something similar. Myself, I am now using Dr. Bronners, and a orange vinegar rinse that I make using all my orange peels. It’s diluted and works great. Not as oily as regular acv.
I like what one of the other posters mentioned, using rose and rosemary.
I think the bottom line with this is that everyone needs to test it out, we all have different needs/types of hair. I hadn’t thought of coconut milk though, so this will go into my list of add ins to test out. I bet it’s great!
I’ve been making herbal shampoo and really love it. This sounds like something to try out too! Currently I steep rose and rosemary, then when it is cooled, add castille soap and aloe vera gel. I use the apple cider vinegar rinse. Some helpful hints for those just starting out, sometimes it helps to start with beginning to use less of your regular shampoo. No matter what poo method you change to, there will be a time of adjustment. Also experiment with the amount of vinegar in your rinse. I found if I used too much, it made my hair feel too oily.
I’m going on vacation next week to a cabin with no running water…I’m going to see if I go all week without washing my hair how it will feel (before I was dying after two days)
OMG…I WAS JUST explaining this to someone the other day…we were talking about the benefits of shampooing with baking soda and water…and I said I was doing it everyday because I hadn’t quite gathered the courage to go no ‘poo yet…and we were talking about whether or not there was a lather with castile soap…to which I replied…COCONUT OIL has lathering properties…but I didn’t realize it was actually COCONUT MILK!!! Kinda weird how the world works sometimes! Thanks for the clarification! I can’t wait to try this! I had just bought a bag of unsweetened coconut flakes….I’m ready now, girl!
Woooo hoooo!! I can’t wait to try this! THANK YOU!
I am going to have to try this. I find no poo to just not work on my very fine Scandinavian-type hair. It becomes a frizzy mess after two days. This, however, sounds like a very good plan. Thanks!!
ok,this is just lovely! I tried no poo, then I switched over to soupnut liquid after 3 months of failure but that is still not doing the trick, the third time is sure to be a charm. thanks Love!
You have the best timing! Just what I need, right when I need it!
Good *grief* I wish I had some coconut/coconut milk in my house right now! I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s rose on my hair for a couple of weeks (after you mentioned it in the forum!) and while it’s been better than most of the other stuff I’ve tried in the last six months, it’s been not quite *right* either. Can’t wait to try.
Thank you! I can’t wait to try the ACV conditioner. I have extremely long, fine hair that is easily tangled. I’ve been rinsing it in ice cold water to try and close the cuticles.
I think this may be what I was waiting for (and no, not just because it has bubbles) 🙂 I can’t wait to try it!
I can’t wait to try this! I do no ‘poo about every other day. My hair looks great on the no ‘poo days, but it feels so icky!
Can not wait to try…is it ok to try the store brought coconut milk?
Amazing — thanks! I bet this would solve the issue for no bubbles in baths, right? Looking forward to trying this — I went no-poo but also settled on the Dr. Bronner’s for a middle ground; my hair has gotten so much thicker than it has ever been in my life, but also not as soft as I would like. So excited to try this!!
Can not wait! I’m on day 16 of bs & acv no ‘poo and my hair just won’t get nice… Question: Does it have to be almond for the castille? I have peppertmint….
I just washed my hair with this and it was great!! I have been trying a bunch of homemade shampoo lately and have not liked any of them until now. So far anyway, lets see how it looks after a couple days 🙂 Thank you for posting!!
This sounds Amazing! Thanks 🙂
I <3 you. You know that, right? I will be trying this tomorrow. Oh yes I will.
Being impatient, I only tried going no poo for like 3 days. My hair didn’t get nasty and greasy, but my husband did tell me that my hair smelled, not bad, but like “me”. Not to mention that I felt a little funky in the scalp. This seems like something I could do though.
I have one question though – can you freeze the homemade coconut milk, or will it ruin it? I’m not really one for cooking with coconut…