One of my favorite self-care treatments and ways to wash and really cleanse my hair is by using baking soda and conditioner. I know, I know, you all are probably thinking at this point I am baking soda crazy, especially given the last post where I was talking about using baking soda to clean the dirt and grime build up out of the bathtub. I swear by baking soda, there are a million and one amazing ways to use it and works well for a lot of things, one of them being hair. Used with water, conditioner, or prior to an ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) rinse, BS strips the hair of all dirt, product build-up, impurities, softens, conditions and thoroughly cleanses the hair. Seeing as I am a busy mom and mompreneur, getting to the hair salon for regular maintenance and upkeep almost never happens, so being able to rely on good self-care treatments to get me through, is essential. Whenever I do this treatment my hair looks amazing! It's shiny, soft, my curls and kinks are more defined, and it just sets /leaves my hair healthy and ready for any styling I decide to do after. This is a great treatment that works for most hair types and a variety of ethnicity's, so a lot of people can use and benefit. I encourage you busy mommies and over-worked women next time to try this DIY when it's been a week or so since your hair has seen water, and you need something effective, non-toxic, fast, and simple to clean your hair that has lasting benefits till the next time you get a chance to have a moment for you. I’m a complete DIY gal when it comes to my beauty routine and I’m always on a mission to reduce my exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and being very familiar with this method that gives me such great results, I recommend you give it a try and let me know what you think.

For our straight-haired friends, baking soda can be used as a dry shampoo. Applied to the roots, it soaks up the oil that visibly travels down the strands of a straight hair.

For our curly hair friends who experience dryness and un-manageability at times, the most common way to use is combined with a good conditioner. Some of my favorite conditioners that I like to use are traders Joes "tea-tree" conditioner and natures gate "herbal" conditioner which work really well with the baking soda mixture.

DIY:

Conditioner treatment

•½ cup baking soda

•1 cup of your favorite conditioner

•Mix thoroughly and smooth onto pre-washed, or damp hair that has been slightly dried. Let sit with   a shower cap for 15-30minutes. Rinse. Apply deep or leave in conditioner for 10-15min after, then rinse again.

Note: depending on hair texture and how comfortable you feel, you can leave on for 45 minutes or overnight, but be cautious because baking soda can irritate the scalp if left in too long. You have to try the right time length for your hair type, however it needs to be left on long enough to where it does something and you maximize the benefits. 

Rinse treatment: 

•Start by mixing 1 part baking soda with 3 parts water. You can adjust this depending on your hair length.

•Apply the baking soda and water mixture to dry or wet hair by starting at the roots and working to the ends. 

• Let it sit for 1 - 3 minutes, then rinse with warm water.