Zero Waste Shampoo & Conditioner

· by · in Beauty Recipes, Zero Waste Living. ·

Another post that has been long overdue. When switching to Zero Waste, shampoo and conditioner was my biggest concern. I have curly hair, long and thick, as you can see:

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The ONLY brand that didn’t leave my hair dry, oily or brittle, was Tresemme. Yup, those extra large plastic bottles. The conditioner was my nr 1 product, without it my hair becomes too oily; any other brand makes my hair breaks, and knots like a *#)@$*. It was a bitch to maintain, believe me. I would’ve chopped it all off long ago, if only I didn’t look like a chubby red tomato with short hair…

I asked the members of my Zero Waste Bloggers Network FB Group, and it seemed like everybody was doing something different. Some suggested Baking soda mixed with Cocoa Powder (because I have dark brown blackish hair) other said baking soda with vinegar, other suggested vinegar on its own. Some said coconut oil.

Well, after much experimenting, I’ve found my routine.

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Shampoo:

  • Baking Soda
  • Vinegar & Water
  • Small amount of Coconut oil.
  • Few drops fragrant essential oil. (Whichever scent you like. I use Lavender. I also like ylang ylang but don’t have any.)

I make a paste of baking soda, water and vinegar, and just add a dash of coconut oil to make it creamy. Not a lot. I’m not overly fond of oiliness.. Massage into scalp, rinse after a few minutes. Super clean hair thanks to the Baking Soda and Vinegar. I’ll do this a few times a week.

If you’re in a rush, and you have dark hair, mix baking soda and cocoa powder (to disguise the baking soda) sprinkle on and work into, and leave it.

Conditioner:

I should do this more often. It’s a bit more of a hassle.

  • Coconut oil
  • Baking soda
  • 1 drop fragrant essential oil.

Mix equal parts coconut oil and baking soda, add a drop of two essential oil of choice, massage into dry hair & scalp, cover with towel and leave for 40 min to an hour. Rinse with hot water to get the oil out completely. You might need to rinse more than once…

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This is A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN TRESEMME!!!!

My hair has never been this soft.

What do you use? Lemme know below.

5 responses to “Zero Waste Shampoo & Conditioner”

  1. Thanks for posting! There are so many different methods out there. I use a shampoo bar with an acv rinse; the rinse I use only once a week. It isn’t the perfect method, as it has left my hair very tangled and sometimes is left with a film from the bar. Mind you, I recently read that shampoo bars have an expiry date, and I know I left mine sitting for a long time before even attempting to use it. I will use a different brand next time.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi there, apologies for the late reply. To be honest, I didn’t really take any measurements or followed a specific recipe. I simply scooped some melted coconut oil into a bottle, add bicarb gradually and mixed until I like the consistency.

      If you want to add vinegar, I’d suggest mixing the bicard/oil paste to some consistency thicker than you were aiming for, and then diluting the mixture with vinegar.

      Hope that helps! 🙂

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