The average American woman uses products each day that put over 150 toxins into her skin.1 Those of us with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can have a harder time than some getting rid of toxins in our systems.2 When I found this out, and determined to treat myself better, I started researching alternatives to most of the products I use, including shampoo and conditioner.
My hair is blonde, and there is a lot of it for now, but each strand is thin and straight. It keeps curl and color, in its natural state, much longer than most. (For example, when I got perms, I was able to go a year between them.) Most people do not have hair like mine, so I want to start off this show-and-tell with that info. 😊
After an initial detoxing time, “no (sham)poo” works for a lot of people. Kathleen from Becoming Peculiar wrote about using a baking soda rinse, followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse. I tried that for a while, but my hair was much too dry and “flyaway” to do that for long. It needed more moisturizing than that.
Eventually I happened upon this recipe, which the author claimed worked for EVERY hair type. As my friends won’t let me experiment on their hair, I can’t claim that — but it DOES work for mine. My hair is soooo soft after this treatment.
Here it is: Mix 1.5 tbsp bentonite clay with 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar (hereafter ACV). Wait until the bubbles stop, and add 1 tbsp honey. “Wash” your hair with this. (Note: it will not lather at all. No soap in there!) Let it sit for a minute or two if possible.
After you rinse that out, coat your hair with a weak mixture of ACV in water. (I use about 1 tbsp to 2 c of water.) You may add essential oils to this if you like — a drop or two of lemon if you want to lighten your hair, rosemary for shininess, others for sheer smell heaven, etc. I dip my longer hair in this, before dumping the rest over my head slowly. Wait for a minute, then rinse it out.
Voilà — amazing hair. Naturally detangled (because of the ACV), moisturized (because of the honey), and everything.
I also use a shampoo bar and some natural conditioner (from SheaMoisture) if I don’t feel like making this mixture up, but both work for me! Hope this helps!
Make Level Paths 