Frugal Friday - Fragrance-Free Hair Care Alternatives

A few weeks ago I posted about how I replaced regular lotion to avoid fragrances, because I've had such a problem with smells during this pregnancy. This week I thought I would share how I have eliminated shampoo, conditioner and most styling products too.

In total desperation, as I kept almost throwing up when I took a shower due to the fragrances, I turned to the internet to look into the whole no-shampoo thing. I had tried this before, after reading the book Curly Girl (which has many good ideas, worth a read if it's relevant, it taught me how to do my own haircuts), but found my hair got greasy using her system - just conditioner, used both on the scalp and the ends in different stages. I needed to try something different this time anyway, since using just conditioner wouldn't eliminate the smells.

My new system is simple. About once a week, now that my scalp has adjusted, I shampoo with a paste of baking soda and water. In the beginning I did it every few days and slowly spaced it out as my scalp stopped pumping out so much oil. In place of conditioner, I rinse with diluted lemon juice. I pour a few tablespoons in the bottom up a plastic cup, then fill the cup the rest of the way with water when I'm ready to rinse. You would have to experiment with the best technique for your hair here - I do it in sections and comb through with my fingers to get any knots. On non-shampoo days, I just do the lemon juice rinse.

This was great, but I still had a problem - I needed gel or leave in conditioner to help my curls set up. Finally, I had to give this up because of the smell. Amazingly, after a little time using the baking soda and lemon juice I found that styling products were no longer necessary. I think it is because I'm not stripping the oil from my hair in the same way, so I don't need anything artificial to help hold it back down. Now I simply comb through my hair and let it air-dry, and it comes out looking as good as it ever did with products. I know, this is hard to believe if you are used to products, but believe me - I have curly hair and deal with frizz all the time. I actually find this works better than any product I have tried, after the initial adjustment.

While baking soda and lemon juice are cheap, they are not as cheap as free shampoo and conditioner from the drugstore game. Vinegar, which most people use, would be even cheaper than bottled lemon juice (don't use fresh - you can get pulp in your hair - yes, I have done it), but I don't like the smell. However, eliminating styling products, which I had to be pickier about to look good, more than makes up for that small cost. Plus, this system is healthier for me and the environment and is actually easier. I just love it and I'm never going back.

I know the idea of this stuff scares people, because it sounded scary to me. But I strongly recommend trying it. I've been doing this since November. I wanted to really give it a good test before writing about it.

Head over to Life As Mom for more frugal ideas.