One day early last spring, I counted the ingredients of my shampoos. Each contained at least 20 ingredients—many of them unpronounceable—and three or four of them had suspected toxins. Two contained fragrances that made me sneeze. On that day, I decided to try an easy two-ingredient homemade shampoo that I’d read about for years but that had always seemed too hokey. I’ve never looked back.
Baking Soda and Cider Vinegar
My new strategy calls for an alkaline washing ingredient—baking soda—followed by an acidic rinse of apple cider vinegar. That’s it!
To my surprise, the two-ingredient method worked well, leaving my hair clean, shiny, and more manageable than any of the hundred products or combinations of products that I’ve used through the decades.
This was cheap, easy, remarkably effective, and probably a lot safer. I always have these ingredients on hand for various household uses.
Like me, you probably won’t believe that the baking soda method will actually clean your hair, so you’ll want to give it your first try on a vacation or weekend day when you have the time to repeat with your usual routine if you don’t like the results.
I’ve seen dozens of “recipes” for this natural approach to hair care. I don’t think that the exact proportions matter. I just fiddled around until I found what worked well for me.
How to Make Homemade Shampoo
Here’s how to both make and use the two-ingredient shampoo:
- I pour a bit less than half a cup of baking soda into a small bowl and ½ cup of cider vinegar into another.
- Then I add a couple of cups of warm water to each bowl.
- I pour the dissolved baking soda solution through my wet hair.
- Then I rinse my hair well.
- Finally, I pour the vinegar solution through. I usually don’t rinse it out, but you can. Either way, the vinegar smell disappears within minutes.
It took me a while to get used to the idea that just pouring a solution through my hair with no scrubbing or lathering could get it clean, but it really does. I haven’t found a need for conditioning, but I haven’t tested my new shampoo through a dry New England winter yet. But advocates of this hair care method suggest adding a few drops of olive, sesame, castor or some other oil to the washing solution for frizz or static control.
Some of my friends (who are now converted) use this shampoo along with another one to mix it up. That works, too. Do what works for you!
Learn more
Check the safety rating on the personal-care products you use for yourself and your family. Environmental Working Groups staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites with information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases.
Reader Comments
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Hair Shampoo
I've been doing this for years and it does work great.
Hair shampoo alternative
I'd like to try this, but I'm unclear - do you wet your hair first, or just pour the baking soda mixture through dry hair?
Wet Hair
Yes, your hair should be wet before you apply the mixture!
Hair shampoo
Just did my long grey hair with the soda and vinegar. Wow. So clean. Used white vinegar as my locks grab color from everything! Thanks. Never paying $20-30 a bottle for grey hair shampoo
vinegar rinse
I used vinegar frequently for a hair rinse, told my haircutter about it, how nice it made my hair feel and manage, and she said to be cautious because it breaks down the hair and eventually could cause some problem. so maybe use it less often...
Does it work the same for
Does it work the same for curly hair, and is it safe for young children,5 and up
I used this for the first
I used this for the first time on color treated hair (Natural Instincts). I used 1 tbsp of baking soda to 8 oz warm water. One tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar to 8 oz water. I am 64 years old. This made my hair fuller. I have chin length hair. I love this! And I will continue using it. It is so cheap, natural & easy.
Easy shampooing
I've used this same formula for at least 5 years. I have long hair so I do 2 tbsp. baking soda to 2 cups warm water for the wash, and 2 oz vinegar to 2 cups warm water for my rinse. My hair is gray so I use white vinegar and it gives my hair a nice shine. I'll never go back to shampoo from the store!
Can't wait to try this!
Can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing and I am looking forward to more.
Wonderful article. I've also
Wonderful article. I've also been using these ingredients to clean my hair for a few years, it's healthier than it's ever been, and before this I had been using organic/natural shampoos, from the health food stores, for most of my life. Tip: I replaced the ACV with fresh lemon juice; smells better and highlights the hair.
hi as a chemist i would like
hi as a chemist i would like to say the bad smell of vinegar dissapears because the latter is neutralised by the soda another thing is that i used vinegar with henna an the result was fantastic shine hair now h sold a hair cream nder the name of shiny hair because of vinegar good luck
hi as a chemist i would like
hi as a chemist i would like to ssaay the bad smell of vinegar dissapears because the latter is neutralised by the soda another thing is that i used vinegar with henna an the result was fantastic shine hair now h sold a hair cream nder the name of shiny hair because of vinegar good luck
This shampoo is wonderful &
This shampoo is wonderful & my hair looks great.
Do you think regular vinegar
Do you think regular vinegar (not cider) would work as well?
Yes, regular white vinegar
Yes, regular white vinegar works as well. Vinegar just acts as a detangler. I use white vinegar because apple cider vinegar made my hair too greasy.
Home made shampoo
I was wondering if you thought it might work on color treated hair?
And this also got me to wondering "What did our ancestors wash their hair with?"
color treated hair
I don't know about using borax or baking soda and vinegar to wash color-treated hair, Lorimae, though I have read that over time baking soda will lighten hair.
If you have your hair colored professionally, ask the colorist. If you color your own, you might try calling the company that produces your product. They may have a toll-free number on the box.
As for our ancestors, soapmaking goes back at least 2800 years. Native Americans and indigenous people's from around the world may also have relied on plant materials containing saponins. Your question would make an interesting research project.
Word to the wise about color
Word to the wise about color treated hair. Avoid essential oils and tinctures on hair like the plague. The chemicals in the dye will not like the herbs. I one use I was bald in a one inch area where it concentrated and fried some of the rest of my hair as well. A costly mistake I hope others can avoid.
I have been using this method
I have been using this method for a few years now, I was coloring my hair with natural instincts and it makes your color last longer using the baking soda vinegar rinse, kind of like tie dyeing clothes, the vinegar set the color in. Also if you find that the "vinegar" makes your hair too greasy it is not solely the vinegar it is the combination and quantity of baking soda/ borax and the vinegar rinse. So play around with the amount of baking soda or borax you dissolve in measured amount of water and then use the vinegar rinse, i.e. 1tsp to 1cp water or 2tsp to 1cup water. make sure it is dissolved well because it can crust on your head. I get my hair professionally colored now but still only use the demi color and find after all the washing and chemical processing at the salon it takes about a week or so for my own natural oils to get balanced out again.
eats weeds
what do you mean.. eat weeds... what weeds are you eating
eating weeds
I plan to blog more about this later. I eat all sorts of weeds common to my part of New Hampshire: dandelions, lamb's quarters, stinging nettles, burdock roots, chickweed, clover leaves...and more! Wild plants are generally much more nutritious and contain higher concentrations of phytonutrients than cultivated crops. But you really need to know your weeds before you begin foraging. Some poisonous wild plants are closely related to edible plants; some edible plants contain poisonous parts (even the common potato contains toxins in the leaves and sprouts.)
Stay tuned in spring!