The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kirsten (Louisiana)
★★★★★
A friend told me that i should use ACV to help with the removal of old shampoo/conditioner as well as hair spray...i use about 1/2 cup every other day and it keeps my hair nice and soft and it really does remove hairspray!!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Lyndsy (Panacea FL)
★★★★★
It works okay.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Ed (Wenatchee WA, USA) on 06/04/2007
★★★★★
I have been using a mixture of ACV, Baking Soda, and Water for a conditioner for about a week and a half. I use about 1/4 tablespoon of BS and ACV till the bubbling stops. then I add just enough water to complete filling a small cup About 3 inches high, 1/2 full. I apply just enough of this to soak my hair ( I do this in the shower ) and rub it in with my fingertips for about 1 minute, then I rinse it out. I have had mildly itchy scalp and hair that does not obey. Now I have no more tangles, my hair does what I want, and the itchy scalp is better. It's not gone yet, but is getting less itchy. Using this small amount of ACV does not leave any smell to my hair either. Thank you so much for this site. Ed
Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda, Coconut Oil
Posted by Nita (Valdosta, GA) on 10/15/2008
★★★★★
I have recently become Earthclinic's biggest fan, trying a couple of suggestions that were in others' testimonials. Last night I soaked my hair in undiluted ACV to wet it. Then I used baking soda to srub my scalp clean, next I put a warm egg on my hair(focusing on the ends). I worked the mixture in and let it sit for about 10 minutes. My hair was instantly smoother when I put the BS on but I decided to add the egg anyway. When I rinsed it out my hair was very easy to comb through and it still was silky to the touch. I followed it up by putting coconut oil on my hair while it was still wet and wrapping it. I tied it up and went to sleep. When I combed the wrap down this morning I found the softest, shiniest, hair I have ever had. I am African American with chemically altered hair so this remedy is like finding a pot of gold! I am so amazed by the results of the cheapest most common things. I will never have to waste my time and money on useless hair products again. I'm 23 now so I'm sure this will save me a lot of money over the years. I feel so blessed to have found this site and I hope these remedies touch many more lives.
Replied by N.B.N
(Charlotte, NC)
01/04/2009
Replied by Laurie
(Sudbury, Ontario)
01/12/2009
Replied by Kay
(Destin)
05/17/2014
Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile , Tn.)
05/18/2014
Argan Oil
Posted by Francine Case-Shore (Playa Del Rey, CA) on 04/26/2009
★★★★★
I have been using an oil from Morroco that is made from argan, indigenous to Morroco. It is amazing, there are a few products out there with this oil. I cannot tell you how my damaged hair has repaired itself, this oil will not make your hair oily and speeds up the drying time.
Baking Soda, Borax, Mayonnaise
Posted by Anon (Anon) on 12/10/2013
First I combined equal parts Borax and Baking Soda, doused head with water, scrubbed in powder, rinsed with water, sprayed on white vinegar. I got a horrible tangled mess of straw-like hair, which is waist length. I poured dilute apple cider vinegar on it, 1 tsp in 2 cups water, nope. I tried egg to moisturize it, it wasn't enough. I tried mayo, which worked well near my scalp, but the ends were hopeless no matter how much mayo I used. I poured apple cider vinegar on it but the mayo didn't rinse out well enough. I even tried peanut butter on the crispy dry ends, no go. I rinsed it all in water, toweled it off, put hand lotion on the ends and brushed it though and dried it. The section near my scalp was much to oily from the mayo, another Borax scrub did not remove it. I used Dove bar soap, and more hand lotion for the dry ends, though the mayo helped considerably with the majority of the dry mess after I stood under the hot shower and squeezed the oils down the rest of the hair. I tried the apple cider vinegar "shampoo" once, it was gorgeous the first day, not so much when I did it the next day.
I also scrub my body with Borax and Baking Soda mixed. Scrubbing with Baking Soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar makes you feel really good. I scrub my face with it too, and put apple cider vinegar on after, the pores on my nose are still black, though it's been maybe a week. My face feels so smooth and clean after though :) And none of that weirdness from chemical soap. Thank you, God :)
Banana and Olive Oil
Posted by Laila (Tysons Corner, Virginia) on 07/25/2010
★★★★★
Natural conditioner for the hair... heard this on a Dr. Oz show.
1/2 Banana (mashed) and Olive Oil (enough oil to cover your hair) = for conditioning hair (maybe once a month or as needed).
Leave on for 30 minutes. Shampoo twice or more to remove oil.
Beef Bones and Olive Oil, Carrot Juice
Posted by Doris (Santa Ana, USA) on 04/15/2008
★★★★★
re: Lustrous thick healthy hair.. Through my younger years in professional career, many were spent car-pooling. The Spanish women I knew all had lustrous spectacularly thick raven hair. Then, marrying, my own Spanish-American Indian origin mother-in-law also did. She said 'well of course all natives of her vicinity, New Mexico and that nearby So Amer region, boiled their cattle's beef bones till the bones were softened, and the water was marrow filled. They'd add a bit spoon or two of home pressed olive oil and use it as a hair treatment, as we do in salons today. What a difference in my own hair in those years. Also, rubbing cold pressed carrot juice, for the vitamin A, fully restored a male friend's hair from total baldness. Took one year, with substantial overall body health occurring, freckles disappearing, muscle and skin tone restoring, then year 2, a baby fine regrowth of skull hair, then by year 3, totally restored youth-level full head of hair.
Replied by Dave
(Center Valley, Pa)
02/28/2009
Borax
Posted by Carla (Greenville, NC) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★
I became a fan of borax when my son was 2 years old and had the chicken pox. His doctor told me to put him in a bath with borax and it would help with his itching. It was wonderful. He would sleep for hours after his borax fix. I used about 1 cup of borax in a tub of water deep enough to cover him. Now, I am trying to cut back my water usage. To do that I put a few oz. of borax in the bottom of a dixie cup and fill it with water. I pour it over my hair and rinse. Instead of using a cream rinse, I use a leave in spray rinse from my hair dresser. It helps save my well water, and my hair has never been so beautiful and soft. TRY IT!!!
Borax
Posted by Rhonda (Seattle, WA) on 12/03/2007
★★★★★
I learned about borax on curezone for itchy painful scalp and decided to try it. Someone else on this site has mentioned how nice her hair is as a result of using the borax. I have NEVER used a hair product- a shampoo or a conditioner that has equalled the lustruous results I have achieved with borax. My hair was dry and straw like now it feels soft and silky and very manageable. The rats nest is gone! I can now comb and brush my hair again without fear of tearing my hair out. If for no other reason, I think everyone should abondon their shampoo and start using borax to wash the hair. As for my scalp? I was pretty desperate the day I tried the borax. My scalp was very sore, there was an inflamed (swollen) ridge on my part and there were tiny bumps like zits forming. I have a theory that hair pullers are reacting to whatever it is that causes these symptoms I experience. I started messing with my hair when I started experiencing all of the above. anyway. after using the borax, pain and itching subsided. bumps scabbed over that same day. soooo gentle. Have you noticed that if you get it in your eyes, it does not burn? I remember when I was a kid, I had some sort of eye infection so I went to the doc and he said I had pink eye and prescribed boric acid ointment. so of course it would be gentle to the eye. I am anxious to try it internally for some of the other issues I have read here on the site.(arthritis, tmj, fibromyalgia).
Replied by Linda
(Waynesboro, Ga)
11/16/2009
Replied by Jane
(Portland, Or)
05/16/2011
Borax
Posted by Jackie (Grand Rapids, Minn.) on 08/12/2007
★★★★★
Hi, i'm using many of Ted's wonderful remedies. The latest is borax for a shampoo. I was scared at first, thought my hair would be a matted, tangled, dried out mess. Well it works better than any shampoo i've tried, and my stick straight thin hair has new thickness and body. So much so, that i was able to get a chin length haircut with bangs which i didn't dare do before. I don't know if i'm right but i use 2 tbsp borax to 2 qts. warm water and pour it over my head about 3 times then massage my scalp then rinse. i almost forgot to mention i don't need a conditioner or detangling rinse. This makes me really happy because i'm trying to reduce or eliminate chemicals on my skin and body.I use borax water to dampen my hair before a hairset too. I have very light gray hair and i'm trying blackstrap molasses everyday to see if i can get some darker hair back. several people who don't know i'm doing this have said my hair looks darker gray, it definetly is darkening at the hairline on the sides and on the nckline after a short time, so i'm hopeful, but just to be able to have body and thickness to my hair is just thrilling no matter what color it is. Thanks so many times for all this information.jackie
Replied by Robyn
(Walla Walla, Wa)
08/01/2012
Borax, Baking Soda, Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by L (South Portland, Maine) on 05/24/2008
★★★★★
I put two glass jars in my shower. One filled with a mix of borax and baking soda. (More borax for dry hair...more baking soda for greasy... half and half for normal.) I get in the shower and sprinkle approximately 2 tablespoons in the empty jar and fill it with water and shake it around. I then dump that over my head and rinse it out.
I keep a bottle of ACV in the shower as well and pour approximately 1/4 of cup into the now empty jar add water pour over my head and rinse. The drying process looks a little funky but my hair is clean, shiny, flake free and dare I say fabulous. I'm actually a little dismayed that I have spent so much money over the years on toxic products that didnt make my hair look half as good. I switched to white vinegar for a week once and my hair became much blonder. The ACV brings out more amber highlights. Good Luck
Replied by Traci
(Atlanta, GA)
07/02/2009
Borax, Conditioner, Citric Acid
Posted by Lisa (Lafayette, La) on 09/03/2012
★★★★★
Francisca from France: I believe I remember you commenting on the condition of your hair once, and have been thinking about you since I found this great remedy for my own hair - I was suffering slight hair thinning, and began using borax instead of commercial shampoos and rinsing with citric acid for the last 6 months or so. I read that borax opens the hair shaft and leads to a feeling of greasiness after the hair is dry, not to mention leaving it in a vulnerable "open" state. Hence, the rinsing with approx. 1-2 teaspoons of citric acid (find it in the canning section of Walmart), mixed with roughly 2 cups of water, to close the hair shaft back up. Then I thought, what if I add some conditioner while my hair is in that vulnerable, open state? So I tried it, and it worked!
My protocol: I mix approx. 2 Tablespoons Borax in a pint of water. Pour over head. Let sit for minute or so. Rinse with plain water. Hair shaft is now in "open" state. Massage good, heavy duty "repairative" conditioner into hair from ear level down, since scalp area is not damaged. Let sit for 2 or so minutes while shaving legs, finishing shower, etc. Meanwhile, mix my citric acid rinse in my little plastic coffee canister, pop lid on and shake to dissolve. Pour half of this over head, from scalp to conditioned ends. I believe this helps "seal" cuticle of hair while conditioner is still in there. Then I rinse well under running water, getting all conditioner out, then use the other half of the citric acid mix to pour over conditioned part of hair AGAIN. Rinse again with plain water. End of procedure. I have been doing this for a few weeks now, and my hair, which is bra strap level, is looking like it did 20 years ago, actually shiny and manageable! (I am now 48). I am thrilled with this, and wanted to share. Thanks!
Buttermilk
Posted by Elembe (Uppsala, Sweden) on 11/15/2012
Buttermilk Hair Conditioner (finally, a non-oily natural conditioner! )
- ½ cup organic buttermilk
- 2-3 Tbsp. Plain organic yogurt (full-fat, not lowfat)
- 1 egg yolk (no whites)
- 2-3 drops of a complementary essential oil (e.g. , lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, peppermint or tea tree)
-----
My hair is more fine than coarse, and a lot of homemade hair conditioners contain oil that leave me with greasy hair. I have treid several of these oil-based conditioner recipes over the past year, and my hair remains oily after 3, 4 or 5 washes especially since I shampoo only with homemade soapnut liquid, which is gentle compared to most store-bought (even "natural") shampoos.
This buttermilk conditioner works great for me. My hair is soft, shiny and full after I use it. It can be used daily although it's not necessary for me to use it that often.
The essential oil is optional, primarily included so your head doesn't smell like buttermilk afterward.
If you have coarse or especially dry hair and really want some oil, you could of course add a bit of coconut or olive oil to the mix.
To use: Mix together buttermilk, yogurt and yolk. Warm the mixture by setting the glass/jar of it in a bowl of very hot water for a few minutes, stirring well once or twice. Then add the drops of essential oil. Massage into hair from scalp to roots, covering entire head. Leave on for 15-30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and (optionally) natural shampoo.
Cedarwood, Juniper, Rosemary, Flower Water
Posted by Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 07/19/2011
I have found this recipe for a hair tonic in one of my books but I am not sure whether it is good to use spirit for the hair. The recipe is as follow: 50ml of surgical spirit (or flower water if the hair is very greasy but mine is not), not carrier oil or lotion, 10 drops of Cedarwood essential oil, 10 drops of Junpier EO and 15 drops of Rosemary EO. Anyway has ever used such a tonic? I don't know whether to try it or not.....
