Re: Pony-tails on men: Yay or nay?

[Nerdator]

Werel, Bunny: the thing is that I tried various shampoos, including those that claimed to be anti-dandruff, and the result was the same. I can't claim that I tried everything, and the last time I used a shampoo was about 10 years ago, so maybe something has changed.

The point is that, conditioner or no conditioner, I don't get –and haven't ever got– any dandruff at all using soap, so I'm kind of disinclined from stopping using soaps for my hair, and so I have thought of trying other types of soaps (currently I use a very basic, unscented baby soap).

[reboot]

Nerdator, you could try the "no poo" method and replace shampoo with baking soda and vinegar: http://thehairpin.com/2011/04/how-to-quit-shampoo-without-becoming-disgusting

[Enail]

Baking soda and vinegar has been way better for my hair than any fancy conditioner I've tried, I recommend it highly.

[inertia]

Baking soda and vinegar has been way better for my hair than any fancy conditioner I've tried, I recommend it highly.

I don't know about this for myself... but a lot of this stuff talked about on here are pretty standard stuff that depends on the hair type that you have.

I have been starting to make my own soap and lotion.... So for myself maybe shampoo and conditioners might be next.... cause I have been doing a lot of research in the ingredients.

[Nerdator]

Nerdator, you could try the "no poo" method and replace shampoo with baking soda and vinegar: http://thehairpin.com/2011/04/how-to-quit-shampoo-without-becoming-disgusting

Okay, so the author immediately demonstrates that she is writing to people who failed kindergarten Science and now are the typical combo of concerned while stupid.

I particularly love how she mentions 'paranoid' and 'chemicals' and then immediately proceeds to how you should prepare your sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid solutions.

But the soda part is pretty well-known. You're essentially making soap (sodium salts of fatty acids) on your head with it. While it might be fun to try for the lulz (substitute the soda with bleach if you're a lover of the extreme), I wonder how it is better than normal hard soap, as the cleaning agent is the same. My best guess is that it's easier to put too much soap on your head – unless you wash your metre-long hair once a decade, the amount of what soda can do on your head is pretty limited. So deliberately trying to use as little soap as you can might produce a similar effect.

As to the vinegar, I wonder if it's there just to counteract the soda (and maybe get rid of the undesirable alkaline stuff, like the urea). I also wonder how nauseating the stench is. A citric (tartaric, whatever they sell at your local supermarkets) acid solution might be a more neutral-smelling substitute.

[reboot]

Yeah it is a little hippie, dippie do in the presentation, but I know a few people that use this method because it works. Apple cider vinegar is what they use because it has a milder smell. I think some people just do baking soda as well?

[Nerdator]

It's definitely worth trying citric acid and see if it works. Its solution does smell a little, but it's nowhere near as pungent as vinegar.

[reboot]

It's definitely worth trying citric acid and see if it works. Its solution does smell a little, but it's nowhere near as pungent as vinegar.

Definitely! And let us know how it goes. I would be interested to hear if it works. It seems like it should be the same as vinegar

[Enail]

The vinegar smells for maybe 20 minutes and then disappears completely (basing this on smelling other peoples' heads, not just my own, so it's not just that I go noseblind ).

I don't know the chemistry behind it, but it's the vinegar that does the job of conditioner, makes your hair shinier and smoother. Definitely don't skip that step. I like apple cider vinegar, but regular works fine too.

[Guest]

Yeah, I think the vinegar also counteracts the baking soda - I know that my roots keep a weird tacky feeling if I don't soak properly with the vinegar solution, even if I still use conditioner. (I generally still use conditioner, because my hair is pretty fried after multiple bleachings and needs it.) The vinegar also has a tendency to lighten your hair a bit, mind - when I had bleached blonde hair, I found it went even more platinum over time, instead of yellowing down as it normally does.

I've never had an issue with the smell. It smells a bit when you're pouring it over your head, but it dissipates upon rinsing.

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