HELP I want to quit shampoo! sulfate-free or baking soda concoctions or...?

[midget]

A lot of you understand all this hygiene stuff, and I've been hearing a lot about people giving up commercial shampoos. I have thick, crazy hair. If I go three days without washing it, it falls into beautiful tame wavy curls... but washing it FIzZeS it and by the time it looks good, it's greasy at the roots and I've got to wash (and therefore fizz) my whole mane.

I have heard a lot about sulfate-free shampoos, baby shampoos or using a baking soda mixture.
What works, cleans hair without stripping all the oils completely? Links, products, recipes, techniques... whatever! I don't understand how hair or oils work so any information would be helpful.

Thank you!

[Lindylu]

I make a shampoo bar using a lot of castor oil, jojoba, olive & tallow.  You want to avoid using the harsher cleansing oils like Coconut & Palm as it leads to flyaway and dry hair.  Add whatever fragrance you like to get the scent you like. 

[midget]

Shampoo bar, how clever! Thank you for the advice, and the warning about coconut and palm.

[letisha]

I make a shampoo bar using a lot of castor oil, jojoba, olive & tallow.  You want to avoid using the harsher cleansing oils like Coconut & Palm as it leads to flyaway and dry hair.  Add whatever fragrance you like to get the scent you like. 

Ooh I've always wanted to make a shampoo bar...how does it work.

[sarahtar]

My hair is the OPPOSITE of yours, but a (former good) friend has your same type of hair. (It's not that she's no longer a friend, just we kind of lost touch.) Neither of us use shampoo. I use baking soda (damp, scented with EO just for fun, and in the shower, as a scalp scrub) with an apple cider vinegar rinse (diluted and, again, scented), as does she. The key to making this work is to brush your hair with a natural bristle brush every day, and brush it well. You're distributing the oils from your scalp down to the rest of your hair.

She (and another friend with dreads) would also sometimes dust her hair with dry baking soda (not in the shower, and on dry hair) and then brush it out or give a quick rinse with the vinegar. The baking soda helps sop up extra oils.

[auroravioletta]

I use the baking soda method sarahtar mentioned, at least when my hair is shorter and easier to work with. You can also clean your hair with just conditioner. It's called the "curly-girl" method, as it's supposed to be great for your kind of hair!

[Lindylu]

Ooh I've always wanted to make a shampoo bar...how does it work.

You hold the bar in your hand and massage your scalp which creates the lather you want.  There isn't any waste because you're not just pouring it down the sink.

[LMAshton]

You might also want to try virgin coconut oil applied to the ends of your hair, say, from the ear down. You can use just a few drops and it makes a huge difference in the condition of hair.