Vinegar, Olive Oil, and SOMA
Here is what I wanted to accomplish:
- I wanted to have my hair moisturized and detangled.
- I wanted my scalp not to flake.
- I also wanted to maintain my hair’s natural oils while cleaning the dirt away.
Vinegar? Why Vinegar?
Vinegar has long been praised for its beneficial properties, including its ability to assist in restoring the body’s alkaline pH, increase the absorption of calcium, and kill harmful bacteria. Another wonderful use for vinegar is dandruff control. It restores the proper pH levels to the scalp and kills any clogging bacteria that may be contributing to the problem. [1]
I started out by first soaking my hair and scalp in regular white vinegar. I put just enough, scalp first, in my hair for it not to drip or need to be covered. It tingled as it worked its way through my scalp. I knew it was killing something when it started to get warm on my scalp, but after a while the tingling settled. Then I washed it out as if it were shampoo, gently massaging my scalp.
A few tips: Get a spray bottle of some kind to apply the vinegar. It would be too cumbersome to hold a big bottle of vinegar to your hair. Also, Rosemary (pictured) is apparently also good for hair. If nothing else, it makes the vinegar smell much better.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is also wonderful for the body, so I decided to try it as a conditioner.[2] I put about two cap fulls of oil into my hair, starting with the most dry places first. After massaging it in, I combed through my hair and it detangled very easily. Then I rinsed my hair out until I couldn’t smell the olive oil.
These two steps left my hair feeling and looking wonderful. My curls were more defined than they have ever been and they felt hydrated. It did not leave my hair feeling greasy.
SOMA Solace Anti-Frizz Serum
I have been using this SOMA hair product as both an anti-frizz product and a hydrater. I put a little more than what is recommended in my hair. Depending on how parched my hair is, I will load it on. It leaves my hair looking and feeling great. It brought a little curl definition, but not much. Seeing as that was not what I was using it for, it was fine for me. It gave me the little shine I wanted without looking like I had gel in my hair.
Overall – Did I get what I wanted?
Yes! I wanted my hair to easily detangle, my scalp not to flake, and my hair to feel hydrated. I got that. I twisted my hair to let it dry and this regimen worked well for that. My hair is clean, smells great, feels soft, is hydrated, and I am happy.
I will have to use some other finishing product in addition to SOMA if I want to achieve that corkscrew-looking curly style. My next task is to find that product.
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[1] http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_dand.htm, http://organicpassion.info/got-dandruff-use-vinegar/
[2] It was only after I used the olive oil that I googled it and found that it is commonly used as a hair treatment. You can google it too to see what you find.
Interesting experiment. Would this work for locs as well do you think?
Yes. I believe it works for locks too. I’ve heard for a long time how those who have locks use a waterless shampoo or other natural ingredients, and now that everyone is going green, people are actually using less shampoo products and turning to waterless or biodegradable products. Traditional shampoos strip the hair of too much oil and exposes the follicles and shaft to the elements, which causes damage.
I’m going to be writing on some new ways to think about cleaning our hair and bodies, hopefully in my next post…
I’m so happy I stumbled across your blog! I checked out the SOMA product line and it’s completely vegan which is a huge deal for me because that’s all I use. I’m hoping to try out this for hydration because sometimes my hair needs a little lift.
I tried the vinegar and the olive oil approaches. The vinegar was too concentrated for my skin and turned my scalp bright red. Then the olive oil, of which I only used a cap and a half instead of two full ones, left my hair molded in place and greasier than ever. I rinsed extremely in depth as well, so I don’t understand why this happened.
My hair is naturally very curly and very brittle, so I assumed it’d work to my advantage. Perhaps I should mix in one of the components with regular conditioner instead next time.
Sorry to hear that, Katie. This may not be suited for your hair type and skin sensitivity. And depending on your curl type, the olive oil may be too heavy for the type of style you’d like to wear. I now use it as a treatment every few months or so and wash it out with a SLS-free shampoo. I’ve just started to use aloe vera gel.
I have to stay away from some products as well. It may take a while to find out what’s right for you.
I heard the same great benefits about vineager, however I heard to use Apple Cider Vinegar vs. White Vineager. I’ve used it as a rinse to control my dandruff and it works very well (I think it even helped in the growth of my hair). I’ve also heard that if you add a raw egg and extra virgin olive oil to the vineager rinse it works even better. Ditto – these are great househould products to use for your hair. Thanks for the advice…and again great site.
NTL
I’m going to try the vinegar (white), thaks for the tip.