My natural de-gunk wonder paste.
Every time I get my hair cut, the stylist applies a heavenly tea tree oil serum to my scalp after shampooing. It tingles and smells wickedly good–but best of all, I leave the salon with weightless, magical hair (not the usual state of my hair!).
I’ve shared my hair buildup woes on Peaceful Dumpling before. The water in my town is very “hard,” meaning it contains a slew of minerals that prevent shampoo from fully sudsing, resulting in “gunky” hair (its texture akin to lake-water hair–dull and heavy). It’s pretty difficult to get my hair feeling bouncy and clean–and I’m not even one for squeaky clean hair. I’d simply like to be able to run my fingers through my hair and not feel like there’s trace amounts of peanut butter in it.
I’ve tried clarifying shampoos in the past–this one is pretty nice–but I wanted to find something more affordable and très natural.
Bring back body and shine to your hair with this simple DIY pre-‘poo treatment.
Lately, I’ve been using an easy DIY treatment to bust through the build up once and for all–or at least once a week 😉 So far, I’m pretty happy with the results–the other day my colleague told me that my hair was “uniquely shiny.” I’ll take it.
DIY Hair Buildup Cleanser – Vegan and All-Natural
Ingredients:
(May be used once a week)
1/3 cup baking soda – Humble baking soda is a master cleanser. It shows no mercy to buildup and leaves hair feeling extra soft.
scant 1/4 cup water
10 drops tea tree oil – Potent tea tree oil helps eliminate dandruff and is rumored to promote hair growth.
Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl or jar.
Before you shower, prepare a hot, damp towel and set aside.
Dampen your hair. Beginning with the gunkiest area of your hair, massage baking soda paste at roots. Work through your entire scalp. Make sure the paste covers all areas of buildup.
Wrap your head in the hot towel, and read a magazine for 10 minutes. Tell the imaginary hair technician that you would like a glass of chardonnay while you wait, please and thank you.
Remove towel, hop in the shower, rinse well, and shampoo as normal. For extra shine, do your final rinse in cold water.
Do your best not to blind passersby in the street since your hair is now basically a sunbeam of shininess.
Also in Get Glowing: Using Chakra Oils for Meditation and Beauty
Bedtime Rituals for Beauty Sleep
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Photos: Mary Hood
