Exploring life without manufactured soap

Learning to live sustainably is about making small changes, gradually adjusting to a different lifestyle. As I consider what might not be available after Peak Oil, I start to worry about the dizzying array of items we frequently use for which I have no ready alternative.

One possible solution for many of these is to re-examine whether we actually need them at all. Along those lines, Emme at Simple Living posted an interesting article about alternatives to using shampoo. From the article:

Here are some basic instructions on living without shampoo.

* Rinse your hair daily with hot water and brush with a natural bristle brush. However, if you have curly hair, do not brush. Use your fingernails to clean your scalp in the shower.
* As often as needed (for some people, this is every few days, for some once a week is enough), scrub scalp with a baking soda paste and rinse well.
* Rinse hair with diluted vinegar. Apple cider vinegar or essential oils added to white vinegar smells great.

If the baking-soda-and-vinegar routine doesn’t seem to work for you, here are some variations:

* Add a honey scalp massage to help with dry hair or itchy scalp
* Use lime or lemon juice instead of vinegar.
* Use some oil on the very ends of hair to cut down on frizz and dry ends. I use olive oil.

I'm going to give this a try and see if it works for dudes as well as women :) I will let you know the results and if I have indeed found one more item to cut from my shopping cart.