I have read up a few reviews of other people ditching shampoo and conditioner and replacing them with bi-carb soda and apple cider vinegar. There were good and bad reviews, and I decided to give it a go for a month anyway to see how I go. If my hair gets healthier, I'll stick with it, if it gets worse, I'll ditch it.

About me and my hair
I am Asian, so I have straight Asian hair. My hair is pretty long - halfway down my back and bleached once a year. I used to wash my hair everyday because I would feel so dirty if I only wash my body and not my hair. Then my boyfriend somehow convinced me to try and wash my hair every other day. I did that, and finally got used to it. Then I decided to try this new routine.

My hair is not very damaged, but it's not super lush either. It's average, and it could look better. Especially with hair this long, extra care has to be taken to keep split ends at bay. I've tried olive oil mask and egg mask. Tip: if you use an egg mask, don't wash it off with hot water, even if it's winter... you'll end up with cooked egg white in your hair!

History of shampoo and conditioner use
I used to use herbal essence, and then recently started using Sukin. It's organic, and not too expensive. $20 each for a big bottle shampoo and conditioner. When I said recent, I meant recent. I haven't even finished my first bottles of Sukin before I decided to try this out.

The test
I decided to go for it and not tell anyone, apart from the boyfriend, to see if anyone would notice. If they do, then it's good news! I should probably have taken before and after photos, but I'm not very good at planning... kind of just do things on a whim, so I haven't taken any before photos. I could probably take some after photos.

Anyway, what I decided to do was only wash it on the mornings after my workout (I do crossfit now), but that's another post. I usually work out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays before work.

Experience
It does take a bit of getting used to. With bi-carb soda, you don't get the foam, so it's a bit weird. The ACV on the other hand, makes it really smooth. It feels so nice running my hand through my hair with ACV in it.

The result
It has probably been almost a month since I started this routine. I may be biased when I say it worked really well, which is why I only posted this when people started commenting on my hair. So far only three people (not including my boyfriend) have commented on it. But hey, three is pretty good results to me... good enough to stick with it. I think my hair has also gotten shinier and smoother. With only $5 for a box of bi-carb soda and a bottle of ACV, that would last you a while.

Only downfall
The only problem with this routine is that you have to keep 'making' your shampoo and conditioner. But it only really takes 5 minutes to mix your own. So at this price and these results, why not give it a go? You probably already have these ingredients in your pantry anyway.

You will need
2 old shampoo bottles
2 tbsp bi-carb soda
2-3 drops of tea tree oil (optional)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 drops of lavender oil (optional)

What I did
Spoon the bi-carb soda into one of the shampoo bottles (use a funnel to help you). Add the peppermint oil and fill the bottle up with water. Shake it, and there's your shampoo.

Place the apple cider vinegar in the other shampoo bottle. Add the lavender oil and fill the bottle up with water. Shake it, and there's your conditioner.

I use half a bottle at a time. My bottles are not big. About 375ml each. You be the judge of how much you use.

The essential oils are optional. I use them because they were just sitting around chilling. You don't have to worry about the smell of ACV either. The first couple times I tried it without essential oils, my hair washed out and didn't smell at all. But with essential oil, your hair comes out smelling really nice. If you're worried about the smell of vinegar, the essential oil will also help cover that up.

Let me know how you go with this routine and whether or not it worked well for you!