A Discovery

Then, somewhere along my internet travels, I came across a blog with a post on making your own hair conditioner. Homemade hair conditioner, I thought. Is it going to be as bad as the baking soda? I read the post, which basically summed up what most posts on the subject say, that apple cider vinegar is slightly acidic like human hair and that it works wonders on hair’s shine and manageability. At the time of reading this, I had waist-length hair that seriously needed some manageability and shine, so I was intrigued.

Unexpected Results

It took me months to try the concoction the writer recommended. But when I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised. My hair was softer, silkier, shinier and did not have fly-aways. My homemade hair rinse worked!

I did have to play around with it a bit, though. The strong smell of the apple cider vinegar needed to be subdued for my tastes since it was so strong in a hot shower. After a few months of altering the recipe, I can now heartily recommend my version of the apple cider vinegar hair rinse to you.

The Recipe

1 cup apple cider vinegar (I prefer organic if you can get it)
15-20 drops of your favorite essential oil (I’ve been using lavender, but you can easily substitute rosemary, orange, eucalyptus, rose, whatever floats your boat)
1/2 – 1 tsp of vanilla extract (to ease the harshness of the vinegar smell)

I pour the apple cider vinegar into an old glass maple syrup jug I’m reusing, then add the vanilla and the essential oil. Close the jar or container and shake thoroughly.

In the shower, I gather my hair into a loose bun at the nape of my neck. I shake the jug of apple cider vinegar hair rinse well then slowly pour little by little onto the top of the bun until I feel it in my hand which is holding the bottom of the bun. I close the jug (it has a plastic flip lid, one of the reasons I chose it)  and let the apple cider vinegar rinse sit in my hair for 30 to 60 seconds. Then I rinse thoroughly.

Important note: your hair will smell like the apple cider vinegar somewhat until it fully dries. Once dry, it just smells clean and like the essential oil you added.

This recipe gives me about a month’s worth of rinse as each time I probably only use a few tablespoons of the concoction in my hair. I’m sure it helps that I only wash and condition my hair twice a week, but I have no problems managing my now mid-back length hair. In fact, it works better than any commercial hair conditioner I’ve ever used. As you can see in the picture, my hair is shiny and healthy-looking!

So, is a homemade hair rinse something you’d be willing to try?

Cover image courtesy of ralphunden.

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for the newbies

Condo Blues gives us 8 Steps to Reducing Household Trash posted at Condo Blues.

Chris presents Green homes explained posted at Home I Own. While a little out of our usual prospect, I did find Australia’s take on greening homes fascinating and thought it was too interesting not to share.

June Tree talks about Green Living: Ways To Recycle And Buy Used posted at The Digerati Life. Always a good topic.

health & beauty

Sheila V. Flores presents Affordable Natural Face Scrub posted at Eco Glamourista.

mike marlow presents Overeating Keeps A Belly Busy posted at Raw Food Recipes. While I don’t personally subscribe to the raw food movement, I have great admiration for those who do!

in the news

Looks like Katy Unitek can’t get enough of us! She has a new submission,  California Leads the Charge! – Boots on the Roof posted at Boots On The Roof.

Steve Faber presents Check Out These Fun Diesel Cars – High MPG / High MPH posted at super gas saver, saying, “Just because you want be green behind the wheel doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, too. Sip fuel to the tune of 40+ mpg, but don’t get bored doing it.”

living spaces

TSW presents a post on the issue nearest and dearest to my heart: Green Cleaning Products: How To Clean Your House The Eco-Friendly Way posted at The Smarter Wallet.

patio & garden

Guffly presents Autumn is the Time to Fall in Love with Cleaning | Guffly posted at Guffly.

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That concludes this edition of Tips for Green Living. Thank you all for your excellent submissions and I hope you found some useful info in this carnival. You can find a new edition posted every second and fourth Monday here at Green Your Apartment. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Tips for Green Living using our carnival submission form.

Go green and live well!

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So it should go without saying we love HEPA. Our vacuum, which is used every other day, has a HEPA filter. Our central air conditioning and heating unit also has one. And now, there is an air purifier that offers not only HEPA but is lead-free and certified not only but the Environmental Protection Agency but also by the U.S. Department of Energy.

I show you the Alen Paralda HEPA UV Air Purifier!

For asthmatics and allergy-sufferers, this thing has also been listed as the Respiratory Management’s Product of the Year. I drool, people, I drool. I wish I had one of these after reading review after review singing it’s praises.

The only reason I do not have one yet – the $499 price tag. Looks like I must long a little bit longer…

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The amazing folding bicycle!

Lightweight, easy to store, and commuter-friendly as it folds up into a manageable size to fit in a trunk, next to you on the train, or in the hall closet once you get home. Bike commuting made easy? Yes please! Good for the wallet, the ozone layer, and the waistline.

Just beware, my dears, at $699 for the Commuter TX model it is pricier than a standard bicycle. However, if it can get you to bike to work, the store, a friend’s house? Well then, you’ll probably have it pay for itself within a few months of cut commuting costs alone, minus the price of the new pants you’ll need in that smaller size.

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