The BSV Hair Treatment

Remember that time I tried an at-home avocado hair treatment and it yielded ... um ... less-than-stellar results?

It's OK, I forgot it too, which I why I approached another make-at-home hair recipe without an ounce of trepidation last week.

I did it for a couple of reasons.

One, with my current employment status and the expense of having a human garbage disposal er ... I mean, an adorable, hungry son that won't stop growing ... I am looking for ways to save cash.

Two, I've written before about my quest to use less toxic beauty products. Many shampoos and conditioners have chemicals in them that have been linked to cancer and reproductive and developmental issues. Blech.

Even the "natural" or organic hair care options aren't always stupendous when it comes to their ratings in the Skin Deep cosmetics database. And most of those natural shampoos and conditioners I've tried are incredibly expensive and don't always leave your hair feeling or looking all that stellar.

So when I came across a grist blog post on washing your hair with baking soda and rinsing it with apple cider vinegar (hence the title BSV hair treatment)—and the girl who wrote tried it out gave it rave reviews—I decided to try it myself.

I followed her directions to a T, mixing a tablespoon of baking soda with a bit of water to make a paste in one cup and about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a tablespoon of water in another cup.

Then I took my little cups in the shower with me. I started by massaging the baking soda into my scalp really well, then rinsed. Then I poured the apple cider vinegar through my hair. Because I'd read the warnings about making sure you rinse well so you don't smell like vinegar, I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed a bit more. (I must have rinsed enough, as I did not, in fact, smell like salad dressing all day. At least that I could tell.)

The moment when I set about combing my hair post-shower was the ultimate test, as my locks are usually a bit on the tangly side after I use most natural shampoos and conditioners.

After my BSV treatment, my tresses weren't any more tangly than before—and they were perhaps even a bit less so.

I didn't see the miraculous difference in my hair the Grist blogger raved about. But my hair combed, dried, and styled pretty much the same as it always does.

That, as tame as it sounds, is a ringing endorsement. You know why? Because it means I don't have to spend a zillion dollars on natural hair products, because baking soda and apple cider vinegar yield the same results.

The only downside—and the reason I haven't used the treatment more frequently—is that it's a bit of a pain to prep the ingredients before each shower. And sometimes I forget all about it until after I step in the shower, at which point it's too late to hop out and mix a shampoo and conditioner cocktail.

Luckily, I just came across an Ask Umbra video (also on grist) that gives you the ratios for making up an entire bottle of the baking soda shampoo and another of the vinegar conditioner. I have a bunch of partially used shampoos and conditioners in the bathroom closet I'll probably never touch again, so I think I'll empty them out and use the bottles for this precise purpose.

Now you go give it a try and tell me what you think.

Bangs and Brooks & Dunn

For a good portion of my life, I had bangs. Permed bangs. Poofy bangs. Bangs curled up. Bangs curled down. Stiff bangs. Straight bangs.

You get the idea.

Sometimes they were cute, like when I was really young and missing key teeth.


Once I got to that awkward middle school stage of my life, the bangs got a bit more awkward too. Of course, the giant glasses didn't really up my coolness quotient at all.


But, as you can see, even My Mom sported sweet bangs. It was just how things were done back then.

Also, apparently back then we only wore Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts.

Then, as was the trend at the time, the summer before I entered 9th grade I grew my bangs out. I've had a few whisps across the forehead at different points since then, but for the most part since my freshman year of high school I've been a no bangs girl.

Last Friday, though, when I went for a hair cut, I got an itch. I decided I needed to do something different, to change things up a bit. To hide my giant forehead.

And so I got brave and asked for bangs again.

These bangs, to be exact.


(And no, that is not me. Although naturally I'm almost as hot. But my makeup artist has the day off and so I had to substitute this photo in place of a real one of me.)

So far, I'm a fan. Although I keep brushing them to the side because it feels like they don't belong on my forehead. Still, it's a fun change.

And the timing couldn't be more perfect, because on Saturday we went to a Brooks & Dunn concert.

Now I know what you're thinking. I believe it goes a little something like this:

Julie, what the heck do Brooks & Dunn have to do with bangs?

Come on people. They have everything to do with bangs.

But let me be a bit more explicit.

In the height of my bangs-wearing, in what My Mom and I are estimating was around fourth grade, I attended my first real, big, live concert.

And it was Brooks & Dunn at the county fair in Lewistown, Montana, where My Mom was born and raised.

We often went up to visit Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Barb in the summer, and when we were lucky our visits coincided with the fair—think the usual variety of rides and fair food and, of course, a rodeo or two.

And so, that fateful fair year, I went to my very first concert. It was the tour where Brooks wore that red flamed western shirt, in case you're up on these things. (Consequently, some fellow actually was wearing that shirt last Saturday night. Perhaps it, too, is coming back in style?)

It was the year of Boot Scootin' Boogie and all those classics that a good portion of the people at Saturday night's concert didn't really know.

Boy oh boy, last weekend's concert took me back.

I even bought a t-shirt from my very first concert. And somewhere, in some photo album, there is a photo of me in that t-shirt from that trip. And there's one thing My Mom and I remember for certain. In that photo I have bangs. And big glasses. And a perm.

We can both picture it as clearly as if it were last Saturday.

And that is why bangs and Brooks & Dunn go together.

Avocado Hair

A while ago, I was in need of some deep conditioning. But in the interests of saving money and not slathering a purchased chemical concoction that promises to give me luscious locks without an iota of evidence all over my hair, I decided to opt for a natural treatment.

I always have plenty of olive oil in the cupboard. And I happened to have a soft avocado on hand too. So I decided to whip up an avocado hair treatment recipe I found in a recent issue of Better Homes & Gardens.


It took mere minutes to make. All I did was combine a half of a mashed avocado and a little more than 1/4 cup of olive oil in a bowl. The recipe actually called for 1/4 cup of sweet almond oil as well, but I didn't have any. And man oh man did that seem like a lot of oil anyway. So I just stuck with a bit more than a 1/4 cup of the olive oil.

Once it was mixed into a paste, I began working the goopy treatment through my hair, paying special attention to the ends as instructed. I used my fingers and a wide-toothed comb and tried not to throw the green stuff all over the place as I did it. I was partially successful.

Then I took a photo. It was blurry, of course. You try taking a nice, in-focus photo of your own greasy hair when avocado is dripping down your neck. It's hard!


I wrapped my hair on top of my head, covered it in plastic (which was not part of the instructions, but I was trying my hardest not to get avocado hair treatment on the floors, walls, and furniture in every room of the house).

Then all that was left to do: hang out for about 30 minutes. I'm the impatient sort, so I made it about 25 and decided it was time to hop in the shower and rinse.

And rinse.

And rinse.

Goodness, I rinsed a lot. It felt like there was still too much oil in my hair. So I kept rinsin' and rinsin' and rinsin'. And then, when I realized how much water I was wasting rinsing away, I stopped.

After towel-drying my hair, I combed it and was amazed at how silky and easy to comb it was.

An hour and a half later, I was amazed at the fact that my hair still looked wet. Yes, that's right. It was still so oily that it looked like my hair hadn't dried yet.

Rather than rinse again, I pulled my hair up in a bun so no one could tell how greasy it was and called it a day.

The next morning, I rinsed again. And kept rinsin' and rinsin' and rinsin'. It was better, but still on the greasy side.

By day three, after another round of rinsing, I do believe my hair was back to normal. Thankfully. Some women can get away with the greasy look. I am not one of them.

Which leads me to this point: homemade hair treatments are great. Terrific, even. But not if you have super fine hair like mine. Apparently, that much oil is a bit overwhelming. Or a lot overwhelming. Unless, you know, you like the greasy look. In which case, have at it. I think I'll stick with my usual shampoo and conditioner from here on out.

Although I have always wanted to try a beer rinse ...