To Alejandra,
It’s VERY important to follow your Baking Soda Washes with an acidic rinse. The body is more acidic in nature, so when you followed your washes with conditioner, you were not getting the necessary balance to your hair and scalp (thus causing the PH issues and other problems). Vinegar may sound drying but when mixed in water it really leaves hair very soft. Some people prefer Lemon juice instead.

To Jami,
The oils in your hair, (sebum) are necessary to keep it soft and shiny. The concept of washing one’s hair everyday only came out in the late 60′s and early 70′s when Johnson and Johnson promoted their baby shampoo “Gentle enough to use everyday.” The fact is, most mass marketed shampoos are anything but gentle, and use extremely harsh detergents which strip your hair of it’s necessary oils (that protect it, and make it strong and soft). The reason your hair gets really greasy is because your hair is begging for the oils that you just stripped out of it. Your head is therefore producing more oil to go “save” your hair! It’s basically a vicious cycle. Conditioners were eventually marketed on a mass basis because people (who were washing their hair all of the time) were complaining that it was so dry. Again, a vicious cycle of mass marketing.

Once people get through the icky stages, and the head stops over-producing oils (which it never should have been overproducing in the first place…but the shampoo forced it to) one’s hair balances out and is no longer greasy or oily. It’s bouncy, and soft, and can go days and weeks on water washing or rinses (for added scent). Most of us like to be clean, so no-one is saying “don’t shower or don’t wash,” it’s simply “washing without shampoo.”

CO-washing is another alternative, and involves gentle cleansing, not harsh detergents. Be sure to follow up every once in awhile (or even more) with an acidic rinse, to clear off “soap” build up on the hair.