A few years ago I heard rave reviews about the use of baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo and conditioner and I had to give it a try. I'm frugal by nature and detest the whole notion that we have to spend a lot of money on all these grooming products (not to mention everything else in life!). I can't stand to hear the ridiculous promises made in the ads. Also, so many consumer tests show that the cheap ones often out-perform the pricey ones. Better still, mix your own at home and stop buying and tossing all those plastic containers.

I admit I was very surprised to find how well this combination works. The key is to use both the baking soda and the vinegar, one after the other. The baking soda alone will leave a gritty paste on your hair. The vinegar alone is too acidic. Together, they are da bomb.

The baking soda and water mixture does a fine washing job, and somehow the release of carbon-dioxide caused by the diluted vinegar not only leaves the hair very soft, but it makes for some wild fizzy action in the shower (get your thrills where you can!).

I posted this recipe on my old blog a few years ago and many people tried it. Only one wrote back to say it tangled her very curly hair. The rest gave it a big thumbs up.

After many experiments with amounts, here's my preferred recipe. Make sure you use warm water so it feels nice going on. I keep a big box of baking soda and a jug of vinegar in the bathroom and some containers so it's ready to be mixed each time I shower. Once you know how you like it, no need to measure anything: it's not that fussy.

1. CLEANSE: 4 heaping tablespoons baking soda mixed in a small amount of warm water to form a thick (not runny, not too stiff) paste. It doesn't take much water. Some people prefer it runny. You'll figure it out.

Apply baking soda paste to dry hair and massage in. Leave in for a minute or two and then shower it out.

2. RINSE: Mix 1 part/1 cup vinegar to 3 or 4 parts water. Red cider vinegar is often recommended and I don't really know why. I used a natural white vinegar (costs a bit more than regular vinegar which is chemically manufactured, but costs much less than cider vinegar).

Wet hair in shower again and then slowly pour rinse solution over it. When your hair is rinsed, it will feel very soft.

If you try it, let me know how it goes.