A woman who decided to stop using shampoo five years ago now uses a much more natural method to wash her hair, saying it's made her locks "healthier than ever". Kelsi Giroux, 27, ditched the popular hair product after noticing how much product was building up in her scalp, and began to look for alternative ways to get the job done.
And after doing her research, she came across the combination of baking soda and white vinegar - but the baking soda proved difficult to wash out, so she tweaked the mixture to include water instead. She's now been washing her hair once a week with vinegar for the past three years and says the bizarre method doesn't leave any strange odours behind.
Kelsi, an online content creator, from Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, said: "I have super thick hair and I found normal shampoo and conditioner wouldn't come out, so I started looking for alternative methods. I thought about what I could do as I was already washing my hair once a week which is different from the norm.
"I tried apple cider vinegar and baking soda first, but the baking soda didn't come out - so it was kind of a mixture of looking things up and giving things a go. Then I tried apple cider vinegar and water and that began to really help the build up and I've found I don't need to wash my hair as often as well. So just half and half, one cup vinegar, one cup water, and then just pour it into hair, rub my scalp and then rinse it out."
She continued: "You think it would leave a smell, but it doesn't. I don't like the smell of apple cider vinegar, but it smells like nothing, just like hair. It was a bit of a switch, but I feel I have tendencies to always go against the norm. When I tell people about it, they're always very intrigued at how it's not greasy - it's because it's not stripping the natural oils.
"My hair feels really healthy now, and the production of oils is more normal as I'm not rinsing it as much. Another benefit is it's a lot cheaper too - it's only £1.69 a month buying a big jug of apple cider vinegar."
Kelsi posts videos of "green and vegan" food recipes on her TikTok as she tries to be as "natural as possible". She made sure to keep in line with her ethos of natural and green living when looking for her alternative hair wash.
Kelsi said: "I used regular shampoo and conditioner and then switched to trying more natural brands and that still didn't help the build up and then found apple cider vinegar. I try to live as green and as natural as possible.
"I feel happy about it being more natural and that always makes me feel good and I felt better because I didn't have this dandruff issue. It was definitely a positive transition."
Kelsi shared a video of her hair washing method on TikTok, which racked up more than 1.5million views and was met with mixed responses. One follower said: "I did this for a few washes and after a few days I had so much dandruff it took three washes to get rid of it - never again lol."
Another said: "As a hairstylist this is amazing to renew your hair!!!" A third added: "I did this for a few years. My hair was lovely, but my scalp was very unhappy." While a fourth commented: "Apple cider vinegar is super good for your hair, but you really should condition after, it can make hair dry."
Kelsi says the routine is now normal to her and she was shocked at how many views and comments the video got. She said: "When I first did a video on it, I didn't think it was going to get so many views and comments and people confused by it. It's just so normal and a simple thing to me.
"I have recommended it to people, but I don't think any friends have given it a try, but people are definitely interested - I'm sure some of my viewers have tried it."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here .
