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An
introduction to rinses
There is a tendency to add things like lemon and lime juice or
oil to shampoo or even beer and egg extracts. In shampoos these
items do not actually do so much because the detergent in the
shampoo makes sure that most of the additives are washed away
along with the
dirt and hair oils. However, as a separate rinse after shampooing
these factors can have rather more effect.
From Inca times right up to today indigenous peoples of south
America have used urine for washing and rinsing hair. Many indigenous
people
ferment their own urine and mix it with fireplace ashes to wash
not only their hair, but also their clothes. Urine is rich in
urea (uric
acid) which is a common ingredient in most shampoos and skin creams
(these days it is synthetic - it is not processed from urine).
The urea
helps remove dead skin and control dandruff and helps with cleaning
oils from the hair. It is a mild antiseptic and might help with
keeping the general skin flora and fauna (bacteria and fungi)
under control. The urea also acts as an emollient and helps with
keeping
skin
humidified.
With fermented mixtures of urine and ashes, the ashes are likely
used for the carbon. Carbon is a good absorber and probably the
oils adhere to the carbon so that they can be washed away. Carbon
also gets rid of smells in a similar way, by absorbing the smell.
Finally, the fermented mixture might be protein rich. That
might
have something to do with increasing the soap/cleaning properties
of the mixture. The protein might also adhere to the hair shaft
to increase volume and give the hair more body.
Organic
acid rinses
Natural acids like lemon and lime juice or vinegar have been
used for many years. In the 1920s these organic acid rinses were
needed
because the shampoos of the time were made from soaps rather than
detergents. Soap shampoos of the 1920s were mostly made from
coconut
oil. The problem with soap as a shampoo is that over time it will
leave a build up of scum on the hair. Acid cleans this away.
So
for someone in the 1920s using a soap shampoo in a hard water
area (neutral or alkaline water) an acid rinse was vital for
good looking
hair. Today, shampoos from modern detergents are less likely to
leave a scum build up on the hair, but from time to time an acid
rinse can still be helpful, especially if you live in an environment
with a lot of air pollution. Organic acid rinses also help tighten
the cuticle on hair fiber making it look smoother and more shiny.
Organic acids can also help people with dandruff. The juices or
vinegar
help loosen the flakes of dead skin for washing away. Pretty much
any organic acid will do so long as it is not too concentrated.
You should get the same result whether you use lemon or lime juice,
or vinegar. A modern variant advocated by some is the use of
soft
drinks as rinses. Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola, and 7 Up are all used.
The principle is the same. The soft drinks contain acids that
help clean
the hair and the sugar may give some body to the hair. However,
given most soft drinks contain an awful lot of sugar I would
expect
the result to be a bit sticky. My suggestion then is to rinse
with just the natural juices or vinegar and avoid the soft drinks.
Rain
water and shampoo
Rain water is called "soft water", that means it has
no contaminating minerals or salts dissolved in it. Depending
on
where you live, your water supply may be "hard water",
that is water rich in minerals and salts. Mostly, this kind of
water
comes from bore holes and well sources while soft water supplies
are those fed from rivers. In general, people in mountainous
areas
with high rainfall probably have a soft rain water supply while
the rest of us have hard water. Minerals and salts in tap water
can react with soap to leave a scum build up on the hair. Modern
detergent shampoos react less with minerals and salts in water,
but still there can be some build up that leaves hair looking
dull and dry. Hard water also means you have to use more shampoo
to get
a proper cleaning effect compared to using the same shampoo with
soft water. To get rid of scum build up you can use an acid rinse,
but some people collect rain water to use with shampoo and avoid
using their hard water for washing their hair. You can also use
it as a rinse as rain water is slightly acidic. The most obvious
answer though is to use a water filter to remove minerals and
salts
from your water supply.
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