Other than a small lapse when I had my hair cut earlier this year, my do has been no poo for almost two years (read about it here and here). Traditional no poo regimens use baking soda to clean the scalp and hair, followed by a vinegar rinse.
I have very fine, naturally curly, chronically dry hair, and the few times I tried baking soda, my hair felt like a bale of straw and didn’t look too hot, either. Solution? Throw the baking soda out the window and just use the vinegar rinse. Except, while I didn’t appreciate the overly harsh and excessive washing the stylist employed back in March, I couldn’t argue that the vinegar rinse alone just wasn’t getting things clean up there.
Two recent posts on no poo, first from The Almighty Beckster and then at The Green Phone Booth, led me back to baking soda. Based on tips from those two posts, I did a couple of things differently: 1) I used a much more dilute solution of baking soda (~ 1 T. baking soda to 2 c. water); 2) I boiled the baking soda and water before using (one of the suggested tips if you have hard water); and 3) I followed the baking soda wash with lots and lots of vinegar rinse.
The results? Well, I noticed the baking soda working, because I actually had a lather going on the top of my head. Immediately after rinsing out the baking soda with water, my hair still felt like straw, but perhaps a bit less straw-like than after previous attempts. A thorough vinegar rinse improved things somewhat, but for better or worse, I had definitely removed some natural oils.
Final verdict? I think it makes my hair look frizzy for a couple of days, but the hubs assures me it looks good. I guess I’ll stick with it (i.e., use the baking soda wash once every one or two weeks, with plain water rinses, or vinegar rinses on other days) for now.
Her Green Life 
My No Poo system got all messed up because I had to stop using vinegar (apparently acetic acid attracts wasps). So I’m now experimenting with citric acid instead, but having trouble getting the right proportions.
I think I will try boiling the baking soda too and see if that has any effect!
I’ve also had good luck with jojoba oil (a little goes a long way) for controlling the frizz and dry ends.
Rebecca, were you rinsing out the vinegar or leaving it on your hair? I know people do it both ways. If I started having trouble with wasps, I’m sure I’d look for something else, too.