Managing long hair on a budget

Sometimes, my hair get in the way of simple, everyday tasks.  Like sleeping comfortably, being warm outside in the winter after a shower, or having to wear a hat while baking...

I have extremely thick hair.

It sometimes entertains children.

Managing long, thick hair is a part-time job.  Especially when you don't have any extra money to spend on it.  I also don't like getting haircuts, ever since a hairdresser ripped out one of my earrings...

Occasionally, I chop it all off.

Which is really fun until I realize that I can't braid it anymore, and even ponytails are a hassle.

When my hair gets too long for me to stand it (usually 2-3 years, depending on how many trims I get), I donate it to Locks of Love,  So far I have donated three times.  This is quite wonderful, because some salons will give you a free styling if you donate hair with them.  So, FREE haircut!

I get my hair trimmed about once a year, by a friend or family member that I trust with scissors.  So far, so good.

I also don't use commercial shampoo anymore.

And my hair still behaves like it did here:

Fancy braid-ness.

After hearing about the bad effects of chemicals in shampoo and conditioner, I decided to find an alternative.  One friend suggested rubbing the scalp with baking soda, then a watered-down vinegar rinse.  This works for her, but it didn't for me.  Next, I tried the liquid Dr. Bronner's castille soap that Jon uses.  I had to use quite a bit of it, and I developed dandruff for the first time in my life, along with horrible tangles.  My last bottles of commercial soap were getting very low, so I planned to use a 'shampoo bar' that I had picked up at a farmers' market.  I was almost sure that it wasn't going to work...how could one bar do the job?  My hair tangles five minutes after brushing.  

My conditioner ran out first.  I stubbornly continued using the last of the shampoo until that was gone (my hair somehow didn't mind the lack of conditioner...)  My next shower, I tried the shampoo bar.  It somehow got a good lather with very little effort.  It rinsed clean.  My hair combed out nicely with only a few tangles.  It worked!

Now, several weeks later, I'm very happy, and need to go to Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, NH to pick up another bar (Meadow's Pond Farm Shampoo Bar).  My hair is shiny, my scalp is healthy, and the bar cleans and conditions better than commercial products.

I think that this spring would be a good time for another drastic cut, and subsequent donation.