I also do the OCM...approx. 1:1 ratio and have been very satisfied with the results as well.

I also make my own toothpaste using baking soda, Young Living Essential Oils, stevia, coconut oil and sometimes I add peroxide and/or sea salt. The one thing I did find with this...which is quite funny, I put it in a travel 'tube' from Wal Mart not realizing that it would build up pressure when I put it upside down so when I opened it I had baking soda toothepast all over me and the bathroom! It was totally a GREAT moment and I all I could do was laugh!! :)

Then, since we're all friends, here...i turn over the pad, pour on some more Witch Hazel, and then clean my privates in the front. Last, I do the same to the backside!

That's my "bathing" portion...all with a single large cotton round and Witch Hazel.

Lastly, I cover my entire body in Coconut Oil.

All that takes only a couple minutes and then I get dressed. It makes me feel quite clean and moisturized...

PS. I got the Witch Hazel idea as I was looking for a replacement for the "bum wipes" I was buying. All had yucky chemicals, but many also had Witch Hazel as an ingredient. Since natural "bathroom wipe" manufacturer's use it in their bum wipes.....I thought...hey, I'll just buy cheap, large cotton rounds, and keep a bottle of Witch Hazel by the toilet. Thats how I make my own "bum wipes". Non-drying, safe for privates, and cheaper. I like the Witch Hazel because it's a great facial toner too.

I left off with the revelation that I haven't been brushing my hair when wet. In the initial drying phase, my hair looks absolutely terrible. But as it dries, the curl/wave takes shape and becomes dry and amazingly...no knots! (or just a few that I can finger pick out just like my friend said).

Now, after my hair has dried, I have also tried brushing it if I want to go wavy for the day instead of curly and I haven't had the problem of breaking hair ends.

My final comments are, I can go a couple days between washings, but that isn't new. My hair does seem softer and tends to look more like it did in high school (more colorful and full). I have noticed it is better to only put the apple cider vinegar on the bottoms of my hair and not on the roots. It tends to get greasier faster if I do.

If anyone has a hint for dryness as the top layer of my hair is still fairly dry, especially the ends, but perhaps I just need a haircut. ;o) Thanks for letting me share!

Faith, great comments, thanks for sharing! That is so interesting about the scent of the shampoo lasting for so long- wow! I'm glad it's going so well for you!

1. I immediately noticed positive results involving the "burning" sensation on my head. I had possibly been having some type of rxn to shampoo, which is the main reason I wanted to find something new. I had tried switching to various shampoos, but after a week or so the "burning" would come back. With "no poo" it has slowly gone away.

2. After about three weeks, I realized my hair still had the perfume smell of shampoo coming out of my hair (at the roots) and I hadn't used it in three weeks. This was an interesting observation for me that really made me think switching to "no poo" was a good idea if the chemical affects and scents were so ingrained in my scalp it took over three weeks to go away.

3. I have thick curly/wavy hair that tends to be brittle on the ends that initially the baking soda seemed to make worse, especially to brush it when I got out of the shower. I realized I was breaking off tons of hairs because my hair was looking super frizzy from the broken ends. Result: My even curlier haired friend gave me a tip. She never brushes her hair because it messes up the curl pattern. If it looks tangly, she just finger picks it. This may sound crazy, but you would never know that she doesn't brush it! It reminded me that I had once read not to brush your hair when wet. I've been trying it and it works, but I'll have to share more later b/c I'm out of time.

Thanks Laura! Do give it a try-- castor oil is so cheap, so it makes for a very worthwhile experiment and nothing is really lost if it doesn't work for yoU!