Here's another winning combo. Baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo & conditioner. Cheap gallons of cider vinegar and bulk purchased baking soda from Costco. Lasts forever, both ingredients have multiple uses and together they make my hair look great.
Do you use/mix them together first or use one after the other? I use baking soda as a face wash and and works quite well, also use it as underarm deoderant and I use baking soda and vinegar for lots of things around the house as well.
You definitely do NOT use them together! They are used in sequence. I have long hair, so here is what works for me. Before showering, brush hair thoroughly. Once in the shower, get your hair sopping wet. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on your head and gently work it into your scalp. Baking soda has no surfactants, so it's going to feel weird at first. Be gentle with your hair to avoid breakage. Once the baking soda is worked in all the way to your scalp, gently massage your scalp, then the rest of your hair. Rinse out, then apply a 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water solution. Let it soak into your hair, then rinse again very well. Your hair will smell of vinegar, but only until it's dry.
Tips: Use an airtight plastic container for the baking soda. A repurposed Parmesan Cheese shaker is great. For the vinegar, I used an old squeeze bottle that some caterer left behind after an event. If you don't have something suitable on hand, your dollar store will. For travel, I used the short plastic shakers that hold spices. Note: You can use straight vinegar for the rinse, but I find it to be too harsh. 50/50 or slightly more water really works better.
Full disclaimer: I used this method for about three years. Recently, I discovered a forgotten stockpile of shampoo under my husband's sink, so I've gone back to traditional methods. Thanks to menopause, my hair is way less oily now, and it needs a bit of surfactant effect to avoid brittleness and breakage. I may go back to "no 'poo" at some point, and Im definitely glad I took the time to figure it out way back when. It was worth it.
I'm looping you in,
@BikeFanatic, and adding a question. Why do you disinfect a soap container? Isn't that overkill? I use DIY foaming soap containers throughout my house and they never get crud build-up.