Have you ever thought about making your own natural shampoo at home? It's not as crazy as it sounds. Going shampoo free can be a wonderful choice for the health of your hair, as well as your pocketbook. This article will show you how to make your own cheap shampoo for pennies. How nice is that?

You might be thinking, "Why on earth would I stop using shampoo?" Good question. Well, sit down for this one, please. Shampoo may actually cause hair loss. Why? It's all thanks to the commonly used foaming agents, sulfates. Go grab a bottle of shampoo from your shower. Now read the label. See the word "sulfate" on there? 95% of shampoos contain sulfates, so chances are it's there. Sulfates give shampoo its foam. But at what cost?

• SLS can cause eye damage in babies and young children.
• In combination with other ingredients SLS can form NDELA, a nitrosamine and potent carcinogen.

• SLS is a known skin irritant.
• SLS may corrode hair follicles, impairing hair growth.
• SLS ruins hair!

Once SLS damages your hair and strips away all naturally occuring protective oils from the hair and scalp, how about applying some industrial waste to add "manageability" and shine? It's actually cheaper for companies to package up mineral oil for sale than it is to dispose of it, which is why it's the additive of choice to cover up the damage traditional shampoos cause. Mineral oil adds temporary shine and weighs down damaged hair, making it less apparent that it's been stripped. Nice, right?

So, let's say you want to stop using sulfates. Why not use a sulfate free shampoo? They do exist, and if you're a careful shopper they can be a fine choice. Don't be fooled by "natural" on the label though, many "natural" shampoos still contain sulfates. So be sure to check labels thoroughly.

Specialty shampoos cost a pretty penny. If you're up for spending the money, great. But if not, here's how to make your own natural shampoo at home.

In a measuring cup combine 1 Tbsp. baking soda and 1 cup of warm/hot water. Stir until mixture is crystal clear. It should look exactly like water. Never change the ratio of water to baking soda! Pour mixture into an old bottle of some kind and use immediately. It's really that simple. And it works.

Okay, it's actually considered a rinse. Whatever... it treats my hair just like a conditioner, so that's what I choose to call it. To make it combine 1 cup water and 1-2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar. I just use Heinz. If you want to use something fancier like Braggs, that should work great too. Pour into a bottle or container of some kind and use immediately. It detangles the hair and makes the scalp feel like a million bucks.

In the shower get your head wet as you would with normal shampoo and then pour your mixture over the head slowly, paying attention to the scalp rather than the hair. Once your entire scalp has been cleaned, wait 1 minute, then rinse your head well. Expect to have difficulty running your fingers through your hair. I suggest not doing it at all, the water rinses the hair nicely by itself. Now, pour the apple cider vinegar mixture over your head, once again paying attention to coating the scalp rather than the hair(the hair can't help but get done along the way). You can leave it on, or rinse, your choice.

You might want to make more than just 1 cup of both the shampoo and conditioner, depending on the length and thickness of your hair. If you don't have short hair, I suggest making 2 cups of both. Better to make too much the first couple of washings, and have it work for you, than to make too little and have a bad experience with it.

I hate apple cider vinegar. It's really smelly. So I always rinse it out, which you're not really supposed to do, since it's always suggested as a leave-in. Figuring that it wasn't effecting my haircare routine, I tried to ditch it altogether. Big mistake, it's an essential part of making it work, and it's still effective even when it's rinsed out. Go figure. It detangles the hair, and it conditions it SO well!

Due to my hatred of apple cider vinegar, I got creative and added a couple of bags of chai tea I had knocking around in the back in my pantry. It really helped. I just popped it right into the bottle, and it steeped and brewed nicely. Rosemary is another highly suggested additive. Smells really nice.

Not only will your scalp and hair reap the benefits of better health, think of how much money you'll save. Baking soda is incredibly cheap, as is apple cider vinegar. How nice is that?