I have been watching some of those 'how things are made shows' on HD TV in the past couple of days, and I'll tell you, it's a bit scary to see what goes into our food, bath, beauty and even cleaning products.  So, over the next couple of months I will be performing some experiments in my home and on myself and I'll let you know how it goes.   I don't know if they will all be money saving because some of the conventional products I'll be substituting for are dirt cheap because of the cheapness of the chemicals they are made from.  They WILL however, be cheaper than the organic or all natural variations you could go buy in the store.

Experiment #1 - Shampoo

• Have you ever really looked up what those chemicals are in your favorite shampoo? - Well, i would suggest that you do so you know how many carcinogens you are putting on you very vascular scalp while it's pores are wide open.  
• My mix:  2oz castile soap, 2 tbsp baking soda, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp glycerin
• test time - 7 days (will be used for every shampoo)
• hair type - for those of you who have never seen me, my hair is average texture, slightly thicker than average, shoulder lenght, not colored, and curly (well, not keri russel curly , but maybe the julia roberts slightly more than wavy type of curly - something along those lines)
• I will not be using a conditioner or any other styling product during this time EXCEPT a curling iron when needed and a little hairspray.  no gels, foams, creams, glossers, puttys, etc.

Anyone else ever done anything like this?  What were your results?