Barrellady, some people NEED to rub the scalp. She's coming here complaining about gunky scalp and yes, she may be using the wrong ratio for baking soda, however, I used the correct ratios for it and still had a major issue until my scalp adjusted to it.
Emily, if you use the correct ratio of ingredients, leave it on for a while and then find that just rinsing it out isn't helping, then you do have other options. You don't have to be miserable. Rub the scalp as you rinse out. It'll clean more thoroughly and help you take care of some itchies, too. It'll also help you lock up faster.
I don't know why the 'no rub' method seems to be the only thing you suggest to people, Barrellady.
Get your fingers in there, Emily! See if it works for ya.
Also, you don't have to use five cups of water to 1/2 cup of baking soda. Unless you have hair down to your ass then that's not necessary. You can get a simple hair dye squeezie bottle that holds one cup of liquid(your standard small squeezie that comes in a box of dye) put two tablespoons of baking soda in it and then one cup of warm water. Shake it(let some of the fizz out) and then squirt it all over your wet scalp. Let it set for 5-10 minutes. Scrub all around in your scalp and then rinse thoroughly.
If you wanna add some EO's to the routine then add them to your baking soda. Certain ones can assist the cleaning process.