Thursday, January 13, 2011

NO MORE SHAMPOO! My experiment with a more natural and less wasteful form of hair care.

I haven't shampooed my hair in 3 weeks! 3 WEEKS! And you know what, I'm not sure if I ever will again.
A few years ago I heard about this radical new take on haircare dubbed "No Poo" (not to fond of the name myself) that harkens back a time before commercial hair care products were used by the average jane.
The idea is to allow your hair to adjust to not being washed all the time, therefore producing less oil and allowing you to go longer between "cleaning". This also allows your natural hair oil to moisturize your hair all the way down to the tips and not need the chemical conditioners that we normally use to replace it. As an added bonus, this method not only saves a TON of money on hair care products, but also saves all the energy that goes in to making, bottling, shipping, and disposing of the Shampoo and Conditioner we normally use.
From Wiki:
"Shampoo has only been used widely since the 1970s. Before then, either regular soap was used a few times a month or, just after the early 20th century, shampoo was used only a few times a year. It was in the 1970s that shampoo use became prevalent. Ads featuring Farrah Fawcett and Christie Brinkley asserted that it was unhealthy not to shampoo several times a week. This mindset is reinforced by the greasy feeling of the scalp after a day or two of not shampooing. Using shampoo every day removes sebum, the oil produced by the scalp. This causes the sebaceous glands to produce oil at a higher rate to compensate for what is lost during shampooing. According to some dermatologists, a gradual reduction in shampoo use will cause the sebaceous glands to produce at a slower rate, resulting in less oil on the scalp."


To prove to you that you can have clean and very manageable hair without shampoo & conditioner, here is a closeup of the top of my head/hair (click to enlarge) after 3 weeks of not a single drop of either.
The Method:
*The first two weeks
First let me warn you! Roughly the first 2 weeks are the adjustment period. You will need to last this period of time without washing, only rinsing with hot water every time you shower, and your hair WILL be funky. Don't let that scare you. Simply arm yourself with some great up do's and try to avoid using hair powder for as long as possible. You want your hair to get greasy and spread down the length of your hair. During this period I recommend brushing your hair nightly to work the oils down to the tips.
Finally when the 2 weeks are over you can do your first cleanse!

*Once a week (or so, you will need to see what works best with your hair)
Make sure you have a cup in your shower from now on.
While showering add One Tablespoon of baking soda to the cup and fill up with about 1/4-1/2 cup of water. Swirl to dissolve, then pour over the crown of your head. Massage in to your scalp making sure to massage the sides and back of your head as well, then rinse thoroughly. Next add roughly one tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to the cup and add 1/2 -3/4 cup of water to the cup. Swirl to mix then pour over all of your hair. Rinse thoroughly. Once your hair dries you won't be able to smell the vinegar I promise. Every other shower you take just rinse your hair with warm water.

Basically, the baking soda is the cleaner, it scrubs away excess oil but not EVERYTHING like shampoo does. The baking soda is great, but its really alkaline so you need an acid to balance the PH. This is where the vinegar comes in. It's pretty cool how soft it makes your hair feel too.

I'll continue to keep you updated from time to time if there is anything to report. Otherwise, I will keep on enjoying my shampoo & conditioner free lifestyle.

***I now use baking soda for washing my hair, brushing my teeth, and as deodorant. This stuff is amazing!

21 comments:

  1. I really want to give this a try. Your hair looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You hair looks nice! I have never heard of the baking soda thing with the vinegar before.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have super oily hair and I don't know that I could get through the adjustment period, but I know that this has to be better for your hair then all the junk they put in "off the shelf" hair care products now a days. you're hair looks great!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. "radical new take on haircare" hahaha, I love ya!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hmmm...I've heard of this from a girl pal, mayhaps I'll try it before the super funk inducing AZ summer kicks in. I don't know that I can let go of that just shampooed scent that I've come to love so much...we'll see...thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's fab! I've been wanting to try it for awhile now but I have straight thin hair and I've read that it doesn't work too well with my hair type. But I'm going to give it a go anyway. What does your hair smell like?

    ReplyDelete
  7. It smells like nothing. You could also put a drop or two of essential oil in with the vinegar rinse if you want a lasting smell in your hair.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your hair looks great, but I'm not sure I could do it unless I wasn't going to be seeing anyone for a month or so.

    ReplyDelete
  9. i love using my no poo! my curls are so much more happier and healthier plus i love not washing my hair as often :)

    xo,
    cb

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'd be concerned that my scalp starts smelling bad, at least in that firts three week period

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is a worry most people have. I didn't notice any smell and my boyfriend said my hair didn't smell too. You are after all still rinsing and brushing it out when you shower.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've been doing this same thing!!
    I've also quit using toothpaste, not even baking soda, just brushing and flossing with water.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Do you blow dry your hair? or let it air dry?
    If i let my hair airdry it gets so frizzy.

    I only wash my hair 2x per week as it is, but would love to not wash it ever again.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I don't blow dry my hair. I just let it air dry. The trick to wavy/curly hair is to never brush it. The only way around this is to do it either RIGHT before or in the shower. Otherwise, keep that brush away. The brush is what makes hair frizzy.

    The natural oils should help combat frizz too.

    I have another update coming up soon.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've been using baking soda as deodorant for about 6 months now. Thanks for the low-down on taking that further. I can't wait to try it once my no-poo Deva stuff runs out.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is so cool and I have trouble keeping my curly hair soft and not frizzy... I will definitely give it a try :D

    ReplyDelete
  18. After I read this I started using the baking soda/acv and have not shampooed or conditioned my hair since February! I have thick hair down to almost my waist and donly need a tablespoon of each mixed in a cup of water. I have used the same baking soda container and acv container since then and have not had to buy more yet. I also made the toothpaste and deoderent and have not had to buy either of those since february either. Thank you so much for making this information available and promoting easy sunstainability!

    salsadelfina.blog.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is such a brilliant idea, however I think I would really struggle with the first two weeks. Do you think this could work with coloured hair?

    ReplyDelete
  20. You have really beautiful hair! I have been no pooing for 9 months now and have seen a wonderul transition take place on my head. Love it! I have been using the bs/acv combo at least once a week. I started no pooing my kids at the same time, and a few months back I even stopped using the bs/acv on them because it just didn't seem like they needed it. When I was shampooing my son had terrible dandruff, and my daughter had awful tangles every morning. now, my sons hair and scalp are healthy and vibrant and my daughters hair is unbelievably sleek and so soft... she has curls and I really only have to finger comb her hair in the mornings! My kids have had such success with the water only method that I'm currently in the process of getting rid of the bs/acv altogether. I am 7 days in and, even though my hair is slightly stringy and i'm not quite comfortable wearing it down yet, it is already much more soft. I think brushing your hair with a nice bamboo bristle brush (I'm vegan, no boars bristle!! :) at night is key. I've found that when I wake up my hair is at it's best! It's kind of like marinating your hair in it's own oils all night. Well, thanks for the wonderful post, it was very well written!

    ReplyDelete