The No-Poo Adventure!

Alright, let's do this. Let's talk about my no-poo hair!

Guys, or anyone else not interesting for that matter, jump here and click the 'random' button at the top and enjoy this little break. 

For everyone else interesting in my no-poo experience thus far, then stick tight. 'Cause here goes!

Anyone unfamiliar with the whole no-poo phenomenon (can I call it that??), here is a super duper short run down. Basically, you stop and/or cut down on using shampoo. Harsh  shampoos can strip your hair of natural oils, and create a cycle of shampoo - no oil in hair - scalp produces more oil to compensate - get 'greasier' faster - shampoo more. Rinse and repeat, no?!

One extra bad 'culprit' in shampoos is sulfates. They are the ones doing all the lathering in your soaps. Had to google why they are so bad, and long story short Sodium Lauryl Sulfates, along with other really long-winded Sulfates, can be bad for your skin and scalp, contain carcinogens, and can dry out your hair. 

Bad, bad sulfates! (source)

Now, to be clear, this was not why I decided to try no-poo. I jumped into this craze because I am bored and needed something to keep me busy while I wait to go to Finland for the year. :)

That, and I wanted to see if it actually did what it claims to do. I wanted that soft, shiny, maintanable hair without having to wash it every, danged day!

To introduce my hair, I have long, thin (cough, cough) somewhat highlighted blond hair. It dries straight on its own, but can easily hold waves and curls. So I can't speak for everyone on this method, but I know there are a few of you out there that are my hair twin.

So here is how I started. Since living in Europe, I had already discovered this wonderful product called 'dry shampoo'. Oh how I love it!! And there are of course bad and better brands/types to choose from. I really liked this one spray in kind, until I read that the FIRST ingredient was BUTANE! No joke. After that, I chose to stick to my first love, Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo. 

Great at cleaning hair, not great at starting fires...(source)

I pick this up at Sephora (sells for under $20, I believe). Not only does it work wonders, but it strays away from using harsh chemicals and it lasts forever! Seriously, have had one of these bottles for over a year now and it is still going. Just 'squirt' a little of the powder into your hands and rub your hands on your 'grease' sections and roots. 

Wait, really getting a head of myself. 

Back to the program.


So I had already weaned off of shampooing everyday for sometime. I am sure this helped to reduce the dreaded 'grease' stage. That first part of the cycle in which your hair is confused and produces more oil than normal because it thinks you should be shampooing everyday. Smart hair, very smart. 
 
For the last two and a bit weeks, I have only been 'shampooing' with baking soda and 'rinsing' with apple cider vinegar (ACV). 


Before I get in the shower I add about a tablespoon of baking soda in a large plastic cup. I also  have been making sure to brush my hair very good before I get in the shower. From crown to the ends. Not only will that distribute the oils, but it will get out any tangles and make the 'rinse' stage much easier.

Then, I jump in the shower and wet my hair and add almost a cup full of water to the baking soda (at least 2 cups of water). You want this diluted, because too much baking soda can dry out your hair. I pour a bit on the top, rub it into my roots. Then the same on my sides and crown. Then I flip my hair over and pour the rest on the bottom side of my head. You really want to concentrate this on your scalp, not the ends of your hair. Your roots are what need cleaning!

Just keep those two apart, or you could have a very bad 3rd grade science experiement on your hands! (source)

 I make sure I rub it in real good, give my self a head massage while I am at it, and then rinse it all out very thoroughly. 

Then, I have been keeping a small bottle of apple cider vinegar in the shower with me, and I pour less than a cap full into the same cup (maybe a teaspoon?), and dilute it until I can barely, barely smell the vinegar. ACV can be very harsh on your hair if used alone, so you want this mostly water. I turn the water to cold, and slowly pour the ACV mixture over my hair and rinse with the running cold water. Trust me, you will be amazed at how good this works at getting your hair smooth! You might still smell a tiny bit of ACV, but will go away when your hair dries.


Two weeks in, and on the advice of blogging gal Patty, I am able to just use a cold rinse to close the shafts of hair and make it silky and smooth. 

BE SURE to 'brush' your wet hair with a wide toothed comb, not a brush! Poo or no-poo, this will really help the strength of your hair.  Then style as usual. You can use products, go product free, curl, blow dry, do what you need to. 

Use it! (source)

The awesome dry shampoo mentioned above comes into play on my 'off' days. Those days that I don't wash my hair, I brush it really good. Again, all the way from the roots to the tips to distribute those good oils, and then add a little dry shampoo as needed.


Variations that might be worth looking into: Using sulfate-free (available all over the place now) shampoo on a bi/tri weekly basis. I think I might switch to this, will give it a try this week. Conditioning only the ends of the hair if you feel it is too tangly. Or there are many other 'recipes' out there for homemade conditioner. Some including beer or honey. 


I know, long post, I am trying to wrap it up! :)


So, to recap. No-poo does not mean no-showering. I workout most everyday, I shower everyday. I either don't get my hair wet or I just rinse my hair with cold water (on my off 'shampooing' days). 


You will most definitely have a 'grease' stage, but I think you can counter it pretty good with dry shampoo. Of course using more and even weening on that as you go along. Two weeks in, and I feel like mine is pretty under control! 

So what does 2 and a half weeks with no shampoo looks like?!

Sorority shout out!

These pictures were taken a few hours after a 'wash'. No products were used, and I didn't even blow dry with a brush. But rarely do...


Not too shabby, right?! Look at that sheen, haha.

Benefits so far: Healthy clean scalp (what a bonus, was not even expecting that!). More moisturized feeling face (another added bonus!). Soft and less frizzy hair (although it wasn't ever too much of a problem). Very shiny hair, but not greasy. And I can feel it regaining strength already! Who doesn't want all of that?!?


Because my hand is getting number from typing (hello carpal tunnel!), here is where I will let you do the talking. Have any other questions?? Do you no-poo?? Share your link if you have a no-poo story like this one!