Going no ‘poo (and how I wish it had another meaning!)

No ‘poo=no shampoo not no poop… unfortunately for me.

But you read that right: I don’t use shampoo (or conditioner) anymore, haven’t in over a month now actually!

Confused?  Disgusted?  Let me enlighten you…

Shampoo strips hair and scalp of natural oils making it appear oily and gross much faster than if left alone.  At first that didn’t make sense to me but I allowed my love of all things natural (I still shave my legs AND armpits) embolden me to explore it further.  A few internet friends of mine have done it though most of them seemed to have curly hair, my hair is pretty straight, pretty thin and I’ve always considered it pretty oily.  I used to shower every day (even on the weekends or I felt disgusting) although during my pregnancies my hair dynamic changed enough I could get away with every other.  Then I had infant twins and a husband who worked 12 hour days a million days a week and I just stuck to the every other day schedule which I’ve been doing for two years now (I work at home and have four kids five and under, I always put a bra on but the shower-every-day thing is just  a little out of my reach at this point).  So when I started doing no ‘poo I just stuck with the every other day thing.

Directions:

In two separate containers (I use plastic kiddie cups but others use squirt bottles) mix approximately 1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda (hereafter referred to as BS) with approximately 1 cup of water and in another mix approximately 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar (hereafter referred to as ACV) with approximately 1 cup of water.  I never measure anymore so approximate seems to work well.

Get in the shower.

Wet your hair thoroughly.

Stirring immediately before use (I swish in the cup) pour the BS mixture on hair being sure to get it on the especially troublesome spots (I find my hairline gets oily first so I apply it generously there) and scrub into your scalp.  Let sit for five minutes (use this time to be un-natural and shave your legs).

Rinse like crazy!

Repeat with the ACV mixture but this time focus on the length of your hair, especially the ends.  I don’t let this stand for very long before rinsing.

Exit shower (I don’t use body wash anymore either, I smell just fine!  Same principle of stripping the skin of natural oils applies here too.  I do use an oil based face wash from Trader Joe’s–awesomeness!).

You can then apply oil to wet hair.  Some people use coconut oil but since I’m lucky enough to have a hairdresser for a mother in law we had moroccan oil on hand (love the smell!).  I smooth in a VERY small amount starting at the ends of my hair and working up.  It conditions my hair even more (though I don’t need to use it, my hair dries very soft and supple with just the ACV) and helps smooth down the frizzies that plague me, especially during the humid summer months.

The idea is that you have to go through a “detox” week or two where your hair won’t look so pretty.  Your hair needs to return to normal and that takes time after being stripped for years and years.  I continued showering every other day as I had been and used BS at every wash–most other people doing this method only use it once or twice a week–and I never experienced the “detox”.  I tried omitting the BS one shower and my hair was gross the next day so that’s probably why.  I may try again when the weather settles down a bit, maybe in the Fall (humidity makes me sweat in 30 seconds).  For now I’m thrilled with the results!

My hair is more full and has more body than it ever did with traditional shampoo and conditioner even filling out with some light waves!  I love it and will not go back.  I love that I can go longer without washing my hair without it looking disgusting a mere 24 hours! I’ve heard that the next step is washing with water only rinsing occasionally with vinegar… I’m not there yet but who knows, I may be in the future!  I’ll keep you posted 🙂