I first came across the term "no-poo" a few weeks ago when reading a website I saw on Pinterest about how to grow your hair long and strong. The author of the article recommends washing hair only every few days and says that she uses baking soda and vinegar.
After digging around the web a little more, it sounds like this is actually pretty popular! There is a whole "no-poo" community out there, most of which wash their hair with baking soda, followed by a vinegar rinse.
It sounded a little weird to me at first, but then I thought about it and researched it more. I was in college when I first learned how many harmful chemicals are in most shampoos. They strip your hair of dirt, but also of essential oils. This then causes your scalp to produce extra oil to compensate.
As someone with very oily hair, at first I thought it was out of the question for me to ever be able to skip a day of shampooing. But no-pooers claim that after stopping using shampoo, your scalp adjusts and stops producing so much oil. The downside is that the transition period is generally at least a few weeks long. For those of you with dry hair: there are benefits for you, too. Shampoos are said to actually dry out many peoples hair, and using coconut or other natural oils in your hair can be much more beneficial.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to fully commit to the no-poo regimen of baking soda and vinegar quite yet, so I did a little searching for homemade natural shampoos. It's amazing how many different options there are! I chose one specifically for oily hair, because I would absolutely love to not have to wash my hair every day!
I just made a shampoo out of avocado and baking soda and used it for the first time. It did feel a little wrong scooping out a full, ripe avocado and then blending it up with baking soda and water instead of eating it. And this is a fairly expensive shampoo compared to many others, but if I am able to use it 1/3 or 1/4 as often, I think it would be worth it in the long run!
I am very skeptical. First of all, it is really weird washing your hair with something that doesn't suds up. I may have used a lot more than I needed to, but I can't really tell. Then there were little chunks of avocado in my hair (I think they're gone now). And I rinsed compulsively because my hair felt oily. Obviously, this is because of the oils in the avocado, but supposedly those same oils should neutralize my oily roots.
Here's to hoping! I just hope my hair doesn't look too bad during this "transition period," because then I just might have to give it up. I will update soon!
Avocado. Great to eat...or to shampoo with?
An hour later: My hair is completely dry now, and, as I expected, it looks really oily. However, it does feel clean! And the ends feel very moisturized, whereas my hair is usually pretty dry at the ends. A little nervous to continue. A greasy ponytail is fine for a Saturday, but I may need another plan for work Monday. We'll see how this goes!
No-Poo Day Four: I had to ditch the avocado. Too much oil for my oily scalp. I plan on using it every once in a while on my ends, but it made my roots look too gross. Maybe sometime down the road when my scalp is producing normal amounts of oil. I have now switched to the traditional no-poo method! I am washing my hair with baking soda and conditioning with apple cider vinegar. There are two methods: in one you form a thick paste with baking soda and water; in the other you dilute about 1 Tbsp baking soda in about 1 cup of water. I read somewhere (I don't remember where; I have visited about a dozen no-poo blogs) that it is healthier for your hair to have the baking soda more diluted, so I plan on using the 1T/1C method. You let it sit for a few minutes (all the blogs I read insist that your hair will feel "slippery," a feeling I haven't accomplished yet), then after you completely rinse out the baking soda, you dilute 1 Tbsp vinegar (most recommend apple cider vinegar, but I just read that white vinegar is better for oily hair, so I may be switching next time I wash!) in 1 C of water, pour on the length of your hair, and rinse.
My hair is still greasy! Although it has been looking a little bit better each day. Right now my plan is to use baking soda and vinegar every other day. I am still showering every day, but only rinsing my hair on non-baking soda and vinegar days. My poor boyfriend; he has thought I am going crazy since the day I told him, "I just washed my hair with an avocado." He has to see me tomorrow, on a non-wash day...but luckily, it is getting better! You're a trooper, Jon!
Day Four: Not loving all the grease.
No-Poo Day Eight: It's getting better! Over a week no-poo, and I haven't even washed my hair in two days! I have done a hot water rinse every day that I don't do baking soda and vinegar, and it seems to really be helping! The ends of my hair seem to be getting a little bit dry, so I put a tiny bit of coconut oil in it after my shower (just a teeny tiny bit on the ends once my hair was dried). It still feels a little weird, but it is shinier. My hair still isn't perfect--it is still a little greasy--but it is making leaps and bounds every day! I joined the No Poo Hair Care Group on Facebook and was told that every other day is too often to use baking soda and will dry out my hair...so the plan now is twice a week! Yikes! Here we go!
Day Eight: Not perfect, but SO much better! Still a little greasy at the scalp, but my bangs are presentable!
No-Poo Day 27: I have not yet reached "no-poo nirvana," but my hair is getting SO much better! For the first couple weeks I had problems with my ends being really dry and my hair being tangly and feeling...not really sure how to describe it, but just not soft and like hair is supposed to feel!
I have made a few changes. I started using the paste method; it's a lot easier to keep track of where the baking soda is going. I can make sure I completely wash my roots, and--I think this is why the ends of my hair were so dry when I was using the dilution method--I can make sure I don't get baking soda on my ends! About a week ago I all of a sudden noticed a change in the length of my hair: it is so shiny! Shinier, I think, than it was with shampoo.
I also finally invested in a boar bristle brush. Brushing with it moves the oils from the roots down the length of my hair. And, I'm guessing, another reason my hair is getting so shiny! I have also been trying to brush my hair before I go to bed, and then making sure it is tied back or in a braid when I sleep so it doesn't get too tangled while I'm sleeping. I also try to use both my normal brush and the boar bristle brush in the morning before I shower.
I have also started washing less frequently! I waited six days between washes last time (still rinsing with water on in-between days) and I plan on going a full week this time! Currently my hair looks perfect on day one and two, pretty good on day three, and then on day four it's time to start pulling my bangs back. But it's still not too bad! Nothing like the picture I posted from day four!
Day 14: This was on my birthday! I had bought a shampoo soap bar and was fully planning on using it if no-poo wasn't working out, because I wasn't about to have greasy hair on my birthday! But, as you can see, I didn't need to use it!
Day 25: Getting so much better! And this photo was taken almost two full days after my last wash.
A little information on the no-poo movement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_poo
The website where I first learned about no-poo: http://almostexactlyblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/grow-it-long-grow-it-strong/
And the recipe I used for my shampoo (along with 13 other natural shampoo recipes): http://hair.allwomenstalk.com/fantastic-natural-homemade-shampoos/14/
Another great no-poo resource with a lot of recommendations for different hair types: http://coderedhat.com/no-poo-method/
No-Poo and Low-Poo Hair Care Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nopoo/
