Two Weeks - No Shampoo!

i haven't washed my hair with shampoo in two weeks.

i've been researching a new method for months - mostly i researched that long because trying something new kind of freaked me out.

also, the name of the method is less than inspiring - i mean, really, who wants to do anything that's called "no poo"?  it sounds like constipation.

but then, two weeks ago, i decided to just jump in - all or nothing - and go for it.

there are about 900 different ways to go "no poo" (and about 900 different reasons why someone would stop using shampoo).  Here are the blogs about it that made the most sense to me:

here

here

here

here

in the end, I went with the product recipes in the first link (because her hair is curly and so is mine...i'm unbelievably scientific in my thinking up in here):

Baking Soda Cleansing

1 quart boiling water
1/4 c. baking soda

Add the soda to the water and mix or shake in a bottle until dissolved. Cool prior to use. Apply liberally to hair and scalp, shaking first if necessary. Massage into scalp and hair then rinse well.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

3/4 c. water
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. aloe vera gel
1 T. honey
8 drops peppermint oil
8 drops tea tree oil

Combine all ingredients in a bottle and shake well. After cleansing, squirt all over scalp and hair. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the tingle. Rinse well. (You may use more to combat the harsh apple cider vinegar scent if you'd like. Smell your concoction, it should be somewhat pleasingly minty, but will still have a slight vinegar undertone.)


i put the baking soda mixture in a squeezable sports water bottle and the acv rinse (because if you're "no poo", you have to learn the acronyms, people) in a spray bottle - both from my nearest dollar store.  i went with this acv rinse because it smells better than plain old vinegar and also because it has tea tree oil in it and i like how it feels on my scalp.  but, if you don't have the oils or the raw honey on hand, you can just use two tablespoons of acv to one cup of hot water.

now, starting is not for the faint of heart - for those of us who are daily shampooers, there's supposed to be a weaning from shampoo period, where your hair and scalp basically freak out because it's used producing extra oil for your hair.  in fact, most of the things i read said that if you are a daily shampooer, you may want to start by spacing out your shampoos to once every other day and then once every three days to prepare your hair.

but, ain't nobody got time for that.  i figured if i had to do that, i'd get frustrated and quit.  i have a very short attention span, you know.

so, first day, i just dumped 1/3 of a cup of plain old baking soda on my head.  mostly because i got a wild hair to start right away while i was in the shower, so i didn't mix anything up beforehand.  i put it all throughout my hair (you're really only supposed to do the roots and scalp).  then, i dumped a cup of water with two splashes of acv in it (again, very scientific) on my head and let it sit while i did the rest of my shower stuff.

the second day, i showered and just wet my hair.

the third day, i showered and just wet my hair.

the fourth day, i used only the acv rinse (which i had mixed up by then).

the fifth day, i showered and wet my hair.

the sixth day, i showered and wet my hair.

the seventh day, i used the baking soda and conditioned with the acv rinse.

i thought my hair would be greasy, but to me, it didn't look or feel greasy at all.  in fact, it felt better than when i used shampoo almost immediately and continued to feel better the entire time.  talk about being completely and totally shocked.

for the second week, i continued the above pattern, only using the baking soda "shampoo" once a week, the acv rinse twice.

along with going "no poo", i also wanted to figure out a better way to handle my curly hair, so i read this book.

as far as after-shower product goes, so far, i've tried this (for your products, you want to stay sulfate, silicone, and paraben free, so read your labels) and i bought one of these (recommended in the book).

like i said, i'm only two weeks into this, but so far, i have no plans of going back.  i'm hoping to try a few different things and i'll review them here as soon as i do (plans include a professional hair cut and an aloe vera rinse.  could i be more exciting?) i think my hair looks better than ever - and it's getting curlier and curlier (and less frizzy) every, single day.

i wish i'd thought to take a picture before i started, but here's a picture from two weeks in (have i mentioned that i hate selfies?  some people take them and they look all sassy.  i look constipated. and kind of shady.  it's a product of trying to avoid a double chin):