The No Poo Movement
Gross.
ShamPOO.
I have not put shampoo on my head in something 9 months.
"WHAT?!" You say
"How can a person not wash their hair!?" You shriek
Its easy, and oh-so-cheap!
The "How To" Part
(Because you're DYING to know, right?)
What you need:
Baking Soda
Apple Cider Vinegar
2 UNBREAKABLE bottles
Before you jump in the shower, put approx. 1 tablespoon of baking soda in one bottle(I use a metal water bottle). Add approx 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to THE OTHER container(I use a large plastic mug). This isn’t a science experiment. We aren't making volcano's in the shower... But no one will judge you if you do some of the volcano stuff too.
Wet your hair completely in the shower and fill your baking soda cup with water, enough to dissolve the baking soda and nearly to the top. Dump this slowly on your head focusing on your roots. Massage this into your scalp and let it sit for a minute or two. I take this opportunity to wash my face.
Rinse it out.
Add water to your Apple Cider Vinegar cup and dump this on next. Massage it into your roots and give it a minute also.
Rinse and viola!
I mean not Viola completely. Your hair is done. Wash the rest of yourself PLEASE.
So this isn’t a science experiment. What IS a science though is that your sebaceous glands(those tiny tiny things that make oil on your body) work on a supply and demand basis. When you use conventional shampoo it strips the natural oil out of your hair(Thats the demand part), prompting you to then replace it with a conditioner. Your sebaceous glands pump out more oil to replace what you took away with shampoo. They pump it out all day long and 12 hours later, or even the next morning, your hair is an oily mess(That’s the supply bit).
So the moral of this story is that when you take away LESS oil LESS often(a drop in demand), eventually your sebaceous glands catch on and quit making so much(supply drop). Get it?
But wait!
Did I say eventually?
I said eventually.
The human body, it’s a complex thing. Sometimes it doesn’t catch on so quickly though.
Your sebaceous glands need some time to catch up. Simply translated, your hair is going to keep pumping out the oil it normally pumps out. Only now, you aren’t taking it away like you used to. The result? Greasy hair.
Its inevitable folks.
It will only last for a little while though. I promise. 5 days, 10 days, 2 weeks? Depends on the person frankly. My worst day was day 4 or 5 and by 10 day I had a whole new head of hair. Seems like forever right? Yeah it does. Put it in a pony tail, wear a hat, whatever. Just DONT use your shampoo thinking that once won’t hurt. You'll be starting from square one all over again and we all hate that.
Like I said, it isn’t a science. What works for me may not work exactly the same for you. These are good stepping stones though. The baking soda is going to strip your hair. The Apple Cider will add some moisture. That being said, if your hair seems really dry, cut back on the baking soda. If it’s too greasy, cut down on the apple cider vinegar. Eventually you may find you don’t have to use the baking soda every day or maybe you only need the apple cider a couple times a week. You'll find what works.
Also, I personally have found that using a honey conditioner once a week or so might be nice. Honey? Conditioner?
Yes.
It isn’t a sticky mess. Honey is water soluble so it won’t stick to everything. It will work nicely into the ends of your hair. Once a week is what I do. Maybe more for you, maybe less. Hey, it’s a crap shoot.
Agave Nector also is a nice deep conditioner. You might also want to try a green tea rinse to add some moisture. Just steep a bag of tea in your hot water and dump it on.
So what exactly is our end goal here?
Well healthier hair for one, but in addition to that you may find a head of hair you didn’t know you had. I sure did. Gone is the limp flat hair you once had. Welcome soft, volumized hair. Maybe it will curl, maybe it will be less frizzy, maybe you’ll see a poof(scientific term for volume) you never thought possible.
After all the work we have done now, don’t go back to your hair products. We just stripped all that yucky chemical out, no need to replace it now right? Visit your health food store and find some organic hair product(read the label), or consider making your own. There’s A LOT of recipes out there that use essential oils, 100% aloe vera, or beeswax. Google, google, google. Or ask me. I found a nice organic hair wax to add a little definition to my curls when I want it.
I would encourage you to use organic products across the board. They aren’t hard to come by, and based on the small amount you’ll be using the cost isn’t a big deal either. Baking soda contains aluminum which can deposit itself in your body and cause a whole host of long term health effects. Aluminum free Baking soda can be purchased online and isn’t expensive.
Whatever you do, you’ll have New, great hair.
And that’s not just the crazy hippie in me talking.
So whats my routine right now?
2 or 3 times a week(whenever my hair feels dirty) I "wash" it with the baking soda. The days in between just just rinse with water in my daily shower. I had left the apple cider vinegar out of my hair for the summer months since I felt like it made it too greasy. With winter settling in here in the midwest I have re-introduced the ACV into my routine to combat dryness, especially on my scalp.
To keep my ends nice and beautiful I have been massaging a tiny amount of coconut oil into the ends.
We'll get into my love of coconut oil another time.
Ditch the expensive hair products and let your hair do its own thing. You'll be happy you did.
