I've had a lot of people asking me questions lately, so I thought I'd write up a quick blog post about this.
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Generally, this method is called No-Poo. But shampoo isn't what most people think of right away.
I wish there was such a thing as no poo.
really. truly.
Wouldn't life be so much easier??
And before I allow myself to disappear into a 'I hate having to use public bathrooms' rant...
I shall move on.
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I learned about the No-Poo method via the internet and decided I had to give it a try.
Essentially, you abandon your gajillion bottles of shampoo and conditioner and wash your hair every 7-10 days.
Ok...so where do I sign?
You use baking soda dissolved in water as a "shampoo"& then condition with a mixture of vinegar and water. The cool thing about this method is the fact that it balances out the oils your scalp is producing and you don't have to wash your hair as often as you do with store-bought shampoo and conditioner.
In simple terms...shampoo supposedly strips your scalp and hair of all natural oils. It also contains mineral oil which clogs your pores, disrupting hair growth and confusing your oil production. It just messes with the pH balance, really.
So No-Poo is supposed to help your hair grow, give it more body, balance your pH, and you only have to wash once a week.
I wish there was such a thing as no poo.
really. truly.
Wouldn't life be so much easier??
And before I allow myself to disappear into a 'I hate having to use public bathrooms' rant...
I shall move on.
------
I learned about the No-Poo method via the internet and decided I had to give it a try.
Essentially, you abandon your gajillion bottles of shampoo and conditioner and wash your hair every 7-10 days.
Ok...so where do I sign?
You use baking soda dissolved in water as a "shampoo"& then condition with a mixture of vinegar and water. The cool thing about this method is the fact that it balances out the oils your scalp is producing and you don't have to wash your hair as often as you do with store-bought shampoo and conditioner.
In simple terms...shampoo supposedly strips your scalp and hair of all natural oils. It also contains mineral oil which clogs your pores, disrupting hair growth and confusing your oil production. It just messes with the pH balance, really.
So No-Poo is supposed to help your hair grow, give it more body, balance your pH, and you only have to wash once a week.
I'm obviously not an expert on all this natural mumbo-jumbo.
I may use cloth diapers but I'm no all-natural genius.
I like my modern conveniences, crest toothpaste, and instant brownie mixes, ok??!
The truth is, I'm just too lazy to wash my hair 2-3 times a week
AND try to make it look good every day. HA!
Oh and I hate buying shampoo.
yes i do.
SO...on February 9th, 2013 I stopped using shampoo.
I figured, why not see if it works?
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I first began only "washing" every 4 days. My hair wasn't the prettiest I'd ever seen it but it wasn't super awful. It was looking pretty oily by day 3. But sometime around week 2 or 3 there was a miraculous change.
It's like it finally figured it out...
So I started stretching the days between washings even further.
I can now go 10 days without washing my hair.
I kid you not.
I'll wash it and put some mousse or gel in it...wait 5-6 days, then I'll rinse it in the shower.
Maybe spray some vinegar on it to help detangle...
Then I'll comb it out and just let it dry straight.
Then wait until I'm feeling motivated...and wash it.
It's. Awesome.
Unless I start noticing my hair getting brittle or breaking off...I'll never go back to shampoo. My hair looks and feels a LOT healthier than it ever did and I love not having to wash it all the time.
Plus, its easier to style! I can't understand why, really...but it just..is.
Here's what I do:
Dissolve 4-5 Tbsp baking soda in 2 cups of warm water.
( I put my solution in a large pump bottle I keep in the shower. I've heard some people use old ketchup or mustard bottles so they can squirt it right on the scalp)
Apply 1/4 to 1/2 of this solution directly to scalp little by little, massaging area as you go. You want to work it in, not scrub it. Think stimulate, not frustrate. This isn't going to lather like your old shampoo...its just removing oil and product buildup. When you rinse your hair it will flow through the rest of your hair and cleanse it as well. No need to apply this ANYWHERE but the scalp. PERIOD. Make sure you get all around the crown and down the middle, which is where most oil accumulates.
Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. Get it gone.
Mix 1/4 - 1/2 cup plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar with 1-2 cups water.
(I'm not too worried about ratios here)
I put this in a spray bottle and spray on the hair from the neck down, concentrating on the ends. Btw...it doesn't take much of this...promise. This should get you through several washings.
Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. RIIIINSE.
(Once your hair dries it will NOT smell like vinegar)
And for me, I like to put a fingertip of coconut oil through the ends of my hair as I comb it out.
And thats basically it.
Like I said, it took time for my scalp to figure it out. You HAVE to stick with it for 3 weeks in order to really see your hard work pay off. And you might have to play around with the ratios. Some people need more baking soda, some less. You'll figure it out.
I'm really glad I did...its been 4 months and I love it.
http://www.nopoomethod.com/
It's like it finally figured it out...
So I started stretching the days between washings even further.
I can now go 10 days without washing my hair.
I kid you not.
I'll wash it and put some mousse or gel in it...wait 5-6 days, then I'll rinse it in the shower.
Maybe spray some vinegar on it to help detangle...
Then I'll comb it out and just let it dry straight.
Then wait until I'm feeling motivated...and wash it.
It's. Awesome.
Unless I start noticing my hair getting brittle or breaking off...I'll never go back to shampoo. My hair looks and feels a LOT healthier than it ever did and I love not having to wash it all the time.
Plus, its easier to style! I can't understand why, really...but it just..is.
Here's what I do:
Dissolve 4-5 Tbsp baking soda in 2 cups of warm water.
( I put my solution in a large pump bottle I keep in the shower. I've heard some people use old ketchup or mustard bottles so they can squirt it right on the scalp)
Apply 1/4 to 1/2 of this solution directly to scalp little by little, massaging area as you go. You want to work it in, not scrub it. Think stimulate, not frustrate. This isn't going to lather like your old shampoo...its just removing oil and product buildup. When you rinse your hair it will flow through the rest of your hair and cleanse it as well. No need to apply this ANYWHERE but the scalp. PERIOD. Make sure you get all around the crown and down the middle, which is where most oil accumulates.
Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. Get it gone.
Mix 1/4 - 1/2 cup plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar with 1-2 cups water.
(I'm not too worried about ratios here)
I put this in a spray bottle and spray on the hair from the neck down, concentrating on the ends. Btw...it doesn't take much of this...promise. This should get you through several washings.
Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. RIIIINSE.
(Once your hair dries it will NOT smell like vinegar)
And for me, I like to put a fingertip of coconut oil through the ends of my hair as I comb it out.
And thats basically it.
Like I said, it took time for my scalp to figure it out. You HAVE to stick with it for 3 weeks in order to really see your hard work pay off. And you might have to play around with the ratios. Some people need more baking soda, some less. You'll figure it out.
I'm really glad I did...its been 4 months and I love it.
http://www.nopoomethod.com/
1 comment:
do you do the baking soda and vinegar routine every time you shower? So basically you're washing your hair with something besides shampoo? Or do you do the baking soda and vinegar routine every 10 days?
And what do you do to not get your hair tangled at night? And I'm assuming you don't brush it out every day or do you?
I have so many questions on this one, can you tell? :)
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