No 'poo

[Wonder-Full]

OK, so 3monkeys was wanting more details on the no shampoo method of hair washing so I thought I'd share what I do.

The method basically uses baking soda (BS) for cleaning and apple cider vinegar (ACV) for the conditioning/smoothing.

I wanted to try no pooing because I was stuck in a rut washing my fine hair every morning and by the end of the day it was limp and greasy already. My aim wasn't so much to get away from cleaning my hair at all (which I believe you can do if your hair follicles are left to regulate their oil production) but really to just move away from needing to rely on store bought shampoos. I had been buying natural eco shampoos for about 5yrs but felt ready for a change.

I figured the worst that could happen would be a few bad hair days since the BS *is* still a cleaner, it's not like you're not washing your hair.

So to begin with I measured out the amounts. At that stage I had long fine hair with a small amount of wave in it. I measured out 1 tablespoon of BS into a mug while in the shower, filled the mug halfway with water and poured it over my wet hair. I then rubbed it around. This is the strange bit for most people since it obviously doesn't froth or smell all yummy. Then rinse it out.

Next I measured 1 Tablespoon of ACV into the mug and half filled with water and poured it over and just let it run through the hair and ran my fingers through my hair and then rinsed it out.

Done!

I did find that there was quite a bit of grease-regulation that went on over the next 6wks. So many times I almost fell off the wagon and went back to shampoo (I actually had to remove it from the shower coz it was too tempting!). I found pretty much straight away that I could go 2 days between needing to BS/ACV my hair. The inbetween day I would rinse with just water. Now I don't bother to do the wet rinse on the days between, but while I was having grease problems it actually helped coz the warm water removed a certain level of grease (as hot water does on your hands even without soap) and any grime and also when I went for a short hair style I needed to wet it to get rid of the bedhead look. Some days I was able to wash every other day and some days I got it out to 3 days. My maximum now is 4 days. I'm sure I could push it further and work through it, but i'm just happy to not being a slave to washing my hair every day. I don't measure the amounts anymore and just shake the BS or give a good squirt of ACV into the mug.

I've found I have curly hair lol. Guess all those years of shampoos and conditioners loaded it down!

There are other techniques and problem solving things that can be tried, but not having been there myself I can't really say what is the best. Not that I go very often, but I've never had a hairdresser tell me my hair is in bad condition either, so that's a good thing.

PS: baking soda is mostly what I use for all household cleaning/hygiene now - shower, toilet, handbasin, deoderant, shampooing and as a facial scrub and body wash if we've run out of soap. I buy it in a 3kg bag and it lasts for ages.

[Seaweed]

I've been no poo for about 6 years now. Other than the odd rogue visit to the hairdresser where they wash my hair. I used to use the bs & vinegar thing. What I did was mixed some BS in boiling water & honey. Let it cool down. Then used it like shampoo. Rinsed it off with some ACV in the water. Then bunged on loads of conditioner. When we lived in the bus for a whole southern winter without heating or running hot water, I put my hair up & put a big black rasta hat on & did not wash it for 6 weeks. Since then, all I do is rinse with warm water, slather in conditioner. Leave that on for a while. Rinse off with warm water & we are all good. I have long hair & it is way manageable.

[3monkeys]

My hair is in a state. It falls out in clumps breastfeeding and now its at the fuzzy growing back stage.

I am going to try the no poo thing. I probably wash my hair about once a fortnight (I always forget) so its not going to be hard.

Thanks wonder-full

[Seaweed]

I had my hair fall out in clumps when I had dd2. I was a vegan then & she used to get reflux if I had legumes or nuts so I switched to rice milk. My hair got so bad I could see my scalp almost. I had one hell of a mullet 18 months later ;) What I did to counteract it was brewed up & drunk gallons & gallons of oatstraw tea. With dd3, I discovered TF & I did not have the problem. She used to scream for hours if I had soy so I am picking it would have gone the same way otherwise.

[3monkeys]

I have officially finished having kids now and I plan to have nice hair, lol. When I use shampoo I find I get an itchy flaky scalp hence only washing it every few weeks. I am going to go and get some ACV. I have washed my hair using baking soda on its own and thats been ok.

[FrangipaniRose]

I did no 'poo for maybe six months - worked a treat. I stopped purely because I'd gotten lazy about having everything on hand, and that made a difference because I share my shower with two littlies, lol. Now that they are that bit older, I should get back into it more regularly - it was fantastic not to have to wash my hair so regularly. From time to time I do still no 'poo now, but as I said I must get my A into G and get some more BS for the bathroom.

[Serephina]

I might give this a go while I'm on holidays for the next couple of weeks. I started tonight but I *had* to use conditioner on the ends as it was really knotty. Maybe I'm missing something obvious but how do you detangle without conditioner?

[FrangipaniRose]

Apple cider vinegar does the trick Seraphina - I used to use a "slosh" of it in a cup full of water. Occasionally I'd use conditioner, though I found I only needed the tiniest amount (especially if I had also just used ACV).

[Wonder-Full]

Yep, ACV should do the trick for the tangles. I definitely notice a difference if I've forgotten to put it in.

Wow Seaweed, 6yrs. So you don't actually use anything on your hair now, or just conditioner occasionally?

I've decided to take the leap and let my hair go longer between washes, today it's only slightly greasy at the roots, so might tie it up and see if I can go an extra day or two.

[Serephina]

Hmm, I did use ACV, perhaps because my hair is super thick I need to use a bit more. Will report back again in a few days.

[Quickening]

Its been 7 years for me, and it got to the point where I just needed to use water and a scalp massage in the shower and that was it. I use bicarb / vinegar again now as my hair is dreaded - it helps the hair to dread faster I've found. I wash as needed, sometimes that is once a week, sometimes once a fortnight, sometimes every day (if i'm digging in the garden and the kids dump dirt on my head!)

[Seaweed]

I've always used the most expensive conditioner I can find. Well maybe not quite. I've got some davines at the moment. I did get some of that miessence conditioner the other day which was hellishly expensive & sealed. When I opened it, it smelt horrid which was very annoying. I should really put some effort into working out a decent natural d-i-y conditioner. I did try coconut cream once which worked well. I guess we could always go on a pavlova making binge & I could try to do something with the egg yolks too.

[GreenGully]

I have been poo free since I was around 15 (so 13 years), well except for the odd try of a shampoo bar and head lice treatment. I normally have thick curly hair which needs conditioner to detangle once it gets past shoulder length, however I only do this once a fortnight - water is enough in between. I currently have my first set of dreadlocks ever (3ish weeks old). I washed them using a shampoo bar yesterday for the first time. Once they have locked up I am not going to use anything - I anticipate I will wash them maybe 3 more times? I know people say if you don't wash them then they stink, but I figure my hair never smelled bad before, so why now? I will do a teatree rinse every now and again to ward off lice though, so that will help if there is any smell.

[Quickening]

Hey GreenGully, are you doing vinegar rinses after you shampoo? Most shampoos and soaps will leave some form of soap residue in your hair, vinegar gets rid of the residue. Build up of residue happens a lot more easily with dreadlocks because of all the hair in bunches instead of individual strands.

[GreenGully]

It isn't a normal shampoo - a hemp seed oil bar - it is recommended for dreads so I don't think it leaves a residue. It seems to do the job of washing out the wax I use (which isn't dread wax but a mix of coconut oil and beeswax - very soft just to keep the frizz down).

[Quickening]

Oh yeah I've heard of hemp seed bars. Where do you get yours from?

[GreenGully]

I am not sure where - it was a swap gift last year on another forum. I will find out for you.

[Lexie]

Ooo, I did the BS/ACV no-pooing for years. Loved it. And I would apply a touch of virgin coconut oil to my still wet hair. It was divine, but still too oily by the end of the week. That's why I shifted to WO--water only. But no-poo was great. My hair used to be great the day it was washed then a grease ball the very next day. My DH has the same issue but won't try no-poo or WO. He thinks everything I do is strange... :(

[3monkeys]

My DH thinks I am strange too. My hair is loving the BS/ACV thing. I am going for a cut on Thurs - my first salon cut in about 2 years...... and I wonder if they think I am wierd if I ask them not to shampoo my hair first. Or use a low allergen shampoo. I find normal shampoo makes my scalp itch.

[Wonder-Full]

Hey cool it's working out for your 3M!

After 2yrs I think my hair can get away with not being washed (bs/acv) for about a week, only it does get a little greasy at the roots so I do wash before then usually, maybe I can move onto WO soon.

I had quite an old hairdresser just before I started with the no-poo and and I asked him about something and he suggested using acv as it was an old-fashioned method of dealing with it. He never used to shampoo your hair if you washed that day (would only wet it) so it wasn't a problem when I did start no-pooing. I have found the odd use of shampoo at the hairdressers is fine on my hair and I can get back into the swing of things easy enough - but yeah, if you react to shampoo, i'd just ask for them to wet it only. I did mention it to the new young hairdresser though and she looked at me like I had two heads and then proceeded to tell the other hairdressers. :LMAO:

[shakti]

i got to just over 6wks no shampoo with my very long hair just recently and gave up after not wanting to deal with grease anymore. I decided to put the no shampoo change on hold till winter or cooler months of the year than Dec/Jan.
i hadn't heard of the BS ACV combo before so am pleased to have something else to try! Kewl!
What i'd done is wash my hair with just water twice during the 6wk period. One time i put conditioner in hoping it would help it be less dry at the bottom. (I very rarely brush my hair too so need to do this to get the oils to the bottom i presume).
My friend swears by using incense for dreads. Sorta like a vicks steamy bowl thing but with incense and it gets into your dreads and the aroma stays.

[bbrandonsmom]

I'll have to try this. I was just coming to ask what you all use for shampoo/conditioner. I started using Dr Bronners for shampoo, but noticed the hair on the top of my head was really greasy, but not the rest of it so much. I only wash it every few days, unless I actually swim in the gulf or pool-then I rinse it when I get home. The Dr Bronners, does not do this to the men in my life though-the boys hair is as fine as can be-not greasy at all, and dh's is so short, but it doesn't feel greasy either.
Now, I did wash the dog with the peppermint Dr Bronners yesterday, and his hair is nice and not greasy either. And he didn't get that "wet dog" funk either.

[Seaweed]

Dr Bronners is soap so it should seriously strip oils out of your hair which is why it is getting greasy. Kinda like washing it with sunlight liquid. I no poo with bs and acv but I still use decent hell expensive conditioner on the ends.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I no poo with bs and acv but I still use decent hell expensive conditioner on the ends. :trainwreck:

[Seaweed]

Yeah I know but my hair is really long. I'm not prepared to sacrifice it for anything. I think the buddhists shave their heads as our hair signifies our attachment to ourselves which is pretty much spot on. I do only use the good natural hell expensive conditioners you get from hair dressers such as biolage vs the redken loaded with chemical sort of ones. Just smelling them gives me a headache. I should probably just bite the bullet and coconut oil it but my problem is I still have to maintain appearances whilst out in public.

[bbrandonsmom]

Alright, so this is prob stupid, but wouldn't coconut oil make the hair even greasier? I use coconut oil as a lotion, I love it, but I don't use it on my face. My hair is down to my waist :) Maybe because I wash the kids hair much less frequent than mine is that theirs is not greasy then.
Have you looked on skindeep? for a conditioner? Redkin is owned by Nestle, so I wouldn't use them even if they were ok. Or at least they used to be owned by them.

[Seaweed]

Redkin is owned by Nestle You see my gut instinct is strong! I meant put cocont oil on the ends. Some books recommend using jojoba oil on the ends. My hair doesn't really get greasy anymore, I was more concerned with damaged ends. Your kids hair won't be greasy, or should not be, unless they have hit puberty. My kids hair gets washed once a term if they are lucky. Or if there is a headlice scare so I have to check their hair better than the usual quick look I do. Theirs never looks greasy but often ends up several shades lighter after it is washed! I probably should experiment more and find something more natural to condition mine with. Oh and years ago when body piercing was still pretty radical, there used to be a movement of women who oiled and plaited their hair.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I meant your abreviations which I lost the plot on, not the conditioner lol

I've now translated that to mean, "I dont' shampoo, but use baking soda and apple cider vinegar...." took a while though.

[Seaweed]

Actually if you get it wrong and don't wash the bs out properly when you acv, it does make a decent fizz so i did wonder if it was that you meant as well. I spend all that money I save on shampoo and only washing my hair occasionally on decent conditioner and then some. I think when I used to work in an office and had to look good, I calculated once my hair cost me $900 a year. And that was like 15 years ago! I so thought about cutting the whole lot off when I did that sum.
I swear too Mr Sissons stalks me as guess what he just blogged on
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/going-poo-less/#more-13195

[Wonder-Full]

i'm still no-pooing after about 3yrs. I wet with water most days, but not all and then do the BS/ACV routine about every 4 days or whenever it's starting to get greasy in the scalp as it starts to itch.

My hair is down to my waist now and still in pretty good nick.

I tried coconut oil on the ends a few times but found it turned my hair crunchy (which is a common problem apparently). Although in saying that, yesterday when I was dropping a lump into the pan to cook dinner I scooped out a little and ran it over the ends.

you're only meant to use a tiny amount (as if you scrapped your fingernail in the oil, only that tiny amount that gathers is what you need to use without getting grease overload).

[betach]

I love this!