No 'Poo Days 7-12

Read about the first six days and why I made the switch here.

Day 7- Today officially marks a week of not using shampoo and conditioner, and today my hair feels and looks it's cleanest and softest yet. Today I added more baking soda to my mixture and washed twice with it and rinsed twice with the vinegar mixture (I had a snow day, so I was able to take a nice long shower). I'm not sure if that's what made the difference, or if my hair is just beginning to adjust.

Day 8-11- I'm grouping all of these days together because a) I wasn't diligent about writing those days and b) all four of those days were about the same. It think my hair is almost through the adjustment phase. When I let it dry naturally and wear it curly, it does not look greasy at all. It has generally been soft and the curls bouncy. I've been combing it out at night which ruins the curls (they are ruined when I sleep anyway, so who cares?), but I read somewhere that this important in order to help the natural oils protect your hair and to literally comb out some of the day's "dirt." After I comb it out, I can run my fingers through it with no fear of creating frizzy curls and can see that it feels clean, and looks, in my opinion, less greasy than it normally used to at the end of the day.

Day 11-- another lousy picture, but you get the idea.
It's clean and curly.

Steve did notice a bit of a vinegar smell in my hair the other night. I'm thinking about fighting that in a few different ways. I might try putting a drop of essential oil in the vinegar mixture, and I plan to switch to apple cider vinegar which is what most no 'poo-ers use. I was out and just haven't bought more yet. I'm not sure if that will make a difference, but I'm hoping it will.

Day 12- I used only the baking soda wash today and I was completely happy with the cleanliness of my hair. I plan to try to straighten it on Friday.

I also wanted to mention that the biggest difference I've seen is the lack of dandruff. I have major problems with dandruff. I mean (and you won't believe how embarrassing this is for me to actually type out) I get chunks of flaking scalp that sometimes scab. This is actually another wonderful symptom of the PCOS. That and hair loss. Yippee! (I watched some old home movies with my family the other day and my hair when I was sixteen was twice as thick as it is now). Anyway, the point is, the dandruff issues are little to none now. This alone is enough to convince me to keep going with the no 'poo.

How about you? Has anybody else tried this? Am I tempting you to make the switch or totally turning you off toward it?

No 'Poo Days 4-6

Here's my update on this whole no 'poo thing. If you didn't read the beginning, you can here.


Day 4: Today I used both the baking soda and the vinegar. I also added a bit more baking soda to the baking soda wash. I don't like that it's hard to know if I put enough in because it feels like I'm just adding water. Using the vinegar rinse really helped with that coarse, unconditioned feeling I didn't like yesterday. It separated the strands and made them feel smoother. My hair today is super curly and bouncy. I keep thinking I smell vinegar, but I think it's just on my hands. I actually had a student tell me I smell good today as I walked past, so if I do smell like vinegar, it can't be that bad. Once my hair dried completely it did have a bit of a greasy look just on the top, but I sprinkled some baking soda on it and that took care of it.

Day 5: I hate the way my hair looks today. However, I'm not sure how much of that is due to the lack of shampoo and how much is due to the fact that a) I am in the awkward stage of growing my hair out, and b)I need a trim. I don't think it feels particularly greasy or dry or anything, it just didn't curl nicely. I wanted to try straightening it this morning because at this length it looks better straightened, but I didn't wake up early enough.

Day 6: Today was the most frustrating day yet. I washed my hair with the baking soda wash, then did the vinegar rinse. I thought I'd try straightening it like I did on day two. Bad idea. It was disgusting. There was no way I was going to work like that. So I stopped half way through and washed it with baking soda again, then let it dry naturally. It felt so gross. It felt waxy, like I had rubbed crayons in my hair. Ew.
However, the curls dried nicely, at least in the front, with pretty ringlets. The top looked greasy, so I sprinkled some baking soda in it, and now I think it looks better than it did yesterday. I really came close to using shampoo today though. Like, really. The picture above is from today. It was taken with my phone, so the quality is horrible, but you get the idea...curls look nice, but you can see it's a little stringy.

My "No 'Poo" Experience Begins

In my last post, I mentioned that there are several new things I'm trying, and they don't all relate to food. This is the thing that most you will think I'm nuts for trying.

Source

I'm going no 'poo.

What is "no 'poo"?
It's the funny little abbreviation for not using shampoo and conditioner. The term "no 'poo" most specifically refers to replacing your shampoo with a baking soda and water solution and replacing your conditioner with a vinegar and water rinse.

Why am I doing this? 
Actually there are multiple reasons.

• Originally, I was inspired by this post  about the "Curly Girl" method. I made the switch about a year ago to a sulfate free shampoo because it is not only better for everyone's hair (sulfates strip the natural oils from your hair), but specifically better for curly and wavy hair types. It was pretty much a choice inspired by vanity; I wanted my curls to look better.
• More recently, my desire to get away from shampoo altogether is prompted by my hormonal issues and PCOS. Different chemicals can further mess with the delicate balance of hormones and removing these chemicals can help to restore that balance.
• It's cheaper. Baking soda and vinegar cost pennies compared to the L'Oreal Everpure (a readily available sulfate free shampoo) I was using. 
• Ultimately, going no 'poo will restore your bodies natural balance of hormones giving you healthier hair, a healthier scalp (I have problems with mine), and allowing you to wash your hair less often. Because regular shampoo strips your hair of its natural oils, your hair overcompensates giving you oily hair and causing you to need to shampoo more often. The idea of being caught in this vicious cycle irritates me.

How do you do it?

I googled no' poo recipes and came up with a variety of options. The most basic are the baking soda and vinegar solutions, but there is no exact science to those. The amount and frequency of baking soda and vinegar are dependent on how your hair responds to it. Below are links to some of my sources.

             Misty Moncur: No 'Poo recipes (this one has the most variety)

             Whole Sweet Home

             Simple Mom

Keep in mind...

• There is a transition period as your hair adjusts. Most people say up to two weeks, but I've also heard up to a month. I'm hoping that because I've already been using a sulfate free shampoo, my transition time won't be as long. So far (see below) it's been manageable. 
• It's not going to feel like using shampoo. There is no lather. No foamy scrubbing. This is actually better for curls specifically because you're not damaging your hair with that rough rubbing.
• There are alternative ways to go no 'poo or low 'poo including specialty shampoos and natural shampoos. In fact, the creator of the Curly Girl method mentioned above helped to create something call Deva Curl which is a hair care system designed around curly hair. Wen is also a low 'poo alternative. As cost was one of my motives, I didn't spend much time looking into these.

How's it going so far?

Below is my no 'poo journal. I plan to try to update as I continue on. 

Day 1: Used a baking soda and water solution, squirted on hair, rubbed it in a little bit, and rinsed it out. Let hair dry naturally. Curls were bouncy and full. Hair did not feel greasy.

Day 2: Used the same baking soda and water solution. This time I let it sit in my hair for a few minutes. I also made a vinegar and water solution (I used red wine vinegar because I was out of apple cider vinegar) and poured that on my hair then rinsed it out. Hair felt clean coming out of the shower. I decided to blow dry and straighten and it felt and looked a little greasy. I tried sprinkling some dry baking soda in it and running my fingers through it. That not only got rid of the greasy look, but also the greasy feel. Hair had great body.

Day 3: Used the baking soda and water solution. I didn't like the way my hair felt after I rinsed it out. It was difficult to run my fingers through it, and I really wanted conditioner. I think the vinegar rinse might have helped with that, but I didn't have time to make up a cup because I was running late. I let my hair air dry and it didn't feel as nice or curl as nicely as it did on day 1.

How about you? Have any of you tried this? If so, how was your experience?