No-Poo Method

So a lot of people have been talking about the no-poo method, I'm clearly not the first nor will I be the last. This post might not even be necessary except that so many people have asked me about it that I thought I'd post my trial and error here.

First- I use organix shampoo. I found out it has sulfates and parabens and alcohol or whatever that makes it not actually organic. It may be that they're not super harmful regardless, but I figured I'd go ahead and try something new. Except all the actually natural hair products seem to be more expensive than I was willing to pay just to try.

The Recipe

The first time I tried it, I read this blog from treehugger.com. I did 1 tbps baking soda per 1 cup of water and same with the apple cider vinegar, making about 4 times the amount to leave in my shower since I'm lazy and don't want to make it every time. I could barely tell the difference so I labeled them #1 and #2.

Eventually I made this version from MindBodyGreen, but it was WAY too much. I doubled the water and used it, but eventually quadrupled it because it's totally unnecessary to use so much baking soda and vinegar. I'd use the other recipe.

The Method

I already only used shampoo/conditioner every 2-3 days, so I thought at first I would just alternate, so I was only shampooing every 6ish days. It was surprisingly greasy the first day, but I think that was just from the avocado/egg hair mask I had also used. I don't suggest doing them at the same time for that reason. I also was surprised by how not greasy my hair was, that such a diluted formula could be so useful.

I also was doing it wrong at first- I figured it worked because of the reaction of vinegar with baking soda, so I'd put baking soda on first and then follow with the vinegar without rinsing. I didn't notice anything weird, but you are SUPPOSED to rub the baking soda onto your scalp (avoid the rest of your hair if you can), leave it, rinse, then use the vinegar and rinse fairly quickly.

While the Ph of baking soda is fairly basic, apparently in water it can raise higher (or so I read here). Of course, I have no idea if this is true, but if it is, it can dry out your hair, so I just don't leave it in that long. The vinegar smells pretty bad so I like rinsing it pretty immediately anyway. DO NOT GET IT IN YOUR MOUTH. It's disgusting. Vinegar apparently helps kill bacteria, I thought about using it on my back where I am more prone to acne after sweating, but I hate the smell so much I haven't tried yet.

Since my hair is long, without conditioner, my hair feels pretty tangled and dry right after washing, but I use argan oil (this one from Josie Maran) right after the shower on the tips of my hair and brush it through a little, which helps.

The Result

Eventually I went 3 weeks without shampoo and my hair was curlier (I also wasn't brushing it as frequently or blow drying it to see what happened), it's softer, and I don't miss the shampoo at all. I still intend to buy a natural shampoo called "Unite" for use after things like river tubing or camping. I'll probably get their detangling spray first to use after every shower though. They used it on my hair last time I got it cut and it felt and smelt amazing.

Since I'm using so little of the baking soda and vinegar, I imagine getting to the point of nothing at all will be even easier, and hopefully I can just use the formula once a week or two!