No poo...

Hello everyone,

Have you heard of the practice, 'No Poo'?  It's the practice of cleansing your hair without shampoo because  they believe the commercial shampoos can not only be full of harmful chemicals, but also that they strip your scalp of its natural oils and can leave it dry and damaged.  There's actually a big community of 'No Pooers' out there, and the numbers are growing!  I know, I know, they really could have thought of a better name for themselves...  but isn't it crazy that some people are washing their hair without shampoo?  I mean, I grew up taking a shower every single day, and of course washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner every day too thanks to my nurse mother.  Cleanliness was the law at our house  haha.  so when I first heard about the 'No Poo' method, the first thought that came to to my mind was, 'ewww!'  But!  for the last year or so, I tried washing my hair every other day because my hair was getting so dried out from the constant washing and styling.  And since my hair adapted to that routine so well, I decided to go all the way, and try the 'No Poo' method.

My friend, Ally, first told me about the method last year when I complimented on how great her hair looked. I was intrigued, and she definitely recommended the method, but she did warn me of the transition period...  Basically, for a month or so of 'No Pooing', your hair is going to live up to the yuckiness that you have imagined.  The oil will pile up, your scalp might itch,, etc etc.  But! I was told that after 4-6 weeks, the scalp will adjust itself, and go back to producing just enough oils to keep your hair healthy and beautiful.

So I decided to give it a try. 

I have to confess, the first 2 weeks was pretty disgusting... I would wash my hair with only water, and after massaging my scalp with my fingertips, it would come away feeling greasy... yuck. Thank goodness it was summer, and I didn't have to go to classes or anything, but yup, my hair was pretty nasty.  Towards the end of the week two, I did some more research, and I read that instead of shampoo, you can use baking soda and some lemon to 'wash' your hair. I was soo close to changing back to shampoo that I decided to give this baking soda method a try.  I didn't have lemons, but I did have DoTerra Lemon essential oil, which is great for disinfecting and cleaning, so I came up with my own little concoction using the oil, baking soda, and water.

No poo shampoo baking soda method

2 Tbs baking soda

2-3 drops of DoTerra lemon essential oil

2 Tbs water

add all of them into a small bowl, and mix! 

Now when you get into the shower, rub the the baking soda mixture into your scalp.  It is going to feel very weird.  It doesn't bubble up like shampoo, and it may leave your hair feeling like you've just rolled around in wet sand. But don't worry, it washes out well, and thanks to the lemon essential oil, your hair is going to smell so wonderfully citrusy!  

The best part?  You can use this on your hair, and then if you have some leftover, you can use it to exfoliate and deep clean your face!  Baking soda and lemon are always listed as primary ingredients for homemade facial cleansers for their cleansing and disinfecting qualities, and the vitamin C and the acid in the lemon essential oil will help to clear your skin of blemishes and brighten any dark spots!  But make sure you don't use too many drops of lemon oil since it is quite potent, and if you have sensitive skin, I would recommend  using only 1 drop of lemon oil.

They recommend using apple cider vinegar to clean and condition the hair more, but for now, I'm just using my conditioner for just the tips of my hair.  I think I'll probably switch over to an all natural brand when I'm through with this one though =)

The verdict?

I love it!  I'm a convert.

I was so surprised by how clean my hair felt after the baking soda method. My hair doesn't get greasy after 2 days anymore-it lasts about 1 week before I feel the need to bust out the baking soda method-, it smells good, and it's definitely low maintenance! haha  I mean, you can't beat washing hair once a week! ;)  I haven't been using any hair products, and a lot of No Pooers recommend not using any during the transition period.  However, if you need to use hair spray or something afterwards, I'm pretty sure the baking soda method will clean it out, no problem!  And the best thing about the baking soda + oil method is that you can switch out the oils for whatever your hair needs!  The next oil I'm going to try is the lavender oil for its calming and healing properties!  =)

What do you guys think?  is No Poo something you would ever try?  ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

--Janny