My No Poo Journey: The Beginning
In my quest to live life in a more natural state, I've decided to add 'No Poo' to my repertoire of "crunchy" arsenal!
So, tonight I took the plunge and bought the things I'll need!
A little background:
Until the 1800's, it was recommended to only shampoo your hair once a month. A few decades later, the synthetic shampoo was born and people started shampooing every two weeks. But, by the 1970's, shampooing became a daily routine for many.
You hair contains natural oils, called sebum, in its follicles. This sebum keeps your hair conditioned and healthy. Washing your hair with the harsh chemicals found in today's shampoo strips away at your hairs natural oils.
The theory behind the 'No Poo Movement' is by washing your hair with a gentle alternative to shampoo such as, baking soda and either apple cider vinegar if you have a normal/dry scalp or white vinegar if you have an oily scalp. With the No Poo, you will achieve clean, healthy and beautiful hair without the harsh chemicals in today's shampoo formulas. Most dermatologists and hair-stylists have been advocates for No Poo for quite some time, so I'm sure many are jumping for joy at this new 'movement.'
Of course you're skeptical! Right?! Who wouldn't be?! I certainly was! My hair gets SUPER greasy if I don't wash it at least every other day. When I heard about not shampooing hair about 3 years ago when my son was a baby and I was venturing into this natural way of living, I thought it was crazy! I was one of those who thought that I had to shampoo my hair in order to keep the grease and oil at bay. But, in actuality, I was causing the grease and oil. By over-shampooing I was stripping away all my natural oils, thus causing my oil glands to freak out because my hair was drying out. This produces an overproduction of sebum, giving me that "grease ball" look like I had just worked underneath my truck all day long.
For those who have broken the cycle before me, the reports have shown fuller, softer and bouncier hair! Many, like myself, have started saying NO to shampoo more often throughout the week. I have already noticed I can go two days in-between shampooing before I look like a grease monkey!
When you being trying it, however, do not become discouraged when you see your hair become super oily in the beginning. You have to retrain your oil glands to stop freaking out when your hair dries out a bit and teach the oil glands that the overproduction of sebum is no longer needed. This can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on how much you were shampooing and the products you were using. Daily brushing will help to distribute the natural oil evenly to prevent a buildup around the hair follicles.
What you can expect with No Poo...
*More body
*Less oily hair
*Less frizz and fly-aways (great for curly hair!)
*Added shine
*Hair that's easier to style
*Wash hair less since your scalp will no longer be overproducing oils
*No more chemicals!
*More MONEY in your bank account!
*New hair growth
Now for the fun part! Actually using the No Poo method to wash your hair!
Use baking soda to wash your hair. This will remove debris, dirt, and excess oil from your scalp and roots. Then you use vinegar to condition the length of your hair! Pretty simple, eh?! and CHEAP!
Here's what you'll need:
*Baking Soda
*Vinegar (use apple cider vinegar for normal/dry hair, white vinegar for normal/oily hair)
*Water
*Squirt Bottle (like an old fashioned mustard/ketchup bottle)
*Spray Bottle
Here's what you need to do:
*Create a solution of baking soda and water in your squirt bottle. 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water. Completely dissolve the baking soda. The liquid should feel slippery in your hands. If it doesn't, add in more baking soda until you have reached slippery status.
*Create a solution of vinegar and water in your spray bottle. 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1 cup of water. Shake.
*Wet your hair, apply the baking soda mixture in the squirt bottle to your roots and massage into your scalp. Do not apply this to the entire length of your hair, just your roots and scalp! Leave it on until it starts to feel slippery and then rinse, rinse, rinse!
*Condition your hair by spraying the vinegar mixture to the LENGTH of your hair and focus on the tips. Do not apply to the roots or the scalp. Leave on for a few minutes and then rinse. The vinegar may have a pretty strong smell while you're doing this, don't worry, once your hair is dry you will not smell the vinegar.
If you're into Essential Oils, you can add a few drops to your hairbrush! This will not only help with the fragrance of your hair, but your hair will benefit from the properties of the essential oil as well.
If you're looking for a deep condition for your hair either to use in place of your choice of the vinegar mix or to use along with the vinegar mix, read HERE about how awesome Coconut Oil is for deep conditioning your hair!
Good Luck! I will be posting updates as I go along this journey!
Until the 1800's, it was recommended to only shampoo your hair once a month. A few decades later, the synthetic shampoo was born and people started shampooing every two weeks. But, by the 1970's, shampooing became a daily routine for many.
You hair contains natural oils, called sebum, in its follicles. This sebum keeps your hair conditioned and healthy. Washing your hair with the harsh chemicals found in today's shampoo strips away at your hairs natural oils.
The theory behind the 'No Poo Movement' is by washing your hair with a gentle alternative to shampoo such as, baking soda and either apple cider vinegar if you have a normal/dry scalp or white vinegar if you have an oily scalp. With the No Poo, you will achieve clean, healthy and beautiful hair without the harsh chemicals in today's shampoo formulas. Most dermatologists and hair-stylists have been advocates for No Poo for quite some time, so I'm sure many are jumping for joy at this new 'movement.'
Of course you're skeptical! Right?! Who wouldn't be?! I certainly was! My hair gets SUPER greasy if I don't wash it at least every other day. When I heard about not shampooing hair about 3 years ago when my son was a baby and I was venturing into this natural way of living, I thought it was crazy! I was one of those who thought that I had to shampoo my hair in order to keep the grease and oil at bay. But, in actuality, I was causing the grease and oil. By over-shampooing I was stripping away all my natural oils, thus causing my oil glands to freak out because my hair was drying out. This produces an overproduction of sebum, giving me that "grease ball" look like I had just worked underneath my truck all day long.
For those who have broken the cycle before me, the reports have shown fuller, softer and bouncier hair! Many, like myself, have started saying NO to shampoo more often throughout the week. I have already noticed I can go two days in-between shampooing before I look like a grease monkey!
When you being trying it, however, do not become discouraged when you see your hair become super oily in the beginning. You have to retrain your oil glands to stop freaking out when your hair dries out a bit and teach the oil glands that the overproduction of sebum is no longer needed. This can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on how much you were shampooing and the products you were using. Daily brushing will help to distribute the natural oil evenly to prevent a buildup around the hair follicles.
What you can expect with No Poo...
*More body
*Less oily hair
*Less frizz and fly-aways (great for curly hair!)
*Added shine
*Hair that's easier to style
*Wash hair less since your scalp will no longer be overproducing oils
*No more chemicals!
*More MONEY in your bank account!
*New hair growth
Now for the fun part! Actually using the No Poo method to wash your hair!
Use baking soda to wash your hair. This will remove debris, dirt, and excess oil from your scalp and roots. Then you use vinegar to condition the length of your hair! Pretty simple, eh?! and CHEAP!
Here's what you'll need:
*Baking Soda
*Vinegar (use apple cider vinegar for normal/dry hair, white vinegar for normal/oily hair)
*Water
*Squirt Bottle (like an old fashioned mustard/ketchup bottle)
*Spray Bottle
Here's what you need to do:
*Create a solution of baking soda and water in your squirt bottle. 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water. Completely dissolve the baking soda. The liquid should feel slippery in your hands. If it doesn't, add in more baking soda until you have reached slippery status.
*Create a solution of vinegar and water in your spray bottle. 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1 cup of water. Shake.
*Wet your hair, apply the baking soda mixture in the squirt bottle to your roots and massage into your scalp. Do not apply this to the entire length of your hair, just your roots and scalp! Leave it on until it starts to feel slippery and then rinse, rinse, rinse!
*Condition your hair by spraying the vinegar mixture to the LENGTH of your hair and focus on the tips. Do not apply to the roots or the scalp. Leave on for a few minutes and then rinse. The vinegar may have a pretty strong smell while you're doing this, don't worry, once your hair is dry you will not smell the vinegar.
If you're into Essential Oils, you can add a few drops to your hairbrush! This will not only help with the fragrance of your hair, but your hair will benefit from the properties of the essential oil as well.
If you're looking for a deep condition for your hair either to use in place of your choice of the vinegar mix or to use along with the vinegar mix, read HERE about how awesome Coconut Oil is for deep conditioning your hair!
Good Luck! I will be posting updates as I go along this journey!
Until next time, friends
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