What’s the “no-poo” method?
Basically, it’s a method where you do not wash your hair with shampoo. Sometimes the shampoo is replaced by baking soda and water, and sometimes the conditioner is replaced by a mixture of vinger (either Apple Cider Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar).
Why go “no-poo”?
Eliminating shampoo from your hair care routine can treat oily hair or dry hair. It can also help with dandruff and other hair problems. Some people choose no-poo because it doesn’t use any chemicals. Some people choose it because it made their hair healthier and stronger. Others think this is a great alternative to expensive hair products.
Items you should have if you want to go “no-poo”
A boar bristle brush: This distributes the oils on your scalp throughout the rest of your hair and onto your ends.
Baking soda: This can be a good alternative to shampoo for those super oily hair days.
Vinegar: You will need to decide whether you’d use Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar on your ends. It may be good to have both on hand in case one doesn’t work well for you.
Dry Shampoo: I used Chagrin Valley brand. It’s the only one I’ve tried, but it’s USDA Organic, and that appeals to me.
Shampoo: During my “no-poo” method in the first month my hair got so ridiculously oily that I needed to use shampoo or I’d freak out. I used Chagrin Valley shampoo bar, but it’s important for you to do research on the best shampoo for you before going into this. I personally recommend avoiding sulfates and other harmful chemicals often found in store bought shampoo.
Journal: It’s great to journal your hairs progress, so you can truly keep track of your personal “no-poo” method experience
Camera: Make sure to take lots of pictures of your hair because this will go hand-in-hand with journaling.
The oily stage
Many people that claim that the “no-poo” method doesn’t work just can’t get over the oily stage. I’m here to attest that the oily stage is real, and it’s AWFUL. This is the process where your head is detoxing, and the oil on your scalp continues to produce until it realizes that it doesn’t need to make it anymore. This stage can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. You can hide the grease on your hair by wearing your hair up with headbands, braiding your hair, by using dry shampoo, or other methods to cover up that “greaser” look.
Things that will play a part in your results
Hard water: It’s brutal to your hair. Your “no-poo” result will be the best if you have soft water.
Your hair type: Some hair types take a longer time to transition into “no-poo” than other hair types. Be patient and don’t give up.
What’s right for you
Based on my experience and what I’ve read, oily hair and dry hair should use different procedures when participating in the no-poo method. As time goes on you can adjust and try new this. If your hair is oily, using more baking soda may be the best fit for you. Also, in your rinse you should use Distilled White Vinegar. If your hair is dry, you should use less baking soda. Your rinse should consist of Apple Cider Vinegar.
What I did
In the beginning all I did was rub 1 tsp. of baking soda into my scalp. Eventually this made my hair itchy. That’s when I cut down to 1/2 tsp of baking soda and 2 drops of tea tree oil. This is also when I added in a mixture of 1 cup to 1/2 tsp. of Distilled White Vinegar into a spray bottle and I applied this onto my ends.
Hair Log
Below I have included a log of the first month of my no-poo experience.
Day #1: I shampooed my hair yesterday and used my homemade leave-in conditioner. My hair isn’t super oily, but it doesn’t look clean either.
Day #2: Today I used 1 tsp. of baking soda and massaged it into my scalp, then I rinsed it out well. After that I put leave-in conditioner in my hair.
Day #3: I just used water on my hair and wore it up.
Day #4: Again I massaged 1 tsp. of baking soda into my hair. It seemed to help hide some of the grease, but it still looks greasy. I wore it up to hide some of that grease.
Day #5: I washed my hair with just water. My scalp is starting to feel itchy.
Day #6: My hair looks very greasy. I brushed it to distribute my natural oils and then I wore it up. My scalp feels itchy. I don’t know if the grease is making it itchy, if it’s the hard water, or if I used too much baking soda. I may alter my hair procedure when I “wash” it tomorrow.
Day #7: My hair looked awful. I feel like half of my hair is covered in grease, and the scalp has a THICK layer of it. So today I rubbed 1/2 tsp. of baking soda into my scalp, rinsed it out, then put leave-in conditioner in it. I’m hoping that less baking soda stops the itch. I’m also seeing white chunks in my that may be a result of the calcium build up from our hard water. Today I ordered a shampoo bar and dry shampoo from Chagrin Valley because I know after long term use baking soda can damage hair. I want an alternative option for when I want to discontinue the use of baking soda that still doesn’t strip my hair’s natural oil from my head.
Day 8: My hair is still kind of greasy. It seems to look a little better and I don’t know if my hair is improving or if I’m getting used to the greasy look. My head is still itchy so I may alter my routine next baking soda day.
Day 9: My hair looks so bad that I’m actually considering washing my hair with shampoo at this point. My hair looks greasy and limp. It still itches too. Ugh!
Day 10: At this point there’s nothing I can do to hide the mass of grease lathered hair on my head. I’ve also noticed that since beginning the “no-poo” method my face has gotten more acne on it…probably from the oils from my head. If I get my shampoo bar tomorrow I’ll use that instead of baking soda tomorrow.
Day 11: My hair is basically the same as the past few days. I did a hair mask of 2 egg whites, 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, and a dash of salt. I let that sit on my head for 30 minutes, rinsed it with lukewarm water (hot water “cooks” the egg), then washed it with 1/2 tsp. of baking soda and 1 drop tea tree oil. I chose the tea tree oil this time because it’s anti-fungal, and I’m hoping it eliminates the awful itchiness I’ve been dealing with. I hope improvements begin before I go to South Dakota because I will be seeing family. Needless to say, super oily hair would be a major embarrassment.
Day 12: My hair doesn’t look super greasy when it’s up. My Chagrin Valley soaps came in, so I’m excited to try them. Also the white chunks in my hair are GONE! Yay! I’m giving the credit of that to the tea tree oil (God, I love essential oils).
Day 13: I’ve been getting some pretty rude comments about my hair from my mom 😦 But I want to change my oily hair to healthy hair!
Day 14: Nothing really to tell. My hair doesn’t look worse, but it doesn’t look better either.
Day 15: My head feels itchy again, so I will be sure to use tea tree next time that I shower. Also, I used the Chagrin Valley dry shampoo for the first time, and it seemed to help hide the grease if you use a LOT of it! I LOVED the smell of it though.
Day 16: I don’t feel super great because I think I think I have food poisoning. I took a bath with lavender, peppermint, and cedarwood in it (all good oils for hair and relaxation). I also did a vinegar rinse of my hair for the first time. I did a mixture of 1 cup of distilled water to 1/2 tsp. of Distilled White Vinegar in a spray bottle and sprayed it on my ends. After that shower I put leave-in conditioner on the ends of my hair.
Day 17: My is the same as it’s been.
Day 18: I used my Chagrin Valley shampoo bar, and I liked the smell and my hair felt clean. The picture above this is a photo of my hair after I used the shampoo bar.
Day 19: I used the dry shampoo and wore my hair down. It stilled seemed clean, and usually my hair would already be greasy the day after washing it.
Day 20: I wore my hair up because my hair seemed like it was beginning to get greasy.
Day 21: I washed my hair with 1/2 tsp. of baking soda mixed with 2-3 drops of tea tree essential oil. The soft water in South Dakota (where I’m currently staying) has helped my hair a TON. I was able to wear it down for church today.
Day 22: Today I used the dry shampoo and wore it down again. My hair is far less greasy than it would be 4 days after washing it with shampoo.
Day 23: I wore my hair up and it doesn’t look too bad. I may be out of the greasy stage finally (fingers crossed).
Day 24: My hair is definitely officially greasy again, but I am seeing slow improvements in my hair the longer I do the “no-poo” method.
Day 25: My scalp is greasy. My ends are dry. Today I just took a bath mixed with breast milk (don’t judge me…breast milk is great for everything I promise). Then I put the vinegar rinse on my ends. Now that I’m back in Wisconsin I’m worried that the hard water is going to be tough on my hair again.
Day 26: My hair is officially NASTY. It will be up until my next shampoo bar or baking soda day. I also bought an organic conditioner (Pura d’or), and after washing my hair with just conditioner my hair felt and looked much better.
Day 27: The conditioner wash helped my hair so much that I may be able to wear my hair down if I use dry shampoo.
Day 28: Today was supposed to be a baking soda day, but because my hair didn’t look to greasy when I used dry shampoo, I decided to skip the “wash”.
Day 29: My hair is down and greasy, but I’m still pretty confident that the “no-poo” method works.
Day 30: Well, I’ve been “no-poo” for 30 days now, and at this point there isn’t much to say. My hair is still slightly greasy and if I went out in public I’d probably choose to wear it up.
Day 31: Today I washed my hair with 1/2 tsp. of baking soda and 2 drops of tea tree essential oil. Then I sprayed my ends with my vinegar mixture. After I got out of the shower I sprayed my leave-in conditioner on my ends.
Day 32: My hair still looks greasy. I plan to continue my “no-poo” journey for another month, and I hope the my scalp begins to regulate within that time. I will post an update of month 2 when that time comes.
As always if you have an comments, concerns, questions, or tips, you can e-mail me at ilikefreebabystuff@yahoo.com or comment on one of my posts. 🙂