Thursday, July 7, 2011

"No-Poo???"

Hey ya'll. I'm coming to you from VACATION baby! My momma is getting married on Saturday (so presh!) and I originally took a few days off beforehand so that we could go home and help with everything BUT then the hubby got a job (yay!) and has to work.  So this momma took baby to daycare and is going to have some "me time."  This includes time at the pool if the weather permits and lots of baking.  Stay tuned for that.
Today, we are going to talk about shampoo.  One month ago, I washed my hair with this:

Sure, I knew the conditioner wasn't really "natural" but I liked the smell

About three weeks ago, I decided I would try something a little less chemicaly:
Whole Foods Brand, herbal mint (I love the idea of mint on my head)

And now.....
Read on...

I've done lots of research on this not-so-new trend that people are doing. It has been coined "no-poo" as in no shampoo.  People all over are throwing out their Pantene and replacing it with crazy stuff.  Stuff that you bake cookies with even.  Some are dropping it all together and just doing a good ol' water rinse.  I'm not quite to that step yet.  What I have found over at Crunchy Betty is what she calls "Sorta Poo."  I have held off posting on this because I wanted to wait and see what my hair did so I could give you an honest opinion.

What she does is mix Pure Castille Soap ( I use the Peppermint version)



with....  coconut milk.  Seriously???  Yes!  She actually has a recipe to make your own coconut milk here but I made it easy and just bought some
The mix is 1 teaspoon of soap to 1 Tablespoon of milk.  

The purpose of the milk, other than all it's beneficial properties (something I will get to someday) is lather.  I noticed that when I switched to the Whole Foods 365 brand, the shampoo didn't lather worth a darn and we all know thats the best part of shampooing your hair.  The milk does wonders!!

So why switch? Most shampoos you buy and put on your hair have crappy chemicals and bad stuff (yes, the science is out there to define "bad stuff" but you'll just have to trust me or read it for yourself.)  Also, like the face wash we previously visited, strip your hair of it's natural oils.  Pure-Castille soap is pure vegetable based and has no synthetic foaming agents (which is why we add the milk) or preservatives. 

As for conditioner?
Apple Cider Vinegar rinse.  The recipe here is 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to one cup of water.  It  can be adjusted as you use it, depending on your hair.


So what did I think???
The first day I did the wash, my hair felt tangly and just weird in the shower.  Then came the rinse.  After I got use to the vinegar smell it felt much better.  The smell went away after it dried by the way.
The second day, I didn't rinse with the vinegar and oh my goodness, my hair was so greasy!!  It went in a ponytail before I even left the house.  I messaged Cruncy Betty herself and asked her if this was normal.  She told me to make I sure was using the vinegar rinse.
Day three and going foward... I feel like my hair is still getting use to the new routine.  My hair seems more thick, but not as soft as usual, and my scalp seem dry and a bit itchy.  The hair always ends up in a ponytail by the day is over.

I'm going to stick with it for a while.  I've read that it takes some weeks for your hair and scalp to get use to everything.  I've also read about people washing with baking soda and water (and following up with the vinegar rinse,) so I might give that a try too.  Everyone that does this, praises it.  There are lady's that haven't shampooed in like years and swear by it. 


What do you think??? Does this sound like something you would try?  What else have you heard of to wash your hair?


 Update:
I forget to tell ya that the soap/milk mixture is suppose to be stored in the refrigerator so that the milk doesn't sour.  I will say that there has been times that I've left it out overnight and it's been fine, but I would leave it out constantly.

2 comments:

Tara said...

Keep us posted on what you think of this "No-Poo". It is something I would consider trying, however, I have very oily hair. If yours feels oily I can only imagine what mine would be.
I have tried the no sulfates, environmentally safe etc. shampoo and conditioners and honestly can't find one I like. I don't like that they don't foam and my hair gets a very weird texture to it:(

MountainBlessings said...

Howz it going with the No Poo? I gave it an honest try. The first try I actually liked it, my hair felt so thick and fluffy. I might say here my reason for trying it was because I have been having the worst problem with oily hair and skin all of a sudden. I live in AZ and have had dry hair and skin for years (I am 54) and overnite, it seemed, things changed. I know hormones. So I tried the No Poo method and thought yippee right off the bat my hair felt so good, not all oily and scuzzy. But each time after that it just never seemed right and I played with the recipe over and over. And the No Poo seemed to wash the color out of my hair faster. Yes I still color my hair, unfortunately it will be a long while before I will let it go natural...what can I say
:0, But back to my saga, what I am doing now and it seems just ok, not great, when I shower I wash my hair just once with mild shampoo, rinse and then wash again with BS. I still rinse with the ACV. My hair is pretty thick and very long and I have to say the ACV rinse is a great detangler. I have never had a problem, surprisingly with split ends, but my ends do seem dryer. Any good thoughts on a conditioner? I use olive oil sometimes.

Anyway I really enjoyed your blog, I hopped over from Cruncy Betty and I can't wait to try the cookies, my DH loves choc anything and I am sure he will love them.

Thanks for sharing! Marla