I'm not full of crap just because I don't 'poo

Just about a year ago I began an experiment . . . no-poo.  Which is to say, I gave up using shampoo to wash my hair.

It was a scary prospect, to be sure.  Clean hair without shampoo?  Impossible!  Or was it?  

I did a whole bunch of research before I made the decision to do this.  I found out that a lot of people no-poo. Some because of allergies, some because they want to get away from chemicals, some because its economical . . . all of that is true but the fact that it's effective is the clincher!

So, like I said, I have not shampooed my hair in a year.  In all that time I've used a combination of baking soda mixed with water (about 2 Tbsp mixed with 16 ounces water) to wash; and cider vinegar mixed with water  (about 2 Tbsp mixed with 16 ounces water) as a rinse.  Sometimes, if I'm feeling fancy, I'll use lemon juice mixed with water as a rinse.  My hair is pretty long so if your hair is short you can probably bet by with a 1 Tbsp to 1 cup ratio.

How well does the baking soda clean?  Very, very well.  It removes dirt and oils and odors.  If my hair is especially dirty or stinky . . . I say stinky because I work part-time as a bartender where people smoke cigarettes and cigars . . . I may use a little less water to make more of a paste and really work it in good.  But generally I simply I wet my hair, pour the baking soda/water onto the roots of my hair, work it in to my scalp then down to the ends and rinse with water.  

Baking soda doesn't get foamy like shampoo, but it doesn't need to.  You're hair will have a slick feel to it until you rinse it out.   Then it will feel . . . well . . . clean.

Then I rinse with the cider vinegar/water mixture.  I just tilt my head back pour it over my hair and let it flow to the ends and rinse it out. 

Why the rinse?  Baking soda is alkaline; which will leave your hair unmanageable because it leaves the scales of your hair shaft "ruffled".   

The vinegar or lemon juice is acidic, which will smooth down the scales on your hair shaft and make it smooth and shiny.  Note:  Don't use a stronger vinegar . . . like white vinegar . . . because it is too strong.  

How does my hair smell?  I can assure you that it does not smell like a salad, if you're wondering.  I can also tell you that your hair will not smell flowery or perfumy either.  What it does smell like is fresh clean hair . . . nothing more,  nothing less.

How does it look?  Glossy, healthy . . . beautiful.  Don't take my word for it.  These photos I took just yesterday as I was getting ready for work.  They are not retouched . . . what you see is what you get.

The only real draw back is the big box of baking soda and the gallon of vinegar hanging out in the bathroom.  You can get baking soda really inexpensively in bulk and vinegar is super cheap.  

So, not only are you keeping all kinds of nasty, carcinogenic chemicals off your hair and skin but you're saving money.  And . . . if you're a greenie . . . you're saving the earth, too.

It's a win / win.

A word of warning . . . if you decide to go no-poo just know that it may take a week or up to a month for your body to acclimate to not having all that crap disrupting it.  The early results maybe that your hair and scalp are oilier until you adjust.  

The reason for this is because all the stuff they put in shampoo is designed to remove dirt and oil . . . aggressively.  Which is why your hair gets squeaky clean and why it looks so oily if you miss a day or two from washing your hair.  

Newsflash . . . you're hair and scalp actually need those oils . . . that's why your body produces them.  So, when you are shampooing your oil glands are working overtime to produce even more oil to make up for all the oil you've removed.  

It takes a little time for your body to realize that your no longer removing all the oils and for your glands to back it down to normal production levels.  So when things are normalized your hair won't look oily but it will look nice and shiny . . . from all those natural oils that are supposed to be there.  Shocking, I know.  You'll get over it, I promise!

I'm happy with the results and I won't ever go back to using all those over priced, nasty hair products.  

By they way . . . I also have not had my hair cut in about a year.  My hair has grown like a weed . . . there are no split ends, it's elastic like it should be, and there's no breakage.  

Just healthy hair.  And, that speaks for itself.

You know us crazy kids. We'll do anything crazy to our hair.

I have awesome hair.  I know this because  . . . well more on that later . . .   

I’ve only recently started growing my hair long.  As a child my mother didn’t let me grow it because grooming wasn’t exactly my strong suit.  So, if I wasn’t going to take care of it then I couldn’t have it.

As I got older and more inclined to primp and preen I still didn’t let it grow beyond my shoulders.

Until I met my (now) hubby.  Early on in our relationship it became apparent that he likes long hair.  So, I let it grow.

It’s taken some time but my hair has gotten fairly long . . . a little more than halfway down my back. 

Anyhoo . . . I know I have awesome hair because I was hanging out with some friends, chatting and whatnot when someone came up behind me and started playing with my hair . . . running his hands through it and stroking it.  At first, I thought it was hubby . . . it wasn’t.  It was a little creepy even though I know the guy.  He was like, “you have really nice hair”, and continued to stroke it.   So, I said . . . “I haven’t shampooed my hair in over six months, you know”

Really, I haven’t. 

It started out as an experiment.  I liked the results so much that I’ve incorporated it into my regular grooming.  No-pooing is healthy, inexpensive and my hair has never looked better or healthier.

My regime is to wash my hair with a tablespoon or so of baking soda dissolved into a couple cups of warm water.  I pour it on the roots and work it through to the ends then rinse it out.  Baking soda removes excess oil, debris and quite effectively eliminates odors.

I mention the odor removing properties because I work as a bartender part-time.  I work in a private club that allows smoking . . . including cigars. So after working my hair often reeks of smoke.  The baking soda wash completely neutralizes the smoky smell.  It quite impressive.

Because baking soda leaves my hair unmanageable if I don’t follow up with a rinse.  So after washing I apply a rinse of either cider vinegar and water or lemon juice and water; which are both acids withi effectively counteracts the alkalinity of the baking soda.  The rinse leaves my hair tangle free, soft and glossy.  Believe it or not the vinegar smell completely rinses away and leaves my hair smelling like . . . well . . . hair.   No perfumes, no chemicals . . . just clean, fresh hair.

Anyhoo . . . my hair is awesome . . . just sayin’.

Those curious locks so aptly twin'd, Whose every hair a soul doth bind.

I'm always interested in finding alternative ways of doing things.  For the purposes of this blog, I try stuff out so that I can offer first hand information on my experience .  .  . you know, so that I actually have some sort of clue as to what I'm talking about.

I decided that I wanted to find a natural approach to coloring my hair.  I only have a few grays, so the only reason I typically color my hair is to cover them . . . yanking them out hurts!  So, after some research I opted to try henna.  

Henna . . . true henna is red and red only.  I don't want red hair.  I simply want to cover those silly strands of elderly hairs and maintain a brownish hue.  So, why did I pick henna?  Because, there are other color options for 'henna' hair dyes but they are not . . . uh . . . henna.  Let me explain.

There are three different plant types that are used for hair coloring because of the natural dyes they contain.  They all come as green powders but each has a distinctively different resulting color.

Neutral henna, is not exactly neutral and it is not henna.  It is Cassia obovata has a golden dye molecule that will stain dull blonde and gray hair yellow.  It will help damaged hair, make hair full, glossy, healthy.

 

Red henna, true henna, is Lawsonia inermis, commonly known as henna.  The leaves of the henna plant have a red-orange dye molecule.  Like I said before, henna will stain your hair red-orange; but the stain is translucent and will combine with your natural color.  Henna will make your hair heavy, thick and silky.

Black henna is neither black nor henna. It is indigo, Indigofera tinctoria.  And, obviously, it will color your hair black.

Like most gentlemen . . . and I use that term loosely . . . my husband prefers blonds.  Needless to say he was not thrilled with my choice of dye hair dye.  He’s not a fan of red heads. 

Henna will not . . . I repeat . . . NOT lighten your hair.  It only stains your hair.  It is also not truly a permanent color.  Shampooing, the environment and the chlorine in water all will degrade the color to some degree.  And, because henna is a single-compound natural dye it is far less likely to go brassy or bronze like synthetic dyes.

So, here’s where you get to benefit from my experience. 

I choose neutral henna because I wanted to minimize the red factor.  This is irrelevant to the outcome but neutral henna is supposes to smell like fresh mowed grass.  I like that smell . . . it’s so summery.  Except that *I* happen to think it smells like spinach . . . good to eat but not so nice on my head. 

I followed the package instructions for preparing the dye and applied to my hair as per the directions.  Henna is messy, messy, messy.  I used to be a hairdresser and I’ve been coloring my own hair for years.  Henna is, by far, the sloppiest, goopiest gunk I’ve ever used. 

That being said, you don’t need to be a hair dresser to apply the stuff.  You basically section off your hair and slap it on.  You just need to make sure that you cover your entire head.  And use a drop cloth or towel and, for the love of God, use gloves!

Henna is safe for your hair.  It doesn’t damage your hair, so you can leave it on for minutes or hours.  The depth and intensity of color depends on how long you decide to keep it on. 

Since this was my first try I decided to let it stay in my hair for 30 – 45 minutes.  After my time was up, I hopped in the shower to rinse it out.  And, I can tell you, it doesn’t rinse out easily.  Despite the fact that you where a plastic cap while it sets it still gets kind of stiff and dries out a bit.  So, you need to rinse and rinse and rinse. 

You can shampoo and condition as you normally would.  Now, I mentioned that neutral henna smells like spinach, right?  Well, I’ve been no-pooing for over a month . . . that is I’ve been using baking soda to wash and apple cider vinegar to rinse.  My experience has been that the baking soda wipes out even the strongest odors  . . . including cigar and cigarette smoke.  It didn’t touch the spinach smell.  Thank goodness my hair didn’t smell that way after it was dry.

As I dried my hair I was very surprised at how well it covered up the gray hairs.  None was to be seen.  Very cool!  

It was brownish with red highlights.  It's very pretty . . . but hubby is not thrilled even with the little bit of red.  He'll get over it.

Taken inside

My overall experience was good.  My hair is definitely shiny and thick and has lots of body.  It looks remarkably healthy and lustrous.

I'm a happy girl!

Taken in the sun

Ok, that's it. Talking poo is where I draw the line

Day 1 no-pooing - clean and shiny

I embarked on an epic adventure.  I am experimenting with something shocking and controversial.

No . . . not heroine or meth . . . no-poo.  That is . . . no shampoo.

I was out with a girlfriend and the topic turned to hair care.  She told me she doesn’t wash her hair everyday . . . and I have to say I’ve never seen her hair looking gross or dingy.  She told me about no-poo-ing.  I’d never heard of such a thing, but I found it intriguing and decided to do some research.  What I found convinced me to give it a go.  So I took some baking soda and apple cider vinegar with me into the shower and I’m off to become a new no-poo me.  

The idea of not lathering up your hair with perfumed detergent . . . that IS what shampoo is . . . will make most people cringe.   IMy husband is not so keen on the the idea and, honestly, I was skeptical.  I know what my hair is like if I skip even one day of shampooing . . . yuck. 

But shampooing hair every day is actually fairly recent.  It only became a popular thing in the 1970’s.  Now it’s so common that people think it’s gross not to wash your hair every single day.  

Modern shampoo has been around since the 1930s . . . but even then they only shampooed their hair once a month.  Look at photos of women from that era.  Their hair is thick, shiny and beautiful.  It wasn't shampoo and conditioner making their hair so hot!

It wasn’t until the 1950’s that women began shampooing their hair more regularly . . . once a week . . . hence the statement, ‘”I can't go out tonight. I have to wash my hair.”

But as formulas got gentler in the 70s and 80s, daily shampooing became the norm.  Why?  Not because women had greasy, stinky hair but because of commercialism.  We’re constantly inundated with advertisements that say we can’t be beautiful unless we by this product or that. 

Many of the ingredients found in shampoo aren’t particularly healthy for you or your hair.   They are drying and irritating and actually strip your hair and skin of their natural oils.   Which is why you have to use goopy conditioners to make your hair feel soft and smooth.

Day 2 no-pooing

Isnt the purpose of shampooing hair to remove dirt and oil from your hair?  That’s why you wash it every day, right?  If you don’t you end up with a nasty, greasy looking mess, yes?

True, but everyday cleansing may in fact trigger a vicious cycle.  By stripping hair of its natural and necessary oils it causes the scalp to produce more oil in response; which is what makes it nearly impossible for some people to go without shampooing for even one day.

Day 3  no-pooing

The scalp must learn to scale back production of those oils.  The more the natural oils are stripped away, the more oils our bodies will make. So if you stop using detergents, your body will still be overproducing oil.  It may take a few days or even a few weeks until your body reaches a balance again.  Once it does, though, your hair will begin to have more body and shine than it probably ever had.

Some no-pooers use only hot water to wash their hair.  Maybe I will get to that point but right now that seems a bit too much . . . or too little . . . for me.  Maybe once I get past my dependency on shampoo I’ll be able to do that, but I suspect that may be a ways down the road.

For now I’m using the baking soda / apple cider method.

Baking soda is gentle on your hair.  It is the weakest alkaline, and it very gently clarifies hair from chemical buildup. 

Apple cider vinegar is a mild acidic, which counteracts the drying effects of baking soda.  It detangles the hair follicles, seals the cuticle, and balances the hair’s pH balance.

To wash – add 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a 16oz cup. Once in the shower, fill the rest of the cup with water and stir until the baking soda is dissolved. It will be cloudy but not gritty, if the mixture feels gritty or pasty, either add more water or use less baking soda. Now apply the mixture to your hair, starting at the roots and then working it through the rest of your hair with your fingers.  It won't lather like shampoo.   Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then rinse.  You also won’t get that squeaky clean feel  but it does give your hair a distinct "smooth" feeling.   It feels nice. 

To condition - add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water. When you've mixed up your conditioner, pour it on and work it in just like you did the baking soda.  You can rinse it if you want to, or you can leave it in.  Belive it or not, your hair won’t smell like vinegar. 

This is not a perfect formula for every person.  It depends on how oily or dry your hair and scalp tend to be.  You may have to tweak it. 

If your hair feels too dry, use less baking soda.   If you find that your hair is too oily try using less vinegar or none at all.  You can also use lemon or tea as a clarifier.  You can even use honey as a conditioner!

Day 4 no-pooing

In the early days of my no-poo experiment I was working as a bartender in a private club . . . which in Connecticut means that smoking is allowed.  I don't smoke, but I appreciate that they have freedom to do so.  That day was a particularly smoky day at the club . . . cigar and cigarette smoke was heavy despite the air cleaner.  

Day 5 no-pooing

When I got home from work, the first thing I wanted to do was take a shower.  I had an internal debate as to whether or not to no-poo because my hair was really stinky.  I decided to continue with my planned course of action.  I washed with baking soda/water and rinsed with the apple cider rinse.  I was truly surprised.  My hair was clean and smelled fresh . . . not a hint of smoke.  


By day four I thought I would have had some issues with oiliness in response to not having used commercial shampoo.  Another surprise . . . my hair was only slightly . . . very slightly, oilier than usual.   

Day 10 no-pooing

Into the second week of no-pooing I am pleased with the way my hair looks and feels.  It's healthy, feels good and it's manageable.  My hair smells clean, too!  Although, I can't say "Gee, my hair smells terrific!" but that's because I'm not dousing it with perfumes.  

Day 20 no-pooing

Day 30 no-pooing

More than 30 days have passed since I last shampooed my hair.  There is no doubt in my mind that I can go the rest of my lifetime without using the stuff.  I am very satisfied with my hair using the baking soda wash / apple cider vinegar rinse method.  My hair is clean and fresh.  It's full, soft and healthy.  It feels good, it looks good.  What you see is what you get . . . decide for yourself.  

 

Come on . . . do the twist!

The French Twist is a classic and elegant hairstyle that first gained popularity during the Victorian Era when sleek, shiny and healthy hair were the vogue and fashions were overall more modest and demure. 

Do you ever wind your hair up in shove a pencil in it to keep in place to get your hair out of your face?  If you can do this then you can do a French Twist. This is nothing more than a casual version of the classic style.   

If you have shoulder length hair or longer, the French twist is a simple hair-do that you can easily do yourself in minutes.  You can wear it casually or add some curly wisps for a more refined look.

Since the style is meant to be sleek and smooth, comb or brush your hair well. 

Pull your hair up into a loose ponytail with the hair framing your face in a way that you find flattering.

Hold the ponytail with your hands and start twisting. The number of turns determines how tight the twist will be.  You'll notice the bottom of the ponytail tightening against your head.

Hold your ponytail upright pointing up towards the ceiling.  Tuck the end of your ponytail into the space between your head and the beginning part of your ponytail.

As you tuck the ends of the ponytail in, you'll slowly roll your wadded-up ponytail in the direction of your twist.   I grip the seam between my ponytail and my head between my thumb and my four other fingers, and use my thumb to push the hair beneath in while rolling the hair on top in. You will feel the twist tightening against your scalp. Keep pushing and rolling your hair until it feels secure.

Use straight or bobby pins (depending on the thickness of your hair) to hold the hair in place and to demarcate the line that is created by your French twist.  Alternatively, you can use a hair comb or clip to hold your twist in place.

I may take some practice to get a the twist down just right but in the long run it will save you time.  This style doesn’t require a blowdryer, curling iron or rollers . . . for me it’s a run-out-of-the-house-because-I’m-running-late hair-do.  And you thought I was being stylish . . . ha!  Fooled you!