I said “goodbye” to my shampoo and conditioner two weeks ago, and if things continue as they are now, this may be a permanent separation. Yes, you read that right. I’ve stopped shampooing my hair.
Think I’m crazy? So do I! For as long as I can remember, I’ve had to wash my hair every single day because it would get so greasy and yucky after only 24 hours. I have dim memories of older women telling me that way back when, people didn’t wash their hair more than once a week–and they didn’t need to. They said that washing hair more frequently causes it to need more washing.
I was unimpressed by this theory.
I knew what my hair looked like if I went 48 hours between shampooing, thank you very much. My fine hair simply doesn’t stand up well to any amount of oil. It looks gross and feels gross. Go two days between washing my hair? No ma’am!
So how did I get into the no ‘poo movement? I first heard of it about a year ago in a class on 18th century British literature. One of the most horrifying aspects of life in the 1700s is the skincare and haircare products the women used. Their makeup was made of ground up lead and bismuth buried in horse manure to ripen. (Really.) Anyway, one of my classmates mentioned that when she was researching 18th century haircare, she stumbled across websites where modern people wrote about their great results after tossing out their shampoo. We were all skeptical, of course, but this student was adamant that somebody, somewhere was not washing her hair and having the smoothest, softest hair she’d ever had.
This time, I felt some stirrings of curiosity, but I promptly forgot all about it.
Last month, however, I happened upon a blog post at Keeper of the Home on this very subject. After doing her research, this blogger decided to forgo shampoo herself. After a couple of weeks thinking over the logic of it all, I jumped on board too. I am a total convert now!
Lest you think I never wash my hair at all, let me clarify. I use a mixture of 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 1 cup of warm water for cleansing. After thoroughly wetting my hair, I pour this mixture over my head in batches, working it in thoroughly with my fingertips, massaging the scalp as I go. After letting the mixture sit in my hair for a minute or so, I rinse it out. Next, I drizzle on a mixture of 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of water. I massage that in a bit, then rinse thoroughly. (Don’t worry. The smell disappears.)
Although I’ve tried following this protocol every other day, I’m still finding that I need to wash my hair daily. This could have something to do with the humid climate where I live, or it may be that my scalp needs some more adjusting time. Gradually, I’d like to work my way down to washing every other day or every third day. We’ll just have to see how it goes. For now, though, I’m absolutely thrilled! My hair has lots of body and texture, and it feels great, smells great, and looks great.
There is more than one way to go no ‘poo. Some people, especially those with very dry or curly hair, find that they don’t need these rinses at all. They can stop washing their hair permanently by simply rinsing their hair in warm water and drawing a wet washcloth from roots to tips to distribute their scalp’s natural oils. Others use the baking soda mixture only once a week but apply the apple cider vinegar rinse 2 or 3 times per week. Others make a paste of the baking soda and water and massage it only into their roots. Still other people add honey or herbs to their routine.
In every case, however, not only are these men and women saving huge money on their hair care, they are eliminating one of the most obvious sources of daily chemical exposure. We all know that purchasing safe personal care products is much more costly than buying VO5. What if you could wash your hair more safely than you could with those expensive nontoxic products, while paying less than you would for a bottle of Suave? It might be worth a try. Personally, I’m tickled pink!
To read more about going no ‘poo, check out these resources:
Going No ‘Poo? The blog post that caused me to seriously consider this.
Info: Shampoo Free A very thorough post on the reasons for going shampoo free, how to do it, various tips, and even troubleshooting. A must read!
The No-’Poo Do Testimony of one dry and curly-haired gal who loves her new ‘poo free life.
Why You Should Go No ‘Poo Reasons to consider ditching shampoo for good and how to do it.
Great post- I love to hear that it’s working so well for you! I’m really enjoying it too, and finding that my hair looks great as well. I am trying to move to washing every second day (I usually wash every day as well), so the second day is still on the greasy side for me, but the day that I wash it, I’m really happy with it. Personally, I’m not doing the ACV rinse very often, because it seems to add a bit of stringiness to my hair, but just the baking soda seems quite sufficient for me anyways.
Thanks for the link!
I’ve tried a few times with the soda/vinegar thing, and wish I could pull it off well. So far, no such luck. I’ve heard, though, that sometimes it takes a few weeks for the scalp to re-regulate itself… maybe I haven’t stuck with it long enough.
Toni,
Yes, I’ve definitely read that some people need an adjustment period. It happened to work for me like a charm from the beginning, but I think several weeks (and up to a couple of months) is typical before the scalp adjusts. That *is* an awfully long time to put up with yucky hair, unless you have lots of headbands, hats, and head scarves.
I tried this too and it worked very well! My hair seems a little dry, so I’m going to look up homemade hair conditioners. You have motivated me to look up recipes for homemade everything… lip gloss, lotions, etc.! Today I bought rose water, glycerine, peppermint oil, and almond oil. I have gone back to using baking soda and salt as tooth powder. I’m going to add a little peppermint oil to it today.
I’m so glad you liked this! To help with dryness, you can do a number of things: apply the baking soda solution only to your roots, use more apple cider vinegar in the rinse, add honey to the vinegar rinse, rinse every day but “wash” with baking soda less often than that, etc. I think it’s just a process of experimenting and finding what works for your hair. I don’t have any personal experience with this particular problem because my hair is so oily. But there is a lot of info out there. Happy hunting!
If you find recipes you like for these other things, I’d be really interested in them! Maybe I’ll have to give the baking soda and salt thing a try. I’m just afraid of the TASTE.
Actually, baking soda leaves a sweetness behind. I’ve also added about 6 drops of peppermint oil and that’s good too.
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Distally!!
I’m no ‘poo too!
I’ve been without shampoo for about 4 years and my hair is very happy. After a while I figured out that the bs would dry out my hair and cause the same cycle of stripping my hair/scalp of oils that the acv had to condition…it was still better for me than shampoo, but I had kinda stalled.
Then I found a blog about a no ‘poo journey (http://tinyurl.com/ypkf7z) and I got more into experimenting with new things…so fun!
Anyway, I just tried the cassia obovata as a wash (it’s “conditioning,” but it’s actually drying so it works as a wash for the no ‘poo crowd) and I LOVE IT! (http://tinyurl.com/4fa36s) My scalp feels amazing (I have psoriasis and cassia is anti-fungal) and my hair feels great and looks like it’s reflecting as much as glass! These days I just do a 50% vinegar/50% water wash about once a week and just rinse with water the rest of the time.
This from an old oily-within-one-day girl.
Have fun and thanks for spreading the word!
Whitney
(PS you often mention farmer’s markets, etc and I think you are in Dallas, too, can you give me pointers on where you go for stuff that’s actually local?? I buy meat, eggs, fermented veggies, and cheese from a farmer, but I’m stuck on veggies and fruit)
Whitney,
Thank you for sharing your experiences! I’ve been wondering the same thing about baking soda myself. I still cannot go a day between “washes.” I try, but it’s just disgusting. Although my hair looks, feels, and smells great with just the baking soda (I had to stop using the apple cider vinegar because it was making my hair too oily), I’m not at all getting out of the daily washing cycle. Hmmm.
How long did it take your hair to adjust to simply rinsing it with water? To be quite honest, I’m scared! I had no adjustment period with the baking soda, but I know for sure that I would if I simply stopped washing it altogether. Maybe I need to get some head scarves.
I’m going to check out those sites you linked to. Thanks!
As far as farmers’ markets go, I can’t tell you about the Dallas area because I live in Houston. Have you checked the Local Harvest website for leads? You can find them here: http://www.localharvest.org/. On the site, you can search for farms, farmers’ markets, and even CSAs. Another way to get some leads might be to join a Dallas Yahoo! group on the subject of organics or natural living or something to that effect. I’m a part of a Houston organics Yahoo! group, and people are always asking about where to find farmers’ markets. Beyond that, I’m afraid I’m not much help. If you come to Houston, though, I’ll hook you up!
I really appreciate your comment and hope you keep coming back. Thanks!
[...] shampoo, vinegar Earlier this week, I started an experiment. I’d been reading snippets / across / the net about people who forgo store-bought shampoo and conditioner, and decided to try [...]
[...] every day… Anyways, I was so impressed by going natural on my face that I decided to follow this blogger’s advice and try it on my hair as well using just plain old baking soda and cider vinegar in the shower. My [...]
I’ve been no ‘poo for two months. I have coarse, dark, thick hair that’s been dead dry for forty-nine years. I’ve replaced shampoo/conditioner/hair care products with 1 Tb baking soda to one cup water and after that’s rinsed off, with 1/3 cup vinegar and one cup water, bolstered occasionally by a tsp of lavender/rosemary oil mix (no alcohol) which I got at Walmart
My hair is literally unrecognizable. It’s shiny; the outer layer curls a bit to match my very curly under layer. It feels nice to the touch. My kids want to know how I did it.
WARNING: NOT recommend it for people with thin, oily hair!!! However, for people with thick, coarse hair there’s nothing better.
I have very fine hair. How can i go “no-poo” without getting the “dirty” llok???
Jaleh,
What a great success story! You’re right about that vinegar rinse not working for those with thin, oily hair. I don’t use vinegar at all anymore, and it’s perfect. The baking soda alone works for me.
Sharon,
I have fine hair too (hairstylists often remark on it, so it’s not just my imagination), and no ‘poo has worked great for me. You may want to start out just using the baking soda mixture and avoiding the vinegar rinse. Also, you may want to beging by “washing” your hair every day with the baking soda mixture, then slowly working down to every other day or, if possible, less frequently than that. Honestly, I still have to wash my hair every day with the baking soda solution, but I’m still just so glad not to be putting chemicals on my body. I love how cheap it is too!
I am veeery tempted to go no poo. I’ve not managed to find a natural shampoo I love yet so what have I got to lose. I might try and increase the days between hair washing gradually so I don’t have to go cold turkey
Great article!
The first link is dead
I have been using a great non detergent product called “Wen” which is a conditioning cleanser. It is fabulous. i have had a very expensive foil done to my hair in a wild color. my stylist was amazed at how much of that color was still in my hair 10 weeks later. He said he had never seen anything like it. I told him what i was using. He had sold me a very expensive ‘color saving’ shampoo by a famous name brand company. I was stunned at how much of my color was all over my shower after using a small amount. I swore it off and have never again used any sufate or detergent based ’shampoo’ again. I can get my hair just as clean using this conditioning cleanser that is made from all natural ingredients, almond oil, mint and other botanicals.
I am going to try as much as i can to get all my friends to swear off old school shampoos. This new way is so great. I am only having to wash my hair once every 4 to 5 days instead of every day.
hi
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good luck
Hello,
I’ve been washing using only a non-toxic conditioner and occasional baking soda for a couple of months now. I have never loved my hair more!!!!!
To read about my experience check out my blog:
http://www.natalie.net/blog/?p=7
Thanks!!!
Just wondering before I try this, will this work on hair that’s colored, grey hair?
My hair is about 80 percent grey, I am giving up coloring my hair because it’s getting expensive, and getting tired up touching up the roots every 3 weeks.
My hair grows fast, I am almost 45. Saving money will be nice, it’s be nice to have my hair color back though without chemicals.
Diane,
Since I don’t have colored, gray hair, I can’t say for sure from personal experience. But my mother-in-law colors her gray hair and said the baking soda mix worked well for her. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it might be worth a try. You won’t lose more than a few pennies if the experiment doesn’t go well, and if it does go well, then you’ll save a lot of money.
I first heard about this in anthropology class! and a few days before, my friend was describing how her hair became thicker after she had dreads (she avoided water.) Thanks for the info~ I’m looking forward to trying this!
FYI, if your hair is really waxy/stringy with the ACV, give lemon juice a good try. Switching greatly improved my hair in just a couple of washes!
Mel,
Thanks for the great tip! I’ll have to try that. If I’m not mistaken, doesn’t lemon juice tend to lighten hair too? Could be nice for the summertime…
Hey! i started No-Poo a little over a week ago. i really like how clean my hair smells, and i was every other day, but i have to put it up on the off days.
I have VERY thin, hair that, under the right circumstances, is pretty curly. the baking soda really dries my hair out.
I feel like the baking soda just acts like the shampoo.. stripping all of the oil from my scalp. I am getting frusterated, as i have had little change.
I wish there was an exact formula. grrr.
Yes, I agree that the baking soda is merely a non-toxic replacement for shampoo. It does strip the oil from your hair and scalp. Some people go really extreme and use only water to clean their hair. I’m just not willing to go through the icky oily period to do this. It’s a personal decision. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula. You might try a vinegar rinse to condition your hair if it still seems too dry from the baking soda.
And, you know, if the no-poo thing doesn’t work for you, I don’t think there’s any shame in using a non-toxic commerical or homemade shampoo product. I go back and forth myself between no-poo and non-toxic shampoo. No-poo is ultra cheap and does a great job for my hair, but every once in a while I get an irresistible hankering for lather.
I’ve been no poo for over 2 months now and I love it! I have very dry hair – I used to only shampoo 2x/week and condition the rest of the time. I really only shampooed to get rid of the conditioner/product buildup. I started off with the baking soda and ACV w/a little lavender EO at the end. I felt like the baking soda was too drying, so I am now using green cosmetic clay (!) to wash my hair about once a week. I no longer need the BS or the ACV. Sometimes I will still use a chamomile rinse and/or a little lavender EO, but mostly I just rinse with water. My hair is much thicker and no longer dry. I really love the freedom of no longer using commercial products in my hair.
My only dilemma is that my color is growing out and I am getting self-conscious about my gray roots. I found a henna hair color that didn’t need shampoo, but it didn’t work very well. So… not only will I be chemically treating my hair with color but I will need to shampoo and condition it too
I am not happy about this and have been searching for another solution to no avail. Ah, vanity!
I’ve been considering this option more lately, but had no idea how to do it; I’m glad to have stumbled across this site! I have a concern though, that I didn’t see addressed by anyone else. For as long as I can remember, my head has been dandruff-y. If I shower at night my head is super itchy the next day, and depending on my location it does better with either every day shampooing or every other, but I can’t figure out why I have it or what to do exactly. Is stopping my shampoo (which has been toxin free for several years) going to make it worse or help?
I’ve been on the no poo train since Feb. at first I thought it was great but after almost four months I notice that my hair is dry and stringy while my roots (after a day) are pretty oily. My hairis pretty long, it reaches my lower back. I’m going to get a good layered cut of at least 4inches to get rid of dry ends but I’m now in the process of trying to find a better way to cleanse. I do like the ACV rinse but the baking soda just isn’t doing it for me and seems to really strip my hair of needed oils. It took a good month for my hair to detox and stop producing so much oil. On a positive note its grown a lot and is shiny
) Any suggestions on all natural organic ways to cleanse? Thanks!
An update to coloring with no poo: I used Naturtint hair color, washed afterwards with green cosmetic clay and then used the conditioner they supplied w/the color. It is the first conditioner I’ve used since I went no poo, but I was pretty psyched that I didn’t have to use the poo! My color came out fine… it took about a week for my hair to have the natural oils back but it feels great again now.
Also, I saw my hairdresser today and he was impressed. He said my hair and scalp look great!
Although I am not a “no ‘poo-er” (at least not yet – tho I just might give it a try..), I only wash my hair about once a week, sometimes twice (or especially if it’s actually dusty/dirty, or extra-sweaty). I have really long hair (like, about 4 feet of it), and am often complimented on how healthy it looks. (Though I suspect that’s genetics rather than any amount of skill on my part! LOL). I don’t use other hair products except very occasionally, and let it air-dry. It really is true that the more you wash your hair, the more oil your scalp seems to produce, and therefore, the more quickly you will feel you need to wash it again. So, my advice is, work into it gradually, extending a day at a time past what you are normally comfortable with, and see where it goes. Also, I think longer and thicker hair doesn’t tend to get oily quite as quickly – there’s just more hair to spread it out over!
Incidentally, my dh rarely washes with anything other than plain old H2O (water).
I only shampoo my hair every other week as it is & only for smell reasons. I’ve never waited it out long enough to get it greasy. I imagine this system would work spectacularly for me?