A few weeks ago, jimmyredhed and I went out to lunch with my step-father. As we were animatedly chatting about our urban farmhouse, our chickens come spring, and our eco motivations, Greg just shook his head and said, "you're really getting out there, aren't ya?"
Perhaps we are "getting a little out there" and this post will only go to prove Greg right (though I won't admit that to him in person, Mom).
I stopped using shampoo about two months ago.
The reactions to my new personal grooming habits have been mixed. Most people are very interested in learning how they too can go "poo free" while others give me weird looks out of corner of their eyes. One of our roommates even declared, "when I start smelling patchouli, I'm out."
But here's the thing ... I still shower every day ... for now. I've just eliminated shampoo and conditioner.
Why did I stop using shampoo? We live intentional lives here at the urban farmhouse and I'm constantly striving to streamline the products we purchase and consume. Shampoo is really unnecessary in many regards. Your hair contains its own natural cleaning agents and needs no more than water to cleanse itself of dirt. Shampoo contains harsh chemicals, byproducts of crude oil, and comes in packaging that does the same. It's expensive, wasteful, and I'm not even convinced it really works. Additionally, I wash my hair nearly every day and my head still gets itchy and majorly greasy if I miss one day of washing it. I figure there has to be a better way, yes?
I now keep a mason jar and spoon in the shower along with a closed jar of baking soda, bottle of apple cider vinegar, and bottle of tea tree oil out of reach of the water. I begin by brushing my hair before getting in the shower to loosen dirt and tangles. I wet all my hair first. Then I put 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the jar, fill it about 1/3 full of water and mix. I massage this mixture onto my head. I did find that if you use too much baking powder, you will have a build up of whiteness in your hair that looks like dandruff! I leave it on for just a minute and then rinse.
Next I use a splash of apple cider vinegar (2 teaspoons are suggested) into the jar and fill the rest of the jar up with water. Pour rinse over my hair. I leave it on for as long as I would use conditioner and then rinse.
Lastly, I place 1-2 drops of tea tree oil in the jar and fill with water. It is an oil so it does make your hair more oily, but it is a natural antiseptic and combats dandruff and itchy scalps. I leave it on for 1-2 minutes and rinse.
I have found that my hair is more oily than normal, but not in a gross "look like I haven't showered" way. Because of the oil, it is actually easier to style and holds curl much better than usual. I'm also not losing much hair in the shower or when brushing. I actually read that tea tree oil can help stop hair loss. Instead of a fistful of hair in the shower drain, I find a few strands at most.
I'm interested in hearing your experience with "No Poo!"
*This article lends great discussion to "No Poo" shampooing methods.
Hi Kelli,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting about this. You said that your hair would become greasy within a day of washing with regular shampoo and now it's greasier than before; do you think that it will become less greasy with time? I know sometimes it takes a while for skin and hair to readjust to their natural oil levels when you stop using synthetic products. While my hair is dry, my partner's hair tends to get really greasy really fast. We want to switch, but no one wants that "look like I haven't showered" look. ;)
Thanks for your thoughts, Geraldine.
ReplyDeleteI should clarify :: If I do not use tea tree oil, my hair is no greasier than it was when using shampoo (a bit more course, but not greasy). If I use tea tree oil, it's more oily than usual, but not more so than when I would go with unwashed hair. I've heard from many people that your hair needs a few week transition period to regulate its natural oil producing levels and when a few weeks pass 'poo-free, the oil production will slow down and your hair will get back to a normal (or better than normal state). I'm anxious to see what happens with mine!
kelli, i did this for the year before i got my dreads and loved it. if and when i go back to "normal" hair, thats how ill go back to washing it. its so much healthier and i thought it made my hair just look all around better. im wishing, keep on believing!
ReplyDelete-faith
Faith, I want to see your dreads!
ReplyDeleteKelli,
ReplyDeleteI am taking a class on sustainability in grad school and have been tasked with working on a personal sustainability project to change some of my habits this semester. I have been thinking about trying this! SO glad you have posted some expectations of what to expect. I am sure you also have a lot of other ideas for said project that I would love to hear if you want to help me brainstorm. :)
How exciting, Juli! Sustainability is right up my alley. Over the summer, I did a mileage project to calculate how far my food travelled to my house. I did an inventory of every item in my kitchen, where it was made (or distributed), where I bought it, if it was organic, and whether or not I purchased in bulk. It was incredible to see how much food that we simply cannot track! Other classmates did energy fasts. If you need ideas, I'm your girl!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! I'd love to switch, but my hair gets so very greasy when I don't wash it, that I'm afraid I won't be fit to be seen at work. But maybe I'll take the plunge anyway! There's no way to know what'll happen until I try, right?
ReplyDeleteAshley, I think you should totally try it. Wait until the weekend to start or a vacation. When I used shampoo, my hair got super greasy in less than 24 hours of washing it. Eliminating shampoo allows your body to return to it's normal oil production which produces less grease!
ReplyDeleteTurns out that baking soda was too harsh for me. I use natural handcrafted soap containing jojoba oil and another soap with tea tree oil. Lately, if I even use shampoo at all, my scalp immediately develops those sores, they hurt, scratch, and bleed ...no fun. So I don't use shampoo at all. I use a little soap, and sometimes conditioner (which I haven't found to have any negetive effects so far, although I would like to find a more natural one) ....the apple cider vinegar thing...I'm not the hugest fan of simply bc I can smell it for a while afterwards, and it's difficult to apply.
ReplyDeleteMy regimen will be: natural handcrafted soap followed by some sort of conditioner (anyone have any recommendations?) Then I will do the baking soda/apple cider vinegar rinse once a week.
It's cheaper and it feels great, my hair isn't oily or greasy and back when I used shampoo, my hair would be oil or greasy after not shampooing for a day. I also think it was affecting my skin with acne breakouts.
Thanks for sharing your process, Nellie. It sounds like you've found something that works! I found that my hair only smells like ACV if I'm using too much. My friend Sarah just launched an organic leave-in conditioner you could try. http://www.bonnielipbalm.com/bonnie/products.html
ReplyDeleteHave you tried tea tree oil on your breakouts? I've heard that it helps clear up skin!
Good luck!