Really?
Really?!
Look, I want to jump on this shampoo-free lifestyle but calling it "No 'Poo" just makes 5-year-old boy in me giggle.
Even still, last night I officially washed my hair without shampoo or conditioner. And so did David. And we don't even stink or anything.
Now, for the sake of full disclosure, I probably need to tell you that I'm one of those people who only washes their hair every 2-3 days anyway. That in itself might make the dreaded transition phase (<--it's ominous, see?) a little easier, since I do not have over-washed, oil-prone hair to begin with. David, on the other hand, is a daily washer but I am sending oil-free thoughts his hair's way.
WAIT!
WUUUT?
Sorry. What the heck am I talking about?
There are a handful of crazy people who don't wash their hair with shampoo. You see, there are all sorts of ways to wash your hair without bringing monsters like SLS near your precious strands! The most common method of "No 'Poo'ing" (I just want to die) seems to be using a mixture of Baking Soda and water, followed by an Apple Cider Vinegar and water rinse. That's what I did. (Though some brave souls only use water. Or egg washes.)
Okay, so you know the WUUUT. The why is...because I don't want shampoo-y chemicals on my head. There are so many reasons to avoid those chemicals, and I couldn't tell you all of the reasons, but Babs over at Babyslime has a lot of really great information on the whole process. She also has pictures. I love blogs with pictures. (Said the lady who can never find her camera...)
As for the "how?" Well, I'm still figuring it all out. The place to start seems to be with a mixture of 1 TABLEspoon Baking Soda dissolved in 1 Cup of Water (if you have hard water, I have read that boiling the water first helps dissolve the Baking Soda properly). It is really thin. For some reason, in my mind, I pictured a kind of thin paste. Nooo. It's pretty much just all water. So you just pour it on your wet scalp and massage it around until your fingers feel nice and slippery. Then you rinse really well. My hair felt kind of waxy, but I have not determined if it is because my hair actually was waxy, or if it's because I'm used to the feel of the stripping process. I think it's the latter.
Next, you have your Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse. That is 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with 1 Cup of Water. Now, as for the application process...it seems like everyone is doing it differently. Some people use a spray bottle and spritz their hair with the rinse, some let their ends sit in a bowl of the rinse, and still others just pour it right onto their hair. The key with this is that a little goes a very long way, and too much will give you greasy locks. I tried the spray bottle method and liked it, since I have chin-length hair. For those with longer hair, just rinsing the ends might be the way to go. I imagine this takes a bit of trial and error to find the right method.
That's how to start. Of course, you can play around with the ratios, to create a mixture that best suits your hair's natural chemistry. More baking soda results in drier hair, more ACV results in more oily hair, and vice versa.
As for me...my hair feels very clean this morning. It is not at all frizzy, but feels like it might be a tad on the dry side, so I may try using a bit more of the ACV rinse next time. But it looks clean and healthy, not oily or brittle. My current plan is to wash my hair again on Saturday, unless I notice that it is looking a bit slick by tomorrow.
Sooooo I'm off to an exciting start! Wooty woot woot!
Have you ever tried going "No 'Poo?" And also, what else can we call it? Really.
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