My No 'Poo Experiment

I've been slowing transitioning to chemical free products. My newest experiment with this was to go no 'poo. What is no 'poo you might be wondering? It's short for no shampoo. I've stopped using shampoo and conditioner on my hair.

I did lots of research on how to do this so I could have the best results. The best blog I found was from Code Red Hat and you can read it here. I knew it would take some time for my hair to adjust to this. Shampoos basically strip your hair of all the natural oils. So you end up having to produce more to make up for it. This is why we have to wash our hair so often. Therefore, your hair will need to go through a transition period while it adjusts to not needing to overproduce oils.

So how do I get my hair clean? I premixed 2 bottles ahead of time so it would be easier.

Shampoo Mixture: 1 Tbl Baking Soda and 1 Cup water. I also added a few drops of lavender. Although, I think I will try Tea Tree Oil when I make my next batch.
Conditioner Mixture: 1 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Cup water.

Here is my before picture. This was the last time I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner. I dried it with the hair dryer, but didn't do anything else to it. Notice how frizzy it is.

I told myself I'd give it 6 weeks to try. Some people have a harder time transitioning than others, so I decided to give myself long enough to see results. In the transition period I expected to have gross oily hair and was fully prepared to wear my hair in a ponytail every day.

The first wash wasn't too bad, but actually washing my hair was not what I expected. It really just felt like I was washing my hair with water. There was no lather, so I kept putting more and more of the mixture on my hair to make sure I had enough. But I scrubbed my hair like I would with shampoo. I only did my scalp with the baking soda mixture, then I left it in while I finished my shower. I found that a squeeze bottle worked well for this mixture.

Then I rinsed it out and used a spray bottle to spray the length of my hair with the apple cider vinegar mixture. Boy did that smell! But I rubbed it into the length of my hair (not my scalp) and then rinsed it with cold water. Once it was all rinsed out, my hair did not smell like vinegar.

I fixed my hair like I normally do, just brush and blow dry. It was a little oily but not too bad.

I did this every other day. By the 2nd and 3rd time I was definitely noticing the oiliness. However, it also started getting a weird waxy feel to it. It felt gross. I got a 100% boar hair bristled brush because it was supposed to distribute the natural oils evenly, that seemed to help a little.

The 4th wash, I added lemon to my baking soda mixture because it was supposed to help with the oiliness. It did seem to help. But after a couple washes I noticed my hair becoming too dry so I quit.

It's been 2 weeks since I took the before picture and I already notice a difference in my hair. The oiliness and waxy feeling are gone and my hair is shinier. I've even gotten compliments on how good it looks. It also doesn't seem as frizzy. Here's a picture from this morning. Again, all I did was brush and blow dry my hair.

I like the way my hair looks and feels way better now. It doesn't seem as thick and unmanageable. I have these weird wavy curls in random spots on the back of my head, but with with no 'poo they seem a little straighter.

Not only does my hair look and feel better, but no 'poo is WAY less expensive than commercial shampoos and conditioners! I doubt I'll be going back!

I get my essential oils from Young Living. To get your own essential oils click here to visit my website.