“No Poo” – a healthy shampoo alternative
I haven’t shampooed my hair for 2 weeks now. Before you say something like “ewww her hair must be really gross, dirty and smelly”, read the whole post please. My hair has never been cleaner and healthier and I want to share how great I think it is. You too can “no poo” with just a few common houshold ingredients= baking soda, water, and apple cider vinegar. I also add some tea tree oil to my wash because I love the smell.
I don’t consider myself to be a really “crunchy mom” but I have been dabbling in the granola a lot lately. I think it started with cloth diapering then I began using a Lunette menstrual cup and now I’m not shampooing my hair. Now what in the world could these things have in common? Well, the hygiene routine in all the above cases can lead to a lot of waste and unecessary chemical exposure, not to mention hundreds of dollars thrown away and flushed down the drain.
So why should you try it?
1) The most obvious reason is the cost. If I can keep from making numerous trips to the store for diapers, pads, tampons, shampoo, and conditioner then I say hooray! I’d rather buy shoes.
- Shampoo can irritate/dry out your scalp and exposure to these chemicals is unecessary.
3) Shampoo strips our hair of its natural oils which we then combat by using more products like conditioner. When our hair is stripped of all its oils, it over produces these oils to make up for it. Then our hair feels dirty so we wash it again thus repeating the vicious cycle.
If you do decide to no-poo there is a transition period that can last a couple of weeks where your hair does seem more oily and you still need to no-poo it frequently. Because your hair is used to being stripped of its natural oils, it may continue to over produce until it realizes it no longer needs to do this. Once your hair regulates its oil production, you can go quite some time without having to wash it again.
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So let’s get down to the fun part.
WASH: My solution is a mixture of 1 cup of water and 1-2 tbs baking soda. You may have to try it a couple times to find the right mixture for you. I pour it in a bottle and this makes me enough to last maybe a week or more and I make sure to shake well each time I use it again. I also like to add about 3-4 drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is something that you should be careful with because it’s very potent and it is recommended that you use it with a carrier oil. It is not necessary but I love the smell and of course, have an abundance of it because I use it to make baby Jax’s cloth wipe solution. We’ll talk about that later…
First, wet your hair and then pour your solution on your scalp and gently massage it in. Too much baking soda can make your hair feel dry at the ends so if this happens then try less baking soda in your mixture. To prevent this I only pour the wash on my scalp. I massage it in for about one minute and then rinse well.
CONDITION: Apple cider vinegar works best but you can also use white vinegar. I mix about a table spoon of apple cider vinegar with a cup of water and I pour it on the ends of my hair.
I know the thought of using vinegar in your hair might make you cringe but I’m telling you your hair will be sooooo happy and so will your scalp! It’s great for dandruff and itchy scalp. It creates a beautiful shine, smooths the hair cuticles down, and restores the natural Ph balance to your hair. The acidity of vinegar is actually pretty close to hair, not to mention it kicks build-up butt which is great news for us Utah mommies who have to live with very hard water. Be sure to rinse out thoroughly and once your hair is dry, there won’t be any lingering smell of vinegar.
I blow dry my hair or straighten it if I have to and DONE! I’ve noticed that my hair seems so much thicker lately. I love it and I hope that some of you give it a try…
