No Shampoo: Week 3 – A Turning Point
Well I’ve made it three weeks without shampoo!! You can click to read about weeks one and two if you missed them. So here’s what happened this week, I decided to skip the vinegar which was a huge mistake! My hair turned out dry, course, and frizzy. Then, I bought a boar bristle brush which seemed to really help make my hair softer and more manageable. It also helped to distribute the oils down the length of my hair so it’s wasn’t so dry. I highly recommend using one if your doing this method.
I ended up going three days between washes. Here are pictures of my hair on day three:
You can definitely seem some oil here!! *FYI* I wore a hat this day.
Then I washed my hair with the same 1 tbsp baking:1 cup water, but I upped the vinegar to 3 tbsp:1 cup water and all of the sudden my hair felt normal again!!! Here are pictures of my hair the day after washing it:
I can’t believe it! My hair feels like I used shampoo!! It’s so soft and light and wonderful. I don’t know if it’s because my hair is adjusting or if it was the vinegar, but I’m so happy. My hair feels clean!!! So here’s what I’ve learned so far about the “no-poo” method:
1. You have to play around with the baking soda and vinegar to water ratios to find what works for your hair. (Listen to you hair. It will tell you what to do.)
2. Baking soda absorbs the grease, but dries your hair out so only use it on your roots when needed. It’s also a good idea to leave it in your hair for a few minutes before washing it out.
3. Apple cider vinegar makes your hair soft, shiny, and more manageable, but you should keep it away from your roots because it can add to the oiliness.
4. Boar bristle brushes are fantastic!! They help to distribute the natural oils throughout your hair, making it shiny, moisturized and healthy.
5. Giving your hair a break is a good thing! It helps to restore it to it’s natural state.
I’m happy with the no shampoo routine so far. Hopefully it will continue to work for me. I’d love to hear your stories!
**UPDATE** After almost seven weeks of no shampoo I decided to use it again. My hair was just never as consistently clean and soft as it was with shampoo. The main differences were that my roots were slightly “heavier,” my hair felt slightly sticky and it was always sooo tangly! I’m glad I went no poo because now I can go longer in between my regular shampoos without feeling dirty. Once I use up my stash of regular shampoo I plan on finding a more natural product to use. Thanks for all the comments and feedback!!
No Shampoo Week 1
No Shampoo Week 2
Elisabeth - That's awesome! I'm not brave enough to do just water quite yet, but maybe one day I will!
Verna - I've wondered if I would have to change some things after the baby. It'll be interesting to see.
Mandy - I don't notice a smell at all, not even when my hair is drying. To me it just smells like hair. Some people are really sensitive to the smell of vinegar though so they put essential oil in with the rinse.
I remember my grandmother rinsing my hair with vinegar. Not my favorite part of a bath at her house...
http://wanderingstill.blogspot.com/search/label/Hair%20Challenge
Thanks
Kelly
http://mysimplewalk.com
I was turned onto the no-poo movement by Crunchy Betty (www.crunchybetty.com) and I think she has some recipes for some sorta-poo shampoos :) Looking forward to reading some more of your posts!