"No Poo" - What IS that? Week 1

Not sure if some of you have heard this or not, but there's something called a "no poo" movement (which sounds unhealthy and gross, but has nothing to do with poo-ing). This really means "no shampoo" but "no poo" for short. People are becoming more aware of the chemicals that are in everyday products and have decided to switch from using shampoo to using: water only, washing with various natural products, or "low poo" (store-bought shampoo with less chemicals in them). Turns out that also using commercial shampoos can remove too much oils from your scalp, and when your scalp is too dry, it will produce MORE oil. This creates greasiness in your hair sooner than it should, makes you want to shower more often, and this unhealthy cycle repeats itself. I decided to try "no poo" for several reasons:

a) I heard that after a 2-6 week adjustment/detox period, your scalp balances out, becoming less oily and requiring less washing (just hair washing, because you would still want to shower and wash your body)
b) most bloggers indicated their hair never looked shinier and healthier after the adjustment/detox period
c) some bloggers even said it made their hair grow faster
d) I like the idea of using less chemicals on my face and body, period

I read several different blogs about this process and decided to go with the below measurements for my first "no poo" trial:

Shampoo substitute: 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 1 cup of filtered water

Conditioner substitute: 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of filtered water

Some things to note before I move on to my "no poo" journey:

1. I emptied two Smart Water bottles with the sports lid to hold and apply my "no poo" shampoo and conditioner mixtures.

2. It's sort of a process to make the mixtures. From what I've read, baking soda becomes "active" the minute baking soda and water mix, so I made it fresh prior to showering, and this may be a hassle for some of you (or at least, this was the part that I found to be inconvenient). I think you could make the apple cider vinegar mixture ahead of time and be fine.

3. It takes some getting used to washing your hair with just a watery mixture--it doesn't feel like you're doing anything but massaging your scalp. You will get used to this feeling over time. I think it's harder for us women because our hair is longer and you really need to get in there with your fingers with the baking soda mixture to clean your scalp.

4. The smell of apple cider vinegar doesn't stay in your hair when it dries (whew!!). I was worried about smelling like a pickle once my hair dried, but your hair just ends up smelling like….hair.

5. Make sure you rinse thoroughly in between the mixtures! Remember that science experiment you did in elementary school where you mixed baking soda with vinegar in your home-made volcano? You don't want that fizzing to happen on your head in the shower.

Week 1: After my first shower, I LOVED IT. Forget the fact that I managed to get both the baking soda and vinegar mixtures in my eyes (which burned less than the shampoo I get in my eyes from time to time, but stung nonetheless), my scalp never felt cleaner and my hair actually had more texture to it. It felt clean for 2 whole days, which is unusual for me (I typically need to wash my hair every other day). But after the second and third washes, my hair was starting to feel gross underneath the top layers--it just didn't "feel" clean. I'm not sure if this is my scalp transitioning during the dreaded "transition/detox period" or if I just didn't do as good of a job as I did the first time. Last shower of the week, I REALLY got in there with the baking soda mixture and it seemed cleaner than it did those other two days, however the next day, it felt as grody as the day as it was washed. I want to give up and have clean-feeling hair again, but I don't want to quit. Must.keep.going. I hope I can survive this transition/detox period so I can start seeing the benefits.

**Sooo, I did more research, and it turns out that baking soda isn't the best for your hair with regular use. Next week I'll be posting about the hazards of using baking soda as shampoo, stay tuned!**