This post is part of the series “How to Green-Up Your Life Without Getting Overwhelmed.”
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Usually I’m kinda proud of my different crunchy endeavors. But some things can give people the wrong impression. Want to freak out an acquaintance? Tell them you’re trying the “No ‘Poo Method”. You’ll be able to laugh at their expression later, if they give you the chance to explain yourself.
Thankfully the “No ‘Poo Method” is not nearly as gross as it seems. We’re talkin’ no SHAMpoo. When I first heard about it, I was intrigued. The idea is that most of the stuff in commercial shampoos is really doing the opposite of what you want. The harsh chemicals strip your hair, leaving it thirsty for some moisture which causes an overproduction of oil, so you wash your hair more. Vicious cycle and one that I battled with constantly. I can’t wash my hair at night because by noon the next day, my hair will be too slick for public eyes. In high school, it was so bad that I often showered twice a day because I didn’t want a cute boy to think I was dirty. Fast forward a couple years and a couple kids and I no longer have time to shower every other day, nonetheless twice a day. My hair was gross and I was desperate. I’d read about the “No ‘Poo Method” and decided to try it.
First attempt: I tried using just Castile Soap. My hair has never felt so dry. Straw-like and extremely tangle prone, my hair was in complete rebellion. I couldn’t comb through my usually tame hair and it was even more oily and just plain nasty. It was a total disaster. But I’m stubborn. I had heard that it might take time for the scalp to adjust. So I just kept at it, pulling my rats nest into a bun and hoping no one thought I was homeless. My husband is a saint for putting up with my experiments. I eventually started using regular conditioner. I also would occasionally add backing soda to the castile soap, but the results were unacceptable. Sorry to all that knew me at that time. There are no pictures from this attempt since every camera that tried shattered into a million pieces.
Second attempt: I read this article about how to balance the pH of your scalp and how my first method was probably too harsh. I highly recommend you explore her blog about natural hair care because everyone’s skin is different and usually a lot of experimentation is needed to find something that works. I was really excited to try her recipe. She simply mixed aloe and coconut milk. At first I thought, whoa, only moisture/oil is NOT going to clean my hair. But I have started washing my face with oil and that’s been working out swimmingly. So why not my hair?
Yea. There was no point that my hair could have even passed for clean. I’m not convinced I used the right ingredients (Do you know how many different types of aloe vera and coconut milk there are?) And this still might work for someone with dry/damaged hair. I’ve got some extra in my freezer if you want to give it a try.
Third attempt: One thing I gleaned from that same article was that some people follow-up their castile soap/baking soda mix with an apple cider vinegar rinse. I really didn’t think it’d make much of a difference, but since I had all the ingredients already, I gave it a shot.
BINGO! Clean hair!
Let me take you step by step.
You’ll need:
Baking Soda
Organic Castile Soap (I like the almond scent for hair products.)
A squirt bottle
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Water
Grab about a half-dollar sized heap of baking soda. Squirt a quarter-sized dollop of castile soap. |
Rub it all together. It will be pasty and more thick than the shampoo you’re used to. |
Massage into your scalp. Let sit for a bit while looking like a wet dog/wild squirrel. |
Fill a spray bottle about a quarter full with apple cider vinegar and top it off with water.
Spritz into hair, letting soak into scalp. (I didn’t take pictures because there’s just nothing to see.)
Rinse thoroughly.
I’m thrilled with the results! I’ve gone from having noticeably greasy hair 12 hours after shampooing to being able to stretch it to 48 hrs.
See how gross conventional shampoo left my hair after 18ish hours? |
Here’s my hair after nearly 24 hrs with the “No ‘Poo Method”. This is clearly a super flattering angle for my nose. |
I also love how cheap it is compared to what I was shelling out of a store bought yet slightly eco-friendly shampoo. I use these ingredients for everything anyway.
So there’s the secret to why I vaguely smell like the day before Easter. (…Vinegar… get it? I’m just kidding, I don’t think you can smell it at all.)
Next is to learn how to style dry hair that’s been slept on. I’m pretty clueless. Exhibit A. |
Have you tried to use a more natural shampoo solution? Was it a quick fix or lots of trial and error? Share your thoughts and recipes below!
Jen Valquist says
I really enjoyed reading this! I stopped using shampoo about two months ago and it’s been a journey, that’s for sure! Because I have celiac disease and have read a lot about how there’s gluten in not just food but also beauty products I first started out just going gluten free in all of my beauty products. And apparently gluten is in a lot of shampoos but then it goes by the name tocopherol or some version of that. Anyhow, gluten free shampoos are different and I noticed that my hair was having a hard time adjusting because most of the shampoos i tried were SLS-free (which is a good thing) but when you try to not wash your hair everyday, it’s just not working. Especially since my hair is waist length. So I did more research and found a company that makes “shampoo” that’s completely natural, vegan and gluten free. (I’m not gonna name it since I don’t work for them nor do I wanna make any free advertisement for them) I read a lot of reviews about the products and also about the no poo method and different methods of doing it. I chose to buy the shampoo, it’s costly, I won’t lie, but I didn’t dare try baking soda with my long hair in case I got a rat’s nest.
The first two weeks were horrible! My hair was not having it, it was so greasy and it felt like it wouldn’t ever be clean again. I had to be creative with my hair because I stuck with the plan of not washing it every day and I still went to work (and I can’t hide my hair under any form of clothing at work). But after two weeks it felt a little bit different. I had read about the fact that the hair could rebel and I followed the company’s instructions and used the products in the way they recommended. I also took to heart what the “no poo” people had said about how to “scrub” your scalp and it got even better. After about four weeks like this I looked at my hair after washing it and it was clean! No grease in the hair at all. (I still stare at the hair sometimes because I don’t get how it can get clean like this but it does). They say it can take up to six!! months with the no poo method before your hair normalizes and you can go a week without washing it and I’m pretty sure I’ll be one of those people but I’ll be sticking with it for sure. My scalp has healed, no more itchiness, no weird flakes (it was never dandruff, I think it was my skin reacting to gluten) and I can go about two days without it looking too greasy at this point, when before I was just like you Julie. And I’ve been able to keep my hair long, so that’s a plus.
Thanks again for sharing, I really enjoyed reading about what works for you!
Julie says
Wow Jen, thanks for sharing! I had no idea about gluten in beauty products. You’ve gone to some great lengths to avoid it. That’s awesome! It’s impressive that you stuck with it. I’m also hoping that I’ll be able to go longer and longer without washing it. Save on the water bill too! 🙂
Carrie says
This is the first time I’ve ever looked into this and I’m quite intrigued because this winter left my hair awfully dry with plenty of split ends and I’m thinking the shampoo I’m using is not helping that at all. I’m curious to learn more about Jen’s comment since I also have a gluten intolerance and I often have scabs on my head. I never thought too much of them, but as I was reading this, it made me wonder if those are somehow related to the gluten and if I could get rid of them. Here are some questions I have about this method: Is it safe for color treated hair? Does it help the dye last longer than traditional shampoo? Also, Julie and Jen do you feel like your hair gets fewer split ends now since switching? What about when you get haircuts? Do you let them wash it with shampoo then or does that mess up your hair’s system?
Julie says
Carrie, thanks for stopping by with such great questions. Unfortunately, I don’t know many of the answers. My hair is not dyed. When I made my first attempt, it was, but it was just left over color since I’d decided to stop. So kinda hard to judge if it made it fade more quickly or not. I certainly think my hair is healthier. It’s certainly more think. My hair is growing out, so it’s been harder to get to the scalp to get it clean. That’s been annoying. I haven’t gotten it washed at haircuts, but I did use regular shampoo once when I was over at a friend’s house and YUCK! My hair was grossly oily within 8 hrs. But I don’t think it was a huge setback or anything. I’d just wash your hair before the hair cut, then let them wet it down. That should work just fine. Hope that helps. Jen is a friend of mine, I’ll make sure she reads this and gives you her feedback.
Jen Valquist says
Hi Carrie! Personally, it’s made a huge difference for me switching to gluten free beauty products. I used to have red, itchy and flaky areas around my eyes and as soon as I stopped using my (very high end) eye-cream my eyes got so much better. Same thing with my hair. I used to itch like crazy and it has now stopped completely. And no more weird flakes or red areas in my scalp. And I would also like to suggest to you to look over your lip-balms, gloss and lipstick. That’s the easiest way to accidentally ingest gluten without knowing it. The shampoos that I use are stated to be color-safe, there are five different shampoos that you should rotate because they have different ingredients. But I’m a dark blonde with just bleached highlights (before I realized all of this) so my highlights are about a year old now but the shampoo hasn’t changed the bleached hair into some weird greenish color as of yet. But I can’t promise anything about red or brown hair coloring. But the company that produces the shampoo promotes henna coloring, if you want to color, and I think that that’s not a very strong coloring technique so if it’s safe for that it should be safe for what you’re using, I hope. A funny thing that I noticed was that after getting my highlights I would always get this knot in my hair on the left side of my face. No matter how I washed my hair, no matter how much conditioner or leave in treatments I put in, this knot would always show up and it would take a good five minutes to brush it out. Since switching to this method, that knot is no longer with me. Don’t know how it works, just glad it does! I don’t know if I have fewer split ends but my hair feels stronger and more manageable. I think it’s too early for me really since I only started the no poo method in February. Since my hair reaches my waist I usually cut it myself or have friends cut it for me. Then I just wash it before and cut it while it is still wet. I think that’s the best way to do it if you go to your hairdresser, wash it at home and then have them cut it. Or try to find a hairdresser that works with eco-friendly products. They’re hard to find but they are out there. And if you want additional help with going gluten-free in other areas of beauty products I’m willing to help. I’ve had a real trial and error period and gone through a lot of different products. Best part is that gluten-free products almost always end up being eco-friendly, vegan- friendly and without lots of chemicals that might make you sick. Hope this helped. Take care!
Carrie says
Thanks for your responses, girls! I appreciate all the information. Maybe I will get started on this soon!
Molly says
I’m new to your blog. Found you on the blogging on the side FB group! I have been reading a lot of your posts but this one definitely interested me. I have the SAME problem. Greasy hair after only like 12 hours. It drives me nuts. I use really cheap shampoo (because, well, I’m cheap) and I know it’s probably terrible for me. My skin is really really dry. I’ve heard there is a learning curve to finding what works for you. I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time but I’ve been too nervous. But I think your post just pushed me over the edge! EEK! Since I’m on winter break from work I think now would be the perfect time to try.
Julie says
LOL! Sounds like we’re very similar! Give it a go and let me know what works for you! I’m still going strong with this last attempt and I’m decently happy with it. Wish I could go longer than 48 hrs. But I guess that’s just my skin type. So much better than it was!
TAra says
I love the effect that Apple Cider Vinegar has on my hair but in spite of my every effort to rinse thoroughly, my husband insists that he can still smell it. It makes him nauseas (he can’t even stand condiments containing vinegar). I have thought of adding some essential oils to the vinegar mixture… thoughts? Would it actaully cover the scent? Spoil the effect?
Julie says
I think adding EO’s is a great idea! I know some citrus oils might react under sunlight, so look into that first. Let me know what you discover!
Kelly V. Lampkin says
Can you imagine, what is the benefit of using shampoo? I think, there are many reasons to use shampoo such as cleaning and washing your body and hair. so you should do it.