Okay...ive gone 'no poo'.... now what?

[ann_of_loxley]

Right
My hair is blonde
It is thin - but there is a lot of it
And I have a very greasy head...
I posted this in health and healing and was referred to this board about 'no pooing'...
Basically - I want to be able to wash my hair less, but as it is so greasy, I have to wash it every morning as by the time I get up, it looks like someone dipped the top of my head in olive oil or something - which is unsighly. My greasy scalp is the only reason I need to wash my hair every morning. But its such a hassle - its long (and is only going to get longer!), it takes up so much time in the morning! ugh
So I searched old posts about it and got the general idea and thought to give it a try!

What I do is...
'wash' my hair with the bicarb and leave it in whilst I brush my teeth (I do this in the shower hehe)...Then I rinse with water, then rinse with ACV (diluted of course) and leave the ACV in whilst I wash my body. I rinse this quickly before I leave the shower.

I get that all the chemicals in the shampoos have stripped my scalp of natural oils - and so it overcompensates which is probably why I have such a greasy head come morning (a vicious cycle I see!).
I also get that it may take awhile for my head to realise it no longer needs to overcompensate... which should result in me not having to wash my hair everyday...right? So how long will that take? lol...
I have noticed (since Monday - so its only been three days hehe) - that my head is not as greasy in the morning, but it still is. I wake up getting excited to check and run a brush through it...its still greasy enough for my hair to stay where the brush has brushed it due to the grease holding it in place like gel! lol - But still not as greasy (which is a start!).
I have also noticed my hair is more shiny! - Due to the ACV no doubt...its like a dazzle shine - which is nice!
I have also noticed that it does not take as long to dry naturally! - Which is good. I still finish it off with the blow dryer (being winter and all) - but I only need to use it for like a minute and then my hair is dry!
I am also impressed that despite not using shampoo and conditioner any longer (for just these three days) - that my hair is really easy to comb out wet! Usually its a horrible painful tangled mess unless I use a truck load of conditioner on it!
My hair is also really soft...it usually is anyhow, but its nice to know that it is still just as soft (if not a bit softer!) despite not using shampoo/conditioner!

Regardless, I imagine my mix of only using the bicarb/ACV, is much more environmentally friendly for the earth and my body - it is also cheaper! lol...

But I will still like to be able to go at least a day or two (id love a week! lol) of not having to even wet my head... Will that come eventually? I remember when I was younger I could get away with not washing my head for a few days - its just so greasy now! Thinking about it, I maybe wash DS head once a month! - He doesnt need it more than that! (and doenst want me to wash it more than that! lol) - and his hair is lush!!!
So...???

[Teenytoona]

I think that day will come. Can you do a skip a day of washing, some day when you will just be at home? that might help the transition.

Isn't it amazing the difference in your hair?

Also they say wooden combs are great for dispersing the natural oils through your hair. I've not bought one yet, but plan to soon.

[ann_of_loxley]

hmmm....ill make note about the wooden comb as I have a new brush and comb on my list of things I need (as the ones I have are falling apart)! hehe

I was thinking about skipping a wash, regardless, come Monday as thats the day I do stay at home and we have nothing planned - so I might do that to help with the transition!

[DanishMom]

I really can't recommend BS. Especially with fine hair (You have very beautiful hair BTW) as it will dry out faster than with hair that is less fine. The more fine hair strands the less water content inside the strand. My hair got drier and drier from using BS. I would try soaps from Chagin Valley, they are completely free of chemicals and are very cheap. One bar costs 6.5 and they are huge and will last a long time. Samples are available too. http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/

FlowerMoonSoaps.com are great too. They make a "Dairy Whip" Our unique foaming, moisturizing whipped castile soap made with goat’s milk, cocoa butter and jojoba. Use it from head to toe. Although primarily used as a skin-softening body cleanser, our dairy whip can also be used as a shaving cream, as bubble bath, and as shampoo.. Has the creamiest texture. Packaged in a 16 oz capacity clear plastic tub (Weighs 453g.). Available in several scents such as Chesapeake Mist, Lavender, Tropical Butter, Blackberry Sage, Island Coconut, Seafoam, Peach, Lemon, Lime, etc. Conducive to custom blending. Cost is $6.00.

[ann_of_loxley]

Hmmm...will any natural soaps do?
I use an olive oil soap bar for my body - can I use that for my head too?

[DanishMom]

I guess you could try but it's probably unlikely that it will work the way shampoo bars do. If you try remember to use apple cider vinegar rinse afterwards. Another nice and cheap alternative is rhassoul clay. The minerals are very beneficial to your hair and it doesn't strip the natural oils as BS do. If you prefer shampoo Aubrey Organics has some great ones - completely free of chemicals - and wonderful conditioners too.

There is a great online community called the long hair care community. http://www.longhaircommunity.com/index.php There is tons of info on taking good care of long hair. You really do have great hair - I'd hate for you to have BS dry it out like my hair did. It took me a year to repair my hair.

[cristeen]

I have long hair and BS hasn't dried it out. Mine's almost to my butt at this point, and i've been using BS and ACV on it for months. I can go about 5 days between washes, but I usually go 7 and just tie my hair back the last two.

I would definitely get a natural bristle brush, whether that's a boar bristle brush or a wooden bristle. That will help to redistribute the natural oils through your hair. Your hair is straight enough that a boar bristle may work for you, mine is too curly for one.

As for how long it will take to adjust, I've heard a week. I didn't have much of an adjustment period at all though.

HTH

[ann_of_loxley]

I was able to go today without washing it!...it was still a little greasy around the edges though (but not as much as it has been!) - but at least thats a start! lol

Maybe your hair hasnt dried out so much with BS as its not as thin as mine? (I think thats why she was trying to advise me against using it as my hair is very fine)...

I might give those shampoo bars a try - they look nice! Do they ship to the UK? (they must do right?) ... Which would you recommend for me? lol

[veganjoy]

I had a terrible time with BS also. My hair is fairly thick, and I followed the no-poo directions exactly, then made adjustments over and over. No matter what, dry ends, greasy scalp. Then I shifted my thinking from, "my roots are so oily," to "the oil is there for a reason, and I need to distribute it properly." I started doing daily scalp massages: flip head upside down, rub scalp for 2 minutes, "pull" the oil down the first 2" of hair, rub scalp again, distribute over all of the hair. I then switched to conditioner only. The baking soda seemed to remove oil, just like shampoo, in a fairly aggressive way.

Now, I rinse my hair with water once a week, and condition once a week, with a scalp massage every day. It looks great, and the extra circulation seems to make it grow faster. A natural bristle brush or comb would probably do something similar.

[Punchy Kaby]

If your hair is dry at the ends you could try fresh lemon juice as the rinse instead of ACV. I find it 'conditions' my hair more than ACV.

There are many companies that make shampoo bars, I think LUSH is a UK co? I have bought a poo bar from them for gifts. I always use BS and ACV though.

[AfricanQueen99]

Originally Posted by ann_of_loxley

Hmmm...will any natural soaps do?
I use an olive oil soap bar for my body - can I use that for my head too?

I checked out that http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/ link and went to the dry hair FAQ - it says they recommend their regular natural soaps because there's a greater fat content (or something like that). I think I have 2-3 more washings left on my shampoo bar, but I'm going to try the other handmade soap I have to see if it works. I figure it's worth a shot, right?

[familyblackout]

My no-poo routine is this (done weekly)
1/2 cup of white vinegar (made from grains!!)with 1/2 cup of water to wash my hair
a little bit of coconut oil rubbed from the side of an "empty" coconut oil jar rubbed in to condition it
I have been no-poo for over a year and have tried and hated BS/ACV. It felt like I had put hairspray in my hair then brushed it out- like greasy, sticky straw. And my hair is pretty fine.
It actually took me several weeks before I wasn't a greaseball when I started no-poo (until I used the white vinegar)
I use this resource a lot:
Livejournal No-Poo

[DanishMom]

If you go to the long hair care community and search for chagrin valley there'll be tons of info and recommendations.

I ordered:
1 EXTRA Honey Beer & Egg $2.60
Shampoo Sample
* Weight: 0.18 lbs. each

1 Mud and Clay Shampoo $6.80
* Weight: 0.58 lbs. each

1 Carrot and Honey Complexion $6.75
Soap
* Weight: 0.58 lbs. each

1 Dead Sea Spa Soap Sample $2.60
* Weight: 0.18 lbs. each

1 Honey Butter Soap $6.75
* Weight: 0.58 lbs. each

1 Coconut Milk Shampoo $6.60
* Weight: 0.58 lbs. each

1 Olive Babassu Shampoo $2.50
Sample
* Weight: 0.18 lbs. each

Their soaps are huge! Some people order samples only the first time in order to try out as many as possible. International shipping is very cheap compared to other places if you'll go with flat rate envelope (it can hold 8 full sized soaps or tons of samples!)

The customer service is amazing and they ship fast. It took 5 days to arrive in Denmark and it looks like a package from a private person so I managed to escape taxes. BTW there are recommendations based on hair type on their webpage. If you have a oily scalp it would be best to use a shampoo bar and then condition your ends with a soap bar.

But I think the flowermoonsoap "whipped dairy" is amazing too. Their shipping cost is low too. They have become extremely popular as people on the long hair boards are raving about them and the company has hard time keeping up. I wouldn't expect them to ship fast.

If you are in the UK you could order Aubrey Organics shampoo and conditioner (Honeysuckle Rose it supposed to be amazing) from www.theorganicbodycareshop.com great costumer service and cheap prices.

Sorry to confuse you with all the suggestions!

[ann_of_loxley]

Originally Posted by Nolansmum

If your hair is dry at the ends you could try fresh lemon juice as the rinse instead of ACV. I find it 'conditions' my hair more than ACV.

There are many companies that make shampoo bars, I think LUSH is a UK co? I have bought a poo bar from them for gifts. I always use BS and ACV though.

I was just telling my DH about LUSH (they do a natural deoderate that is good!) - and I said since we are going to Cheltenham over the holidays, I bet they do poo bars!!! - Will be having a look and buying I think! hehe

[ann_of_loxley]

Well I have been told by a friend that LUSH have things like SLS in them...so there goes that idea out the window!

[EnviroBecca]

Have you tried just rinsing your hair? Use hot water and scrub, but don't put anything on it. I do this every day or two between washings.

[rabbithorns]

Just seriously started no-poo about 10 days ago. Was going to use BS and ACV but heard about bentonite clay and tried that. I am in town with somewhat hard water but will going back to where I live in a rural area with super hard well water.

I decided not to use BS because I have dyed hair (dark on almost all grey). The clay worked great but the ACV rinse left my hair dry as can be and with only a splash in a large glass of water. Next time, I used only conditioner and that seemed to be a bit heavyish even though I only used a fairly modest amount.

Today I used the clay alone (scalp only of course) but it seems also to be stripping the color from my hear at the roots.

So I'm wondering about using regular castille soap at the roots and conditioner on the hair from now on (and probably a hard water conditioner).

I was using a hard water shampoo which stopped the water from eating my hair, but maybe I should switch it to the conditioner. But I'm still concerned about commercial products and their problems.

Any advice: fine, oily, color-treated hair in super hard water?

[rabbithorns]

BTW, I should say that I LUV the bentonite clay for cleaning the scalp and roots. It's so soft and clean. I didn't really think to use it all over my hair because it's long.

But the rest of the hair where I did nothing to it today is frizzy (dry-looking) but still a bit greasy feeling and I don't want to continue with the clay because of the color issue..

So any advice is welcome. Thanks.