Just started no poo - questions

[hollianna]

Hi! I have fine, thin hair and finally decided to go no poo on Sunday. I cut about 3 inches off my hair, because I heard it's good to start fresh with your hair.

Anyway, every other day I'm doing the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. But today I'm starting to look a little greasy. So I have a few questions.

1. For those of you who say you go 2-3 days (or more) without doing anything, does this mean you don't even wet your hair, or do you wet it each day?

2. Is my greasiness normal? Should I be doing the BS and ACV every day for the first while, or what?

3. How long is the transition? Will there be a time when I won't be so greasy?

4. Any other regimen or tips I need to know? What helped make the transition the smoothest for you?

THANKS so much!

[amynbebes]

I've only been doing it since July or August so here's my novice input
1. For those of you who say you go 2-3 days (or more) without doing anything, does this mean you don't even wet your hair, or do you wet it each day? If I'm not working out, then no, I don't wet it. If I get sweaty then I give it a thorough rinsing in the shower

2. Is my greasiness normal? Should I be doing the BS and ACV every day for the first while, or what? I wouldn't do it every day. Maybe every other day. I've read that there is an adjustment period for some and that the greasiness will go away over time

3. How long is the transition? Will there be a time when I won't be so greasy?
I don't know because I didn't experience it but I have read that most people do reach the not greasy all of the time stage

4. Any other regimen or tips I need to know? What helped make the transition the smoothest for you?
Nothing really

[hollianna]

Thanks for the response! I'll just keep up with it and see how it goes. Thanks!

[Meiri]

I've been doing no-poo for years now. My suggestion would be to go with what your scalp and hair are telling you.

I've washed my hair this way daily at times, but now often skip one day comfortably.
When doing that, I find that my head feels better if I keep my hair dry.

Skipped two days means my scalp feels greasy to me, though it wouldn't look too bad.
I try to not skip two days though, because I don't like that feeling.

One thing I will do is use conditioner on the long ends. They get dry. I'm going to play with using a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends instead, and see how that feels.

[amynbebes]

One thing that I forgot to mention is that I occasionally get the whispies and will put a smidge of olive oil in my hair to calm them down.

[Watershippy]

I recall my first week of no-poo. It was tough. No matter what I did during the 7 or 8 days, my hair looked bad. Then something clicked and my hair started look quite nice again. Your hair and scalp need some time to adjust (for me it was about 10 days when things started looking up) to life without shampoo. I'd recommend picking a routine and running with it for a week or 2 before deciding if the routine works or needs changes. Maybe keep on with every other day for a while, then try to cut back a bit and see what happens?

I will wet my hair if I think it looks funny. I know it is time to cleanse again when my head starts feeling a little itchy (could be 2 days or 6, depends on if I've been sweating). I don't get greasy anymore at all, but I've been no-poo for a few years and I have coarse, dry hair to begin with. No-poo has actually helped me a lot. I hope it does as well by you!

[hollianna]

Thanks so much for your replies! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who experienced issues at first.

Right now I'm on day 9, and I'm starting to wonder if it is a good idea - my hair is greasier and just yesterday I noticed flakes - dandruff or dry skin - who knows. Ick! I'll assume this is part of the transition and give it a bit more time before I decide to give up or keep going with it.

Thanks!

[hananana]

1. I go 4 - 6 days without using BS. I let my hair get wet just about every time I shower. I don't purposefully get it wet or scrub it or anything, I just don't keep it from getting wet if I'm showering but not washing it.

2. My general policy these days is to use BS when it feels greasy and ACV when it feels too dry or if I have some major tangles. That said, I almost never use ACV. I feel as though it makes my head feel greasy almost immediately. That's just how my scalp is. You can try using different combinations of BS and ACV and see what works for you. I would try ACV less often though, if I were you.

3. I had a long transition of about a month. My hair felt greasy and stringy and sticky depending on the day of that month. It was gross and frustrating. But after that, I settled into a rhythm that I've been in for the last 2 years with better hair than ever, and a much happier scalp.

4. I wore a lot of bandanas on my head for the first month! I'd say, take this breaking in period to see what your scalp is capable of, good and bad. Be willing to have some bad hair days. I think this is the only way to observe whether what you are doing with BS or ACV is working and to adjust your regimen to suit your scalp's needs.

[LeahBoo]

I could never get it to work with the ACV. I gave up for a long time until my head got insistant that I not use shampoo (it's pretty bad when even the organic shampoos make your head itchy). So I started using baking soda and honey. Awesome! It never went through the "greasy stage", always looks like I just shampoo it like everyone else. The ends were getting dry and so I started occasionally putting coconut oil on them. Now my scalp is healthy, and my hair is soft and clean and shiny. I love it!

[JaneSmith1010]

How did you use the honey on your hair?
When?
What parts of your hair?
For what purpose?

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I just started no poo today too....i made no poo balls...bs, honey, water, eo...rolled into balls and i used one in the shower just now. It was interesting...i also used acv and lavender eo as a conditioner....i normally blow dry my hair and i'm thinking to let it air dry this time. I hope this works good...we have hard water and i have to shampoo my hair 2-3 times just to get the build up out...so i figured why keep doing that...does anyone blow dry their hair? I have thin hair...is coconut oil ok or is that to heavy on thin hair?

[HappyLittleHouse]

Originally Posted by Mamato3wild ponnie

I just started no poo today too....i made no poo balls...bs, honey, water, eo...rolled into balls and i used one in the shower just now. It was interesting...i also used acv and lavender eo as a conditioner....i normally blow dry my hair and i'm thinking to let it air dry this time. I hope this works good...we have hard water and i have to shampoo my hair 2-3 times just to get the build up out...so i figured why keep doing that...does anyone blow dry their hair? I have thin hair...is coconut oil ok or is that to heavy on thin hair?

I'm curious about your "no poo balls." Can you point to a recipe? How did you put it together? How do you use it?

[MittensKittens]

Glad to find this thread! I have been interested in going no poo for a while now, but am not sure what I need to get started. My hair gets dry at the ends and I don't want to cut it. When you go no poo, what do you do to maintain the condition of your hair and how often?

[vioburn]

I'd also like to hear how you made the "no poo balls". I tried no-pooing for about 5-6 months, but my hair was breaking really bad, I ended up quitting. I started with BS/ACV/Honey, and then after a few months of that I went to a shampoo bar. The shampoo bar worked fairly well, but after my hair was ruined, I couldn't get it to look good again. I ended up having to completely hack my hair off. I may give it another try some day, but it'll be a while.

[emmsmama]

What about if you have colour-treated hair? Not that colour-treating is healthy, I know, but I like the shade I get with hair dye so I don't want to give it up. Does going no poo make the colour fade quicker?

[hram]

What about if you have colour-treated hair? Not that colour-treating is healthy, I know, but I like the shade I get with hair dye so I don't want to give it up. Does going no poo make the colour fade quicker?

:
I colored my hair blonde and it is way too much for me to keep up with, and I dont like the way it makes my head feel. So Im going to be going back dark and was wondering if it would fade quicker? Im planning on doing bs and acv for me and making the balls for my girls.