no shampoo...thinking about it, but lots of questions

[mmhinton]

My first thought is, really....that can work without having GROSSLY oily (or dry) hair??? I am in the process of switching to all natural and toxin free products for our family, but I do currently use shampoo (natural, non-toxic, but not toxin free).

Anyway, I have oily skin - and hair - with frequent blemishes (I have PCOS...) and I exercise regularly. When I exercise, I SWEAT (to anyone who says that "women perspire"...well, they haven't met me and then my hair is even more oily! So, my next thought is: with the no 'poo routine of "washing" only every few days, will my hair look gross and oily in between (as it would now if I were to use only water).

Next thought: I have two boys who are CONSTANTLY getting themselves dirty - they love to play outside...especially in the dirt, sand, etc AND they get sweaty easily. How often should I wash their hair - especially if (or when) I switch to no shampoo?

Ok, that's what I can think of for now.....

[amber913]

It's my understanding that you no-poo (baking soda) as needed. You don't have to let you hair get gross--no-poo it when you need to. It's also my understanding that as time goes by, you'll be able to stretch out the time between no-pooing. (I'm still new at this, though.) As far as exercise goes, try using water only and see what happens. if that doesn't work, use a very diluted version of the bs/water and see what happens. And don't get the vinegar near your scalp--that'll only make it more oily.

I've heard that possibly the baking soda, but definitely the vinegar is irritating to the eyes, so i use Dr. Bronner's baby unscented on my kids' hair, but i only wash their hair once a week. i figure i'm training their scalps not to over-produce oil. I'd actually go longer between washings, but their hair needs it. I can tell when "hair wash day" is coming.

Good luck! I've loved no-pooing so far--hit a little bump in the road when we ran out of softener salts, but i'm back on track and loving it.

[mmhinton]

So, this may be a silly / dumb question, but what are "softener salts"? Also, do you use regular baking soda (as in the stuff at the supermarket) or something else? And what kind of vinegar?

Right now, it all sounds so simple - just stop washing with shampoo and use baking soda when needed; yet, oddly, overwhelming! Maybe it's the thought of trying to tell DH why we would change to this?!?!

[amber913]

Originally Posted by mmhinton

So, this may be a silly / dumb question, but what are "softener salts"? Also, do you use regular baking soda (as in the stuff at the supermarket) or something else? And what kind of vinegar?

Right now, it all sounds so simple - just stop washing with shampoo and use baking soda when needed; yet, oddly, overwhelming! Maybe it's the thought of trying to tell DH why we would change to this?!?!

Softener salts for the water softener. You need soft water to be able to do this (from what i understand--there may be a hard water method), which i found out the hard way--couldn't figure out why my hair wouldn't come clean! I use regular old Arm & Hammer--though i'd prefer using baking soda from a company that doesn't test on animals. i buy the big box in the laundry isle. I keep a little jar of it in the bathroom with a formula scoop. Before i shower, i put about two scoops (about 2T, i'm guessing) into a color application bottle. Then when i get in, i fill it with warm water and apply to dry hair--though some apply to wet hair. I then wash myself, rinse my hair, apply the acv solution to the hair below my chin (1 part acv to about 5 parts water in an old shower gel bottle--i also put in a cinnamon stick and cloves, and this bottle lasts me several washes). Let it stay for a minutes then wash out. That's it. I think it's just as easy as the old way except that you have to prepare it beforehand, but that only takes a minute.

As far as your dh...i didn't push it on my dh. Instead, i pushed natural shampoos, and he's willing to do that (Dr. Bronner's). I actually don't impose any of my crunchiness on him, but i always tell him what i'm doing, and it seems he respects me for it, even if he thinks my ideas are a little wacky in the beginning.

[mmhinton]

Thanks for the info and advice!! We have pretty hard water here and don't have a softener... so maybe I'll have to look into the "hard water method"!

As for DH - I stopped buying soaps, etc from supermarkets, so he is using more natural shampoos and stuff... I do like your comment though about telling him what you're doing.... and him respecting that! I suppose I will just have to start with that... and maybe over time, he'll come to try it too..... or at least help me use my methods with our boys!

[sprouthead]

can you elaborate on the softener salts? how do you get them and how do you incorporate them into your routine? I've been water only for about 6 1/2 months now but we just moved to a place with *really* hard water, and my hair is nasty!!!

mmhinton- depending on how hard your water is, you may find that just adjusting your water:vinegar ratio may do the trick.

[amber913]

Softener salts go in our water softener which is a big machine in our basement. I haven't done extensive research, but have heard that rinsing with rain water is good if you have hard water coming out of your pipes. It looks like there are shower filters/heads that could help. Hmmm... I'd google hard water no-poo and see what you get (that's what i'm doing). It's such a popular method and hard water seems so common, there's gotta be a way.

Just found this: http://inashoe.com/2009/05/shampoo-w...ater-epiphany/

I'd really like to know if this works for those of you with hard water, so i can add it to my blog.

Good luck!

[SharonAnne]

My problem with no poo is that it washes the color out of my hair SO quickly (Yes, I color my hair. I use a vegetable based dye. I know, I know, I should just grow old gracefully. Eff that. : )

Any ideas on that?

[ASusan]

Rinsing in rain water is great! The summer my hair was it's softest was the summer I "washed" it by going out back and dunking my head in the rain bucket below the deck.

When you switch to no-poo, you will go through a stage while your hair is adjusting to providing the proper amount of oil - and it may be quite oily for a few days/weeks. Then it evens out (as long as you don't give in and wash the oils out again). Some people can't make it past that stage.

[Blueone]

There are a lot of good tips already listed.

I tried going completely no-poo and used applesauce or vinegar but it did not agree with my hair. So instead I looked for something natural and found that Chagrin has the best shampoos, soaps, face lotion, etc. It's all I use now!

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/

They have no chemicals added and so much variety!

[amber913]

Originally Posted by SharonAnne

My problem with no poo is that it washes the color out of my hair SO quickly (Yes, I color my hair. I use a vegetable based dye. I know, I know, I should just grow old gracefully. Eff that. : )

Any ideas on that?

No one should be judging you regarding coloring your hair--do what you need to do! Though i'm a little partial--i'll be coloring people's hair on a daily basis when i "go back to work". Anyway, i'd heard that no-pooing actually preserved color...i wonder if that just applies to regular store-bought or salon or what? Hmmm...worth looking into.

I'm sorry, i don't know how to do multiple quotes, but regarding the adjustment to not using shampoo. I'm still unclear as to what that means. From the first time i used bs, my hair felt like i'd just washed it with shampoo (except not as dry and unmanageable, truth be told--that's reason #1 i no-poo), so my scalp didn't have to adjust to that. I'd assumed that as time went on, i could no-poo less and less, and that just hasn't been the case. Either that, or my scalp is adjusting SLOWLY. (Months and i've gone from shampooing every other day to no-pooing every third day.) Upon further research, i've found that many others no-poo just as often as i do, on a regular basis. So, hmmm.

[Noelle C.]

My hair used to be horrifically oily. My skin too! But then I decided to try washing less with soaps to see what would happen. For a few weeks, maybe a month, it was icky. But then my body readjusted oil production. No longer was I stripping myself of oil on a daily basis, so my body didn't have to go into overdrive, making me oily. A quick rinse now is pretty much all I need. I don't use soap at all on my body, and wash my hair with a very mild shampoo weekly or so, sometimes less frequently, and nope, I'm not smelly or oily or anything.

[rhiandmoi]

I stopped no-pooing because my DH can't stand the smell of vinegar. However, I am considering doing a citric acid rinse which would be odorless. Does anyone know what I should target as the pH? When I don't use a vinegar rinse my scalp itches too much with baking soda only.

[sprouthead]

I've used lemon juice rinses- about the same ratio as i did acv rinses..

[Meiri]

I've not bothered to henna my hair since going to exclusive, and now just mostly, no-poo. I noticed that the last time I done it, it washed out very quickly.

Not everyone has a problem adjusting to the no-poo method. Maybe part of my ease of adjustment was because I just used the no-poo with the same frequency as I'd shampooed, then as my hair looked good for another day, I could skip a day, etc.

It's not like it's a requirement to skip days on end when no-pooing.

When I use lemon or lime juice, I also use it the same way I use the apple cider or white vinegar. Never had the vinegar smell be a problem because it goes away as your hair dries.