Recipes : Soap Making : Unshampoo - Page 5

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Of course it works, it's soap, ain't it? This is not complicated. It's machine dishwashing that's tricky; don't try soap for that!

Thanks!

[Sensitive]

"hydrophobic" Is that a fancy word for oily substances?

I am really interested to know because I do oil scalp and hair treatments.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Sensitive

"hydrophobic" Is that a fancy word for oily substances?

Yes.

[AngelBee]

:

[Robert Goodman]

Come to think of it, there are a few substances like talc that don't wet easily, yet aren't oily. And there are high molecular weight substances like polyethylene that you might not think of as "oily", but are hydrophobic. Aside from those exceptions, hydrophobic substances are oily.

Robert

[vioburn]

Originally Posted by Sensitive

I would really appreciate it if anyone knows the answer to my earlier question about the ACV/BS no-poo method being able to clean very dirty hair. Also I would like to know If anyone has found a way to counteract the ACV smell. I have noticed that the smell dissipates as my hair dries but I have very thick hair and it takes hours to dry totally. I usually have to got to work with semi wet hair and the smell still lingers. Is this a problem for anybody else? Has anyone come up with a solution?

I'm so glad I found this site, It is so informative!!

I've been going no poo for almost 2 weeks. So, not as long as some of the people on this board. I put 2-3 drops of lavender EO in my ACV rinse and it makes my hair smell great. My ratio is 1/2 cup ACV or white vinegar in a 20 oz. jar, fill the rest of the way with water, add a couple drops of the EO.

I see that some people are putting honey on with the BS. I've been adding it to my ACV rinse, about a tablespoon to the mixture. How much honey are you adding to the BS? How does it work adding it to the BS? I've got all sorts of questions and I'm so happy to find this thread! I posted about wanting to do this on another board, and they all thought I was crazy!!

I am still in the transition phase, so some days my hair looks great, other days not so great. Since I started adding honey to the ACV rinse, I haven't had to add silicone serum to my hair and it hasn't been super dry, like it was the first week. My scalp has been kind of itchy, flaky and a little greasy this week. Does anyone have any advice on that?

Thanks!!

[T&D2005]

For those who say they wash their hair once a week using things mentioned in this post: Do you rinse with water inbetween the washings? Sorry I'm new to this and can't imagine what my hair would look like after a week of no scrubbing with shampoo.:

[incorrigible]

Originally Posted by T&D2005

For those who say they wash their hair once a week using things mentioned in this post: Do you rinse with water inbetween the washings? Sorry I'm new to this and can't imagine what my hair would look like after a week of no scrubbing with shampoo.:

:

[vioburn]

I have to say that the longer I am no 'pooing, the longer I am taking between washings. I couldn't imagine not washing at least every other day, but my hair just looks good for DAYS after washing, now. I woke up this morning and barely had to run my fingers through my hair and it looked just as good as yesterday. I don't suppose it would hurt anything to rinse your hair or wet it down, though. I do wash down the rest of my body with a cloth or a quick rinse in the shower, without "washing" my hair. I'd say I'm up to 4-5 days between washings, for the most part, but sometimes it's still every other day.

[captivatedlife]

For those who no poo hair...

I have wonderful curly hair. Soft, no frizz, not kinky, but pretty curls. I've been no pooing with conditioner only.... Now I want to go to a natural way. Any ideas?

[Sensitive]

^ I have curly hair as well. When I used to use regular shampoo, my hair was fluffy,frizzy., and coarse. Now that I use the no poo method (going on 3 months) my hair is perfectly curly with no frizz. Very soft pretty curls. So I am assuming that if your hair is already like that, it would remain that way.

[justy421]

thanks you for posting this......this is great!

[justy421]

Originally Posted by Sensitive

^ I have curly hair as well. When I used to use regular shampoo, my hair was fluffy,frizzy., and coarse. Now that I use the no poo method (going on 3 months) my hair is perfectly curly with no frizz. Very soft pretty curls. So I am assuming that if your hair is already like that, it would remain that way.

what is "no poo"? i have curly hair too, and im interested!

[Spastica]

No poo means "No Shampoo" - in the strictest sense, not using commercial detergent-based shampoos.

Many commercial detergent shampoos include sodium lauryl sulfate and/or sodium laureth sulfate which overcleanses hair and leaves curly hair looking frizzy or curl-less. So 'no-pooing' is an alternative method of cleansing hair that doesn't ruin your curls.

Besides SLS and SLES (mentioned above), use of silicones sometimes can leave your hair brittle and it has a hard time growing because the ends snap off. You don't notice that it's damaging your hair because silicones make your hair fake-shiny. Most silicones rinse out with water only, and those don't damage your hair. The non-soluble silicones are the ones to watch out for. Because most people don't understand or don't care to differentiate between the types of silicones, they avoid silicones altogether in products (you'll see ingredients in the backs of shampoo and conditioner bottles ending in -cone or -one). Some mainstream products are Pantene, Garnier Fructise, and others that have lots and lots of silicones. Temporarily, they look fabulous on your hair, but over time, you may see that your curls are not curling properly -- and if you EVER use some sort of cleansing/clarifying shampoo, you will see that the silicones try to come out of your hair, and you get a big gummy, gloopy mess. Once the silicones are out, you'll see your hair breaking in places you didn't even think would break - you may be horrified to see that there were pieces of your hair artificially glued together with the silicones.

Some people think no-pooing means not cleaning your hair. That's not true. You can wet your hair and clean your hair as needed (I wet my hair everyday as most Caucasian/Asian hair types do). Some african-american/african and other ethnic types of hair that are very kinky, curly, and prone to dryness do well with conditioner only methods or no-poo. For wavy or curly hair that have regular to really oily scalps, no-poo or low-poo works well.

There are several methods of no-pooing, low-pooing, gentler shampooing using more natural products, shampoo bar or bar soap with apple cider vinegar rinsing method, conditioner-only use, conditioner-wash-condition, or some other variation.

You can find all the terms here:

http://anaissatin.freespaces.com/cleansingmethods.html

This particular forum has a lot of topics and these people are totally obsessed with the art and science of hair...

http://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=39339


The trick with curly hair is moisture.

If you read the links I posted in this thread (first page) you can find out more information. You don't have to bother reading page after page of the thread unless you need hair troubleshooting tips.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=469624

The preliminary steps I recommend are:

1) Baking soda and simple shampoo, used over a few weeks, takes care of getting rid of silicones from your hair. I recommend people wean off their current products and use more and more baking soda and less and less shampoo. This helps them perfect the scalp scrub (which is key to no-pooing), and it helps all the old product buildup come out.

2) Get a haircut too before no-pooing, but after the clarifying process (getting rid of all the silicones in your hair). It will get rid of the dry, split ends and shape up your hair so it doesn't look all choppy like a scarecrows. It provides a healthy set of hair to work with for no-poo.

3) Change your conditioner set to ones without silicones. Get the cheap and lightweight, and silicone-free conditioner for the no-poo base for baking soda to cleanse hair. Use that same conditioner or another one that is a bit heavier to moisturize the ends of your hair. You may or may not need to use ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar), though curly hair loves acids and curls even better with an acid rinse, or acid and conditioner mix (a cheap version of a super expensive "acidifying conditioner" that you see in salons).

As you go through the no-poo process, you'll learn how to add more fun stuff to your no-poo cleansing solution, like essential oils, honey, brown sugar, and other stuff. These all help keep curls nice and soft, shiny, and keeps the curls together, versus frizzed out and all over the place. Don't EVEN try to put all the goodies in your hair on the first try - your hair and scalp adjusts to the new ingredients slowly, and the RECIPES AND PROPORTIONS differ by person, by season, and by hair needs. So even though it's easy to give up and say your hair looks like crap - it's a temporary thing, and if you need help, come back on the boards here and let us help you troubleshoot.

Once you figure out your hair and learn the art and science behind all the different ingredients for making your own no-poo hair cleansing method, it's really worth it and your hair looks great. You will see that you'll need less products to make your hair look good - if you eliminate frizz, dryness, poofiness, crazy stuff - you will automatically need less gel, styling lotions, hairspray, straighteners, curl serums, etc. and you will spend less time yanking your hair straight with a blow dryer because LO AND BEHOLD your hair actually looks NICE curly for once and you don't HAVE to resort to yanking it straight.

Hope this long-winded response helps somebody, somewhere.

[suzyfakename]

wow. i love you girls.

any ideas for thick, frizzy dry hair? please please please?

[dawncayden]

subbing

[liqzierda]

Great info! Thanks!

[russianthistle]

spastica,
You rock for your long-winded reply! It's great info for passing on to others. It can be hard to describe the no-poo method. You give me words from which to speak!

I, myself, use a local, handmade, "Triple Esthers Shampoo Bar" with a rosemary eo and vinegar rinse. It works very well for me. I have very straight long brown hair.

[IrelandsMama]

Spastica thanks for your long winded response I have some questions.

Me and my sister have been trying to no poo for a couple weeks but we are still not happy. We both have REALLY greasy hair. For example if we shower and clean it in the morning, even if we use no products and let dry naturally, we still have grease problems by THAT same evening!!! The no poo is helping me some what but it's not helping her, since her hair is even MORE greasy than mine. Shes doing baking soda and honey in the am, sometimes still using conditioner since she says the ACV doesn't help detangle..... she has bad knots if she doesn't comb it every day. She just had a cut a month ago but I think she may need to take many inches off to help. She also has semi curly hair (wavy) Any ideas?

I have curly hair and am doing honey and baking soda mixed. Since it doesn't cleanse good enough I also have have to use my good health store poo sometimes. I go about three days before I have to clean my hair, I but baby power in it between the days so I can go longer. I use the ACV for detangling, it works great for me. I use an actual conditioner about once a week, its also from the health food store and a good one. I don't know how much baking soda to use though, since my scalp gets dry and crusty since no pooing. I'm scared to used too much. Suggestion? Should we both ditch the honey until we get this figured out? I am using little to no gel. Also I am having a problem getting my hair clean with the baking soda... it doesn't spread well. Suggestions?

thanks

sav

[Spastica]

Did you cleanse hair first with shampoo and baking soda like I mentioned?

For most people, slapping baking soda on their hair won't get it clean. You have to dilute it first. Otherwise you may either get non-clean hair, or worse, you break your hair because you made softscrub with baking soda and made an abrasive and scratched your hair.

I guess I didn't post the links to the simple conditioner and baking soda method - dilute simple conditioner (Suave Tropical Coconut is good) with some baking soda (I use about 1 teaspoon or less) and dilute with hot water - about a cup in a container. Shake up the mixture, it will froth quite a bit. Use this mixture over your scalp and hair and massage using fingers. Keep this mixture on for a few minutes and do other things in the shower. Rinse thoroughly. Spray apple cider vinegar and/or some more conditioner to your hair from ears down. Rinse well again.

Honey sometimes makes hair look greasy. I wouldn't add too much goop in your initial no poo transition since you're still getting used to no poo and you're still getting used to how to scrub your hair with your fingers.

You can do the complicated stuff and add more ingredients as you get more advanced. In the beginning, you have to keep it simple.

Make sure you do the shampoo-baking soda steps first, like I mentioned.