No poo without bs... what are the other options to use??

[mmhinton]

I (briefly = about a week) tried no poo with bs/acv - I gave in though and used my shampoo because my hair looked and felt disgusting - waxy, greasy, but dry on the ends and just gross overall. It was weird that it felt very heavy (like it was holding water) when wet. Because my hair was so gross, it also made my face (which is also typically oily) even more oily and gross with more breakouts than normal.... Now, I realize that there should be a transition time for air to "get used to" no poo, but this was horrible!

So, I was wondering if there are other no poo options that might work better for me? Did I read somewhere that yogurt would work (or was that just a skin cleanser option?)?

Help PLEASE! I really love the idea of no poo... and I'm freaking about my hair -it's usually in a ponytail; but, even for me - that just didn't work and I want something that does!!

[sunnysandiegan]

I checked out a book from the library called Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey and Deborah Chiel in order to get more natural curl from my wavy/large curls hair and because my 8 yo DD is EXTREMELY interested in coaxing her hair into curls. The haircare methods in that book do not use shampoo nor baking soda. We haven't given up our shampoo, yet (have to use up what we have), but we have been implementing the other techniques in the book and once in awhile use the "Curly Girl" method to get used to it gradually. Even DH has been participating. You don't have to have curly hair to benefit from this method. You may even discover a curl or two...

[ZorroZ]

I did no=poo for about 19 days. 14 out of those 19 days I hated it. My hair was dry feeling, filmy, tangled. But I did notice I "looked" clean longer. I just hated the feel of it. I have just switched to shampoos bars & I like it better.

I have 2 red headed, dry, curly headed friends who do water only washes. If their scalp gets nasty they clean with conditioner.
My friend from India has beautiful jet black hair. She does water wash only too. But she will do a dry clean by rubbing her scalp w/ corn starch & then brushing, brushing, brushing.

Those are the only other ways I know. No-poo can be a long ajustment. I'm glad I did it. I will not be going back to regular shampoos. Just try different things. each hair & skin type is different. But really, I get the frustration! I'm sure more ladies will have some more ideas for you.

[Blueone]

Chagrin Valley soaps are semi no poo. They have no unnatural ingredients in them and are really great! I use them and don't have to use conditioner or anything. I tried no poo and my hair was really bad.

[Naturalyst]

The standard baking soda - vinegar "no poo" did not work well for me. My hair was in horrible condition as a result of that experiment. What has worked is using a very light conditioner, just as I would a shampoo.

Also, in a local beauty store, the stock a brand called Deva Care and they actually have a "no poo" shampoo (it's without the usual objectionable ingredients). It doesn't foam like regular shampoo. But, it works nicely.

[mmhinton]

Hmmm, I will have to check out that book!

I do have alot of natural waves, but left to themselves they just look, well, like I just got out of bed if I don't either dry my hair or curl my hair. so, maybe that would give me more waves

As for the bs/acv...I cannot imagine 19 days of hair the way mine was! ZorroZ - you mentioned yours looked "clean" longer...mine didn't look clean right after a shower!!

I do you a fairly "natural" shampoo, but if I can't find anything completely no poo, then I will be looking for some of the Chagrin Valley soap bars -- or something like it anyway!

[mmhinton]

Revisiting the bs/acv question... I was using a tablespoon bs in about a cup of water (bs into cup, fill with water when I turn the shower on). I have read many post that seem to use a "paste" of bs water... if I was using too much water with the bs, could that have made such a difference??
Just wondering

[mmhinton]

YAY!!!!!! I tried the bs/acv again (was not ready to give up!) last night.... though this time I made it much more pasty and that seems to have made all the difference!!!! My hair feels great (and clean!) this morning and were I not in a hurry and just put it in a pony tail - it would look great too!!!!
If it stays like this or gets better - I'll definitely be a convert!!!

[swd12422]

Chiming in a little late here, but I thought I'd share my experience, since I nearly gave up too!

I LOVED BS/ACV right from the start. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that what worked the first time wasn't good for my hair EVERY DAY. So my hair quickly became what you described -- oily and nasty at the roots and dry on the ends.

I finally figured out that less is more, so now I actually use just a tiny bit of BS dissolved in water and highly diluted ACV as "needed" which in my case has become less than once a week. (I do a water-only wash every day.)

Since it took me a long time to figure out that I was overdoing it with the BS/ACV, my hair was nasty for quite awhile before it settled down. I just wore it in a ponytail during that time and kept trying til I figured it out. I hope it doesn't take you as long as it took me to find what works for your hair!

My hair is now very curly and SO much more manageable, so it was well worth the struggle, IMO!

[Teenytoona]

Originally Posted by mmhinton

Revisiting the bs/acv question... I was using a tablespoon bs in about a cup of water (bs into cup, fill with water when I turn the shower on). I have read many post that seem to use a "paste" of bs water... if I was using too much water with the bs, could that have made such a difference??
Just wondering

I would be careful with the paste. BS is an abrasive (we use it instead of comet in our house) and you can litterally scour away at your hair.

[carrotstick]

How about just water? I tried the baking soda thing years ago and my hair hated it. I've since stopped washing with anything other than water and now my hair is fine. It takes a while to get used to it, but no one in my house uses anything other than water and it works great.

[amber913]

For those of you who had no luck with no-poo, do you have soft water? From what i understand, soft water is necessary.

We have a water softener and unbeknownst to us, it ran out of softener salts, and my hair became waxy, greasy, heavy and gross. I fixed the problem and am back on the no-poo wagon.

I also wait for my hair to get greasy before i use the bs. It doesn't have to be embarassingly greasy, but definitely not fluffy and clean. If i no-poo too often, my scalp gets dry and flakey. You have to do what your hair tells you to do.

You hair should feel clean after you use bs. The "getting used to no-poo", in my opinion, is that over time, you shouldn't have to do it as often. You should never have to suffer with oily hair. I also haven't noticed a difference in what consistency my solution is--i use a formula scoop of bs in about 8oz. water.

[_ktg_]

I'm still trying to get used to no-poo. my hair has just recently started to get all oily and heavy. We have its not soft/but not hard water, and this is after several weeks of being just fine and I'm wondering if its due to the changing of seasons. Anyone else having this problem or had this problem when the seasons change?

right now I've adapted this process to battle the oilness (washing only every 2-3 days)-

2 Tsp BS - mix into paste, slather around crown of head & a bit on the top
Rinse
Small amount of Cali. Baby Soap (dime/nickel size) through hair
Rinse
Diluted (1/5th) ACV - sit for a bit
Rinse
Air Dry

[mmhinton]

hmm, i'm having a similar problem! I am not SURE how hard/soft our water is, but likely a bit more on the hard side. But, my hair was doing well with bs/acv...then I went to the salon for a hair cut (cut from bra strap up to chin). Well, she, of course washed my hair and, because I had ALOT to do that day, had her "fix" my hair too. That meant gunk - that I RARELY (if ever) use was now in my hair. Now, my hair has just been ick since then! I even tried the (no silicones) shampoo that I'd previously used...but it seems like nothing is working.
So, as pp mentioned, could it be seasons? My other thought (at least for myself), could it just be hormones and at certain times in the month/cycle, my hair is just gonna be ick???
Anyone with any thought or recommendations???