Did you give up on no-poo? - Page 2

[holothuroidea]

My hair fell out like crazy after both babies. It was summertime when I shed after my second baby, hair fell on my back and arms and made me feel like I had creepy crawlies. I hate it!

Anyone who tells you that you are "cheating" on your own personal hair-care choice really has some issues!
 

Originally Posted by Beauchamp 

I haven't given up yet, but I am using a clarifying *conditioner* from time to time (on scalp and hair shaft/ends, too) Is that cheating?
Also, my hair is falling out LIKE CRAZY. Hopefully this is just a postpartum thing, and not to do with no-poo.

[jocelyndale]

My husband did it for several months several years ago.  It took about 4-5 weeks for his scalp to adjust (and he's an oily guy).  Once it did, he looked great!  His curls were lovely, his hair was definitely clean.  But then we went on a roadtrip (camping) to the semi-arid west and the extremely dry air did a number on both of us.  He had to go back to a conditioner and shampoo regimen after that and hasn't felt the need to experiment with no poo again.  Doing CO made his hair really oily, so he went back to traditional methods.

I was pregnant and my hair had increased growth then and some pretty horrible results from the arid climate. Think bushy straw bales.  I recall sitting under the hand dryers at Badlands NP campground, soaking myself (face, hands, hair) in olive oil to try to stop resembling a mummy.  My skin cracked and my hair just turned to straw.

I never gave no poo much of a chance (3-4 weeks) because the baking soda solution stripped the henna from my hair and made my roots look really dull.  And it itched.  A lot.

[semmel84130]

I do "no-poo lite". I still use shampoo, but only every 4 or 5 days. I started with every other day about five months ago. Before I get in the shower, I give my hair a very good brushing. Then, when I am showering, I scrub my scalp with hot water and rinse thoroughly. After a month or so, as my hair adjusts, i've been adding one more water only day. If my hair seems exceptionally greasy on day 4, I rub conditioner in to the roots and then rinse it out in the shower. I can't stand the greasy look or smell of my hair, so this gradual stepping method has been great for me. My hair looks and feels so so so much better now.

[rabbithorns]

I tried no-poo and loved it. I used baking soda but found I liked bentonite clay even better for the wash and still used diluted ACV for the rinse. I had to find the right mix of water and ACV and it took a few times or else my hair felt like straw. But when I got it right, it was lovely. 

I only used the clay or baking soda at the roots, never all the way through the hair. i figured it washes through the hair anyway as I rinse.

The problem was - it completely stripped the hair color out of my hair. I am grey and color my hair back to my natural brown. Both the baking soda and the clay stripped the color out of my hair more and more. This was over 4 weeks and only washing my hair with the no-poo every 3-4 days or so. 

But I found that if I brush my hair really well daily, it isn't greasy. I find a natural bristle brush is good, but even better seems to be a wooden comb. It distributes the oils and leaves my hair very clean. I can wait to shampoo my hair for 5-6 days or so. 

If anyone has any suggestions for a no-poo for color treated hair, I'd love to know. I have tried plain 'shampoo' bars which are more natural, but my hair feels horrible when I use those.

[holothuroidea]

Maybe you can try new techniques with the shampoo bar.

Shampoo bars require an acid rinse, especially if you have hard water otherwise you will literally get soap scum on your hair! (eep!) An acid rinse should take care of most of it but you might get some buildup. If you find your hair getting waxy and stiff, do a clarifying wash with a good shampoo or a soap/baking soda mix. Also, it doesn't need to be special "shampoo" soap.. you can use any brand of pure castile soap. Try a couple different ones and see which is right for you.

The best way to wash with a shampoo bar is to lather up a washcloth and then ring the washcloth out over your head, this dilutes the soap so it is not as harsh on your hair.

Or you could always be a renegray.

Originally Posted by rabbithorns 

I tried no-poo and loved it. I used baking soda but found I liked bentonite clay even better for the wash and still used diluted ACV for the rinse. I had to find the right mix of water and ACV and it took a few times or else my hair felt like straw. But when I got it right, it was lovely. 

I only used the clay or baking soda at the roots, never all the way through the hair. i figured it washes through the hair anyway as I rinse.

The problem was - it completely stripped the hair color out of my hair. I am grey and color my hair back to my natural brown. Both the baking soda and the clay stripped the color out of my hair more and more. This was over 4 weeks and only washing my hair with the no-poo every 3-4 days or so. 

But I found that if I brush my hair really well daily, it isn't greasy. I find a natural bristle brush is good, but even better seems to be a wooden comb. It distributes the oils and leaves my hair very clean. I can wait to shampoo my hair for 5-6 days or so. 

If anyone has any suggestions for a no-poo for color treated hair, I'd love to know. I have tried plain 'shampoo' bars which are more natural, but my hair feels horrible when I use those.

[rabbithorns]

sometimes i wonder how 'clean' hair is supposed to feel and how naturally clean hair actually feels. i haven't washed my hair since i colored and conditioned it on tuesday (just the roots) and now on saturday it's got that slightly flat and oily feel, but i'm brushing it like crazy and it's feeling a less of both. i've heard some people say you could just wash with water in the shower and if you keep it well brushed, that's enough. the fact that i have really oily hair and have never gone for more than 2 days without it looking like an oil slick until i started washing it less but brushing it more gives me some hope for cutting out all washing products altogether. (okay except for the color every three weeks but i rarely color all the hair - just root touch-ups) but i understand how that slightly oily feel would make us think our hair is dirty.

maybe that's what healthy hair feels like. how would we know if our only gauge has been shampooed hair and 'not yet shampooed' hair. what does completely unshampooed healthy hair feel like? i'm intrigued.

[holothuroidea]

I'm started water only two weeks ago. I'm still in that transition period so I don't know how it's going to end up feeling. I'm doing it mostly out of the same curiosity. I wonder what my hair's natural texture is.

[swd12422]

One thing I learned the hard way about water only -- you're not just rinsing your hair and calling it a day. Scrub your scalp with your fingertips to "shampoo" and then rub some more to "rinse" and THEN you may want to do a little more for the "condition" phase, so that you're rubbing and scrubbing as much as you would with shampoo and conditioner. I was just rinsing and rubbing a bit, and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working for me. Once I started really "washing" my hair just with water, I got to see what "natural" is, and it's great! I only use regular shampoo on the roots once a month or less now, and that's it.

[eastkygal]

Well, I ordered Wen yesterday.  I was going no-poo for the sake of ridding my body of chemicals.  My hair went through transitioning and started looking great.  I could go 4 days between washings.  However, now... my hair is like straw on the ends.  It is brittle and breaking off.  It is extremely hard to comb out after washing.  If I let it air dry it looks like a frizzy mess.  I've tried every from putting on coconut oil just on the ends.  Switching from ACV rinse to honey.  Decreasing the BS I use.  Nothing has helped.  So, I'm going to try Wen to see what happens.  :(  I wish it had made my hair look amazing,  Instead it kind of looks unhealthy.

[holothuroidea]

Have you tried scritching/massaging/preening your hair? Also, catnip rinses are really good.

I mean, do Wen if you want but you still have some WO options to try.