No-poo Questions????

[Lisoula]

OK - I've read a lot of the posts, and seen your no-poo do's (Very nice hair, ladies! You all look have such pretty healthy hair! )

I'm considering it, but I don't really know the process. What is the best way to start....Baking soda and vinegar? My hair is a little coarse & frizzy, so I don't wan't to use anything that will dry it out....oiliness has never been a problem.

Also - how do you not have a constant vinegar smell in your hair? Any beginner recommondations? Thanks!

[Sharlla]

I have another question. For those that no poo, do you forgo all other unnatural hair care products like conditioner, gel, mousse, etc? Or do you make your own natural versions?

[TypicalSituation]

I use conditioner sometimes. I haven't used hair products like hairspray and gel in ages. But i hear that Aloe Vera gel makes great hair gel.

[Altair]

I have curly/frizzy hair, and have been no-pooing for about a month now, and I no longer have drizzy hair! It looks better than it ever has.

Here's what i do.
-absolutely NO hair products at all. no softerners, no gels, nothing.

-once a day or every other day I wet my hair in the bath/shower and give myself a scalp massage under water. Sometimes this is all I do in the shower. Maybe 2 times a week I will put a little baking soda in my hand (about 1T) and mix with a little water and rub it in to just my roots. I rub it for about 2 minutes, letting my hair hang down over my head following the cowlick on my crown. then i rinse REALLY WELL and put the ACV mixture over my hair, comb with wide tooth comb, and rinse.

-after every time i wet my hair, i put a few drops of oil in my hands and rub that on the ends and finger comb it through my hair... but not on the scalp at all.

- while my hair is still wet, i finger comb it smooth and roll it into a bun and put gentle teeth-clips in it to stay like that. I let it dry that way for a few hours, then try to leave it rolled up like that all night when i sleep.

-when i wake up my hair is in long spiral curls and not at all frizzy. i add a few more drops of oil if there are any fly aways.

-i also use shampoo bars and lotion bars sometimes, and just do that instead of the baking soda and oil.

i'll post a pic tomorrow if I remember of a before and after shot. no-poo works REALLY well on thick curly hair!

[velcromom]

I've been no-poo over a year now. I started with bs/acv, using dry bs sprinkled on then scrubbed into the scalp, rinsed out and followed by a dilute vinegar rinse. The amount of vinegar needed is so small that there is no scent left by the time the hair is dry. (a tablespoon or two per cup of water).

I now use shampoo bars I make myself (I make soap, so it was inevitable, lol) using oils and extras that my hair likes. I follow with a dilute lemon rinse, I've found the lemon is more softening on my hair than the acv.

After a few months I found I needed to wash less and less often, settled on about once a week. In between I rinse with clear water while massaging the scalp, & sometimes use the lemon rinse too if I feel like my hair needs detangling. After applying the lemon rinse the hairs are soft and more slippery, so I run my fingers through the hair, unraveling any tangles and removing the loose hairs.

I do not use a brush or comb on my hair ever. I shake it out after squeezing the water out with a towel, using my fingers to separate the locks gently. I have zero split ends now, where I used to have them all the time.
I rarely use any hair products at all... mostly because they irritate my scalp, dry my hair and are just not worth the money... once in a while I will use some gel from Jessicurl.

[babybugmama]

If your hair is coarse I think I would dilute bs into water (like a T or 2 to 2 cups of warm water). Spray that over roots and gently massage. Rinse very well. I use lemon juice instead of ACV. For some reason when I used vinegar my hair would get more greasy, but with lemon juice it doesn't (I use about 2T to two cups of water here too). My hair is a lot less frizzy after doing this for awhile. I know another thing I do that I believe contributes to this...in between washings I will get in the shower with a large brush (big space between bristles...???how to describe) and brush the oils down through my hair. I do it very gently since your hair is more vulnerable when wet - it will stretch and that can damage it.

I could never do what velcromom does - just using my fingers....my hair is just waaay too thick and wavy - it's gets very tangly. But (!) I am very very gentle with a big brush to separate out the hair.

I also couldnt' do what altair does - it sounds like you have Beeeuuutiful hair. But my hair would never dry if I put it up when wet. I have done that before in the morning and even went to bed that night with it still up...the next morning when I take it down, it's still damp.

I guess my point is, we are all individual and unique and you will have to find your own specific path. I think we have all developed different ways of handling the different needs. But the foundation is the start.

to you for taking the plunge

[Altair]

let's see if this link works:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...7371&members=1

this is my no-poo hair... on a day i didn't sleep on it right so it's not in spirlas, more of a messy curly look. BUT before i did no-poo, there's no way I could wear my hair down it was always a big frizzy mess.

[ojibwamama]

Altair, what beautiful hair you have!

I tried bs and ACV but it was not for me. I now use Chagrin Valley shampoo bars (my favorite is chamomile citrus) and a 1/10 white vinegar water rinse. I deep condition my hair monthly with shea butter,oilive oil and aloe (1:1:1) which I leave on for a few hours and then wash off.
I do not feel the need anymore to use styling products, my hair pretty much stays in place and has no flyaways. I have used aloe vera gel as a hair gel at times. If you keep the aloe plant in your bathroom, it is nice and handy

[Altair]

Thanks for the compliments.

I like those shampoo bars too-- the carrot one and the rosemary one! I LOVE her 3 butter lotion bar for my hair also.