short thin hair - can i no-poo?

[meandk0610]

has anyone with thin hair tried this? i read a lot about long hair/thick hair doing OK with this but nothing about short or thin hair. any advice?

[thixle]

Yes!
I "had" really thin hair when I was using shampoo. Now it is extremely bouncy. It's about 5-6 inches long right now (got it chopped off a couple months ago).
I no-poo with BS, not conditioner. And I don't use an acid rinse. Just BS.

[moonshine]

My hair is thicker w/o using shampoo. I also only use BS.

[meandk0610]

how much bs to water do you guys use? i sure hope it helps.

[thixle]

I dump a little less than a tablespoonful into a 16 oz. cup, then fill it with water in the shower... give it a quick stir with my glasses (ha! take that toddler fingerprints!) and pour it on my head. Rub it in , rinse it out. Ta-da.
The difference is amazing!

[e&tsmom]

Okay, so I have short, thin, blond hair. It pretty much hangs normally but I thought I'd try no-pooing and see how it went. So far I am day 3 and my hair looks great! But, is it safe to use baking soda everyday on your head? I used this and vinegar rinse and I love it but I am just wondering if it is safe. I have been using aubrey organics shampoo and fel comfy that I am not hurnng myself with chemicals that way, but if I am never really able to rinse with water and go would it be okay to use baking soda everyday?

[thixle]

It's absolutely "safe," but I wouldn't want to continue using it everyday because eventually, it will start stripping your hair... even mild soaps will make your hands crack and peel if you wash too often, kwim?

I think part of the joy of no-poo is your hair's natural oils balance out and find an equillibrium, instead of constantly stripping it and replacing moisture with a conditioner. The vinegar rinse doesn't patch or moisturize hair, it simply closes the cuticle on the hair...

Try gradually backing down-- BS every other day for a week, just use water in between if you "need" to wash. Gradually keep cutting back. I never would have believed it, but I'm going 4-9 days between washes now and my hair doesn't look or feel greasy-- when it does, I wash. Pollen affects it. I don't think just rinsing and scrubbing with water gets all the pollen out of my hair. And sweaty summertime makes it actually dirty faster. I used to "have to" wash everyday with shampoo. I always had greasy looking, fine, thin hair when I used shampoo. Now it only looks and feels greasy when it is actually dirty. The difference for me has been amazing.

[e&tsmom]

Originally Posted by thixle

It's absolutely "safe," but I wouldn't want to continue using it everyday because eventually, it will start stripping your hair... even mild soaps will make your hands crack and peel if you wash too often, kwim?

I think part of the joy of no-poo is your hair's natural oils balance out and find an equillibrium, instead of constantly stripping it and replacing moisture with a conditioner. The vinegar rinse doesn't patch or moisturize hair, it simply closes the cuticle on the hair...

Try gradually backing down-- BS every other day for a week, just use water in between if you "need" to wash. Gradually keep cutting back. I never would have believed it, but I'm going 4-9 days between washes now and my hair doesn't look or feel greasy-- when it does, I wash. Pollen affects it. I don't think just rinsing and scrubbing with water gets all the pollen out of my hair. And sweaty summertime makes it actually dirty faster. I used to "have to" wash everyday with shampoo. I always had greasy looking, fine, thin hair when I used shampoo. Now it only looks and feels greasy when it is actually dirty. The difference for me has been amazing.

Okay, so today I didnt us BS - just vinegar. Is that okay? It feels weird to get in the shower and not do anything with my hair - so I did the vinegsar rinse. I did notice that when my hair was first wet it was a bit rough feeling, but after the vinegar it felt very soft and smooth

As for the washing every 4-9 days - do you mean with BS?

[thixle]

Originally Posted by e&tsmom

Okay, so today I didnt us BS - just vinegar. Is that okay? It feels weird to get in the shower and not do anything with my hair - so I did the vinegsar rinse. I did notice that when my hair was first wet it was a bit rough feeling, but after the vinegar it felt very soft and smooth

As for the washing every 4-9 days - do you mean with BS?

Well, I don't even use vinegar on my hair, ever. Doesn't work with my hair or my water or something, makes my hair very limp. Depends on your hair. I use apple cider vinegar on my face everyday, so I wouldn't see a problem with a vinegar rinse everyday As a mild acid, it might make your hair a slightly lighter color, but it won't "damage" your hair. Just have to try it for yourself

And yep, I only wash with BS. I haven't had shampoo in my hair since... last fall. In between BS washes, I just wet my hair with water in the shower, scrub my scalp with my fingers, and rinse with water. So, basically, I go through the washing motions, but without putting anything on my head.

[e&tsmom]

Originally Posted by thixle

Well, I don't even use vinegar on my hair, ever. Doesn't work with my hair or my water or something, makes my hair very limp. Depends on your hair. I use apple cider vinegar on my face everyday, so I wouldn't see a problem with a vinegar rinse everyday As a mild acid, it might make your hair a slightly lighter color, but it won't "damage" your hair. Just have to try it for yourself

And yep, I only wash with BS. I haven't had shampoo in my hair since... last fall. In between BS washes, I just wet my hair with water in the shower, scrub my scalp with my fingers, and rinse with water. So, basically, I go through the washing motions, but without putting anything on my head.

Oh thank you thank you. i am so excited to keep trying this. i thought it would be a terrible interim period as I coudl usually never go a day without washing my hair, but so far so good. I'll use nothing tomorrow and just massage and rinse. Woohoo! Does your head ever get a funky oily smell? I guess if it does then you just wash with BS? Dh thinks I am pretty crazy (but he is, too, I have him cleaning his face with oil now thanks to the recs on this site) to try it, but if it works I;ll get him converted too. Cant wait!!! Thanks for the help!

[thixle]

Yeah, I got the greaseball thing until I figured out it was the vinegar causing it to be so limp. As soon as I stopped it, fluffy, fluffy hair!
I do get the oily smell, and usually wash it that day or the next. By that time, the roots are fairly oily. Doesn't smell anywhere near as bad as DD's sweaty bed-head, though.

DH was doing the no-poo, too until we went swimming in a chlorine pool and he washed his hair with Pantene shampoo afterwards (we were staying with a friend who had no BS in the house, lol). He said BS-ing afterwards left his hair too greasy and now he's using shampoo again I don't get it. He was fine with the slightly greasy transition the first time. But he used silicone hair crap, so his had a longer adjustment phase... He always wears a ponytail, so I don't get why he won't go back I think he likes the smelly-good bubbles. It gags me after he gets out of the shower because I'm not ujsed to the perfumes anymore.

[Let It Be]

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[e&tsmom]

Alright, so this is day 5 total and I am not quite as happy as I originally was. I think i am doing something wrong. 1st 2 days I used BS and vinegar. Yesterday I used just vinegar, today nothing but massaging my head. I dried my har asusual and it does NOT look good. it is pretty oily and not laying right. I have been brushing my hair a lot to get the oils moving down the lenghth of my short hair, but this is not pretty.

[nathansmum]

In between days I wouldn't use anything. But I would rinse your hair with just water to remove any dirt or build up and it will remove a small amount of natural oils.

It does take a while to get the routine that works for you (play around with amounts of BS and ACV as well)

For the first 18mths I BS'd/ACV for the first day, next day just rinsed with water, then back to BS/ACV.

Now I'm going 2-3 days between.

When you find it goes limp/greasy really easily - it may mean you need to go an extra day before you BS again. So, have an extra day of just rinsing (even if you feel it's a little too greasy) and try the next day. your scalp may be trying to adjust its levels of how much to produce.

[eirual]

This thread motivated me to try the no poo thing, and I'm in LOVE

Not that it's short, but it's fine and thin and BLAH! I hadn't showered in 4 days (go me!) so I was debating washing first, then no poo'ing for my next wash, but decided I had nothing more to do that day so it didn't matter if it didn't work and I was greasy. So I put TBSP of baking soda into a measuring cup and MY GOSH, my hair looks just as good as if I'd have washed it. I think this is awesome.

I've been waiting for a time to dedicate to being greasy for weeks to make this no poo things work, but it looks like it just might be that easy! I didn't do vinegar after reading that it can make hairy oily, I may do the tips next time.

Thanks!

[textbookcase]

I have short, blonde, thin hair and I tried to do the no-poo, just using bs with no vinegar and it totally didn't work. I want to try it again but my hair was a giant greaseball after 3 days. I had to cave and wash it with shampoo.

[pugmommy7]

I can't say enough about acv. I would only use it once a week. Bragg's is the best.
I also use it as a facial toner with about 3 oz brewed white tea an to 1 oz acv. amazing!
I also think the world of BS so alternating would be great.
I do use Poo every week and I love Kevin Murphy for thin fine hair. I think it is called angel wash. green and sulphate free

[thixle]

Originally Posted by textbookcase

I have short, blonde, thin hair and I tried to do the no-poo, just using bs with no vinegar and it totally didn't work. I want to try it again but my hair was a giant greaseball after 3 days. I had to cave and wash it with shampoo.

Were you washing with BS everyday? Did you just wash once with BS then use water for 3 days? How much BS and how much water?

It took a few adjustment periods with my hair-- like I said, I wash mine with BS when it is dirty. After a few months, I can now go 4-9 days, depending on weather, sweat level, all that jazz. Basically, when it felt gross, I'd wash it with BS.

[textbookcase]

Originally Posted by thixle

Were you washing with BS everyday? Did you just wash once with BS then use water for 3 days? How much BS and how much water?

It took a few adjustment periods with my hair-- like I said, I wash mine with BS when it is dirty. After a few months, I can now go 4-9 days, depending on weather, sweat level, all that jazz. Basically, when it felt gross, I'd wash it with BS.

I was using it every day. About a TBSP of BS and 16 oz or so of water. I'll try the BS, then water for 3 days and report back! Thanks!

[thixle]

Originally Posted by textbookcase

I was using it every day. About a TBSP of BS and 16 oz or so of water. I'll try the BS, then water for 3 days and report back! Thanks!

Yeah, I think doing it too often can cause your scalp to freak and pump more oil on it. So, I don't wash mine unless it actually feels dirty.

Kudos to eveyone who is experimenting and finding something that works for them!