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Calling all no 'poo Mammas! - No 'Poo Support Thread?

12K views 109 replies 42 participants last post by  ronnie1337 
#1 ·
Hi all, I've noticed that there are a fair number of no 'poo threads scattered through this forum and I've been reading them as I've decided to try going 'poo free. I couldn't post in the due date club no 'poo thread that is currently running either, so here I am!

I was wondering if it would be helpful to try to "compile" questions and answers (as well as people's no 'poo stories) in one thread for ease of reference. It seems like a lot of folks have similar questions, but different things have worked for different 'no poo families, etc. So here is my attempt to start such a thread!

Here's my (short) story and some questions to start things off. I'm only on day 5 of going 'poo free, and I usually only wash my hair every 3 to 4 days anyway, so this is really the very beginning for me. I've just been brushing my hair out (it is just past my shoulders) with a boar bristle brush and in the bath yesterday I just rinsed it with water. So far it feels a bit waxy but it is not greasy and it looks freakin' awesome today. Usually only a ton of product will get it to hold a curl, but I used my straight iron to curl it this morning at I've got beautiful wavy curls, tons of body (my hair is quite fine, usually) and not a drop of product in my hair! DS is already poo free (he's 19 mos). DH doesn't know (yet) that I've decided to go poo free and I think it might be good for him to try as well as his hair always looks greasy and he has dandruff (his hair is short, curly and he is balding).

Some questions: (which I know have some answers already in this forum, just hoping to compile info in one place, as I said)

What type of hair do you and/or your family members have?

How long have you been 'poo free? What are the changes, if any, that you've noticed in your hair/scalp?

What is your no 'poo routine?

What "products" do you use? (baking soda, ACV, oils, lemon juice, etc. etc.)

What gets rid of dandruff/flaky scalp?

What are your recipes, if any?

How often do you use the various "products"?

Do you ever wash your hair? (When it gets cut, if it gets really dirty with dirt or smoke, etc.) If so, do you have to start from square 1?

What are people's reactions when they find out you are 'poo free? Any funny stories to share?

Anyone want to share pictures of their 'poo free hair?

Thanks for reading, I hope you'll post!
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#102 ·
My partner's shampoo-free. It just doesn't work with their hair, makes it really dry and awful, so they go conditioner only and always have. I don't know their exact ritual or anything- I don't know how often, etc. I just know that every few weeks the tangles get bad enough that I have to spend half an hour combing it out. I think my partner's basically always been shampoo-free. At least as long as they've been growing their hair out, so quite a few years. My partner has thin, curly hair.

LO's shampoo-free as well. Baby was born with a full head of hair and easily dried-out skin. Because I couldn't find baby conditioner we stupidly used shampoo the first few weeks, which left to horrible dry scalp for my poor baby. The pediatrician suggested mineral oil and a prescription cream- but to continue shampooing. We just tracked down a good, baby-safe conditioner and suddenly there was no more dry-scalp problems.
:eyesroll


We'll see what puberty brings, but I'm expecting that baby will be shampoo-free for a very long time.

I try going shampoo-free periodically but have a really hard time of it. I try just using conditioner, just combing it out, etc. Every time I do- my scalp gets itchy as @#$, the oiliness builds up, etc. If I only use conditioner, I still feel like I need to wash my hair, it doesn't do anything. It gets horribly itchy after just a few days, so trying to go longer is torture, I basically spend my entire day scratching my scalp off. Maybe there's a hump I have to get over- but getting over it is just too hard for me. My hair is thick and curly.

After reading @luckiest's post, I may start trying using Grandma's Natural Soap on my hair as well. I LOVE it for my face.
 
#103 ·
Claire, it sounds like we have similar hair. How is it going now for you?

I've been no poo for 10 months now. I do baking soda and acv twice a week. I have had eczema my whole life, so I try to avoid washing my hair more than that. I shower as needed but don't get my hair wet most days. In the last month, I've had a flare up of eczema along with my seasonal allergies, and its been especially bad on my scalp. The baking soda really soothes it. Is it ok to use baking soda more frequently, or will it damage my fine, thin hair?
 
#104 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcb2102 View Post

Claire, it sounds like we have similar hair. How is it going now for you?
Not that great! The egg wash made my hair feel cleaner but it got really waxy. I did an apple sauce wash, dried it and then had to get back in the shower to wash it again because of the little pieces of apple. It was amazing at getting rid of the wax though. Then I did a few BS washes with a black tea rinse and my hair seemed quite OK, I could wear it down. Then I made the mistake of reading a blog that said that BS was way to harsh for your hair, would cause long term damage and your hair to break and suggested washing with a solution of honey and water. Big mistake if you've got greasy hair!! It was so bad, my face and back felt greasy too. I then got sick and my eczema was flairing up so I ended up caving and washing with what I hope is 'low poo' Urtekram nettle shampoo.

http://www.econatural.ie/hair-care/149-urtekram-nettle-shampoo-2-x-250ml.html

It lathers a bit which feels great but I really notice that with anything but traditional shampoo I have a hard time getting the hair at the nape of my neck clean. I only have traditional conditioner at the mo which might make everything pointless. My hair also really needs blow drying otherwise it looks crap.

I really wanted this to work so I'm hoping if I can get my eczema under control I can start again in a while. I will also use a clarifying shampoo next time.

I don't have a lot of experience with BS so I'm not sure if it will damage your hair or not. I don't know what to put on my eczema because most creams then make my hair line look greasy.
 
#105 ·
Sorry if this has already been asked, I haven't made it all the way though the posts yet. I was wondering if anyone else has really hard water? I did the bs/acv thing ages ago and it worked pretty well but where we are living now has hard water and last time I tried washing with baking soda it didn't rinse out was all filmy and gross...

I only wash my hair two or three times a week anyway but it seems like it greasy all the time right now. I recently tried doing conditioner washes and that looked good for the first day than it was greasy again. I don't brush my hair much maybe that is a factor?
 
#106 ·
Glad to see this thread is back! I started trying the no poo thing last year but quickly fell off the wagon. I want to do this again but haven't gotten to it yet. Because of finances we'd started using cheapy shampoo/conditioner here recently but I bought the Tresemme "Naturals" again the other day to at least get some of the chemicals out of our hair. I'm going to start out lessening the amount of shampoo & conditioner I use and how often I shampoo so I can hopefully start the no poo again soon. I love the idea of the no poo balls! That would make things a lot easier. The time spent fixing up the regimen and the transition phase did me in last time so I'm hoping to be better prepared this time. My kids rarely use any shampoo so I'm hoping I can transition them a lot quicker. They'll be glad for that anyways. I'm going to order us natural hairbrushes to start using also and see how that might help. Thanks for the suggestions!

P.S. There use to be a great thread here about no poo that was stickied back before the forum layout changed. I wonder where it went to... anyone know? I'll have to try to hunt it up later.
 
#107 ·
Happy Hair: The definitive guide to giving up shampoo

I hope you don't mind me posting here- but I think this book might be right up your street! After almost three years of no poo I have written up the ultimate guide to it... It is full of inspo and recipes and encouragement! http://lulastic.co.uk/happy-hair/
Don't give up - it is worth it! (Said with the confidence of a Water Only regime :D)
:x
 
#108 · (Edited)
I'll answer in red.

Hi

Some questions: (which I know have some answers already in this forum, just hoping to compile info in one place, as I said)

What type of hair do you and/or your family members have? I'm the only no-pooer in the family. I have wavy, bra-strap length normal/dry hair

How long have you been 'poo free? What are the changes, if any, that you've noticed in your hair/scalp? Back on the wagon a few months now.

What is your no 'poo routine? I wash my hair no more than twice a week. I hot oil with jojoba oil for about 30 minutes twice a week. To clean, I use rosemary infused water with baking soda. NO VINEGAR for me. Then I rinse with a bit more of the rosemary water. I also comb my extremely tangly hair out in the shower while running the water over it. I don't use a comb or brush at all any other time. Sometimes I blow-dry about 2/3 of the way, then seal with a jojoba/aloe blend. My hair is really dry on the sides near my face so I concentrate the moisture there. On days I don't blow-dry (which is more often than not), I let it bun dry (or twirly pin dry) and then apply some jojoba/aloe.

What "products" do you use? (baking soda, ACV, oils, lemon juice, etc. etc.) Water, bs, jojoba, aloe

What gets rid of dandruff/flaky scalp? Taking flax seed oil internally. 1-2 TB a day. Tea tree oil should work too. You could add it to your no-poo mix and concentrate on your scalp.

What are your recipes, if any? About a cup of infused rosemary water mix with about 2 tsp of bs. Then condition/rinse with enough rosemary water to saturate the hair. I don't rinse this out. For oiling days, I just make a mix of jojoba and aloe gel. I eyeball it.

How often do you use the various "products"? Oiling - about one or twice a week before my shower. No-pooing - once or twice a week.

Do you ever wash your hair? (When it gets cut, if it gets really dirty with dirt or smoke, etc.) If so, do you have to start from square 1? A few times, I have added the tiniest squirt of Dr. Bronners to the water/bs. No, I didn't have to start from square one.

What are people's reactions when they find out you are 'poo free? Any funny stories to share? I don't talk about it, no one needs to know and I doubt they would care.

!
 
#109 ·
I'm glad this thread is still kicking!

I've been no 'poo since June, a gentle spray of dilute ACV only, and not always. It's now winter, very dry- and I'm starting to get dandruff. I scratched my head today and it looked like snow fall. :( I've never gotten dandruff before! I've always had some issues with an itchy scalp, but I have fibro so I tend to be hyper-sensitive. I'm pretty sure it's due to dry scalp because it only started recently, and it's not super bad. I'm trying to keep properly hydrated, but not totally succeeding.

Any advice? I've been meaning to do a kefir/oil/honey mask for my hair, but I don't know how long it'd last and I don't want to be doing it every week over the winter. :/
 
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