Thoughts on the no poo method are revealed here there and everywhere lately
I’ve tried it out for several weeks now and I haven’t completely made my mind yet.
Sorry i haven't taken any photos of me and my greasy hair but I now know some of the dos and don’ts.
Anyway, here is my perspective of and experience with no poo
Washing my hair has never been a delight. I always dread it and since I have fairly fine hair I used to rely on my dry shampoo. When I was a teenager I had to wash my hair at least every other day and several times I’ve tried to get my hair used to less washing.
With dry shampoo, I could avoid washing my hair for up to four days – but it had a price. The products dried out my scalp and hair and made me produce even more oils to balance out this dryness. I also have to mention all the chemicals I was putting onto my scalp nor was it cheap.
Here is a picture of me with new washed hair and dry shampoo - as you can see my hair is very thin and lightweight (I apologize for the bad quality - and the mess :) AND why on earth is this picture this big - could I seem more vain??)
Somehow I stumbled across this ‘no poo’ method on the internet a month ago – and it got my attention. No poo stands for no shampoo. And the concept is very simple; avoid shampoo and other hair products. Rinse your hair in water when needed and make sure to massage your scalp thoroughly.
Many pages suggested to use a combination of apple cider vinegar and water as a hair treatment and baking powder on those really greasy days. Do not – I repeat – DO NOT use baking powder on your scalp! It messes with the pH-levels and can irritate your scalp! (And it makes your hair extremely knotty! Talking from experience here)
There were many suggestions of how to do the no poo method the right way – but of course I read like 1 or 2 ways and began – or well, I stopped washing my hair and stopped using dry shampoo…
My hair was EXTREMELY greasy, thank god I’m stubborn and it’s autumn – my black benie became my best friend!
I washed my hair with the apple cider and water mixture after a week. The result was weird smelling oily hair but lovely soft ends. Not really what I was looking for so I gave it another week. This time it got way better. My hair was still very oily but it had more volume than ever which normally isn’t the case when greasy. I used a small amount of corn starch as a dry shampoo it did the job – not as quick as Batiste of course but without all the chemicals. I gave it another week.
After three weeks, it seemed like my hair reduced the oil production and suddenly my hair didn’t look greasy three days after a thoroughly rinse. I was pleased I hadn’t used shampoo for 24 days (?!?!) and I did not look like a homeless person!
My hair felt greasy though so I went to google. Was there any possibility that I could wash my hair without stripping away all the natural oils and avoid washing my hair every other day. Could I find a natural product, which were vegan, eco-friendly and free from perfume?
I searched and I found. Shampoo bars. This was new to me.
I was pleasantly surprised. The primarily ingredients are natural oils such as olive and avocado oil. Most bars are vegan and free from palm oil, parabens coloring perfume SLS (simplified --> SLS strips your hair from its natural oils) and preservatives and aren’t packed in big plastic bottles. I bought one and tried it last Sunday (the 13th of November). So far I like it.
It took away the heavy weight of my hair and left a very mild fresh scent (the only scents in the product are naturally found in the plant oils). I like the simplicity and the fact that my hair isn’t packed in chemicals. It isn’t expensive and should last for a long time.
I will continue washing my hair with the shampoo bar as long as it makes sense for me and leaves my hair clean :-)
That’s it for now
Bye!