No 'Poo, week whatever

One of my friends and readers (Hi Tiffany!) recently mentioned that my posts have inspired her to give up shampoo so now that it is week whatever-it-is I thought I'd post a status update of my own hair situation. First, a quick recap because it has been at least two months since I last reported on my no 'poo-ness.

Back in April I stopped using shampoo and conditioner. By week two I was ready to call my new regime a success. In August I won the support of my hairdresser.

And then I moved to Tampa. For weeks I could not figure out the problem, but boy did I know there was a problem. My hair constantly felt like it had been dipped in wax. Even freshly washed, my roots would be plastered to my scalp and the ends would be all frazzled. It was awful. But fear not, Internet. I did not give up! I did reaearch instead.

Turns out, it is the incredibly hard Tampa water throwing a wrench in my no 'poo plans. (On a side note, I think it is also the source of some truly horrendous cystic acne.) If you have hard water a possible solution is to install a water softener. But we rent our home, and I do not have an extra $1000+ lying about. We might still consider getting a filter/softener to install just on the shower head. In the meantime, though, I have been using distilled water for rinsing my hair. I also caved and bought a bottle of conditioner.

So here is there hair I've been working with lately (on a day I did some actual heat styling):

I did, however, recently stumble across this enjoyable blog and will soon be putting her boiled baking soda experiment to the test. Wish me luck!

And cue the applause

Finally! Finally, my hair dresser asked what I'd been doing with my hair.  "It is the best I've ever seen it!" she said. And I smiled so wide the salon could have fit in my mouth.  So I told her I went no 'poo in April and she just died. I have been waiting for this moment ever since I started reading about other no 'pooers getting props from the hair professionals in their lives. Here are the three-month photos of the hair that made my stylist swoon:

Now we just have to see how it does in Florida.

Long overdue no 'poo report

Internet, back on June 30 I owed you a two-month update on my no 'poo experiment.  Admittedly, I let you down. I'm sorry.  I did take pictures on the appropriate date - I just didn't post them. I'm long past ready to call the whole adventure an unequivocal success.  Just look:

The back too:

It is all shiny and bouncy even though I only wash it TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK. I still struggle with some dryness and frizz for about eight hours after each wash with baking soda followed by vinegar, but, internet, the time I save.  Apparently, I don't use that time for blogging, but I have so much more of it.

Now I just have to see how my 'do fares through the rest of the seasons and keep plugging away at my Locks of Love goal.

No 'poo - weeks 3 and 4

One month down and I'm really happy with how my shampoo boycott is progressing. Last week I tried washing my hair with just conditioner a couple of ties, but, since I don't particularly fancy the wet look I cut that out pdq.
As of last Friday, things were more or less how they had been:

I have since cut out conditioner completely.  My current routine includes massaging  a teaspoon on baking soda mixed with a little water into my scalp, concentrating on my hairline.  Once I rinse that out I spritz apple cider vinegar onto my hair from about the area I would normally wear a pony tail all the way to the ends.  That sits for a minute and then gets rinsed out as well. And here I am a week later (meaning, today):

The dryness at the ends has definitely been remedied. I haven't been on the receiving end of any incredulous compliments yet, but, hey, I'm sure they'll start rolling in soon.  What the pictures don't capture is how incredibly soft my hair is these days.  I literally cannot keep my fingers out of it. I also think my tresses are starting to gain in the shine department.

Tomorrow night I get to get all dolled up for a wedding which means fancy hair. My locks are coaxed into a style much more easily so I'm hoping to use that to my advantage - maybe try something new.  I'll let ya know!

No poo, week 2

Well, kids, week two has come and gone and we are actually into week three so I thought I should offer an update.  I always have good intentions when it comes to posting, but...

Week two actually went very well. Although, I suppose calling it "week two" is something of a misnomer.  I got a haircut last Saturday and they shampooed my hair then, but it is more convenient to ignore that little fact. As I mentioned in my last 'poo post, I reduced the amount of baking soda to 1.5 teaspoons per wash. I still had some crispiness at my ends, but I was able to reduce my washes and subsequent blow-dries to only once every two days yea!

Check it out:

 This week, I'm willing to call this whole experiment a success!  I even took a photo of me out living life with my no 'poo do:

One week down

I survived my first shampoo-free week! See here, where I told you all about my hair issues and plans.

This week was only the beginning of what looks like it may be a long learning process. I started Thursday night by washing my hair with a solution of 2 tbsp baking soda dissolved in about 12 oz. of warm water. I applied, massaged, rinsed and then conditioned the ends with Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Conditioner. From what I read I expected my hair to feel greasy or dirty afterward, but no.  It felt fabulously clean and I just knew the no 'poo experiment was going to be a success.

Saturday was my day at the beach so I didn't wash my hair until right before a Stage Mom meeting at Emily's dance  school so I just threw the washed, wet mess into a french braid and didn't deal with it again until Sunday night.  It was a very oily Sunday. And Monday. And Tuesday... I found I had to wash my hair every night and heat-style it every morning to avoid going to work with my tresses shellacked to my head.

Okay, don't panic, Janice.  My hair had been so oily lately I was washing and styling it daily anyway so this was not actually a change.  The difference was that my hair now constantly felt as though it had been recently dragged through ocean water and my roots more or less stayed greasy while my ends were crispy. Eeeeeew.

Well, this morning I may have discovered the secret.  Instead of a watery solution I mixed a tablespoon of baking soda with just enough water to make a paste. This was infinitely easier to apply and work into the roots and my hair is much less oily today.

Sadly, the ends are still very dry  so more tweaking is in order.  And don't bother adjusting your screen.  Last week my hair photographed strawberry but today it looks more golden.  While I have been led to understand going no 'poo may deepen one's hair color, this is just a trick of the lights (florescent vs. bulb).

Tomorrow I have an appointment for a haircut  so we'll see what happens when I get washed and styled by a pro. *cue cliffhanger music.

No 'poo (no, its not a constipation thing)

Remember here when I whined endlessly about the nastiness that had overtaken the back of my head. Well I did some (more) searching and found Miss Brown had a strikingly similar ailment (great minds...) despite her hair being enviably curly and thick while mine is n fine, unruly class of semi-waviness. I ended up doing what her stylist did - shampooed my hair three times in one shower (finally, I can follow the lather, rinse, repeat portion of the directions instead of asking why that's even there). My hair returned to looking like this:

But then, THEN, I suddenly began to produce copious amounts of oil along my hairline and part. I could easily begin to maintain my own car with the quarts I am producing each week.  I am a working mom and wife with a serious blog-reading habit. I do not have time to wash my hair seven days a week and heat style it at least five of those days.  I just don't. My husband, probably tired of hearing me complain, suggested it was my shampoo so I logged into the Dooce community where I had previously seen a question about selecting shampoos that smell yummy and found this discussion instead.

Hmmm, thought I.  Perhaps it is not my shampoo. Maybe it is just shampoo that is causing me so many problems. I have, bringing us back to my post title, decided to throw my hat into the "no 'poo" ring. There is plenty of info to be found and read by typing "no poo" into the Google search engine, but it all boils down to a few main points:
1. Shampoo, especially sudsy lather, as a daily necessity is pretty much a myth perpetuated by the marketing world.
2. A person's hair and scalp can become cleaner and healthier through regular rinsing and massage with the optional help of baking soda, conditioner, vinegar, and various essential oils.
3. A number of shampoos contain ingredients that are bad for the body and bad for the environment.

It seems a lot of people have had great success with giving up shampoo and a few others have found it is not for them.  However, nobody has found themselves actually hurt in some way by their going no 'poo so I figure it can't hurt anything except my vanity. Like so many others I'll keep track of my experiment and let you know how it goes.  Feel free to weigh in.

My shampooed and styled hair just hours before the experiment began: