No ‘Poo Update
Remember back when I made the crazy decision to toss my shampoo and start going "no-'poo"? Ever wonder what happened with that experiment?
Over a year later, I'm pleased to say that I have continued it for the most part! I went strong with this method from last April, up until December this year, when I got pregnant. The only time that I briefly stopped was during the first half of this pregnancy, when my hair, scalp and hormones all went crazy. It wasn't pretty, so I started using natural shampoos again for that season.
Since things have evened out a bit (probably the last 3 months or so) and for all of the months I did it last year, I've been really enjoying my simple, frugal habit.
The method I'm using these days is to:
- Keep a squirt bottle with about 1/8 baking soda and the rest water in the shower. It settles between use, so each time I just shake it up briefly before I use it. I squirt it all over the top of my head and a bit onto the back, and then just rub it around and somewhat "lather" it (I add the quotations because it's not a true lather, like shampoo, but it does foam up a bit) for about 30 seconds, then rinse.
- Next I use some apple cider vinegar for conditioning. I dilute it 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water and keep it in a glass jar with a lid. This isn't ideal, and I'd like to get a squirt or spray bottle for it as well. I only apply it to the bottom half of my hair, because it causes my fine, thin hair to get a bit greasy if I use it anywhere near my scalp.
- Every once in a while, I shampoo with a high quality, natural shampoo that I happened to have around. It served as a nice transition from when I stopped no-'poo temporarily, and has helped me to ease back into it without it being obvious that I was transitioning back again. Soon I don't think I will need to use it anymore at all.
- I wash my hair only every 2nd day. Back when I started, last April, I was a shower-every-day kind of girl, and my hair would get so greasy without being washed daily. Between the no-'poo and gradually spacing out my showers (taking advantage of days at home, when I could toss it up in a ponytail!), I've managed to get it to the place where I can almost always go 2 days in between. The picture of my hair above is actually taken on a 2nd day, without showering, and you really can't tell.
Once in a while, I notice that my hair is a bit dry, but then again, I'm struggling to stay hydrated enough with a summer pregnancy, and it has been a dry summer here so far this year. I have experimented once with using my homemade mayonnaise as a deep conditioner, but I didn't find the results particularly impressive, so I haven't bothered much since then.
I stumbled across a blog post the other day, about how a mother has adapted a similar method for her daughter's beautiful, long hair. She uses a natural bar soap, every 5 days, and then the apple cider vinegar rinse for conditioning. Looks like it's working well for her. Check it out!
For my kids, I continue to use just water on Caden's short and fine hair, and maybe 1-2 drops of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap
on Abbie's slightly longer (but still very fine) hair. I wash their hair about 1-2 times per week and I don't ever find that it looks dirty. I mean, aside from the smears of yogurt and jam and spaghetti sauce. 
Have any of you transitioned over to using the no-'poo method? How is it going for you, and do you do it any differently than I do? Any deep conditioning suggestions for me? What are the rest of you using for shampooing?
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I've never heard of going no-'poo, but have always been jealous of those girls who could go 2-3 days without washing and their hair just looked BETTER! (I have fine, oily hair, too, that I often joke with my family could be used to grease a baking pan by the end of 24 hrs. or less...
I'm interested in trying this. I appreciate your thrifty, informative posts, Stephanie. Thanks!
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Hey, I was wondering if you might be able to offer me a little help. I started using baking soda-water like you do, and then rinsing with a ratio of 1:4 vinegar and then rinsing that out with cool water. However, sometimes I am ending up with greasy hair, especially on the underside. Like sometimes my hair comes out greasier than before the shower. My hair is very fine and curly. Do you have any thoughts? I really want to make this work. I've been doing this for 2 months now--is it just adjusting still? Any thoughts on what to try would be appreciated! Thanks!
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how funny!!! i was JUST thinking about this yesterday. wondering if you were still doing it! HA!
you hair looks absolutely beautiful! so shiney and healthy looking....maybe i'll give it a go!
thanks for reading my mind.
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I just tried it for the first time 2 days ago, and was surprised at how well it worked. I thought my hair would be dull and dry, but if anything it was easier to comb and looked cleaner.
I'm going to try the spray bottle tip, that's a good idea. I just tried using straight baking soda in my hair and I think I ended up using way too much.
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I've been no poo for about a year and love my hair! Every once in awhile I'll use regular shampoo (the kids have not yet made the transition) when I forget to refill the baking soda bottle and find that regular shampoo makes my fine, thin hair really fly away. My final rinse is with white vinegar (not as strong as apple cider) to which I have added half a cinnamon stick and some vanilla. Smells wonderful!
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I've been doing no poo for a couple months now. I'm still working out my system but overall I really like it.
One thing I do every once in a while is a egg conditioner. Just mix an egg with a little bit of lemon juice and a tablespoon or two of warm water. (You can leave out the warm water if you leave the egg to sit on the counter for a few minutes but I always forget and a cold egg on your head is not comfortable.) Then I pour it on my head, rub in down my hair, and let it sit for a minute or two (it's easier in a bath than a shower). Then I rinse. Make sure you rinse with warm water, not hot, or the egg will cook and leave bits in your hair. But it is a great way to revive dry hair.
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What is the point of not showering every day? Is it like no poo for your body?
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No 'poo isn't something that has ever landed on my radar. Oh, except Dr. Mercola recommends it, but then he hasn't much hair!
It has been nearly 3 years since i made the switch to organic shampoos & i find that my head no longer itches all the time. To stretch my expensive shampoos i use about 1/5 of the bottle of shampoo, 1/5 of the bottle with a concentrated liquid soap nut solution, & the rest with water or aloe vera juice. I'm really pleased with this. My hair comes out really shiny & soft. I do use more of this liquid than i would the concentrated stuff, so i'm not sure how much i'm actually saving, but i'm very pleased with the result.
I've heard that using coconut oil on your hair & scalp from time to time is good for your hair, but honestly i've not tried it. I get mixed reactions to using the coconut oil (extra virgin, unrefined). Sometimes my eyes react to it.
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I have been going no poo for about 2 years now! I just recently stopped using the baking soda and ACV and just rinse my hair with water and massaging my scalp. My hair looks even better! Every once in a while I need to use an ACV rinse. I really only "wash" my hair 1-2 a week. For deep conditioner I use full fat yogurt and honey. If I want to add extra conditioner (and a little bit of color and shine) I add about 1-2 tbsp of Henna (hennaforhair.com). I mix that up, massage it into my hair and scalp, wrap it up with a plastic grocery bag and/or shower cap and sleep with it on. Works WONDERS! I also use coconut oil to condition my hair and to stop frizzes.
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I used the baking soda/ACV for a year and had great results. Lately I have been shampooing with Dr Bronner's Castile Soap 1-2 times a week, mostly for convenience and safety. Our son, now 16 months old, was too curious about the baking soda container (in a glass pint jar) and it fell into the bathtub and broke. If I can pick up a spray bottle for very cheap at a garage sale this summer I will go back to the baking soda.
I do really like the castile soap as our whole family can use it. My husband wasn't interested in the 'no poo' method and likes a lathering soap. It works well for washing our son's body and hair (about once a week), and I find I don't really need a conditioning rinse as my hair had acclimated from using the baking soda/ACV. (I have long, thick, but not greasy hair, if that matters.) We just keep a repurposed pump dispenser of Dr. Bronner's in the bathtub and we don't need any other products.
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I've been doing that for 10 months now, and it works great for me. My method is slightly different, I have long, thick hair and i pour 1 cup of each mixture in my hair. I do this only once a week, and never have greasy looking hair. Here's a link to my blog post about it: http://timberandgeorgia.blogspot.com/2009/01/baking-soda-shampoo-vinegar-conditioner.html
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Any of you try this with wiry, thick, hair that is turning grey? My hair is short and I struggled cutting back to washing my hair every other day. I did it, but if I went a third day, my scalp literally ached, but then again, my hair is so thick that it would hurt up in a pony tail when I was a kid, thus the short hair. My hair dresser has to use thinning scissors to help it out.
I will admit that I thought their was no way I could skip a day, but I stuck with it and now it is not a big deal. No 'poo? Well, I might give it a try, but must confess that with my hair type, I'm a skeptic. A friend of mine's pediatrician told her not to use any kind of soap on her baby until he was at least a year old. She just used water and a cloth. He always had beautiful skin.
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When I first saw the title I thought it was a post about potty training. Teehee. Definitely something worth trying- family of 7, always looking for budget friendly all-natural ideas....so glad to have found your blog! I came across your blog while searching for blogging gals who share similar interests with me. I want to pass on to you an award- the primio meme award- that a sweet gal awarded to me a few days ago on my blog. The specifics (pretty simple stuff) are in my June 28 entry. I am looking forward to spending more time on your sight and reading future posts!
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I have also recently started doing the "no-poo" thing, but I use the curly girl method which is working wonders on my curly hair! I still shampoo every day b/c otherwise my curls just look a little blah and frizzy. But I don't use shampoo at all. I buy conditioner with as few chemicals as possible (there are certain things you must and must not have in conditioner for this method) and use that to scrub my scalp. Then I apply a small amount of conditioner to my entire head and only rinse for a second (just to spread the conditioner evenly over my hair, you don't wash it out). It has been great!
I do use backing soda and water on my scalp when it gets super dry. I have really curly hair so my hair usually needs all of the conditioning and moisture it can get! And being pregnant has thrown my skin for a loop. I am still experimenting with ratios and conditioners to make sure I get something that won't completely dry out my scalp...it doesn't need any help
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Question: How does your hair smell? Does it smell like ACV? If it does, what do you do about it?
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I have very long thick curly hair. I have yet to find an alternative for shampoo that works well (but I'm still experimenting!) although, I started using extra virgin coconut oil for a leave-in conditioner and LOVE it. Not to mention, it smells pretty.
Also, my curls look best with a little gel of some kind- and I had a hard time giving that up, although I knew that the chemicals in commercial gels weren't good for me. Then, I tried pure aloe gel. It's wonderful! My curls are soft (not crunchy) and they keep their shape beautifully.
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I like to use coconut oil as well. I pretty much use it every time I wash to scrunch the ends. I haven't been able to find the pure aloe gel yet but have read it works great. I have thick wavy hair and found the book "Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey a lot of help.
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Christy, also having fine hair myself, I definitely went through a season of extra greasiness. Especially if I used too much ACV. I found that I actually did better in the beginning without the vinegar, and then as my hair got more used to no 'poo I was able to gradually start using it, but only on the bottom half of my hair. Any higher and it can still get greasy looking. Hang in there, and give it a try without the vinegar for a while perhaps!
Katie, the reason I wanted to shower less was because I want to avoid the chemicals in the shower water (which are more easily absorbed into our skin because the heat opens up our pores). I have sensitive and sometimes dry skin, as well as eczema on my hands, and I was hoping that it would make a difference. Overall, I think it has! Bathing less was helpful for my children's skin as well. Not to mention, it just saves me time as a busy mama, to not have to shower and dry my hair half of my mornings!
Cottage Comtesse, I wish I could help you out but I know nothing about your type of hair!
And I've also heard the same thing- no soap at all for babies and even toddlers. My 2 year old really doesn't need any soap on his skin or hair, and even my 4 year old doesn't need barely any.
Audrey, the vinegar smell completely dissipates. I never notice it after my shower. A few women have also mentioned putting nice smelling things in with it (vanilla, cinnamon sticks, essential oils) which might help to add a scent that you really enjoy!
Thanks for the conditioning suggestions as well, ladies! I'll have to give them a try!
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I think I had the opposite thing happen with me! I found that my hair did well right away when I switched to "no poo" but then over time it started looking yucky and greasy. Weird. But it's great that it worked for you! Maybe I should try it again......
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SO FUNNY that you mentioned this today. I tried shampoo-free for a weeks last spring, then we moved, and I just have been using Burts Bees since then, but then I ran a guest post on 'poo-free a few weeks ago and it inspired me to try again. It's been going really well! I used to have a SUPER greasy scalp, but even just transitioning to more natural shampoo helped with that. Like you, I'm just about able to go two days between cleansing my hair.
We are almost out of the girls' super expensive natural/organic shampoo and I'm thinking I'll try some sort of variation of 'poo-free or maybe natural soap for them. My oldest have very, very thick hair and I am wondering if the ACV rinse would work for her.
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Also, here's the link to the guest post on my blog. The woman who wrote it described a scalp massage she does when she applies the baking soda paste. I've been doing that and it really makes a difference.
To the commenter above who is having greasies on the underside of her hair/scalp - have you tried flipping your head over and rinsing your hair from the nape of your neck down? I often have grease problems in that area no matter what kind of hair cleansing product/system I use. I find I pretty much have to rinse "upside down" to get that area cleansed, and I often have to really work it over with my fingers as I rinse.
I bought a wood bristle brush which was an extravagant luxury for me but it has made the daily brushing that goes along with this system a lovely treat.
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right then. Here's the link: http://sortacrunchy.typepad.com/sortacrunchy/2009/05/shampoofree-why-and-how.html
SORRY for the many comments!
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I've been no-poo for almost a year, with the exception of one month in winter when my scalp was really dry. I just rinse my scalp really well with water, then use Suave naturals conditioner. I also have thick, curly hair so I rinse in cold water. My curls have gotten much better since doing this. I love it!
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I was sure this was about potty training! Funny!
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I have known about no poo for a few years now and have wanted to try it, but was nervous. After my daughter was born I started transitioning to showers every other day, and my normally super greasy hair adjusted as well and looked much better. The kids have been sick and it is super hot here right now, so we aren't leaving the house much. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to try this (plus you post helped push me a bit). It is great! I did this for the first time on Thursday, and this morning (Saturday) my hair was still looking good with just a slight touch of greasiness to it (not like it is with shampoo). I did it again this morning and am really liking this. Thanks for the encouragement. My husband thinks it is a bit cooky, but says my hair looks nice.
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Hi- it takes me a while to get around to the blogs I have linked on my blog either in list or button ( or both ). Enjoyed you update on Shampooing. I tried last year but after 6 weeks wasn't happy with results. This past June 7th I went back to no poo. And you'll never get to go back to commercial. I settled in on Dr. Bronner's castile bars for shampooing and because my hair would get tacky from cider vinegar I went to white with wonderful results. If you want to read all my postings on shampoo...just type in shampoo in the search window at top of my blog home page. We know longer commercial soaps for bathing....although Kirk's Castile is commercially made it's been around the market since 1800 something. I use Dr.Bronners and other handmade soaps, also.
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I had wondered too how this had been going for you. Although I'll be honest I don't have any desire to try it myself or on my family. LOL. Its just one more thing to figure out to replace something that is already working well for us. We use nature clean's shampoo and conditioner, but we use it about once a week each. It works great for us.
We're still trying to find a solution for a men's deodorant that actually works. It seems we have tried everything. We even had to give up having my husband use natural soap for the shower (now he uses Ivory, which is the best not natural one I could find). I am very allergic to the scents (even unscented) deodorants, so its not just a desiring a natural alternative that motivates me to find something that would work. Any ideas?
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Nola, I know that Lindsay had a homemade deodorant recipe. Maybe you could give that a try? (I haven't yet)
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/03/update-homemade-deoderant.html
Or have you tried using a deodorant stone or crystal? I'm about to try my first one that's arriving in an order this weekend. I've heard from some people that they work well, and from others that they really don't, so I'm not quite sure what to think. I'll let you know if I like it, though!
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Stephanie,
Thanks for the link! Audrey - My daughter's hair does not smell like ACV after using it, we rinse well.
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thanks for the homemade deodorant link. I will have to try that soon. I already have all the ingredients, so I like that.
No new investment into something that might not work for us.
I currently use a deodorant crystal. I find it works for me, except on the very hottest of days when I am working really hard. However, I still perspire a lot. No matter what I use. Its worse in certain times (like pregnancy and postpartum). But I am mostly just at home anyways! My husband on the other hand needs to look presentable for work. He often bikes so its harder. He's been using the crystal but finds he has to shower every single day, plus re-apply two or three times a day on some days. Its not ideal, so we will have to try the recipe and keep looking too! Thanks!
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Stephanie, Thanks for the update! I've been no'poo for maybe 6 weeks now (?) and I feel like I'm still transitioning. I'm afraid to use shampoo even once b/c I think I will have to start all over on the whole "transition" thing, and I've definitely had a lot of hair-up-only days lately! I tried using the ACV only on the hair, not roots after reading this post a few days ago, and my hair was definitely more greasy after that. ??? My hair is pretty full-bodied, so that must make a difference. I really need the ACV rinse right on the scalp.
I also notice a thick white film on my brush bristles..I'm guessing I'm using too much baking soda (?) but I don't really have flakes in my hair. Anyone else have this going on? Can the transition possibly take this long? I can't decide whether to keep on with it or give up. I may try castille soap - at least that would be better than traditional shampoo. How much do you use, Vika?
Thanks!!!
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I just wanted to say, I've been using Lindsay's homemade coconut oil deodorant from Passionate Homemaking for about a month now. It works great!
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I heard about this from another website and have been "no poo" for about a month and a half. I have the similar problem of fine thin hair that becomes a grease slick the second day and the baking soda has really helped a ton! In fact, I used a pretty good shampoo traveling just this last weekend and hated the way my hair felt. I think that different hair types will just need to tweak the amount of baking soda and vinegar combination. I highly recommend it - it really cuts down on frizz too!
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