No Poo - Day 1

I took the leap today!

The first time I heard about 'no poo' was on a LinkedIn Green group discussion.  

For those of you that have never heard this term.

Wikipedia:  No poo (no shampoo) is a collective term for methods of washing hair without commercial shampoo.  (Some people may make their own shampoo.)


After reading some of the comments, I decided to post a question on my ever loved FaceBook to see if any of my friends had any experience or insight.  It was an interesting response. There was one 'My hair got greasy just thinking about no shampoo...', to 'it's the same as the hospital dry powder', to 'I don't think you'll be happy with it'.  Lily's first reaction was if you want to walk around all day smelling like a salad - go for it. 

After doing some quick research, I found that the majority of folks that tried going No Poo, love it.

The basics that I started with:  

1 tablespoon of baking soda with enough water added to make a watery paste.  

Apply it to warm water, well rinsed hair.  

Work it in at the roots (oily area), not forgetting the temple area.

Keep it on for up to a minute.

Caution: do not work it in too hard, I've read that this can cause the hair to become brittle.

I did not have a timer or a watch, so I'm going to be using my shower routine as the basis of my timing.
My hair felt odd while doing this - then I reminded myself "of course it feels odd, you've never had baking soda in your hair before".

Rinse out the baking soda.

Next:

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, diluted a bit to give good coverage.  Apply to the ends. Some of the forums advised not applying this rinse on a daily basis.  Do not worry about the smell, it rinses out (as I've read - but this has to be tested).
The whole process with the vinegar - all I could hear was Lily saying "if you want to smell like a salad all day - go for it".  It truly made me laugh out loud in the shower.

This is all there is to it!  Simple, with NO chemicals.

Admittedly I'm missing the scents that come with most shampoos/conditioners.  I'm all about aromatherapy with my morning routine.  I'm going to have to find a way to incorporate some essential oils somewhere with this.

The most helpful resource that I found before starting this project was:  http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html

It provides a much more in-depth overview of the chemicals associated with 'regular' (using that term loosely here) shampoo.  There is also a section on troubleshooting.  Thank you NatureMoms!

After towel drying, I dried and styled my hair as I normally do, but I did not add anything else to it.  I'm pleasantly shocked at the body and how it styled - and it doesn't smell at all like a salad! :)

Day 1 - I'm very pleased with the results... and it feels super clean.  And I feel good that no chemicals went down the drain!