Going "No Poo"

I don't know about you but the title is just plain creepy/nasty sounding, but bear with me anyway. :) You may thank me later.

I found out about the idea of not using shampoo recently, and the idea of using a solution of baking powder and apple cider vinegar (or organic white vinegar). Since then I have been doing my own research on the matter and looking for the recipe that would work for me. My dear husband actually found the recipe I have decided to go with and with my apple cider vinegar and baking in hand I am ready to take the first leap!

Here is below the recipe I've decided on using:

Step 1:
 
Put 1-2 tbsp of baking soda into a 16oz cup (or close). The ideal ratio is about 1 tbsp of baking soda per 1 cup of water. When you get in the shower, fill the rest of the cup with water and stir until the baking soda is dissolved. You should have some cloudy water at this point. If the mixture feels gritty or pasty, either add more water or use less baking soda. Now apply the mixture to your hair. Ideally, you should aim to get most of it around your roots and work it in with your fingers, gradually distributing it throughout the rest of your hair. It won't lather like shampoo, but it does give your hair a distinct "smooth" feeling when it's properly distributed. Once you've rubbed it around a bit, you should be ready to rinse. When you are completely rinsed you are ready to condition (step 2).


Step 2:
 
The simplest way to condition is to use apple cider vinegar, in about the same way as you used baking soda: 1 tbsp of the vinegar per 1 cup of water. If you like you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, some honey, or some lemon juice. When you've mixed up your conditioner, pour it on and work it in just like you did the baking soda. When you're satisfied, rinse thoroughly.
(a note from Megan: Otherwise you might still smell slightly like the apple vinegar and it might mean you didn't rinse well enough!)
 
(instructions and photo via How to Go "No Poo" go there to read more and see the feedback)
 
"No Poo" Troubleshooting
 
What I am doing:
 
I will be posting pictures and updating as I go on with my own process of this method. So far I am on day 17 of not using shampoo and only scrubbing my scalp when in the shower. Today I start using my "No Poo", and I am SO excited!
 
Why did I decided to do this?:
 
1. Ever since I got married (almost 4 months) I started washing my hair every other day, now I my hair is VERY dry, flaky, and frizzy. Something that never happened before when I only used to wash my hair once a week. So a word of advice I would share is that if this is too "far out" for you to try, just limit your washings of hair to once a week at most and just see what happens!
 
2. I had no idea how many harmful chemicals can be in shampoos! I became unsettled, thinking "I've used shampoo my whole life, you are saying I was using that and I could have been doing something more "organic"?"
 
3. This is a MUCH cheaper way to wash your hair, even if you are only spending 86-99 cents for the cheap shampoo (that I was using). Yes I could spend a small fortune and avoid doing weird stuff like this method, but I don't wanna spend that kinda money that I don't have! If you can and would rather do that, my well wishes to ya! :)
 
4. Your hair naturally oils your hair perfectly, the chemicals in shampoo work AGAINST that, so in this transition the hardest part is dealing with the excessive oils that come out because your body has had to work extra hard against the shampoo to keep up. Once you stop using shampoo your hair may look really oily for a few weeks, just wear a cap or scarf to hid your hair. You hair WILL over time regulate I personally have noticed my hair is smoother not really so much oily, so I haven't had much of a problem. Make sure also that you have a brush that can spread the natural oils to the ends of your hairs, not a spiky-like brush. (click on the links for examples)
 
Hope you decided to embark on this journey with me, if you do please come back and share your progress/results here or on our facebook page!!
 

That's all for now!