I washed my hair for the last time on April 27th, 2012 (yesterday)! I took my sweet ole time and made sure it was squeaky clean! Today I'll put together my baking soda cleaner and apple cider vinegar rinse. I'll use this method of cleansing my hair like I would normally use shampoo, a couple times a week. I'll be posting every Friday about the progress along with pictures! Feel free to leave any questions/comments you have for me and my shampooless adventure!
I have to say that I am a little nervous! What if I can't complete my challenge and I give in and shampoo?! Don't let me give in! I know the first month or so won't be the most fun but then it should start to go uphill! Be warned, I might complain the first month but I'll try to keep that out of my blog. :)
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While talking this over with a few friends.. some questions arose. I already knew some of the answers from previous research, but others I wasn't so sure of, so I did some digging for ya!
- So wait.. you're just going to stop using shampoo? Just rinse with water? * Not exactly. I have found that using a simple mixture of baking soda and water works as an all natural substitute for shampoo. The standard mixture, according to this site is 1 tablespoon for every 1 cup of water. Just put in a squeeze bottle, shake, and enjoy! The key is to concentrate on the scalp, that's where the build-up occurs. The natural grittiness of the baking soda will gently but effectively remove the build-up! - My head gets so itchy when I go even a couple days without washing it! How are you going to survive?! * The baking soda wash will help a TON with that since it removes the build-up that causes the itch! I have also read that adding tea tree oil to the baking soda mixture is great for an itchy scalp. - Wait, why are you even doing this again? * Let me just let you in on a little secret of what is in shampoo:(if you don't read anything else.. read this ingredient) -> Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are detergents and surfactants that may pose serious health threats. They are used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers — and in 90 percent of personal care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death. Alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40): a very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin’s moisture and natural immune barrier, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, molds and viruses. Propylene glycol (PG) and butylene glycol are petroleum plastics which act as surfactants (wetting agents and solvents). They easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make extracts from herbs, PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats! - Isn't your hair going to be greasy? Won't it smell?! * Yes and no. There is a transition period for your hair to get used to not being stripped of all its natural oils. It could last from a few weeks to a few months, I'll just have to see how my hair reacts. I personally don't think it will last that long since I don't wash my hair more than a couple times a week anyways. No, my hair will NOT stink. It just won't. Simple as that! Yeah, it won't smell like flowers from some exotic island, but it will smell like its supposed to. :) Here are a few websites I used to get some info from: Website 1 Website 2 Website 3 Wondering what in the world the 'No-Poo' Challenge is? It's a movement that is currently taking place where people actually stop using shampoo. Ok, gross. But is it really? I've read tons of blogs and watched a handful of videos about people who have completely stopped using shampoo. I'm no researcher but here are a few things that I've read: - using shampoo strips your hair of the natural oils that it needs to be healthy - using conditioner puts those oils back into your hair - since the oils from the conditioner are manufactured.. your hair doesn't register that the oils are there so it then produces oil on top of the oil that you already have from the conditioner - if you stop using shampoo/conditioner, your hair will begin to 'recalibrate' itself and learn to not over produce oil that your shampoo was once taking away I'm not sure when this movement started to take off or who had the original idea but I read about it on this blog. I also watched a few videos, there is one below that explains the process and shows your how absolutely gorgeous 'no-poo' hair can be! The process can take a long time, up to a month, but it is obviously worth it in the end. Here are a few things that you can benefit from while doing the 'no-poo' challenge: - no more spending $8 a bottle on shampoo.. and $8 more on conditioner, and that's for the cheap stuff! - letting your hair do what it's meant to do instead of trying to control it - seeing how the body works and how amazing and wonderfully made we are! - being the 'oddball' of your friends - trying something new, and hopefully succeeding - learning patience and determination, the 'no-poo' challenge isn't easy! I will be starting my 'no-poo' challenge soon, no particular day set yet. I'll be using this blog to update with pictures and info about how this challenge is going! Feel free to join me in the challenge and let me know how it's going for you! If you're wondering why I wanted to do this challenge.. here is why: I shaved my head for a dear friend of mine about 4 years ago. Ever since then I have had a strange paranoia about damaging my hair. Not many people can say that their hair is brand spankin' new! I've only had this hair for 4 years and I want to keep is as healthy as possible. Since I shaved my head, I started using less hair products and less styling tools, I just let my hair do it's own thing.. and it actually looks really good! Things I currently do not own: a hair brush, curling iron, or hair styling products. I do own a straightener that gets minimal use. Feel free to leave any questions/concerns you have below! |