Ask the weirdo going No-Poo

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hello all! I’ve decided to stop using Shampoo and Conditioner.
Why am I doing this? Am I some crunchy earth-mother angry at chemicals and corporations? No, I’m just a normal, lazy, slightly chubby, very oily 28 year old woman who found as she aged her skin has gotten more and more sensitive.

For Example:
[ul]
[li]I can’t use normal toothpaste, since I react to the SLS and get mouth ulcers.[/li][li]I can’t get piercings anymore. What was once a sensitivity to cheap metal earrings has progressed to a complete inability to heal around piercings.[/li][li]I am allergic to the sun. When I go outside without covering or sunscreen I will get little hives that peel off and leave me with a little white spot in my tan. Awesome, right?[/li][li]Most deodorants/antiperspirants make my poor underarm skin break out too.[/li][li]Since changing from BC pills and the Nuva Ring to Mirena 3 years ago, I’ve broken out like a teenager. I’ve seen two derms and neither of them have been able to help.[/li][/ul]

I’ve made a few changes already:

[ul]
[li]I’ve been using Tom’s of Maine natural toothpaste for years, and narry an ulcer. My husband can’t stand the stuff, so he uses Arm and Hammer.[/li][li]I’ve changed my makeup to entirely Mineral Makeup, except mascara and liquid liner[/li][li]I’ve found that the only thing that helps my acne is to use a mask of honey and ground aspirin, but it can also dry out the not-as-greasy areas of my face[/li][li] I’ve given up soaping up most of my skin, mostly just the sweaty/smelly parts, and my skin has gotten a lot less dry and itchy.[/li][/ul]

But I’m still an acne-ridden grease ball, so now I’m going extreme naked skin care:

[ul]
[li]Hair care: Baking Soda wash and Apple Cider Vinegar rinse–NO SHAMPOO. I’m starting with a 1:4 ratio water to baking soda or ACV, pre-mixed in a bottle. I gotta tell you, they are a little cold to dump all over my head in the morning, so I may adjust my technique in the future.[/li][li]Skin Care: Simple unscented, no-dye glycerine soap for my eye makeup and a weak honey-aspirin mask for cleansing my face. Refined jojoba oil for moisturizer.[/li][li]Underarms: Cornstarch and Baking Soda in a 6:1 ratio delicately dusted.[/li][/ul]

I’m hoping that by using these techniques for my personal hygiene, I will cut down on the levels of grease my skin produces and reduce the acne. I am also hoping that the SLS in the shampoo and skin cleanser had some part in my acne and removing it will also help.

There are, of course, cautions with this extreme alternative to skin care. If the crunchy deodorant doesn’t work, I’m gonna smell. The hair treatment often has a “transition” period in which I may look like a dirty, unwashed hippy. And, of course I may just break out and react even worse to these “natural” treatments than I am now.

I’d love to hear if any of you guys did something like this at some point, or answer any questions anyone has about how it is going for me. I’m also starting a blog here: http://nakedskincare.blogspot.com/

2

Upon reading the OP I figured this was about constipation. sorry I’ll be leaving now

3

Wasn’t “no-poo” the stuff Jack Black invented in that awful movie?

4

I don’t know, but in the Harry Potter books, the Weasley twins come up with a novelty product called “U-No-Poo” as a play on “You Know Who”. (Voldemort)

5

I got nothin’, except to say I looked at your blog and thought the blue streaks in your hair were stunning.

6

Thanks CairoCarol! Part of the reason I’m doing this crazy thing is to try to keep my blue streaks longer. What with having to shampoo every day they only pop for about a week, and that seems like $30 straight down the tubes to me.

7

I say good luck with it. It took me years to figure out that I can’t use bar-soap on my face unless it is Ivory, or else my face will end up looking blotchy and red. I don’t seem to have any problems with the body and face wash I have now.

8

Little Bird - have you heard of these products?

DevaCare No-Poo Cleanser - a non-lathering cleanser.

Ingredients: Extracts of:Achilea Millefolium, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus, Humulus Lupulus (Hops), Melissa Officinalis (Balm Mint), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel; Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Laureth-4, Grape Seed Oil, Orange Peel Wax, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Peppermint Oil, Propylene Glycol, Wheat Amino Acids, Soy Amino Acids, Oats Amino Acid, Diazolodinyl Urea, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Menthol, Fragrance, Red 40, Yellow 5.

DevaCare Low-Poo Cleanser - a mild lathering cleanser.

Ingredients: Aqueos Extracts of: Achilea Millefolium, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus, Humulus Lupulus (Hops), Melissa Officinalis (Balm Mint), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel; Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-75 Lanolin, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Benzophenone-4, Polyquaternium-10, Hydroxyethlcellulose, Polyquaterium-7, Diazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Fragrance, Red 40, Yellow 5.

I have used the low-poo and it works great and is very mild… they contain no SLS.

For your face I highly recommend Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser which is a non-lathering facial cleanser. “Recommended by Dermatologists for years for people with special skin needs like acne, rosacea, or eczema because of its gentleness.” I have acne, rosacea and very sensitive skin, and this is the best stuff I have ever found for my skin.

I have tried going “no-poo” several times, and I got fed-up with my extremely greasy hair. I was patient and waited, but it never got better. It was NASTY! So if it doesn’t work for you, perhaps one of the above products will work.

9

I must admit that the OP was far less disturbing than I thought it might be.

10

My great-grandmother* washed her hair once a year. The other 364 days, she brushed it with a wire brush, which she washed scrupulously, occasionally brushed cornstarch through it, and when she wasn’t doing that, kept it braided. This is the same woman who cut up the football, BTW.

*according to my mom.

11

I rarely if ever use shampoo in my hair. I haven’t done in over a decade.

12

Thanks! I’ll have to give those a try if my experiment does not work. Right now, tho, I’m going with cheap and easy to obtain tools, and if baking soda and apple cider vinegar aren’t cheap and easy to obtain I don’t know what is! :smiley:

13

Another option if you decide baking soda and vinegar isn’t for you: Burt’s Bees makes shampoos which they claim are 97.20% natural and have no SLS. I have the Very Volumizing Pomegranate & Soy shampoo, and I love it.

Ingredients: Water, decyl & laurel glucosides (natural coconut oil, corn starch & sugar soap blend), coco betain (coconut oil moisturizer), coco-glucoside & glyceryl oleate (natural sunflower & coconut oil soap blend), honey, soy protein, vegetable glycerin, sucrose ester (sugar moisturizer), betain (sugar beet), glucose (sugar), fragrance, pomegranate extract, moringa seed extract, soy amino acid, xanthan gum (natural thickener), citric acid, glucose oxidase & lactoperoxidase (natural preservative).

14

FYI, I’ve tried this before, and the baking soda stripped the red right out of my hair, faster than shampoo even though I was using it less. It has a tendency to lighten both natural hair and colored hair.

It did make my hair really shiny, though.

I do like the Burt’s Bee shampoo & conditioner mentioned above, though. You might also try some products from Lush, they have some SLS free shampoos & conditioners.