A question about the no shampoo hair regimen

[Freudian_Slit]

@Sandra_Battye

There may be some confusion about the “no poo” process. I still wet my hair and massage my scalp with every shower (every day, in my case). I use baking soda/cider vinegar every other day or so. If you (generalized you, not anyone in particular) do this with every shower, the water and massage should be enough to clean your hair and leave it with enough natural oils to make it easy to style.

My hair doesn’t smell, it looks fantastic, and the styling products I use don’t seem to build up. However, if I went a week without stepping in the shower, my hair would look and smell like a greasy rat lived in it. “No poo” does NOT mean you can ignore basic hygiene.

But what’s the point of no poo? How will the dirt/grease come out if there’s no shampoo? I always thought that the point of soap in general was that it binds to dirt and that’s what got rid of it. I know that if I just stand under the shower with no soap I don’t feel any cleaner.

[aruvqan]

@Freudian_Slit

But what’s the point of no poo? How will the dirt/grease come out if there’s no shampoo? I always thought that the point of soap in general was that it binds to dirt and that’s what got rid of it. I know that if I just stand under the shower with no soap I don’t feel any cleaner.

you cant just stand under a shower, you need to add friction to get rid of the dead skin cells and any adhering dirt. Skin oils themselves arent dirty, it is what mixes into the oil. I can hand you a scrubby glove and you can use it under the shower or in a body of water without soap and you can get very clean that way. You can bathe in plain water using handsfull of sand as the scrubbing agent. Also mares-tail can be used to scrub with[a very silicon rich plant used to scrub with by campers]

[Sandra_Battye]

I think aruvqan describes it perfectly. Friction and water does as good a job as chemicals to clean hair most of the time. If someone is taking a daily (or every other day) shower, vigorous massage is often enough. Most of us just don’t get that dirty. Someone working in an office and driving everywhere probably doesn’t need to do much beyond the friction/water cleaning. Someone working in construction, in 100 degree heat and in the middle of a dust bowl probably needs to use soap/shampoo to get rid of the physical dirt that accumulates on their skin, scalp and hair.

There isn’t any one answer–and this thread proves it. If you feel that shampoo is necessary, it probably is. But if you’re curious about no poo, give it a try. What have you got to lose but your shampoo bottle?

[Snickers]

What about styling products? I don’t use much, but I do use a) a leave-in spray conditioner (I don’t condition in the shower, I use the spray treatment), b) mousse, and c) hairspray after styling. Is the massage/vinegar & baking soda rinse enough to get these products out of your hair, or do you notice buildup?

I’m really interested in going the no-poo route, but I’m wondering about the other stuff I use on my hair after the shower. How does this stuff get rinsed out?

[Freudian_Slit]

@aruvqan

you cant just stand under a shower, you need to add friction to get rid of the dead skin cells and any adhering dirt. Skin oils themselves arent dirty, it is what mixes into the oil. I can hand you a scrubby glove and you can use it under the shower or in a body of water without soap and you can get very clean that way. You can bathe in plain water using handsfull of sand as the scrubbing agent. Also mares-tail can be used to scrub with[a very silicon rich plant used to scrub with by campers]

I guess it makes sense. I just don’t know what the point of going without the soap is? To save money? Because the chemicals aren’t good for us?

Though I’ll admit, I’m a bit insane about cleanliness. I regularly take at least two showers a day and wash my hair every day…

[NajaNivea]

For me? To save money, mostly. Also, not quite that chemicals are “not good” as maybe “not necessary”. I’m not quite in the camp that thinks I’m protecting myself from cancer by not shampooing, but it’s beginning to dawn on me that the soap is maybe “not good” in terms of keeping your hair in prime-state health. It’s seeming to me like I’ve been paying a shampoo company to strip off my natural oils and then replace them with a fake version that’s not quite as effective. If the results were exactly the same I’d still be convinced on the monetary issue, but with my natural oils winning out over expensive organic-type shampoo and conditioner in terms of final results, I think I’m a confirmed “no-poo” convert.

I shower a lot, too, but I’m discovering that a long, hot shower with a scrubby thing and a bit of Dr. Bronner’s for my body, plus the new no-poo regimen makes me feel just as clean and leaves me with nicer-looking skin and hair than before, and with the very solid incentive of being a whole lot cheaper. Plus, I don’t have to use any pomade or smoothing products.

It does take a little more time–for me, with stupidly long hair. I think the difference may be less for someone with a normal-length cut. I seem to be adhering to aru’s “ladies of yore” regimen. I used to just de-tangle then braid and be done with it. In the last couple weeks I’ve spent a little extra time combing while watching TV or reading before bed, which has dual benefits of evenly oiling my hair and being kind of a soothing bedtime ritual. I appear to be shedding about the same amount as before, but I’m definitely not breaking as much hair, that’s interesting. Still much too early for any real conclusions, but if in a few months my broken-off ends start to even out I’ll be preaching the no-poo gospel far and wide.

Also: I used to just use the chunky palm combs 90% of the time. I’ve suddenly developed a twelve-year-old’s crush on a very fine-toothed comb for moving the natural oils around and smoothing my hair. I think basically what I’ve done is traded the cost of shampoo and conditioner for a little extra comb-time, with net positive results. Yay!