I’ve been trying the no-poo thing for a bit now: washing my scalp with a massage of thick paste of about 1 Tbs baking soda + water, and then spritzing the ends with diluted cider vinegar. I did that for a couple of weeks, then had to fall off the wagon because of a fancy-schmantzy wedding. Now I’m trying it again, and I haz questions:
I used to shampoo my hair two, maaaaaybe three times a week. Should I keep the same frequency while transitioning into no-poo? Is “washing” with this regimen more often than washing with shampoo OK?
they say that your oil-pumping glands slowly adjust to the fact that you’re no longer stripping all the oils. But … hair is dead. What’s the feedback mechanism “telling” the glands to ease up on the oil? Do they really just recognize scalp strippage of oils, and we simply see the results on hair?
how long (waaah! I know … :rolleyes:) until my hair is gorgeous and shiny and soft? It’s not too greasy-looking, but it’s definitely hard up at the scalp. (My hair is thick, wavy, and creeping past bra-strap length into mid-back territory, if that makes a difference here. Hmm … does it?)
how much does simple water rinsing (no baking soda/vinegar) help? Should I do that every day while transitioning?
I’ve read through the websites and looked at the threads here from past no-pooers (:dubious:) but I can’t really find answers to those specific things. I’d be grateful for any information from Dopers who have been down this long, oily road before… (and medical Dopers for the 2nd question, I guess, since it wouldn’t require any first-hand knowlege).
I did this a few years ago, but found the baking soda abrasive on my hair, so I switched to baby shampoo and no conditioner in the shower. I put argan oil on my very long (not quite waist-length) hair. About six weeks ago, I went back to a regular shampoo and the argan oil. I had always washed my hair every other day and a clarifying shampoo once a week before the no poo. I also convinced a friend to do it with me. We had fun comparing notes. She had more success than I did, but I did it for a few months before switching to the baby shampoo.
1 - wash your hair with the same frequency as you did before. You should be able to ease back to fewer washings, depending on your hair. You may eventually get down to once a week. I never got there.
2 - I don’t know about a feedback mechanism. Someone else may be able to explain how it works.
3 - your hair shouldn’t be hard. It sound like you may not be getting a good rinse. It can be difficult to achieve and was a factor in my failure. The length of your hair is probably a good thing, as you will be able to pull it up on non-washing days. I found the first few weeks my hair looked good, not great and felt terrible. Then, it was lovely.
Water rinsing can help. I found it just made me feel better, cleaner. I wouldn’t do it every day, just the days you are skipping a washing.
What I do is put the baking soda in one of those squirt bottles like you use when dyeing your hair, then fill it up with water. That way you don’t have the crust of baking soda paste to wash out, and it’s easy to distribute all over your scalp. Make sure you scrub gently all over your head (I go in a pattern so I don’t miss anywhere) especially around your hairline and the crown of your head. Also, it’s good to sort of pull your fingers out about an inch or so along your hair since that’s the part that will have the most oil and stuff.
It will probably take awhile for your hair to adjust completely. The baking soda was kind of drying for me at first and made my scalp itchy. I’ve been doing the no-poo thing for a couple of years, and my hair doesn’t need to be washed as often as when I used to use shampoo. Now I only wash it twice a week or so. Also, it depends on the weather; in the winter once a week is plenty, but when it’s hot and humid it starts looking dirty quicker. Make sure you brush your hair between washings to distribute the oils.
1- I found that I could follow my regime as often as everyday or as seldom as twice a week.
2- Yeah, the common explanation is crap in my opinion. I think the “breaking in period” is actually to let you get used to your hair, and has nothing to do with the oil glands.
3- I mix about 2 tablespoons baking soda with 1 pint/500 ml water in an old water bottle. I use about 1/4 to 1/3 of it to “wash” my hair. I massage my scalp then make sure I rinse well. I usually follow one time using baking soda with the next time using vinegar, then a time or two using just water. In other words, there isn’t a single right way to do it.
4- Just water is fine to use.
The main benefit for me is the way my hair feels and looks. I can blow-dry my hair without it feeling crunchy or dried out.
I think that everyone’s experience is different. There isn’t really one answer.
Your regime sounds way complicated to me. Here’s mine:
Go swimming once a week. Rinse thouroughly afterwards.
About every month or two, I henna my hair. I shampoo after that, because there’s no way all that grit is coming out without it.
Every so often I might do a “mid-way” shampoo, if I feel particularly grungy for any reason (like - going to the gym a lot)
Um - that’s about it. So I guess I’m not totally no-poo, but pretty damn close.
What’s the point of the baking soda thing? It just seems like shampooing, only using a different type of shampoo. Is it supposed to make your hair nicer than either shampoo or complete abstinence from washing substances?
Huh - different strokes for different folks, I guess, Aspidistra. I didn’t think it was any more complicated to use baking soda + vinegar than it was to use shampoo + conditioner, which is what I’ve been doing my whole life.
That said, I: a) don’t have regular or even irregular access to a swimming pool, and b) have no desire to change the color of my hair, and, as I understand it, henna makes hair blackish or reddish. (*Yes *… ?)
health (avoiding sodium lauril/laureth sufites, preservatives, and other potential irritants/allergens)
Those, for me, are secondary. I’m trying this for a 50/50 mix of this:
I live in a hotter-than-hell climate, and I like to still spend time outdoors. Result: sweaty hair. But, my hair doesn’t tolerate being shampood more than 2-3 x week, and I didn’t like the texture at all if I just rinsed it. I was hoping this meant that I could get all sweaty and happy in my garden and then have clean hair that night.
proponents of this swear universally that, after the initial transition period, their hair is healthier and shinier. My hair is fairly healthy, I guess, but it’s frizzy, almost fuzzy, sometimes, and not all that shiny.
“WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO?
YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO
THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT’S GRIPPING THE NATION!”
—Advertisement poster in the window of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes[src]
Sorry, I had to. If it’s going to be stuck in my head all day, you can darn well be stuck with it too! LOL!
In thinking it over, my hair (YMMV, IANAStylist, this is only my experience, etc.) seems to go longer between cleanings if it is slightly dried out. It feels oily after only 2 days if I let it dry naturally. If I blow-dry it, or go in a chlorinated pool, or am in a dry climate, or don’t completely rinse the baking soda out, or dye with henna, etc. then I can go at least four days between cleanings.
I read the Curly Girl book so when I went to no-poo, I just started using conditioner-only instead of shampoo and conditioner. I have to use a conditioner or my hair will be a mass of knots at the ends.
I’ve been doing conditioner only for about 2 years. I use Garnier Fructis Length and Strength approximately every other day. My hair used to be extremely dry; now the oils in from my scalp eventually will make to the ends.
I do about what stretch does - my hair isn’t as long, but it’s about the same sort of curly (maybe slightly curlier).
Really, I think it doesn’t have to be complicated. I do use conditioner to detangle my hair. How often do I use shampoo? If my hair’s feeling really manky, I use it. If not, I don’t. I think it really depends on how much you “do” to your hair, and that includes stuff like sweating. I take spin classes at the gym, and so my hair is pretty well soaked. I at least need to rinse it off to get the sweat out. And for me personally, once I go down that road, to prevent tangles, I condition.
I’ve been doing no-poo for over three years now. I did it as a part of an entire SLS-free lifestyle, since I have a sensitivity to SLS. (I also do sls-free tooth and face cleaning, I can tell you more if you are interested.) The first year or so was mostly just about not being itchy any more, but after a while I did notice my hair and skin were actually looking better than before.
For my hair I wash with about a tablespoon of baking soda with a couple drops of Dr. Bronner’s rose castille soap in a couple ounces of water. I put that in a hair-dye bottle and squirt all over my roots and massage in really well. Then I rinse it all out really well and then rinse with a dilute solution of apple cider vinegar and water. I have tried real apple cider vinegar from real apples and I have tried “apple cider flavored” vinegar and I think there is a difference in results, but it’s not extreme. Organic vs not organic doesn’t make any difference at all.
You should do whatever works for you. I used to do it every day for a while, then once I got used to the less than “squeaky clean” feel of no-poo I started taking days off from the soap, then days off of the entire regimen. If you feel you are too greasy, wash more. If you feel your hair looks nice that morning, just do a water wash.
What you are doing is getting your scalp used to not being stripped every day. The scalp makes the oils, and the hair soaks up those oils. Ever notice how your roots are greasier than your tips? That’s because they are closer to your oily scalp. If you stop stripping your hair (and by extension, your scalp) of oils, it won’t feel all dry and nasty and will stop pumping out extra oil.
It took me a couple weeks for my hair to look normal, and it took me at least a month before I got used to the new feel. It’s definitely not squeaky clean any more, and it takes a while before you recognize that as a good thing.
For hardness, are you sure you are rinsing the baking soda completely off? That’s half the reason for the vinegar rinse. Make sure you scrub the baking soda completely off, and then start your vinegar rinse right up at the roots.
I believe a water rinse really helps on your non-wash days. If you look in the mirror and see hair that isn’t gross, just scrub it really well in the shower and it will be fine. I did just water this morning and I think my hair looks better on my non-wash days than on my wash days.
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