Feeling So Hippie

So I would say in some ways I can be a pretty granola kind of gal. And in other ways, not so much. But I'm always up for trying new things, and so when I read this article about not using shampoo anymore I was intrigued.

Intrigued enough to ACTUALLY TRY IT.

Thats right guys, I didn't shampoo my hair for more than two weeks! (Ewwww, you say? Not at all! Keep reading!)

Now if you don't want to go read the article, the idea is that shampoo is actually really bad for your hair. It strips it of all its natural oils and because of this your scalp goes crazy trying to make more, hence greasy hair if you don't shampoo pretty much every day.

The process of no-poo, as they call it, is instead of using shampoo you use a mixture of water and baking soda to clean your scalp and a mixture of water and vinegar to condition. She says the first two weeks are the hardest because this is the time that your scalp is readjusting. So you might have really straw like or cotton-y feeling hair.

Soooo, now that I've given a really quick run-down: here's my experience with no-pooing:

I was all prepared for the yucky straw hair, but I didn't get that AT ALL. It actually was pretty much like my normal hair. I waited about four days to repeat the process and that was all fine and good. After about a week or so of not shampooing and using a boar bristle brush (its supposed to help distribute the natural oils from your scalp down to the rest of your hair) I was feeling a little...weird.

First of all, my hair never felt dirty. It didn't feel the same as normal, but I figured that meant it was still adjusting. So I kept sticking with it. As time went on, my hair was feeling pretty oily near the scalp. I don't mean greasy or dirty feeling. Just oily. This was hard for me and I was feeling like I wanted to do the washing treatment more often (when its supposed to be less and less, at least every four days or even longer). When I did the treatment, it would feel clean for that day but then the next day or the day after I would start feeling oily again. Also the ends were super static-y. That part is partly because of the weather, but it was extra bad when I was no-pooing. (also, they should re-name this because it makes me feel icky.)

Second, because you mix your solution up beforehand and let it sit in the shower, its room temperature. When you're in the hot shower, it makes the solution feel pretty cold on your head. This actually didn't bother me, it helped me feel exactly where the solution was and because I take pretty hot showers it was really kind of refreshing. But I talked to a friend about this, and the cold was one of the main reasons she stopped doing it, she didn't like that part at all.

One thing I didn't realize would bother me, was the shampoo smell. Doing no shampoo, my hair didn't really smell like anything at all, just hair. And I actually really didn't like that. I missed having good smelling hair. :) In the article she suggests putting some essential oils in your hair brush and doing it that way, but I didn't have any good smelling ones and didn't want to buy any because I'm lazy. ;)

I realize that its possible my hair was more oily because my solution of water/baking soda was off and I needed to add less/more, but it seemed so fickle and honestly, I just wanted my hair to feel good--right now. So when I was at the grocery store I found this tea tree oil/mint shampoo and conditioner--its sulfate and paraben free, which means its a much gentler and healthier option for your hair. So I didn't feel like I was a total failure.

And guess what guys?! IT SMELLS LIKE HEAVEN!! I seriously love how this shampoo smells, and when I blow dry my hair I smell the mint and sigh, and sometimes when the wind blows I smell the mint and ahhhhhh, it just smells so dang good.

So this in no way is discouraging anyone from no-pooing, I think its a great idea and could save you a ton of money, being you're only using baking soda and vinegar. I guess I'm just too impatient to try and figure out the perfect mixture and got tired of feeling like my head was just...off.

Other pro's for no-pooing though:

You get less fly aways (smoother hair).
It helps your hair grow thicker and faster.
You know how your hair is falling out all over your house? Not anymore!
Shiny, beautiful hair!
You only have to shampoo once, maybe twice, a week!
You're not putting terrible chemicals on your head! Win!
Your hair is in balance the way its supposed to be.
Could help prevent gray hair!
I'm sure there's more but I've used up my allowance of exclamation points!

Anyway, do you think no-pooing sounds absolutely crazy and gross? Or would you totally consider trying it? Maybe you can see what I did and avoid my mistakes. :)