I didn’t intend to write a post about my “no poo” experiment but I received a few questions when I mentioned it in my Au Naturale post a couple of days ago.
My skin type is really oily – so is my hair. I would try skipping a day washing my hair but it just wouldn’t work. I had to wash it every single day because it was just so oily. Every couple of weeks I needed to do a deep cleansing to get rid of the buildup on my hair. I don’t use any styling products so I knew the buildup was coming from the shampoo and conditioner. All different types of shampoo were tried in an attempt to control the grease but to no avail. That’s when I first heard about the “no poo” movement. It sounded rather intriguing washing my hair with natural products rather than the chemically laden stuff so I decided to give it a go.
I’ve been “no poo” for three months and really like it! The first two weeks were an adjustment period as my scalp got used to producing just the right amount of oil my hair needed to moisturize it. I now just wash my hair with 2 TBSP of baking soda to 3 cups of water every three days. I don’t get greasy hair anymore! It just amazes me that my hair is no longer greasy. After three months of the regular baking soda wash with a weekly apple cider vinegar rinse my hair is shiny and soft. I have noticed the last two weeks that it is becoming dry. I think that is mostly because of the dry desert Nevada heat. I am currently researching different natural conditioners to try maybe once every couple of weeks to keep my hair from getting dry and brittle. Michal was wondering how “no poo” would work with her dyed hair. I’ve heard that it makes the color last longer. I have several colors of highlights in my hair and I haven’t noticed a change in their color at all. I do think you may have to try a better conditioning rinse than just the basic vinegar rinse.
Right now I am the only one in my family who is “no poo” but my older girls have talked about giving it a try. It certainly hasn’t cost as much for me to wash my hair with baking soda instead of shampoo! I can only imagine how much we’d save if all the girls went “no poo” too.
Speaking of savings, another way we are trying to save money is by using homemade laundry detergent instead of the commercial kind. The recipe I use is the basic powdered recipe (#9) found here. It works well to get all the grease off my husband’s clothes after a day of servicing the farm machinery and pivots. I do have to say I did need to use a can of Coke one time in the wash to help get the grease off his pants. They were literally covered in grease. The phosphoric acid in the Coke helps to dissolve and lift the grease off the clothes. See why I don’t want to drink the stuff? We used to use the Arm & Hammer brand because I liked the smell, it cleaned as well as Tide, and was much cheaper. The homemade laundry detergent works just as well as the store bought stuff, though there isn’t any “mountain fresh” scent because there are no added perfumes, and costs far less than even Arm & Hammer. The laundry does smell clean just without the added perfumes. We’ve been pretty happy with it so far so we’ll keep on using it.
As a side note if you decide to try the homemade laundry soap look for washing soda in the laundry section at your grocery store. Wal-mart does not carry it.
Cocoa,
We went “no poo” the day you posted and my girls LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Their hair is shinier and it stayed cleaner longer! (Esp. my 8 year old. Her hair tended to look dull and heavy on the second day. What I can’t believe is how soft their hair is, but my favorite part is no tangles! They all have long hair and we’ve struggled for years to find something to help the “after the shower” problems. With this, we haven’t had one complaint and the brush goes right through. After one weekend, we are certified “no Pooers” for life! (My husband is even convinced!) Thanks for posting this!
Okay, I think you’ve convinced me. I’ve heard about it, but just couldn’t wrap my mind around it since I’m a daily ‘pooer too (or I get greasy hair! ugh!) Would be especially convenient for camping!
Think of the money I’ll save between myself and our girls!!
Thanks 🙂
http://www.kiddio.org
i’m going to give it a try! i’m intrigued, and i hate all the chemical stuff in shampoo these days. i think i’ll try to make mine by boiling fresh rosemary in water for an hour or so and then adding the baking soda to that. i know that rosemary is supposed to help with shine . . .
I actually just heard about, and tried on Lexi’s hair last night, using baking soda to get rid of build up. We spend most of our summer at the pool and her hair has so much chlorine build up that is just gross. Her hair feels great today. I think after a few more times she’ll be good!!
I tried it after reading your first post too (look at your influence!). So far I don’t like it as well as homemade shampoo but MUCH better than commercial. I’ll give it a few more days. I LOVED it on the kids hair though. You should switch for your little kids.
I have been using homemade powedered laundry soap for almost a year but I don’t love it. I don’t think it does quite as good a job and I know it doesn’t get my diapers quite clean. I wonder why you have better luck with it than me.
I definitely think it’s worth at least a try for most people. “No Poo” may not work for you but then again it just might!
Michal, I love the idea of using water infused with rosemary. So glad I read this before going to town so I can get some.
Twinlinebackers, I’m interested in your recipe for homemade shampoo. I plan on switching the little kids to no poo as soon as their bottle of shampoo is gone. Don’t want to waste any money. 🙂
As for the homemade laundry detergent I know a lot depends on the water type. We have very soft water so I think that’s why it seems to work well for us. I know people with hard water have terrible results with homemade laundry detergent.
I love this idea! Although I have a VAT of shampoo right now thanks to hand-me-downs from a sister who turned out to be allergic to some ingredients, I want to remember this for once the shampoo is gone. What a great idea!
I am so glad I stumbled upon you – you are a wealth of information.
I want no poo!
How are you guys? I will definately have to try the “no poo” (although I might change the name;)
Thanks for the info on the shampoo and laundry soap issues. We have one child with sensitive skin and I am always looking for alternatives to soaps for him. Goat’s milk bar soaps are awesome for the skin. He was once diagnosed with chicken pox, despite having the vaccine. Why? The skin reaction to something (we never did figure it out) looked just like chicken pox.
I have been doing no poo for five or six months now. It looks good the first day but it gets a little greasy by the second day which is weird for me because I have really dry hair and can usually go three days before it gets greasy.
I usually end up using shampoo about once a week because I forget to get the BS before I get in the shower. I keep a bottle of vinegar in there all the time. Where do you keep your BS?
I also use a home made “spray-n-wash” made out of 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup Era liquid laundry detergent and 2 cups of water. Put it in a spray bottle and it gets out every stain I’ve tried it on so far. Sure doesn’t smell very good though!
Sorry it took me forever to respond to your question on my homemade shampoo. And sorry, I was misleading on that. I almost clarified but my comment was already so long. I do not make my own homemade shampoo. It’s store bought from an overpriced store called LUSH. It was my one total indulgence but it lasts a really long time. I wish I had read about no pooing a month earlier and I wouldn’t have restocked!