So, those of us using the No 'Poo Method means we do not use shampoo or conditioner. Instead we use baking soda and vinegar to wash and condition our hair. The baking soda is what helps break up the dirt, grime, grease, etc from your roots, while the vinegar conditions your hair.
Why...?
Basically, shampoo and conditioner are constantly stripping your hair of its natural oils with their unnatural chemicals. Thus, your hair produces even more oil to compensate for this. That's why I can never go over 24 hours before needing to wash my hair again. I'm a grease bucket, addicted to shampoo and conditioner.
Benefits
The benefits of No 'Poo are that your hair can naturally be shiny, thick and wonderful, and you can go days without washing, because your hair regulates itself. Because of No 'Poo, some people only need to wash their hair once a week, and some can go even longer between washings! Your hair also dries faster, and if you use heated styling tools (which you should try to avoid), it holds curl really well.
So when I saw this post on Pinterest, I was intrigued and started my research. A lot of women have had success stories, saying it has made their hair amazing. There are some who haven't. Some who even say it's ruined their hair. So do your own research and do what you think is best. I've never had too many bad things to say about my hair. It's stuck around through A LOT of home colorings and bleaching misfortunes, so I'm grateful for that. My natural "curl" is more like a crimp, and only in some spots, so I have always used a flat iron to style my every day hair. But, I always wanted to not wash my hair and have it look like Jax Teller's. (Charlie Hunnam is so much better with short hair anyway... I digress.) So, I thought, why not try this method?
What You Need
- 2 spray bottles (at least 8 oz.)
- Apple Cider Vinegar or White Vinegar
- Baking Soda
How You Do It
In the shower, you spray the baking soda mixture on your roots only. Massage well and rinse. Then you spray the ACV mixture on the length of your hair, let it sit and rinse it out at the end of the shower. You're supposed to go as many days as you can stand in between washings. When I first started out, I didn't really know that... So I was doing it every day at first. My hair was so greasy that one day I slathered on pure baking soda and boy did that take the grease out. Turns out, that's not really the best thing for your hair, so don't do that. It really dries your hair out. I typically do a rinse-only when I shower and am not washing my hair. But, last night I knew I didn't have time for my hair to dry before bed, so I just pulled it up in the shower and didn't get it wet. I think whatever works best for you, giver 'er a go.
The Dreaded Transition Period
This transition period happens because your hair is wondering why you're not stripping it of its oils, so it's still producing more, or going dry or both. It's confused. The transition period seems to vary for everyone. Some it's two weeks, some it's MONTHS.
I'm not gonna lie, guys... The transition period is a real killer. My hair was both frizzy and greasy. Freasy, if you will. I wore my hair up a lot. Which was cool in a way, because it forced me to style my hair and try out my Pinterest Hairstyles. It was also cold, because it's Fall in Wisconsin.
I've heard that transition periods end abruptly; it's like over night your hair magically balances out, and all is right with the world. I'm pretty darn close to that stage right now, and think I'm ready to extend my washings to every third day.
I'm going on my 7th week of No 'Poo, and I'm finally starting to see the benefits. My natural curl/wave/kink is more tamed and natural looking, so using the flat iron isn't necessary. My hair is shiny, smooth and soft. I'm hoping it starts to pack up the volume, though.
In the middle of the process I decided to switch to showering at night to avoid styling my hair with heat. This in itself has been a challenge. I shower around 7 p.m. and am in bed at 9 p.m. This way I can give my hair time to dry. I have tried sleeping in braids, in French braids, in pony tails, elastic headbands and buns. So far, the only thing that kind of works is a high bun.
The problem is that if I sleep with my hair down while it's slightly damp, the next morning it's a frizzy, crimpy mess. If I sleep with it in braids, the next morning it's a frizzy, crimpy mess. If I sleep in a pony tail, the next morning it's a frizzy, crimpy mess. Do you see the pattern? This past summer I tried pin curls. I slept with a bandana over the curls, and still my hair ended up like this lovely photo below. Pretty much no matter how I sleep with my hair, the next morning it's a frizz ball.
Sleeping with a high, loose bun seems to be my best bet. My hair is less frizzy, and the wave comes out pretty natural looking. I do usually need to get the curling iron out for some touch ups. I use very low heat, and it holds all day. Below is a photo of my Day 2 hair, slept in a high bun and touched up with a curling iron. I also use coconut oil to tame fly-aways. This photo below was taken during my 5th week of No 'Poo. It's nothing like the YouTube video goddesses who demonstrate several ways to sleep with your hair up and damp and wake up with beautiful, flowing locks of waves, but it's what I got. (If you're interested in finding ways to style your hair over night, just search for "heatless waves/curls" and you'll find tons of examples!)
The first day I did No 'Poo was actually the day I had my engagement photos taken. I noticed that my hair held the curl really, really well. I've never had my hair curled (by me) so well before. I used mousse and hairspray. Here's what it looked like.
Of course, since I had product in my hair I didn't know that I could continue with No 'Poo, so I washed with my Herbal Essences, and started back up on October 7, and haven't switched back since.
FYI--You can still use product in your hair when you use No 'Poo. I still use hairspray, but I never really used mousse too much. I've found the hairspray just rinses out on days you do not wash with baking soda, but otherwise the baking soda does a good job at breaking up the products for you.
I shamelessly took a selfie in my car to share what my hair looks like today... It's not that great, since it's just the side of my hair, and some is caught on my coat, but... It's my day 2 hair. I didn't do a hot rinse last night, and randomly slept with a single three-strand braid, so I added some more curl with the iron this morning and sprayed it a bit with hairspray... It's pretty flat here on my lunch break, but I prefer it to be more soft like this anyway.
So here's some weekly insight to my journey so far:
Week 1
- Rough start
- Washing every day
- Adding extra (pure) baking soda to roots
- Hair is greasy and staticy
- Switched to washing every other day
- Using cornstarch as a dry shampoo to combat grease--works REALLY well (I have blond hair)
- I've heard that brunettes can use cocoa powder and red heads can use cinnamon!
- Getting better!
- Less static, less grease
- Wearing hair down instead of up
Week 4
- Switched to showering at night to avoid heating tools (blow dryer and flat iron)
- I read that it's best to stay away from these styling tools because your hair isn't coated with chemicals anymore, and your hair is more vulnerable because it's not protected.
- Coconut oil has been said to be a good heat protector if you want to style with a flat iron or curling iron.
Week 5
- Hair seems dry, so used an egg yolk mask
- Mask worked well--hair shinier
- Ends dry--used jojoba oil
- Still using heat to help style hair--not whole head--just spot checking
- Hair is shinier, but stringy
Week 6
- My day 2 hair is less greasy
- Not stringy anymore
- Pretty sure I could wash every third day instead of every other
- I decided to use coconut oil to help combat dryness instead of egg yolks this week. I put it in my hair for one hour, then rinsed out in shower (per instructions on coconut oil jar). The next morning, my hair was so greasy I thought it was still wet. I even got the blow dryer out. Needless to say, I wore my hair up that day.
- I only rinsed my hair the following night, and my hair was shiny, not greasy--much better
- Use weekly conditioning masks--pick your favorite--there are millions to choose from! I am partial to the egg yolk/EVOO blend.
- If using coconut oil--less is more.
- Patience, patience, patience.
- Go as long as you can stand between washings to help extend the days you don't need to wash.
- Rinse EXTREMELY well in the shower. I think that some days my grease was attributed to the fact that I just didn't rinse as well as I thought I was.
- Cornstarch for us blondies is a life saver.
- Have fun with new styles!
- Enjoy your natural hair.
If you have any questions, please ask!
**UPDATE 11/20/2013**
Just wanted to share how my day 3 hair is with you all! This is the first time I've not washed my hair on day 2 since I began No 'Poo. Last night I just rinsed it with hot water in the shower, and wore a side pony to bed. It really wasn't too bad this morning--I was surprised. I did use cornstarch, especially on my crown (where it's always the most greasy for me). I threw on a bit of coconut oil and straightened out a few kinks. (You may notice a few flyaways on the top photo. I think it was from me getting dressed and not smoothing out my hair again... woops! Also, my hair looks a bit white on the bottom photo--I still had some cornstarch in my hair when I took this. At least the rest of it is shiny? Maybe I shouldn't have shared my update with all of you--I clearly wasn't prepared!)
