The "No-Poo" alternative to Shampoo. AMAZING!!!

So I've been experimenting with different techniques to try to maintain my bright red hair for longer. My first attempt was DIY Dry Shampoo, which has helped me go longer between washing my hair, but the sulfates in regular shampoo really do a number on my hair color, so I researched different recipes for DIY, sulfate-less shampoo and conditioner.  I found a lot of different ideas, but none intrigued me more than "No-poo."

I found the idea here. It's an extremely informative write-up about the subject, covering any question you might have. I highly recommend reading this if you're considering trying this method out. I didn't want to try to keep baking soda dry while using it in the shower so I used an old black pepper container; the kind that has 2 sides- one with the little holes and one with a wide opening. That way I can easily pour out what I need while the rest stays dry in a container that is not made out of cardboard.

No-Poo Shampoo:

1 cup water

1 tbsp baking soda

Conditioner:

1 cup water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
(you can use white distilled vinegar, too, but I use that ALL the time on other things and I had apple cider vinegar laying around just waiting so I went with that.)

I bought some ketchup and mustard squirters you can get at the dollar store in a pack of 2 and used those. The long, skinny opening at the top works really well for getting straight to your scalp.

Mix the baking soda and water in the squirter, shake it up so it's mixed together, and apply to your hair paying special attention to your roots. It should have a sort of slimy feel to it. If it doesn't, you might need more baking soda. I let it sit for about a minute or two and then rinse it out. Then, you mix the vinegar and water in the other squirter, shake it up so it's mixed together and apply to your hair paying special attention to your ends. The point of the vinegar is to neutralize the ph balance of your hair that the baking soda has thrown off. I let that sit for the rest of my shower and then rinse.


Seriously, this post answers any question you might have so I'm not going to waste time on fumbling out words when it's explained so perfectly elsewhere. I'm just going to share my experience and some tips I used to make the transition easier.

Let me start by telling what an amazing transformation my hair has had. I know this all sounds a little extreme, but I have had such luck with this method. I've used it almost exclusively for a couple months now and my hair feels absolutely amazing. There are so many pros to going this route that I've seen firsthand:

• My hair holds style MUCH longer
• Little to no product is needed to make my style hold
• More natural volume
• Less oily
• No more frizz
• More shine
• Less hair loss
• Hair color fades SO much slower
• I wash my hair way less often
• No chemicals
• SO inexpensive
• My hair is SO soft!

I got my hair cut and colored the other day so my amazing hair girl, Cassie, used regular shampoo and conditioner to wash the extra color out when it was done processing. I didn't realize what a huge difference the baking soda and vinegar made until I used the shampoo and conditioner again. We could feel the residue in my hair from the conditioner when we were done compared to when we first sat down! My hair looked and felt great, but after a couple hours, it was flat, oily and the style had totally fallen out. This just further proved to me how incredible this cheap and easy method is.

Now, there is an adjustment period that lasts about 6 weeks, and let me tell you, it doesn't start out pretty. Your hair has grown accustomed to being absolutely stripped by detergents and then having residue-leaving conditioner caked on in thick globs to make up for it. So when you eliminate that and introduce something a lot gentler, it takes some time to get used to it. My hair felt like straw. I could barely get a brush through the ends of it, but there were a couple things I did that made the transition a little easier. For starters, I didn't rinse the vinegar out for a couple weeks. My hair felt A LOT nicer. Yes, my hair smelled like vinegar while it was still wet but once it dried, it was left just smelling clean. Once I started rinsing out the vinegar again, it was fine. I also used a tiny, TINY bit of coconut oil on the ends which helped immensely.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this out. Give it 2 months and, if you still hate it, then go back to regular shampoo and conditioner. No harm done.

I really hope you check out the original post for more information if you're interested. I shared with you what I thought was relevant, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. And please share your experience with "No-poo" if you decide to try it out. I would love to hear how you felt about it.