To shampoo or not to shampoo. That is the question.
Well, actually, the question that’s being raised nowadays is whether you use “traditional” shampoo, or the quickly growing in popularity “no ‘poo / low ‘poo”.
Let me start by saying that there are some combative, negative posts flying around the internet about both sides of these methods. This is a totally personal decision, made hundreds of different people for many different reasons. This post merely sets out to give you some facts about going to no shampoo, in case you should so desire to give it a shot, and is not meant in any way to tell you what you absolutely MUST do.
Here’s an article from each side:
Is Baking Soda Bad for Your Hair?
Now that you are somewhat informed on both sides, let’s get down to the business at hand –
What’s the dish on the new healthy hair movement?
For the month of February, some friends and I have been using the low-poo or no-poo method. (Check out the original No-Poo Experiment post).
No ‘poo can mean many different things, but in my case, it consisted of using diluted castile soap with an apple cider vinegar rinse, or a baking soda wash with an apple cider/ white vinegar / tea rinse. Low ‘poo can also mean using a skin-safe or organic product to wash your hair, instead of say, something like Pantene or Loreal.
It was quite the adventure for me, and I’m somewhat surprised by the results I got (in a good way :D). But I’ll go more into those details in another post.
For now, I want to help you figure out if you’re ready for no-poo by giving you some straight facts.
How to Know If You’re Ready to Try The N ‘Poo Method
1. You are currently dissatisfied with your hair-washing routine.
This can mean anything from you hate your shampoo to you don’t like how your hair feels after washing it (and you could simply CHANGE your shampoo), or you don’t like the thought of putting another -phtalate on your skin.
2. You want to have healthier, more beautiful, longer hair.
Followed closely by wanting to avoid adding more chemicals to our bodies, a desire to have healthier hair is the #1 reason people switch to no ‘poo options.
Is your hair falling out? Are you experiencing a lot of breakage? Does it just not seem to be growing? All 3 of these have been happening to me (which is totally normal post-baby, but hello, 15 months later still?!) and were the big motivator for making the move to no ‘poo.
3. You like to snack while you’re showering.
Ok, no, not really, but seriously, pretty much everything you will put on your hair instead of shampoo can be consumed in some way or another :D
So You Think You’re Ready to Go No ‘Poo?
A few more thoughts before you decide….
1. Be prepared to think about your hair ALL.THE.TIME.
And I do mean CONSTANTLY. It’s gotten a little better over the month as I’ve figured out what my routine for washing looks like, but at the beginning all I could think about was hair, hair, HAIR! It was a bit disconcerting, and I finally had to stop doing so much research and just take what I already knew and apply it to my hair (get it? apply it?!?).
2. Your hair may rebel.
You may go through a transition period of utter, ugly, grease-ball hair. The sebum on your scalp might react and clump up like dirty cheese. Your head may smell like….head (shudder). Your hair may get really dry and brittle, or never really adjust to your routine.
That’s ok. Because….
3. Not everyone succeeds at no-poo.
Everyone’s hair is a different porosity, everyone’s water is different (and hard water is the pits), everyone’s natural pH balance is totally and completely unique. So going no ‘poo just might not work for you.
However….
If you really want to make a major change in your body and hair care, you can still have great success with low ‘poo products! Some of the best ones out there are:
- Dr. Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap-Baby Mild andChagrin Valley Shampoo bars(just watch out, with hard water using these, you will end up with waxy hair, blegh. Best to invest in a shower filter.)
- DevaCurl No-Poo Cleanser
- Shea Moisture Raw Shea Retention Shampoo
Still with me? Then stick around, I’ll be following up this post later this week with my Guide to No Poo for Newbies.
Stay tuned!