Our family stopped using shampoo about 2 months ago. It's true. Like most things, it all came about as a process, as one thing led to another. It all started because I felt like my hair was starting to feel extremely dry and damaged, as well it might since my hair is highlighted and straightened frequently with a flat iron. For the most part, I greatly reduced blow drying, and used an argan or other conditioning oil on it, but it just didn't feel like I wanted it too. I started reading into which shampoo and conditioner might help. In the course of my search, I read some articles about the chemicals used in conventional shampoos, especially sodium-laurel-sulfate. Since we were simultaneously trying to reduce our use of chemicals and plastics, and shampoo is mostly unpronounceable chemicals, it was an easy jump to looking into alternatives to shampoo altogether. I didn't have to look long.
I first came across the idea of No-Poo. No-Poo is simple, with a few variations. The most common is to use baking soda. Just common baking soda. Mix a couple teaspoons with warm water, massage it into your scalp and rinse. Usually this would be followed with a conditioning rinse of apple cider vinegar (ACV). Other methods would be to use nothing, just scrub your hair with your fingers, or use a combination of herbs. I tried the baking powder for a while, and my hair felt clean, but still quite dry. After some further research, I found that the pH was actually quite damaging to your hair over time, so I looked for another method.
The second alternative we tried was Castile soap, diluted in a ration of 1:4 with water. I used Dr. Bronner's Castile soap, which comes in about types, depending on the essential oil used. I chose Lavender. Since it was very thin and watery, and I didn't want the kids to use too much, I put the mixture in foaming pump containers, and that worked great. Everyone seemed to like using it, and I continued to use the ACV rinse. However, I wasn't 100% pleased with it, as my hair seemed a little greasy. I should note, when switching from conventional to natural shampoos, I've heard it can take up to several weeks for your hair and scalp to adjust to the proper oil production. Still, I didn't think it was the perfect solution. However, we had discovered Castile soap, which is a wonderful product, and will replace every chemical cleaner in our house.
After further research, I learned about shampoo bars. Actually, I had read about shampoo bars before I got the Castile soap, but I could not find any at local health stores, so in the end, I had to order them online. There are A LOT of varieties and suppliers out there, and it was confusing to try to choose. I took a recommendation from another blog and decided to try Beauty and the Bees, which is based in Tasmania. Needless to say, shipping direct from their website was far too expensive, but I found some an Amazon. They have 8 or more varieties, and I wasn't sure what kind to get, so I ordered a sampler box of 6 small bars. They came with a sticker on each one saying what kind it was, and what type of hair/results it was best for. Each of us choose what we wanted to try, which worked out great since there are 6 of us. I ended up with one called Moroccan Mud. It smelled great, and when I tried it--wow, it was terrible!! After the second wash, my hair felt like it was loaded down with sculpting paste. I could push it in to any position, and it would just stay. It was just so greasy and gummy and heavy. It was weird for me, since I never use any product on my hair. To make matters worse, I had to talk in church that day! Yikes. I braced myself for a couple of weeks of hiding in the house during the long adjustment time. Then, the very next time I washed my hair, all that just dropped off, and my hair was light and clean and wonderful. I credit the time using the baking soda and Castile soap for the quick adjustment time. In fact, I would recommend using the baking soda for a week, then trying the shampoo bars, for a quicker adjustment period.
I decided to try another shampoo bar type, called Voodoo Bamboo. I guess I was just attracted to it because of the super cool name, and that it contained bamboo charcoal. This bar is a bit different in texture than the other bars, more of a gel or glycerin feel, and the smell is just heavenly. I love the smell so much. After washing with it about 2 or 3 times, I felt like my hair was very dark; so dark, in fact that I went and had my highlights redone, even though I would have normally waited another 2 or 3 months! After getting the highlights, I felt it hadn't changed my color at all--it was still very dark. In addition, I felt my hair didn't feel as clean--it was just a little less bouncy, maybe a touch gummy. I went back to the Moroccan Mud bar today, and my hair feels bouncy again--and much lighter in color! Too bad, because I loved the smell!
More on Shampoo bars and Castile soap another time.
I first came across the idea of No-Poo. No-Poo is simple, with a few variations. The most common is to use baking soda. Just common baking soda. Mix a couple teaspoons with warm water, massage it into your scalp and rinse. Usually this would be followed with a conditioning rinse of apple cider vinegar (ACV). Other methods would be to use nothing, just scrub your hair with your fingers, or use a combination of herbs. I tried the baking powder for a while, and my hair felt clean, but still quite dry. After some further research, I found that the pH was actually quite damaging to your hair over time, so I looked for another method.
The second alternative we tried was Castile soap, diluted in a ration of 1:4 with water. I used Dr. Bronner's Castile soap, which comes in about types, depending on the essential oil used. I chose Lavender. Since it was very thin and watery, and I didn't want the kids to use too much, I put the mixture in foaming pump containers, and that worked great. Everyone seemed to like using it, and I continued to use the ACV rinse. However, I wasn't 100% pleased with it, as my hair seemed a little greasy. I should note, when switching from conventional to natural shampoos, I've heard it can take up to several weeks for your hair and scalp to adjust to the proper oil production. Still, I didn't think it was the perfect solution. However, we had discovered Castile soap, which is a wonderful product, and will replace every chemical cleaner in our house.
After further research, I learned about shampoo bars. Actually, I had read about shampoo bars before I got the Castile soap, but I could not find any at local health stores, so in the end, I had to order them online. There are A LOT of varieties and suppliers out there, and it was confusing to try to choose. I took a recommendation from another blog and decided to try Beauty and the Bees, which is based in Tasmania. Needless to say, shipping direct from their website was far too expensive, but I found some an Amazon. They have 8 or more varieties, and I wasn't sure what kind to get, so I ordered a sampler box of 6 small bars. They came with a sticker on each one saying what kind it was, and what type of hair/results it was best for. Each of us choose what we wanted to try, which worked out great since there are 6 of us. I ended up with one called Moroccan Mud. It smelled great, and when I tried it--wow, it was terrible!! After the second wash, my hair felt like it was loaded down with sculpting paste. I could push it in to any position, and it would just stay. It was just so greasy and gummy and heavy. It was weird for me, since I never use any product on my hair. To make matters worse, I had to talk in church that day! Yikes. I braced myself for a couple of weeks of hiding in the house during the long adjustment time. Then, the very next time I washed my hair, all that just dropped off, and my hair was light and clean and wonderful. I credit the time using the baking soda and Castile soap for the quick adjustment time. In fact, I would recommend using the baking soda for a week, then trying the shampoo bars, for a quicker adjustment period.
I decided to try another shampoo bar type, called Voodoo Bamboo. I guess I was just attracted to it because of the super cool name, and that it contained bamboo charcoal. This bar is a bit different in texture than the other bars, more of a gel or glycerin feel, and the smell is just heavenly. I love the smell so much. After washing with it about 2 or 3 times, I felt like my hair was very dark; so dark, in fact that I went and had my highlights redone, even though I would have normally waited another 2 or 3 months! After getting the highlights, I felt it hadn't changed my color at all--it was still very dark. In addition, I felt my hair didn't feel as clean--it was just a little less bouncy, maybe a touch gummy. I went back to the Moroccan Mud bar today, and my hair feels bouncy again--and much lighter in color! Too bad, because I loved the smell!
More on Shampoo bars and Castile soap another time.
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