Have you heard of this new “no poo” movement? It’s when people stop using regular store-bought shampoo on their hair and instead start using a homemade shampoo.
The most popular homemade shampoo recipe is very simple.
First, you mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup or more of warm water. (Apparently it’s very important not to use any more baking soda than this.)
You wash your hair with that, then you rinse it with a mixture of a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a cup or more of warm water.
Focus on your scalp rather than the ends of your hair.
I tried it last weekend, so I thought I would share my experience with you.
Day 1: I decided to try it on a whim. I already had the ingredients in my pantry, so I figured why not. I have been dealing with these flakes that look like dandruff, but several different hairdressers have told me that it is not dandruff, but shampoo build-up because I have SUPER thick and curly hair and it is very hard to rinse out every little drop of shampoo. They just told me to wash my hair less often, but that didn’t seem to help very much.
I took a pint sized mason jar with the baking soda mixture in it into the shower and I brought the bottle of apple cider vinegar with me. After I washed with the baking soda mixture, I poured a tiny bit of vinegar into the jar and then mixed it with the warm water from the shower head. I used the vinegar rinse.
I noticed that A LOT of hair was around the drain. Probably a full handful. I have a ton of hair, I often lose a lot of it in hairbrushes and in the shower, and never notice a difference afterwards. But this was definitely the most hair I’ve ever lost in the shower.
Then I used a dab of coconut oil like conditioner. (I think this was a mistake.)
Day 2: I woke up the next day to hair that was very oily. Like, worse than it has ever been in my entire life. I could have not washed my hair with regular shampoo for three weeks and it still would not have been that oily. I Googled it and the results said that this was normal for up to two weeks, so I pressed on.
Day 3: Magically, when I woke up the next day, my hair was no longer oily. Apparently this is different for everyone. I didn’t notice a smell at all. I did notice fewer flakes and, strange as it sounds, my hair seemed longer. I have a very short cut right now and not all of my hair will fit into a pony tail. But on this day more hair fit than usual when I pulled it back. That struck me as odd.
Day 4: You are only supposed to wash your hair every 3 or 4 days with this method. My hair still didn’t feel oily and my scalp was not dry or itchy. However, when Eddie came home from work he kissed the top of my head and immediately started coughing and walked away. He diplomatically told me that my hair smelled “a little stale.” I made him stand at various distances and tell me whether or not he could smell it, because I wanted to make sure other people didn’t think I smelled disgusting. He said he could only smell it when he was close enough to actually sniff my hair (within a few inches.)
I washed my hair that night with the baking soda mixture and vinegar rinse, but this time I did NOT use the coconut oil. I still noticed that I lost more hair than usual in the shower, but not nearly as much as the last time. Again, this is pretty normal for me, so not alarming at all. I think it is just getting rid of the damaged hair.
Day 5: My hair is much more manageable in the morning. Usually it sticks out all crazy in the morning because it is cut so short right now. I just now noticed that it hasn’t done that at all this week. It is not greasy today. I think the coconut oil was probably my mistake the first time. There are still a few flakes, but not nearly as many as when I was using regular shampoo.
I have color-treated hair and I haven’t noticed any discoloring. It’s hard to tell if there is any fading because it has been several weeks since my last treatment and I was getting close to needing it colored again anyway.
So, after the first week, here is what I think:
Pros:
It’s cheap, pretty easy, and I already had the ingredients anyway. I definitely notice less itching and it is slowly getting rid of the shampoo build-up. There are no chemicals and no risks to using this as an alternative to shampoo. (I read bunch of websites where the consensus among dermatologists was pretty much, “Well, it’s not like you are going to hurt anything by using this method.”) Plus, you only have to do it twice a week.
Cons:
It smells awful when you do the vinegar rinse in the shower. And my husband does not like the smell of my hair anymore. (I don’t notice a smell at all after the initial washing and no one else has said anything, not even Nicholas, who has sensory issues and is super-sensitive to smells- so I don’t think it would bother anyone except the one with whom you are getting intimate.)
I’m not sure what to do in the summer when we start using our pool daily and I would normally wash my hair afterwards. It’s a salt water pool, so there aren’t any harsh chemicals, besides the salt, but I’m wondering if just rinsing my hair afterwards will be enough.
It is NOT fun to get vinegar in your eyes.
Thoughts?
Have you tried it?
I don’t think I’ve been doing it long enough to see the long-term results. A lot of people swear by this method, and I have to admit that after the initial insanely disgusting oily day, my hair IS more manageable in the morning now, but I have not tried to use the blow drier or flat iron on it yet.
I’m super curious to hear what you think.
To see the before and after pictures of my hair after a trying this method for a while longer, click here.
linking to The Elliott Homestead
Jessica Neskey says
I’ve been poo-free for about 8 months now and love it!
Stephanie says
oh, cool. I had no idea you were doing it too. I’m glad to hear you are liking it in the long term!
Teresa says
I have been using this method since August 1, 2013 and I am very pleased! My method is to use two of the plastic squirt bottles that you can buy from a restaurant supply store (or Sam’s Club). In one I put one tablespoon baking soda and fill it up with water. The other I put two tablespoons apple cider vinegar and fill with water. These last me about a month before having to remix. Over time your hair and scalp will adjust and you won’t have that stale odor. I probably just use the baking soda mix twice a week now, but will use the ACV rinse daily because it seems to help with staleness. I stopped coloring my hair too last August and my grays are beautifully shiny! I love it! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie says
I agree. It has been over a week now and my husband doesn’t notice a “staleness” anymore and I saw my mom yesterday and I made her sniff my head she said it didn’t smell at all. 🙂
Christina says
Ive done this for close to two years. I had long since quit dreaming at night, a fews months afyer starting this I started dreaming every night again. I will never go back under any cercumstances.
CenaRae says
I have been “no Poo” for about a year. I started after I got engaged and wanted my thick hair back (that I had as a teen) and I had read that this would help it grow in length and thickness. I am in love with it and have gotten quite a few people to do it too (they all loved it). I am happy to say that after doing it for months only washing 2 times a week that I have noticed that my thick hair is coming back. I have no intentions on returning to regular shampoo.
kathy says
I’m anxious to try this No poo recipe. However, I am concerned as I don’t have thick hair and it is dyed. My hair is very fine and because it is dyed, if I don’t use a cream rinse, I cannot in any way get a comb through it. With that said, I will try this to see what kind of result I get. I tend to have a bit oilier hair than dry, so hoping I can only wash two times a week. I normally do it every day. Hoping it works great to save on hair time in the mornings before work. Thanks for sharing.
christina says
Kathy,
My hair was dyed as well when I started. Beware rhe baking soda will pull the dye out. With that said. I will still never wash my hair with shampoo again. It took a whike like months to get most the dye oyt and have my hair work right. In fact I eventually just cut off most of what had been dyed. But my hsir was very damaged. It had been bleached white and then dyed over multiple times, so hopefully you won’t have tge sames problem I did. But now that the damaged part is grown out it is amazing. I don’t have to even style it. The hair just goes where the cut wants without me doing anything. If you have problems with it don’t give up it will even out eventually it just msy take longer since you hsve more product in your hair
Taffie says
Kathy, how did this work for you? My hair is also thin and fine. My hair also gets very oily throughout the day. If I don’t wash it, it is very oily.
Mommy Lives Clean says
I am seriously considering doing this. I cannot find a shampoo that is toxin free and not full of alcohol. It’s ridiculous. I will have to buy some squirt bottles and then it’s on!
oneintercessor says
Just an fyi-some alcohols are moisturizing. Not sure why you want to avoid them, but wanted to point that out. It is one reason they are in hair products (like cetyl alcohol for instance)
Anna McCrary says
I started this method a few months ago, and have noticed a huge change in my hair (for the good). I didn’t really care for the vinegar smell either but than came across where you can take your favorite essential oil put only a little on the palm of your hands and run through your hair (while wet). When you blow dry and style your hair it will smell like the essential oil and not the “stale” smell :). My favorites are peppermint, rosemary, or lavender 🙂