No Poo

NO Poo! Have you heard of it? I have not washed my hair with shampoo in over 13 months! This picture is what my hair dries like right out of the shower, no styling or products!! Now before you think I'm a crazy crunchy Momma, let me tell you, my hair has never been healthier or easier to manage! My hair used to be oily on top and frizzy towards the ends. I had to blow dry then straighten or curl just to get rid of all the frizz! With my long hair it was about an hour long process. Not to mention all the heat damage I was doing to my hair. 

When I first heard of no poo, I thought it was ridiculous! But, the more I educated myself, the more intrigued I was with the process. I decided to give it a try and can honestly say I really have loved the benefits. Why would you consider this? Well for me it was a way to stop wasting an hour a day fixing my hair. But I also loved the idea of less chemicals, less waste, and utilizing my body's natural oils. When you wash with regular shampoo it strips your hair of all the natural oils. You're hair actually gets oily because it is overproducing to make up for the oil that you stripped, but the oil never gets to the bottom of your hair because you wash it every day. That oil is good for your hair! This made sense to me.  There are different ways to live the no poo lifestyle, I chose the baking soda and apple cider vinegar method: 

Shampoo with baking soda: Mix 1 Tbsp of baking soda to 1 C water. Put the mixture in a bottle or cup (I use our kids shampoo rinse cup) and shake well before applying. After wetting your hair down in the shower, apply the baking soda mixture to your scalp and rub in a circular motion all around – focusing on the scalp, not the rest of your hair. Rinse well.

Then, you “condition” the ends of your hair with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water.

Condition with ACV: Mix 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar with 1-2 cups of water. Either just rinse the ends of your hair with the whole thing, or rinse your entire head with it. However, in the beginning while your scalp is adjusting – too much ACV on your scalp could cause more overproducing of oils.

Tips and Tricks that I learned along the way: 

• Expect 2-3 weeks of really gross hair as your body catches on to what you are doing. I decided to do this right after my second was born, so I didn't have to leave the house! lol. Headbands and hats work too. 
• You can still use your styling products. But you may find that you no longer need them. 
• You can still use conditioner, I occasionally will use it. 
• Blow dry and style like you normally do, well unless you are like me and don't have to any more! :) 
• I "wash" my hair every 2-3 days. If I need to I will just rinse with water in between.