No-poo: natural hair care

You're probably laughing and thinking "what the heck is no-poo?!" It is a method of taking care of your hair without using commercial shampoos and conditioners. Now you're probably thinking "gross, why would anyone not want to use shampoo?" I thought the same thing. But shampoos and conditioners are full of chemical ingredients that completely strip all of the natural oils out of our hair and throw off the pH balance, and they can also be dangerous to our health. Because all of the natural moisture and protection is washed away, our bodies overcompensate by producing excessive amounts of oils in an attempt to restore the moisture to the hair. This causes the vicious cycle of perpetually greasy hair that needs to be shampooed, conditioned and tamed with a concoction of different styling products on a daily basis. It would seem like not shampooing it would cause hair to become more greasy, but when you give your hair natural conditions, it will return to a normal, self-balancing state.

The no-poo method is great for restoring health to hair that has been stripped or damaged. It uses three common household items that are dirt cheap and easy to mix. Water, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar. The baking soda gently cleanses without removing all of the natural oils. It removes enough to leave your hair feeling clean and looking glossy. The apple cider vinegar has the same pH as our hair, and it seals the cuticle which leaves hair smoother and prevents breakage and split ends. When you first make the switch, your body will be a little bit confused and there will be a transition period when your hair feels a little bit too greasy and you might think it's not going to work. But after a few days or weeks your scalp will stop overcompensating for the previously dry hair and you'll notice a decrease in oil production. Your hair will maintain it's own proper balance of natural oils after it gets adjusted.

Things you'll need:

• water
• baking soda
• unfiltered apple cider vinegar (not apple cider flavored distilled vinegar.)
• 2 bottles (water bottles or old shampoo bottles)
• essential oil of your choice for adding fragrance (optional, I use vanilla in jojoba oil)

Step 1:

Find out how much liquid your containers hold. I use recycled 16.9oz water bottles. That's 2 cups. In the first bottle, put 1 tbsp of baking soda per cup of water that it will hold. Fill the bottle with water and shake it up until all the baking soda dissolves. Add 5-10 drops of essential oil if you are using any.

Step 2:

In the second bottle, put 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar per cup of water that it will hold. Fill it up with water and shake until all of the vinegar is mixed in. Add 5-10 drops essential oil if you want. Remember to shake each bottle briefly before each use to make sure everything is mixed well.

Step 3:

It might be helpful to label the bottles. The baking soda mixture is #1, vinegar is #2. In the shower, wet your hair with water. Squeeze out the excess. Pour a small amount of the baking soda water on the top of your head and let it soak down toward the ends of your hair. Using your hands, gently work the liquid through all of your hair. You should only need an ounce or so, depending on the length. You will not even come close to using 1/4 of the bottle. Without rinsing, repeat with the vinegar water. Work it through your hair. It should feel smooth, clean, and soft. Rinse thoroughly with water. That's it! Your hair will not smell like vinegar, it will just smell like... hair.

note: this is how much is left after I have used each of these twice. I don't need much at all, my hair ends just above my shoulders.

You might be totally skeptical and think this is absolutely nuts. But I dare you to try it for 2 weeks. I've always had a hard time with shampoo and conditioner. No matter how fancy it was, everything I tried left my hair dry, poofy and dull. I always had tons of random hairs sticking out in all directions and I never felt like I could just shower and be out the door with wet hair, because it would look stupid when it dried. It usually looked and felt the best after 2 days of not washing, for a little while, and then suddenly it was super greasy and nasty. Since I started using this method my hair feels healthy and smooth the first day. It still gets a little bit dry sometimes, but it has improved so much. It's definitely worth a shot. Let me know if you decide to try it and how it works for you!