No 'Poo Experiment

Catchy title, eh? I hope you noticed the ' before Poo. Because, I have no intent on ceasing BMs. That would be a horrible idea. But, I have decided to stop another 'poo - shampoo.

Now, I've had long hair for my entire life (well, except for that brief moment when I was five and my stepmom cut my hair up to my ears). It is thick, heavy, long and completely lacking in style. It is neither straight nor curly. Making it either curly or straight is a chore. Washing it is a huge chore. Not only does it take about 20 minutes of shower time, but it can take forever to air dry and I hate blow-drying it all the time and drying it out. I know the best solution to these woes is to just cut my hair but, I'm sorry guys, I can't.

So, I recently started to brainstorm ways I could get away with washing my hair less often. Maybe something that would restore its natural oils. Who knows, maybe its natural style would finally come out and I wouldn't be forced between choosing to spend 30 minutes with my Chi straightener or throwing my hair up in a ponytail, again. So, I did some research online for people who stopped washing their hair. I found two types. 1) People who just stop washing their hair altogether and 2) those who stop using commercial shampoos. I wasn't too wowed with the idea or just not washing my hair ever again (and the subsequent consequences of having incredibly gross hair if I did decide to wash it occasionally) so I was more intrigued by the second option. I did some more research and, the other night, I tried it out.

Here's what I did.

Step One: Dissolve 1 tbsp of baking soda in hot water (I boiled water in the kettle). You want it to be completely dissolved so you don't get chunks in your hair.
Step Two: Get hair good and wet in the shower.
Step Three: Dilute baking soda mixture in shower.
Step Four: Pour mixture on hair and work through hair like you would shampoo.
Step Five: Rinse thoroughly. Your hair will feel sort of dry.
Step Six: In your baking soda cup, mix about a tbsp of apple cider vinegar with hot shower water.
Step Seven: Pour on hair and work through.
Step Eight: Rinse.

As a life long member of the long hair club, I've tried just about every type of shampoo/conditioner combination out there. I've had great results, but more often then not I'm disappointed. My hair is either greasy and heavy or it doesn't feel clean and smooth. I was expecting one of two things to happen with my no 'poo experiment. Either my hair would be a gross mess of random kitchen products or it would resemble a prior hair-product-disappointment. Happily, I can report that it was a HUGE success. My hair looks, feels and smells clean. It has bounce, natural curl, and doesn't feel heavy or sticky at all. It dried rather quickly, as well, always a perk.

It's been about 24 hours since I washed my hair and it has not gotten greasy yet, which it usually would have with commercial shampoo. I'm not sure how long I will go on this experiment. Primarily, I want to see how long my hair looks clean with this method, as that will enable me to get away with fewer hair washings and healthier looking hair. We shall see, and I will keep you posted.