No-Poos?? Anybody tried this?

[sagehill]

I don't think the no-poo at all thing could work for me, I dye my hair and it is way too thin to go without washing. Plus, i like washing my hair. Who doesn't like to wash their hair?

I wash my hair every time I get in the shower... I just don't use shampoo or conditioner. I don't usually use baking soda either... just water, then a diluted vinegar rinse. My thin, fine hair does not smell, look greasy or dirty or flat; it is not fly-away or static-y. It has shine and a lot more body than when I used commercial products.

The problem with commercial products is that shampoos tend to overclean hair so you need conditioner to replace what's been stripped. Plus conditioners tend to be heavy on hair and and the silicones attract dust and dirt, causing hair to look dirty more quickly, so you need to rewash more frequently.

Breaking the shampoo cycle normalizes your scalp, but there is the break-in period; sea salt is supposedly kinder to hair better than baking soda.

I want to try honey "shampoo": 1 Tbsp honey dissolved in 3 Tbsp water.

Some no-poo sites:
http://www.howweflourish.com/2013/10/11/water-washing/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/going-poo-less/#axzz3IDYNwv1v

http://no-poo.livejournal.com/655675.html

The following link has an arrowroot/cocoa powder dry-poo recipe that looks interesting, though I'm a little reluctant about using cocoa, being a blonde. lol
http://redandhoney.com/diy-all-natural-dry-shampoo-2-ingredients/

Honey shampoo: http://blackgirllonghair.com/2014/0...poo-my-hair-3-homemade-honey-shampoo-recipes/

 

[snappyllama]

The problem with commercial products is that shampoos tend to overclean hair so you need conditioner to replace what's been stripped. Plus conditioners tend to be heavy on hair and and the silicones attract dust and dirt, causing hair to look dirty more quickly, so you need to rewash more frequently.

Hrmn, maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try it out.

 

[Meganmischke]

Cinnamon or chamomile powder can be used instead of cocoa powder. I have dark hair and don't use any. They are not need just filler and colorant.

 

[goji_fries]

Dry shampoo has been around a long time. My mom was a hairdress for a zillion years and use to visit clients and family members in the hospital and used dry shampoo when they weren't able to shower as often as they wanted to. She actually just used it herself when she was in the hospital for 2 weeks. But was not allowed to get up and shower for 1 of them. It's great for short term use but I wouldn't use it frequently.

Dry shampoos have been around for many decades, maybe hundreds of years, usually made of clays, starches and other powders. I used them back in the late 60's when the leather brace for my fractured neck didn't allow showers. Shake the powder on, massage it in, then brush brush brush it out. But back then, hair was easier to clean with dry poos because shampoos were mostly soap-based anyway, with a lemon or vinegar rinse.

Nowadays, shampoos and conditioners have a lot of silicones and other chemicals designed to stick to your hair, so powder poos may not work as well. I've gone no-poo for 5-6 years and my hair is better for it... I just rinse with water, maybe a little damp baking soda if it's extra-dirty for some reason, then rinse with diluted white vinegar or lemon juice. My very fine hair has a lot more body this way.
It does take a while for your hair to recover from all the commercial products, though.

@sagehill & shunt2011, are these older powders formulated with iris/orris root? I think I remember something similar.

 

[Stacy]

I used the 'no poo' (1 tbsp baking soda in 1 cup water and an AC Vinegar rinse) method for over a year and it worked really well for me. I've mostly stopped but that was just recently.I know some people are rabid converts of one way or another, I'm rather middle of the road about the whole thing, I do what works for me, I'm not going to say it's right or wrong for anyone else. I've seen some REALLY strongly opinionated posts both for and against...like scary strongly opinionated...

I'm not anti chemical but I saw a possible way of getting some of the more harmful ones out of my life so I thought I'd give it a go.

As DeeAnna said, there's some sort of saponification because the more oily my hair the mode suds I would get. After I did a coconut oil soak, holy crap, the suds!

When I started I had really oily hair, I'm talking like day two was ponytail territory. I was lucky and it didn't take long for my hair to adjust. My hair was a little greasy for a week or so, but some report months. The other consideration is that i use no styling products. I don't even blow dry my hair which is not the case for a lot of gals.

It cleaned my hair really well, and it was definately less greasy. I even noticed it looked halthier and a bit thicker (both observations completely based on opion) so in my case it worked like it was supposed to. The thing is that I have long hair and my problem was that it almost seemed to clean it too well. I found my hair was a bugger to comb out, so even though I was getting the benefits, I think I was causing more damage just from the detangling.

I started using conditioner again so I could stop ripping my hair out. Then I started thinking that the buildup from my conditioner will not be washed out with just baking soda.

My solution is to make my own shampoo and conditioner (with the help of swiftcraftmonkey of course). Hopefully I can find the right mix of gentle ingredients that work for me.

I can't imgine trying to formulate anything like this to sell. From the wide range of ways this works for different people, it seems like a really difficult product. Not only do you have to take into account the different hair and scalp types but also all of the lifestyle and environmental variables. It would be a nightmare.

 

[KatieShephard]

I love batiste dry shampoo, works great on my fine hair. It's basically rice starch in an aerosol can that you spray in and brush out.

I second the Batiste dry shampoo...I like the tropical scent the best. I use this in between hair washes and my hair never looks greasy...or powderey from the product.

I stopped using commercial shampoos right after Easter of this year. I started using the baking soda rinse followed by an acv rinse and have since switched over to shampoo bars that I bought from Chagrin Valley soaps. Although, I used my coconut milk body bar the past two times I've washed my hair and I likey! I have fine, thin hair, and am just looking for a way that I don't start going bald! Not such a hot look on girl

Still on my list of things to do...make the Genny/Lindy shampoo bar mentioned on these forums

 

[prunellame]

Long time No-Poo

I read a book by Lorraine Massey, The Curly Girl Handbook () sometime around the late 1990's/early 2000's, that revolutionized how I view my spiral curls. I have come up with my own variation on the book's recommendations, and gave up shampoo when I first read the book over ten years ago. Hairdressers used to refer to me as the woman who did not use shampoo to their other customers when I went in for haircuts. After receiving friendly ribbing for a while, my hairdressers have unequivocably endorsed my no-poo regimen, and said they noticed my hair was shinier, the curls were more defined, and my split ends dramatically decreased as my hair became healthier.

I took baby steps when I first gave up shampoo, first for one week, then for two week stretches, then one month, etc. Eventually I gave up shampoo altogether.

For the record, I do wash my hair, I just don't use shampoo; I use conditioner to rinse dirt away and leave the natural oils my scalp produces intact. My hair is not greasy, smelly, nor does my scalp itch. People seem to be fascinated by my curls, and after touching and smelling it, say they love my hair. Funny, because I initially read the book because I HATED my hair and wanted to find a better way to tame my curls. I did not tame my hair, I just learned to love it for what it is.

What I like about the book is that it covers a range of hair texture from straight to afro. My mother has stick straight, greasy hair,, and was initially skeptical until her own hairdresser told her to give it a try. She uses a sulfate-free conditioner now, that that more appropriate for hair type, and has done so for at least 5 years. A side benefit is she finds her hair retains her hair colorant a lot longer.

Right now I still use off the shelf sulfate-free conditioner to clean my hair in lieu of shampoo, but the book has a couple of nice tonics and wraps. I have seen a couple of nice hair tonic recipes, that use vinegar and a variety of herbs, that I may experiment with and try out on my hair. I have not tried out dry shampoos, so I cannot offer any input on that technique.

I am a No-Poo believer.

 

[girlishcharm2004]

I was a sucker and fell for the baking soda thing. I didn't have the "transition" that people talked about. In fact, I thought my hair looked great right away. It was clean, though a pain to wash and very tangled. I did use a vinegar rinse -- sometimes pure vinegar. My hair just got more and more tangled, frizzy, and damaged. It got to the point it where it never looked good. I went back to shampoo, and loved it. I love the way my shampoo makes my hair feel, but I hate the thought of using "chemicals" on it. That was the reason why I tried to make the switch, and I felt like an idiot for it. Currently, I use a cold process shampoo bar. It's okay. My hair doesn't look and feel as great as when I use my shampoo (my opinion), but people still compliment my hair and tell me how healthy it looks. So, that said, I'll live with it especially since it's economical and "natural". My avatar picture is from using my cold process shampoo bar, FYI. And, I will never use anything with baking soda in it on my hair again! Ha.

 

[cmzaha]

Dry shampoo has been around a long time. My mom was a hairdress for a zillion years and use to visit clients and family members in the hospital and used dry shampoo when they weren't able to shower as often as they wanted to. She actually just used it herself when she was in the hospital for 2 weeks. But was not allowed to get up and shower for 1 of them. It's great for short term use but I wouldn't use it frequently.

Same here, my mom was a hairdresser for 50+ years and I for over 30. The reason for the dry shampoo was for patients that could not shampoo their hair, but they mainly remove oil not clean the scalp. For awhile Vapon was used which was dry cleaning fluid before fda banned the use on hair. Although we could still use it for wig cleaning. Cornmeal will also work for absorbing the oil. Full time use nope, not in my house. A mild surfactant based shampoo is still best for the hair and scalp. No all manufactured products are bad for us