Go No Poo, post #2!

I read something interesting today. Soap is made from lye and oils, right? Well when baking soda and hair oil are combined, they turn into soap! That's why it works so well.

My hair feels really thick and bouncy now, and I have natural waves for the first time in my life! I cut about 4 inches off of the ends, as they were too damaged to save. Now I have really sleek and glossy hair. My biggest problem right now is static when I brush my hair, so I'm still using a tiny bit of leave in conditioner on the ends. Otherwise, my hair wants to get up and fly away!

I'm also going No Poo with Rivka, and she thinks it's great because she hates getting her hair washed. I mixed up a bit of conditioner with a bunch of water and put it in a spray bottle, and use it as a detangler for combing out her waist length, baby fine hair. All in all, I figure between the two of us we're using at the MOST, about 25 cents a month worth of products. :D

Take the Go No Poo challenge!

No, it's not what it sounds like.

Imagine never having to buy shampoo or conditioner again, and having perfect hair all the time. If you color your hair, imagine the color staying vibrant for twice as long. That's the No Poo way.
Go No Poo - More Info

My hair has become impervious to shampoos. No matter what brand I buy, my scalp gets really oily, with dandruff on top. Ewwww! I was starting to wonder what to do next, when my friend Victoria posted about this in her LiveJournal. I'm going to give it a try.

I washed my hair last night with 2 tablespoons of baking soda diluted in one cup of warm water. Not only is my hair cleaner than it's ever been, it has tons more volume! It does feel a bit dry, so I think that maybe one tablespoon or less of the baking soda will work better for me. (I was skeptical - and I have long hair, so I had started out with the larger amount). I didn't use any conditioner or detangler, but I did take some extra time with my hair, using a soft brush I started working from the ends, and went up my hair a few inches at a time, in sections. My hair is so fluffy this morning, and not weighed down with product! It looks like I have twice as much hair as I used to.

Once my ph and oil production gets back to normal, I'll probably only have to use the baking soda once a month, and just use warm water to rinse my hair. The baking soda helps keep bacteria and fungal infections in check - that's where the smell comes from, not from YOU. If your scalp is healthy, it won't get stinky.

I'm thinking that this would be especially good for teens, who's bodies are going into massive oil overproduction. When I was a teen I'd wash my hair every day, and I still looked like Severus Snape. I would have been so grateful for a way to have nice hair, and not to have to wash it so often!

(PS: If you have flyaway frizzies, use an apple cider vinegar rinse. It smoothes down the cuticles in your hair and makes it really shiny.)