Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Disgustingly Clean, Healthy Hair!

Today's Earth Month tip is in my opinion also a beauty tip. I have been using the No Poo method to wash and condition my hair. The first week I started, my hair was a bit greasy, but after that it's been smooth sailing. My hair is shinier, thicker, and just flat out healthier than it ever has been. I feel like I have a new head of hair. The ingredient list is most shampoos and conditioners is terrifying, and the organic, natural products are beyond expensive. I was a typical lotions and potions kind of girl, and I was used to having my hair smell like whatever fruity/flowery smell was labeled on the bottle. So, to use apple cider vinegar as a conditioner scared me, to say the least. I spent at least five years toying with the idea of going no poo before I became brave. The vinegar smell really does go away. You don't smell like that kind of a summer's eve. Every time I've gotten my hair trimmed since ditching shampoo, I've received  compliments on my hair. I kind of dread when people ask what products I use, because people can react in very interesting ways when you say I use baking soda, and vinegar. Shock is a big reaction, followed by a faint look of disgust.
There are tons of success stories, and there are tons of people who have tried it, and hated it. Just like with our bodies and our food choices, some hair may not like this no poo method. But one thing I definitely know is you don't know till you try something. Like I said, for years I was scared to ditch the shampoo, and especially conditioner. My hair used to be so dry, that I used double the conditioner to shampoo. It got to be expensive. Now, my hair is so soft, I can't believe dry hair was ever an issue!
I make my baking soda poo and keep it in a glass jar, and my "conditioner" is in an old Bragg's squirt bottle. So much better for the earth than using all that packaging!
Every once in awhile, I rub a little bit of coconut oil, or Argan oil on my scalp, and a little on the ends as kind of a deep conditioning treatment.
If you do try this method, please be patient. I've read reports of no adjustment period, to a week, to two weeks, up to a month. You're hair has to adjust to not being coated in gourd knows what kind of chemicals, and fake oils are in traditional shampoos and conditioners. And you get to appreciate the smell of just hair. Not Goji or rosewater scented hair. It's strange, I feel more feminine without all the fake feminine scents that the powers that be push on us all.
To make my "shampoo", I just make a paste with about four to five tablespoons of baking soda, and then enough water to make a paste like consistency. And for my "conditioner", I mix about three to four tablespoons of the apple cider vinegar, and fill the rest of the 16oz. bottle with water. Sorry, I used to have more specific measurements, but I've been making it for so long now, I just mix till it looks right! The apple cider vinegar is what conditions the hair, so if you have drier hair, you might want to add more vinegar to your mixture. Like most things, we all need to adjust for our hair types.
Have you ever tried the no poo method?

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