"No Poo" is the really awful name for the practice of not using shampoo to clean your hair. A lot of my hippie friends do it and last year I tried without much success. A lot of people end up with really beautiful hair, but every 'no poo' method is as different as the scalps of the people who do it. When I tried I was a greasy mess for about two months before I gave in and shampooed, but I was lazy and tried a water-only method, which works for very few people, mostly with short hair. My hair is down to my waist.
This past year I've eliminated a few different chemical-laden products from my life: store-bought lotion and deodorant (you can see what I replaced them with by checking out last month's posts). The year before I started making my own bar soap and lip balm, and I switched from laundry detergent to soap nuts (yet to be discussed, but I will). I'm about 90% chemical free in all of my household cleaning supplies. I hope to be rid of everything in the next year.
Weening myself off shampoo and conditioner is part of that process. I ran out of shampoo last week and never got around to buying more. I only wash my hair once a week as it is (on Thursday usually), so going no poo shouldnt be a huge deal.
This time, instead of just water, I dissolved a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of hot water. Baking soda helps strip oils out of your hair and eliminates odors. I applied it to just my scalp, let it sit for a few minutes, and rinsed with a "hair tea" of rosemary, lavender, calendula, rose petals, and rose hips.
As of right now my hair is less greasy than it was before I washed it, but greasier than it would be if I used shampoo.
So, lets see how this goes.
