I'm going "no poo"

Okay, that title might freak you out a little, but trust me it's not what it sounds like. In my continuing quest to simplify my life, I have found a new lifestyle change that I just started trying out. It's called "no poo" and its the idea that you don't use shampoo on your hair - ever. I know that you just hand an image of some grody chick living in the woods not bathing with legs that put Tom Selleck's chest to shame, but this concept is actually very clean.

The purpose of stopping the use of shampoo on your hair is to restore the natural health and oils to the scalp and hair, improving its condition, look, and feel. Most people think that the oil will build up and make your hair greasier if you don't wash it, and this is true - but only temporarily. The body naturally produces only enough oil to keep the hair healthy, but in our society we wash our hair nearly everyday which strips the hair of it's natural oils, thus causing the body to pump up production. As most of us have been shampooing daily or every other day, this overproduction has become the norm for our scalps.

The "no poo" movement focuses on this idea, and dictates a process of stopping the use of shampoo all together to allow the oil production to reduce as the scalp receives less washing, which eventually means that your hair will be healthy, shiny, and not greasy after a period of two to six weeks. From this point on, apparently all you need to do is rinse your hair in the shower.

But how to get there?

When I read about this idea, and did some research and it seems as the public has had mixed results. Some boast that it revolutionized their hair, others that they felt like those seagulls near the Exxon-Valdez.

Despite the possible Snape-like outcome, I decided to give it a chance. Here's the steps:

What you need.

1. Stop shampooing your hair.
2. Use one tablespoon baking soda in one cup water to scrub your hair with. Helps with a bit of the greasiness without stripping all the natural oils.
3. Rinse
4. Do a vinegar wash to condition. One tablespoon vinegar to one cup water.
   
5. Rinse
6. Repeat 2 - 5 a few times a week, becoming more infrequent as it is less needed.

I last washed my hair Monday night, so on Wednesday I tried out my first baking soda and vinegar wash. When I showed up at my apt with a bag of backing soda and a bottle of vinegar, and explained the process upon noticing my roommate's questioning looks, she looked at me like I was a little nuts. However, I was not discouraged! I showered and scrubbed and I learned a few things: baking soda makes your hair feel grimy, vinegar makes your hair feel slimy, and that vinegar also really, really, stings if you get it in your eye. However, after a good rinsing and brushing my hair felt pretty much the same.

As soon as I dressed I popped into the living room and promptly shoved my head in Tricia's face and asked how it smelled.

"A bit like salad," she replied.

Could be worse. But when my hair dried the smell was gone, and it actually felt pretty darn good. It wasn't greasy, and more excitingly it wasn't frizzy. I had absolutely no fly-a-ways and that was a definite plus.

Today I showered and tried the washes again, and trying to combat the salad smell, added a few cinnamon sticks to the vinegar. As a result I smelled like a Christmasy salad, but I think that's a step up. Hair is feeling good still, and I am hoping it will continue as the days go on. I'll keep you posted.