One Week to Go!

Thoughts o' the Day:

I say "one week to go" as if I am anxious to be done with it, but actually I am now officially on the no shampoo bandwagon. Maybe two weeks into the whole thing, I really didn't see myself continuing on with it, but now, the routine has become effortless and my hair really does seem nicer! It is shinier, softer, not greasy, and I was kind of flipping out about not dyeing my hair because I hated my natural haircolor, but even that part seems shinier and prettier, so I may even grow out the dyed mess and stick with the color God gave me after all :)

People have even started to comment on my hair, that it is noticeably shinier or random people will say it looks pretty, so I guess it really does make a difference, so there's no reason for me to turn back now!

Day Ten

Today's Results:

Whoops. Kind of forgot to post - which in a way is good because I have finally started thinking less about my hair :) I am on a washing schedule of maybe every 3-4 days, and I really haven't noticed any more oiliness than usual.

I washed my hair three days ago, again with the baking soda mixture followed by the apple cider vinegar, and it is going well. The vinegar smell really is gone (or at least barely noticeable), so I guess it really is true less is more!

I am already noticing that my hair is not getting as oily as quickly so that is a good thing. And my husband likes how my hair feels - he says it feels softer and "like hair" - I guess when all that product builds up, it really does make it feel different.

I have been embracing the waves lately - after I washed my hair, I put it in two french braids and slept on it. And it is wonderful and wavy and voluminous even after two days of wearing it this way!

Day Four

What I Did Today:

My hair was getting kind of gross (plus, I was tired of it smelling so overpoweringly vinegar-y) so I washed it. This time, I used the ratios I presented in Day Two but to the liter bottle of my water/vinegar mixed I added just a couple drops of sweet orange essential oil (the rinse ended up kind of smelling like a slightly vinegary metamucil :)

I mixed the baking soda and water in a cup and I poured it over my head from every direction, making sure to get the oily underside of my head - and I did this BEFORE I got my hair wet in the shower. This really helped a lot to be able to massage it around. I remember reading somewhere that after massaging for a little while it will start to feel a little slippery on your hair - and I did notice that a bit. I let it sit a minute after massaging it in, then rinsed. My hair actually felt "squeaky clean" after that. Then I poured the vinegar rinse all over my head, worked it in, and let it sit a couple of minutes then I (gasp!) turned the faucet to cold and rinsed it out with cold water. Thankfully it did not stink quite as bad this time, though I could still smell the vinegar.

Today's Results:

Now that my hair is dry, the oiliness is gone, and my hair is actually soft and shiny. There is still a hint of vinegar smell, but it is not nauseating like it was the last time. One other random thing I noticed was that my hair dried much faster. I noticed this the last time too. I live in a very humid climate, and normally it can take 2 hours for my hair to dry, but my hair was almost completely dry in about 20 minutes!

So, to close, much more positive shower experience, still kind of vinegary though. But we'll see how oily it gets as my hair goes through "detox" in the next few days. . .

Day Three

Today's Results:

Hair still smells gross. No surprise there. It is getting oily - I am able to slick it back in a ponytail today but I think I will have to try washing it tomorrow!

Day Two

Today's Results:

Ugh, my hair smells nasty, and it is frizzy and greasy and gross. Up in a braid it goes!

This is the Procedure I Will Use From Now On:

I looked at various websites and decided on the amount of stuff I am going to try the next time:

- 1 tbsp of baking soda mixed in one cup of warm or hot water (and probably doubled since I have such think hair). This mixture will be very liquidy and will be dumped over my whole head and then massaged, massaged, massaged through. I will let it sit about a minute, then rinse.

- 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup water (or I may make a big batch in a similar ratio of 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar to a liter of water). I will pour it all over my head and then massage it in, then rinse it out (or not, depending on what it is smelling like). I may or may not add the lavender (apparently I did it all wrong - you're supposed to add 2 drops to 1 cup of the vinegar and then use the tablespoon of that in your rinse!) Various websites say the rinse is not needed every time you wash, maybe once a week only. We'll see!

Here are the two websites that have been the most helpful:

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/natural-hair-care-product.html

http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html

Day One

A Description of My Hair Type:

So I guess just for informational purposes, I will describe the state my hair is in now. I have below the shoulder-ish length hair that is very thick and does not like the humidity. It seems like it is frizzy and greasy at the same time, even right after I wash it! I have been trying to grow out my hair long, but I know my hair is damaged (I have been dying it to try to get back to the color I had when I was younger - after I had my daughter, my haircolor changed to a color that I have never seen in nature before, kind of a greenish, ashy dark blonde (if you could call it that). It's not brown, and it's not blonde. But dying just makes it yellow and damaged which is equally unattractive, so I will not dye my hair during this experiment. And I already have over 1 inch long roots! Well, enough about that. . .

What I Did Today:

So last night when I tried this, I had actually not really researched the exact amounts of stuff to use (I got excited and looked at too many different websites), and I (and my family's noses) ended up paying a modest price. . .

I figured, hey - how hard can this be. I am pouring kitchen products on my head - the exact amount probably doesn't matter! I'll research it better tomorrow, because I want to get started tonight! So I took maybe about 1 tbsp of baking soda mixed with some water until it formed a gloppy paste, and mixed 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of water, and doubled it. And then I added a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to it, thinking it will help with the gross smell. I had read somewhere that the vinegar smell will go away, so I thought, cool my hair will just smell like lovely lavender!

Today's Results:

When I got in the shower, I immediately had a problem with the baking soda. Because my hair is so thick, once it gets wet, it gets really heavy and I could not work the glops of baking soda into my hair, so I ended up getting the top of my head really well with it and pretty much nowhere else, and I ran out anyways. So I rinsed that out. Then at the end of the shower I poured the vinegar over my head, flipped my hair upside down and poured it on that side, and then squeezed the excess out of my hair. (I thought I remember reading somewhere that you didn't have to rinse it out.)

Needless to say, my husband was nauseated by the smell, and my hair was gross in so many ways. Since I only got the baking soda on the very top, the whole rest of my hair was still really greasy (I had not washed my hair in a few days) and it smelled like lavender/vinegar ass. So lessons learned - used WAY too much vinegar, and need to figure out a better way to work the baking soda all around. Sigh, but unless I want my hair to get even dryer than it is, I now have to wait a few days before I wash again. I guess that is what I get for being stupid about this! Whatever - live and learn!

You are probably asking. . .WHY?!!

Well, this project became kind of an offshoot of my Back to the Land blog research. How, you may ask? I was reading an interesting blog called Little Homestead in the City and they were talking about taking the "No 'Poo Challenge" for 30 days. Turns out my husband has read about this too in various places and I basically said "Eh, what the heck!" My random need for experimentation is supported by the fact that I am a stay at home mom these days so if the project goes awry only my family has to put up with it!

This website http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html had awesome information on how to get started, reasons why shampoo is actually bad for you, etc.

Basically, you do not use any products on your hair, reduce hair washings, and when you do wash, you use a solution of baking soda and water, followed by a solution of apple cider vinegar and water. Supposedly, your hair doesn't end up smelling like pickled ass and you are left with lovely flowing locks and healthier hair the way nature intended. We shall see.

So without further ado, the experiment. . .