The Plunge

Well, after much research, a lot of thought, and some good old-fashioned bravery, I finally jumped head first (hee hee!) into a new way of "washing" my hair.

Yep, I've gone completely shampoo-free. I'd been kicking around the idea of going no 'poo for quite a long time. I'd read that it was really great for curly hair. Basically, real shampoo is made to strip oils from your hair. That's it's job, it's what the chemical combination is meant to do. Well, that's a problem for me. I have incredibly dry hair, naturally. It's a curse of curly hair. Anyway, I noticed that after using traditional shampoo I was having to condition the hell out of my hair to make it feel even a little bit normal. Add to that all of the product I was having to use and you have yourself a hot mess.

So back to my story: I was already only washing my hair once a week and using baking soda once a week. So I figured the time had come. I was taking the plunge into no 'poo.

Let me share with you a few observations and then I'll give you my recipes:

1. My hair has changed color. It's true, I haven't dyed my hair in several months, however in the last three weeks it's become a richer brown with quite a bit of red in it.

2. I did experience a weird phase about 2 weeks in where my roots were extra-oily and my ends were extra-dry. This only lasted about a week. Apparently, it's a normalizing phase where the scalp produces more oil for some reason. It goes away, I promise.

3. It styles much more easily. I don't know if it's healthier, or stronger, or what, but it's breaking less and takes to the flat iron much better.

4. It has lost some of it's body. I've never had to tease my hair before to give it volume, however when my hair is straight now it's s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t. I'll have to work on this for awhile.

And now, the recipes.

First, I use a 1:3 ratio of baking soda to water. I put this on my dry hair just at the roots. I massage it into my scalp and comb it through to the ends. I let it sit for about 2-3 minutes and then rinse it out.

Next, I use a 1:4 ratio of apple cider vinegar to water. I saturate the ends of my hair and leave the roots alone. I'll let this sit about a minute or so and then rinse it well. I promise, your hair won't smell like vinegar. Just watch your eyes. It stings like you wouldn't believe.

Anyway, if any of you out there give it a go let me know how it works for you. Personally, I love it.