[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVpCyyHZm7I]
I’ve been doing the no ‘poo method for about 7 years now. That basically means I don’t wash my hair with conventional products… I make a mixture of baking soda and water as a shampoo, and a mixture of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and water as a conditioner. It sounds really odd but it makes my hair super soft and light-feeling. It also makes it so I don’t have to wash my hair as often and it takes wayyyy less time to blow-dry.
Every now and then, I do low ‘poo — a meet-in-the-middle option. I use 1 part unscented castile soap, 4 parts water and a few drop of essential oils. I’ll go this route if I’ve used product in my hair, which is INCREDIBLY rare, or if I don’t feel like mixing the baking soda and ACV. I always keep a mixture of ‘low poo in the shower just in case.
Both of these methods require an adjustment period. Your scalp won’t know what the heck happened and it will take a while for it to stop over-producing oil — a result of using conventional hair-washing products. Make sure to have a lot of DIY dry shampoo on-hand! I actually transitioned to ‘no poo while I was on maternity leave with my son. What better excuse for having greasy hair than a crying infant!?
You might have to experiment with the proportions. Usually, people start off with 1 tbsp of baking soda / ACV to 1 cup but when my hair was longer I was doing 2 tbsp baking soda in 2 cups of water, 2 tbsp ACV in 1 cup of water. For the low ‘poo recipe, I really had to experiment with the proportions… so it might be totally different for you.
After each wash, I also put a drop of coconut oil + essential oil and massage into the tips of my hair for extra moisture + nourishment. It’s also great to add shine and remove frizz.
Switching to low ‘poo / no ‘poo is an effective way to reduce your exposure to everyday toxins — many of which have been shown to be carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting. It’s also a SUPER cheap, low-maintenance and environmentally-friendly option.
It might be hard to believe that such a simple option could actually work… Well, look at that thick hair mask I had on in the video 😉 A paste of henna and indigo hair dye!
Give it a try, play around and have fun with it, and ABOVE ALL be patient with it 😉
M.
Hey I was wondering with the amount (1 tbsp to 1 cup of water) do you use the whole cup at once or just a little in your hand?
Hey Jamie! So I actually bring my glass measuring cups with me in the shower… lol. For the baking soda + water, I pour on my scalp and very gently rub on my scalp then rinse. For the vinegar + water, I actually place the tips of my hair in the measuring cup and then pour on the length of my hair. I do not use any of the vinegar mixture on my scalp.
Awesome thanks! I was also wondering, do you have anything for staticy hair? I’ve found the no poo method leaves my hair super frizzy.
Hi Jamie, Happy New Year! The vinegar should help with that but, worst case, run a couple of drops of sandalwood essential oil on the length of your hair or a tad of fractionated coconut oil. Let me know how that goes! 🙂
its fantastic as your other articles : D, regards for posting.