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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
In these quest to keep my hair chemical free I've realized that this includes not only shampoo and other hair styling products but also hair dyes. I can't possibly color my hair with regular hair dyes now because that would defeat the whole purpose. So what are my alternatives? There is always henna although I am a bit skeptical about it because I've read that it has a tendency to turn your hair red and it's also not recommended for people who have used commercial hair dyes within the past year. That being said henna is definitely not a good option for me right now. Other alternatives are black coffee and sage rinses.
The black coffee rinse is pretty simple and straight forward. You brew strong black coffee and let it sit until it cools. Once it cools you pour it over your head and leave it on for about 25-30 minutes depending on how dark your hair is. I have not tried this myself yet but I wonder how strong the coffee smell is after the rinse. The sage rinse is very similar, you boil leaves of sage and use the water to rinse your hair. It seems as though the sage method is a bit more popular than the coffee rinse.
I haven't quite made up my mind yet as to which method I will be trying. If anyone has tried either of these methods I would love to hear your success/failure stories with each method even including the henna.
Monday, April 19, 2010
This morning before I headed out to work I washed my hair with baking soda and rinsed with the Apple Cider Vinegar. This is the first time I am washing my hair with baking soda and wasn't quite sure what to expect. I have to admit the baking soda felt a little harsh on my hair so I might have to dilute it a bit more with water. The apple cider vinegar didn't leave a smell at all which I was very happy about. I combed my hair out while in the shower and it is very true what they say that ACV will help detangle your hair. I usually come across a few tangled pieces of hair here and there but not this time. It was knot free!
Overall the hair didn't turn out so bad. It is not as frizzy or dry as I expected it to be so I will definitely be trying this out again. Now I just need to figure out how often my hair will actually need the wash as opposed to the just a regular warm water rinse. Anyone else out there who has tried or is currently trying the No Poo experiment let me know how it is going!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
I came across a few recipes on how to make your own deodorant and I decided to give this a try. Over the years I have tried just about every brand of deodorant I can think of and after about 2-3 weeks it ends up breaking my skin. Even the so called natural and organic deodorants have caused my skin to break. I picked one of recipes since it seemed to be the most simple and less time consuming. The ingredients you will need to make your own deodorant are the following; baking soda, corn starch, shea
butter, cocoa butter, vitamin E oil caps, and an essential oil of your preference for scent. You should use 3 Tablespoons shea butter, 3 Tablespoons baking soda, 2 Tablespoons corn starch, 2 Tablespoons cocoa butter and 2 oil caps. The amount of essential oil is up to you depending on how strong you want the scent to be.
You need to combine all ingredients except the oils in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Stir
and heat again for another 30 seconds. After you the ingredients are all nicely melted you add the oils. Once
you add the oils you pour it into a jar and let it sit overnight so the ingredients can settle. Here's my little jar of deodorant waiting to settle. I haven't tried it yet because I just made it but tomorrow after all the settling has occurred I will report back and let you know how it held up!
Friday, April 16, 2010
I had some serious mixed feelings about my hair this morning. I did a quick warm water rinse yesterday before I start the baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine. My hair held up pretty well without any hair products and no shampoo. However I had no idea how it was going to hold up overnight. I kept thinking my hair is going to be a lovely mess tomorrow and I will have to put something in it especially since it's supposed to rain. Well I woke up this morning not knowing what to expect and it wasn't as bad as I had thought. It is still holding up well without any hair products and no shampoo. I am starting to notice a bit of dryness but it's not enough to make my hair frizzy so I'm not too concerned. Here's hoping it doesn't go downhill once the baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine begins!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Normally around this time of the week I would've reached for my trusty bottle of shampoo and conditioner and begin my hair care routine for the day. Wash, rinse, leave in conditioner and sometimes mousse depending on the weather. Since I am embarking on the No Poo journey this morning I rinsed out my hair with just warm water and nothing else. I rinsed it out for about 4-5 minutes and combed through it while it was wet. I was removing any excess hair product and gunk that might be stuck in my hair from the previous wash. I finished rinsing my hair and paused for a second and thought to myself.. should I dare leave the house today with absolutely no products in my hair??? Not even the leave in conditioner??? I decided to go for it. I reached for the towel, patted my hair dry and that was the end of that. It felt nice to not have to stand there and waste 10 minutes putting crap in my hair. I left for work with my hair still a bit damp and with no idea how it would look once I got to the office. On my way to the office I thought about stopping to pull out the mirror just to check what was going on but I decided against it. I figured if I wasn't getting any funny looks from the people around me then how bad could it be? Then again this is NY and people are used to strangeness.
I finally arrive at the office and decide to go see the results of the warm water rinse and no products and to my surprise it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My curls are still there and my hair is not a complete ball of frizz!!! I was pleasantly surprised and happy. I am not quite sure how it will look tomorrow but for now I will just rejoice in the fact that at least today was a success. Now that the hair is gunk free or somewhat gunk free I will be trying the baking soda/apple cider vinegar wash on Sunday. I will post the results of that as well.. Hopefully they will be just as good!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
No I am not referring to actual poo. I am talking about no shampoo! Yep that's right no shampoo!! I have decided to give up using chemically infused shampoos all together!!
So why did I decide to go shampoo free??
While shampoo "cleans" your hair it can also remove all the oils your scalp naturally produces. These oils help keep your hair soft and shiny which is why sometimes we notice that our hair looks so much better a few days after we have washed it. Most shampoos also contain harmful ingredients such as mineral oil, which is a byproduct when gasoline is distilled from crude oil, and Sodium lauryl sulfate, which is synthetic chemical regulated as a pesticide. Sodium lauryl sulfate can be drying and harsh for the hair and causes eye irritation ( that explains the burning sensation we feel when it falls in our eyes!), allergic reactions and even hair loss. The mineral oil is added to provide an artificial coating on the strands of the hair which in turn make your hair look shiny. Mineral Oil is not quickly absorbed into the scalp so it remains there and blocks the release of natural oils. This creates a greasy cap in your scalp which requires more shampoo to remove. So you see it's a vicious cycle. You make your hair dependent on something that might not necessarily make it healthier in the long run.
With this being said I am beginning my journey into the No Poo world today since it will be the last time my hair was washed with so called organic shampoos. So what will I be using instead of shampoo??? I will be following a simple recipe of Baking Soda wash with an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse. Ok before you cringe at the thought of putting vinegar in your hair let me state that the smell of SMALL amounts of apple cider vinegar do not remain in your hair if thoroughly rinsed out. Why Baking Soda? Because baking soda gently clarifies hair from chemical buildup. Why Apple Cider Vinegar? Because Apple Cider Vinegar detangles the hair follicles, seals the cuticle, and balances the hair’s pH balance.
How exactly will I be mixing these? Here's how!
One tablespoon of baking soda to one cup of water
One tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to one cup of water
Mix the baking soda and the water in a bottle (shake) and pour over your head like you would with a regular shampoo. Massage into your scalp for a few minutes and then rinse off. If you have thick or long hair you might need two tablespoons. However too much baking soda can dry your hair so test it out and see what works for you.
Once you have rinsed off the baking soda, mix the apple cider vinegar with water in a bottle ( shake) and pour over your head. Leave on for about a minute or two and rinse off. If you tend to have oily hair by nature then you might not need to use too much Apple Cider Vinegar.
There you have the simple recipe! Will this work wonders for my hair??? Who knows!! But I am willing to give it a shot and see.
I have attached a picture of my hair as it is right now after being washed today.
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