The no shampoo experiment.

Quite frankly, my hair has always been difficult. I have 'frizz-eased', curled, hot ironed, done hair masks, tried different styles all to the same end.. my hair is dry, not curly or not straight. It lies in a bizzare not-so-wonderful land in between.

Whenever I go and have a haircut, the 'stylist' comes out wielding an assortment of fantastical products in shiny, brightly colored bottles. I walk out the salon, my soft, flowing locks looking lush. I then spend several days avoiding washing, wishing I had the time and money to spend to keep it like this.

But, alas... reality hits and I am a busy mom with two mini princesses, a husband with a book fetish and only 5 minutes a day to quoff... well throw on clothes and make myself presentable at least in mommy circles!

I was desperate, well, at least willing to try anything. So when I stumbled across 'No-Pooing' on www.diaperswappers.com forums, I quickly pulled out the baking soda and bought some apple cider vinegar.

So... Why 'No-Poo'?

1. It offers the opportunity for wondrous shiny and healthy hair.
2. Its so very very cheap.
3. Your skin absorbs anything you put on it, including your scalp. Shampoo's often include chemicals that are linking with various health issues.
4. Shampoo's strip away the natural oils that your body produces to condition you hair. In response, your hair then overproduces. The chemicals in the shampoo throw off your hairs 'ph'

The Bad Bits...

1. Your hair will be nasty for at least a few weeks, perhaps a month or more. For me it was 5 weeks.
2. You may really miss washing your hair everytime you jump in the shower. On the brightside, it makes it even more of a treat when your weekly no-poo comes around.

What you will need:

Baking Sofa
Apple Cider Vinegar
Something to store the above in your bathroom.

How it works...

A good ratio is 1 tbsp of baking soda to one cup of water, prepare this ahead of time (although I tend to pour the baking soda into my hand and make a paste). Apply this to your scalp and roots, giving a good massage and gradually working through your hair. Rinse off thoroughly.

To Condition -

Prepare ahead of time - 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and a cup of water. Optionally, you can add your favorite essential oil, honey or lemon. Apply this to THE ENDS OF YOUR HAIR ONLY. Leave in for about 3 minutes and rinse off well.

You can repeat this process weekly at first. The eventual aim is to let you natural oils take care of your hair. So you can slowly reduce the quantities until you are no longer using anything on your hair.

You can 'water' wash your hair as much as you want between 'no-poo'ing' washes.

When my hair is feeling a little dry, I like to rub in a little coconut oil, works wonders.

I will be adding a troubleshooting section later on!

Here below is my hair, 6 weeks since using conventional shampoo, airdried and unstyled.