My Hair: Curly, moderately thick, frizzy and a bit dry, bad attitude all its own and occasionally eats small items.
Regular Care: Shampoo every other day, brush out tangles with conditioner in shower, squish to dry. Between wash days, straighten or tie up in pony tail.
Products: Shampoo, Conditioner, multiple anti-frizz products, hair spray, curl squishers, root lifter.
Tools: Plastic brush with knobby bristles, blow dryer (occasionally) and tourmaline straightener.
OK, so I've been doing the no 'poo thing for about 3 weeks now. When I first read about it, a paste of baking soda seemed the way to go. I would wet my hair, mix up about four tablespoons of baking soda with some very hot water and rub that sludge into my hair. Then I would wrap it in a towel and let it sit for about half an hour before stepping into the shower, rinsing it out (which I didn't find difficult, but some do) and then rinsing it with apple cider vinegar.
Let it be said: Apple Cider Vinegar smells VILE. Especially when poured over one's head.
This is what I did twice a week for the first two weeks. My hair appeared to be pretty greasy - not common for my head. And let's not forget that although it's only twice a week, wetting one's head over the kitchen sink, splattering baking soda all over the place, and then walking around with a towel for half an hour is a pain in the ass. I have two kids, two online businesses, and a home daycare. Complications are NOT what I need.
Here's what my hair looked like two days ago:
Not too too bad, until you look at the backside, which pretty much looks like a rat's nest:
The other day I read about going without cleaning agents altogether. Instead, a detangling comb (or fingers, for that matter) and a dense boar bristle brush (vegans can go use synthetic) are apparently all you need.
A bit of the science of our heads. I'm just dabbling here, nothing huge...
Mammals (in this case, you and me) produce an oily substance called sebum from their skin. Sebum makes us waterproof. It keeps our skin and hair from drying out, as well as keeping us from getting TOO wet and shriveling up like a prune.
Regular shampooing and conditioning (even every other day, or once a week!) strips the hair and scalp of sebum, which freaks out the scalp and makes it produce MORE sebum. Vicious circle, the more the wash, the more you produce and get greasier hair between washings.
On the other hand, if the sebum that you produce is never removed, it builds up, gets blocked, and can eventually lead to hair loss.
Ai yi yi...so what's a mammal to do? Let's get back to the boar bristle brush. These brushes, with their dense, natural fibre bristles, do a number of things for us.
First, when brushed along the length of the hair, this brush will remove dust and dirt particles.
Next, when used to massage the scalp, and brushed from the scalp to the ends, it helps to spread the sebum along the hair length, sealing it.
Finally, boar bristle brushes smooth down the hair cuticles, giving it a glossy finish, naturally. These are the brushes used by ballerinas to give them a sleek bun before performances.
Oh...I musn't forget to mention that boar brushes are NOT meant for detangling...detanglers are. A boar brush is too dense to detangle, and will do far more damage than good if used that way.
One last thing about these brushes: They're not cheap. Expect to pay just under $20 for the very cheapest in your local drugstore. Going anywhere fancier is sure to double that, easy.
Give me a week or two with this, and I'll do an update. For now, know that shampoo is not the way to go, and there is sure to be a different "No 'Poo" routine for each hair type, not to mention lifestyle!
