Let’s discuss hair products.
There are several reasons we use them. To make our hair look fabulous and shiny. To make it stay in place, and to make sure it’s clean. Do we need it? Furthermore, would our hair be even MORE fabulous and healthy without it?
Bumble and Bumble founder and guru of hair styling, Michael Gordon shared with Wired Magazine this bold statement:
“I honestly think in five years people are going to go, ‘Oh God, remember when we used to wash our hair with shampoo?”
Further it was stated within five years, we’ll no longer use shampoo and conditioners.
What are a few reasons we wouldn’t? For starters consider the chemicals in your bottle. Almost all shampoos contain the chemical sodium laureth sulfate which strips oil from your hair and scalp. Other chemicals, like silicone, are added leave your hair shiny and silky. The side effect you get in trade is dry hair follicles, a dry scalp, sometimes irritated, and less healthy hair than a natural alternative to shampoo. How to remedy the problems caused by rough chemicals? The purchase of even more product, additional like conditioners, gels, oils, and hair masks.
If you have allergies to gluten, sulfates, or other chemicals, you may have eczema, psoriasis, dandruff, lesions, or other scalp issues.
The alternative to shampooing your hair using the No Poo theory of hair care could resolve this problem, unless your problem actually comes from stress or nutrition deficiency. The alternative to shampooing at least, will become your first step to radically improving your hair and scalp health.
So far, I myself, am 32 days shampoo free. For the first month, I simply used hot water and a high pressure shower to run through my hair and brush the oils through scalp to hair end. With hair midway down my back, this was challenging at first because I was used to simply shampooing and quickly seeing my hair dry on its own (since it was stripped of healthy oils). Because I’m allergic to most artificial chemicals in soaps, my scalp immediately thanked me. I actually get lesions from sulfates. These immediately disappeared.
Typically I couldn’t wait one day to wash my hair. It regenerates oil very quickly. I had very oily hair, which I thought was pretty normal.
My hair was a greasy mess on Day 3 without shampoo. I rinsed with hot water after yoga that evening, and awakened on Day 4 with perfectly balanced and clean hair.
Here’s my awkward Day 3. I wore a pony tail and got compliments that my hair looks really sleek and shiny in a pony tail. Ha! It was my awkward oily day. The day will be unique to you, and may or may not last longer, or happen at all. It’s all about bio-individuality. For me it was only one day and came/went very fast.
By Day 6 and 7 I was curling my hair and finding it would stay for days. Before, my hair would not hold curl for longer than a few hours at most:
Day 7, I was brave and went out. My hair was called “Super Hottie Hair”. Unwashed:
By day 16 and 17, I was using apple cider vinegar to condition my hair at night every 4 or 5 days, by adding about 1/4 cup to 6oz of water and fake washing my hair; going through the motions of shampooing. The next morning of this ritual, my hair has been soft and shiny.
Around Day 30, my hair seemed to be sustaining it’s happy healthy condition, but felt a little stiff. To my solution of Apple Cider Vinegar and water, I added 1 tablespoon of natural baking soda. It foams like crazy, so I had to quickly cap the bottle and use it:
My hair’s result was shinier than ever, softer than using shampoo, and my scalp was very happy as well.
I’m on Day 32 currently. I’ll probably repeat the step of fake washing my hair with Apple Cider Vinegar in about a week or so. My hair doesn’t produce oil like it used to. I’m amazed that I couldn’t go one day before, and today, I can train my hair to go a solid month without it ever touching the Apple Cider Vinegar solution.
You can go longer- many friends tell me they’ve gone 8 months or longer without washing their hair and it no longer produces the oily mess we have all experienced, at all… I am amazed.
As for me, I like to use masks, like avocado, olive oil, coconut oils anyway, so I’ll probably be adding that to my regimen soon.
For now, I’m happy spending $80.00 less per month on sulfate and paraben free shampoo and conditioner in lieu of healthier hair, scalp, and wallet.
More importantly, going shampoo free helps the environment and helps stop animal testing.
Animal testing is increasingly a problem for our beauty products. They endure burns, lesions, and worse for the sake of us having our “new and improved” beloved hair products we gladly purchase even though we too suffer slowly as we absorb the same chemicals into our bodies. Our water becomes increasingly contaminated by the runoff streams from manufacturing of these products, and Earth’s resources are used up to make more and more, including the packaging and containers made from non-recycled plastics, followed by throwing them into the trash only to end up in a land fill.
So, if you’re looking for a good reason to try the No Poo shampoo free hair diet, besides that it’s simply good for you and your wallet, know you can feel good about your contribution to being more green, more natural, and helping to stop animals abused in animal testing, while cleaning up our planet.
I couldn’t be happier with my hair and my decision to go shampoo free. In no way do I sacrifice anything. In fact, I get more compliments on my hair now than before. So like when I threw out my $200.00 skin cream in trade for coconut oil and avocado, here I go again, sticking it to yet another mass marketing scam in the name of beauty, and I hope you do too.
Updates below:
So by this point, my desire to continue reached a new high,
I’ve connected this effort into promoting the end of animal testing.
56th Day: NO HAIR PRODUCT NEEDED. My hair is chemical free in this photo and has natural shine and body (unlike when I wasted money on shampoo tinctures).
Newsflash. Unlike purchased hair products of all kinds, Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is not tested on animals.
Unlike the products most people use that leave chemical burns on sloths, monkeys, puppies, kittens, and other animals who are trapped life-long in labs with scars, severe depression and fear based anxiety… and our water supply spiked with chemical run-off from manufacturing and waste, all so people can believe the commercial and finally get that Pantene beautiful hair, Apple Cider Vinegar gives you an even better head of hair. It’s not a case by case basis either. All hair types benefit.
Using nature and avoiding chemicals: hair becomes shiny and full + your scalp becomes pH balanced.
End the suffering of animal testing for the sake of a quest for shinier hair. Stop wasting money. Help the environment. Help your health. Help end animals testing. Go shampoo free for BETTER hair. Better everything, including your wallet.
Someone’s bound to ask about the eye and lip makeup. Cruelty free and you can get organic everything at your local Whole Foods and health food stores. You can also make lip gloss (doubles as blush) with coconut oil and red wine. Surprise.
October 20, 2014:
A Holistic Nutrition Consultant & Certified Health Coach With an Integrative Realistic Approach to Wellness Through Whole Life Transition. Coaching, Intervention, Juicing and Nutrition Programs for Healthful Living. Mind-Body-Spirit, Integrative Healing, Biofeedback, Meditation, Self Regulation.
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