The No Shampoo Revolution (also known as Going No 'Poo)

I've done it.

I've stopped 'pooing.

I can tell you that right now, it's not pleasant. There's lots of discomfort and things even seem a bit greasy. Not good.

But according to this great article, which talks in detail about the No 'Poo Movement, as well as some comments on my last hair care post, things should be better in a few weeks.

All soft and shiny.

But for now, going No 'Poo has got me feeling a bit unattractive. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it's going. Hopefully better.

Comments

Joyce said…
This is interesting. For years I've washed my hair only once a week, because it's pretty dry. I wear it short and straight, although it does have a fair amount of body. I have only used shampoo, never conditioner, and the shampoo is usually just whatever is on sale. Once in a while, on long camping trips, I've gone longer between washings, and I've always guiltily thought it actually looked better! So this makes sense to me. I hope it works for you!
I've been thinking about this lately. I've a son who doesn't shampoo, like ever. He insists he just uses water in the shower. Since he hasn't quite hit puberty he has less gunk maybe, but he is a bit too old for me to supervise, I just take his word for it. He has awesomely healthy hair, and he has long locks, too (he sports a stylish mullet).

But, I think with my hair I might need to take a couple of weeks off work to ride out the adjustment cycle.
Michelle said…
You go! I love no poo! You'll see the difference soon.
Laura said…
Cool! Good for you. :) I have gone semi-no-poo and I am happy to report great results.

If you want you can try dusting some corn starch on your bangs and part to degrease a little bit. Just put a bit more than a pinch on your comb and brush/rub it around the base of your scalp, repeat.
'Course, you don't want to do that too much or won't be weaning yourself off of "product" per se.

Bon chance!
CherylKatz.org said…
I found that before I cropped my hair really short, I was sporting a 'do rag a lot. (Incidentally, punky short hair doesn't look as bad when it gets oily, AND my hair has adjusted a bit by now.)

Keep us posted ow it goes for you! 'No poo solidarity!
katecontinued said…
I stopped using shampoo at the end of February. I will on occasion use a bit of baking powder, but not every week. After that initial period of a month or so, it just makes so much sense.

It just feel right. That article brought it home for me. Shampoo didn't exist before 1930. Well, of course it didn't and why don't we all think of these obvious things?

Advertising has created incredible guilt and embarrassment related to personal hygiene. Hope we all can learn to laugh at it. Your title's Going No'Poo was a good chuckle in itself.
Robj98168 said…
I have been poo free for five years or better. Course it helps that i am bald and whatever hair I have i keep shaved pretty short. Try Dr. Bonners magic all in one organic soap. I buy the peppermint oil in a bar form.
Jenn said…
That was a great article - it lead me off into a whole lot of other articles and even some discussions on LJ's "longhairgroup" or whatever it's called.

I'm seriously considering it - I might just shampoo on days I swim and cut it out the rest of the time.
Banba said…
I know you hate plastic and so do I but I have been quite shocked to find out how few of my friends knew they could recycle plastics numbered 1-6! They can't all go curbside but they can go to the dump or transfer station. My family still wants yogert, cream cheese, sour cream etc and they all come in recyclable tubs with recyclable lids, though few peoplle seem to be recycling these!
ehmeelu said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
When I read your latest on no 'pooing over the weekend, I decided to give it a go since I was only shampooing once a week or so anyway. I've just been using water and finishing with a vinegar rinse but only plan to do that until it runs out in another washing or two. So far so good. My hair is almost waist length and it no longer has snarls when I get out of the shower. Duh. There is a reason that our heads produce oil and washing it all off probably doesn't make the most sense. I've been brushing my hair twice a day and have had no problems- no extra grease, no snarls, looks the same as it did before. I do miss the suds and the clean smell- even though they were just chemicals- I think it will take a while to get rid of those associations that I've had since I was a wee one.
Jeanne said…
I'm glad to see such support for the no 'poo movement! Right now, I think I'm at that darkest moment before the clouds break and the sun starts to shine again. I'm thinking in a few days my hair will be back to normal and the grease level will be under control. I have a good feeling.

Oh, and I didn't mention this in my post, but for right now I'm washing my head with a bit of baking soda once or twice a week just to keep things under control. Eventually, I'm hoping to do away with this step. Based on what I've been reading, I will probably be able to.
Going Crunchy said…
O.k., will consider. The bar shampoo hasn't worked as well for me, and I've been expermenting with an olive oil bar soap. Keep us posted on how long it might take before it feels normal. Shan
mollyjade said…
You inspired me to try this too. I was only shampooing twice a week before. I'm at a bad bit right now. It's going to get better, right?
Anonymous said…
Does this mean you don't get your hair wet in the shower either? I'm confused as to whether people are just rinsing their hair in the shower with no shampoo, or just not wetting their hair at all. Can someone answer this?
Nothing Fancy said…
I wet my hair in the shower first, then I dump my "no poo" on, massage my scalp for about 3 mins, rinse with tepid water, gently squeeze out my hair, dump on a diluted vinegar rinse, hop out and then towel dry.
My no poo is 1C medium hot water, with 1-2 Tablespoons of baking soda in an old plastic peanut butter jar.
The rinse is 1-2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to 1 3/4 cups of tepid/cool water, but most people use even less vinegar (I have an itchy scalp and other TMI things so I go stronger)
You can skip the rinses, or use herbal rinses of boiled cooled and strained rosemary, or lavender, or sage, or whatever sounds/smells good.
ana lilia said…
i just started no poo and i'm curious as to how to handle my hair after i've 'washed' it. it is still very dry and frizzy, so it doesn't look very good, yet. do i try to brush it with a hairbrush or my fingers? should i just leave it loose or can i tie it up in a ponytail?
Anonymous said…
I quit using soap/poo in 1966 while
in Vietnam. The Vietnamese have
beautiful hair and complections;
they advised me to never use any
detergents and to avoid direct
sunlight. I'm now 67, have a great head of hair which when long
gets no end of compliments.
PS: I don't have dandruff and am advised that I have no noticable body odor either. Perfect PH?
Anonymous said…
I'm Itchy!!

Okay, it's been two months sans shampoo, and I love it. At first I was using way too much BS and my hair felt like straw. I'm now using only 1 teaspoon BS in a cup of water and I wash my hair every other day. My hair really doesn't need to be washed that often, but my scalp gets really itchy. Washing it makes the itch go away.

I've also tried just putting vinegar on it. That makes the itch go away, but it leaves my hair a little oily looking.

I'd like to go longer between washes, but can't stand the itch. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!!
Anonymous said…
should guys do this? i read a few of my idols (musicians) do this, i.e. Jason Mraz, Robert Pattinson, etc, and they got decent hair...is this a bad practice for guys?
Olive said…
i've been doing this for about a year now and i love it. i sometimes add a little essential oil to the ends of my hair after a vinegar rinse day...this gives a lovely little scent that stays all day.
Bev said…
I, too, hate plastics and am trying to get them out of my life, but found I really need to get my hair and scalp clean. Can't get over the itching..

Kohlman's Soap is a new company responding to this need.

Their goat milk soap is wonderful and comes in a 100% recyclable paper box. And...they are going to be introducing a bar shampoo in the next few weeks. Goat milk, vegetable oils, butters and beeswax are in it, which is exciting for me, since I have that thick, curly, permanently dry/frizzy hair.

They are in Oregon on a farm and use their own goats for a milk source! Awesome!!

Their link is kohlmans.com
krystle said…
yelloowww.. i just do it the no'poo thing ! just want to ask, how to do it exactly? is it just wetting the hair? or can we use some conditioner? coz i just used conditioner. thankooooo ;)))
krystle said…
one more thing, since i'm pretty new in this stuff, is it okay to use hairdryer as well?
Anonymous said…
My stylist told me awhile back I should not wash my hair every day. I thought she was crazy, because no matter what, something about the way I sleep, my hair was standing on end every morning and I felt I needed to wash it to be able to style it. So this past Winter Season, I started only using shampoo 3 days a week. The other 4 days I rinse it in clear water in the shower. I found that my hair is not so dry anymore, and that by rinsing it in water, I can then style it so I look presentable. My hair seems to have more body and fullness as well. I am trying to go one whole week without shampoo. I will let you know hot it does without using any shampoo at all. C.
Anonymous said…
I've had the same experience as the previous anonymous poster -- more body, more ease of styling. It's awesome.

I’m in my 2nd week of no pooing and I love it. Previous to this I’d tried shampoo without Sodium Laurel Sulfate and it dried my hair out so much it was as if I’d poured straight bleach on my hair and then let it dry in the sun. So I took that stuff back to the store and just decided to try going no poo. It’s fabulous. I haven’t even gotten around to using baking soda & vinegar yet because I haven’t really felt the need. My hair had been so damaged from coloring, and now is coming back to life from its own natural oils. It’s more manageable and has more body than it’s had in years. I love no poo!
Anonymous said…
can i just use organic shampoo? or it's still no good?
Anonymous said…
I "discovered" this entirely on accident. I have hip-length, wavy hair and after my daughter was born my normal once-a-week routine was far too involved with a newborn. After week three my hair just suddenly did everything my extremely expensive hair products had advertised they would (but didn't).

I use body-art quality henna to color my hair once every few weeks, so I get a deeper clean from the lemon juice (ascorbic acid is used to remove dead skin). I highly recommend using a thin, colorless henna mask on your hair once a month or so for those people who get flaky or who have long hair. You can leave it on for an hour or so and then rinse in the shower. The lemon juice exfoliates your scalp and the henna conditions your hair.
Anonymous said…
I tried no poo for a month. It worked fine though sometimes my hair looked greasy. I only use 1tbs of ACV mixed with 2 cups of water (one medium plastic cup). I stopped using it because it was too greasy. My understanding is that you wash your scalp w. baking soda, and you use the ACV. In that case your hair does not get washed just conditioned. Some people say the baking soda is only for the scalp.

I think it is important to know the weather conditions. I live in a place where it is all year long about 70ºF. My dilemma is what to do when my hair is sweaty or greasy. If I just wash it with water, it looks dirty.

When I did the switch between one type of ACV to another, my hair didn't take it so well.

I have tried 1 tbs of ACV, not using the whole cup and adding lime juice. So far, not using the whole cup has been effective. But I think I will wash my hair if it gets to greasy. Anyone has had the same problem??
Anonymous said…
I had dandruff for years, all 56 of them. I cut my hair to 1/4 inch length, then only rinsed my hair. It's normal length of 3 inches and not a speck of dandruff, and looks great.
Bert said…
my hair never had to adjust it was never greasy once i stopped using shampoo i just brush it before i get in the shower to loosen up the dirt/etc then rinse it really good and it's been bodacious and beautiful ever since. i don't use baking soda or vinegar either, just a straight up water rinse.

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