not shampoo your hair???
Why in the world are so many people not shampooing their hair? Are you missing something? Well, it’s kind of a complicated matter. Juicy! Let’s dig in.
First, the baking soda and water idea. How in the world does this work your asking? I’ve read numerous ways to get the baking soda to your scalp and the best I’ve heard of is using hot water, like boiling on the stove hot, and mixing baking soda in and let it dissolve until it is at max capacity. So, that could look like 2 cups hot water and 1/2 cup baking soda. Then put into a squeeze bottle and you can keep in your shower and squeeze directly on your scalp. Then scrub, scrub, scrub. Don’t worry too much about the ends of your hair as it runs through it will clean it enough. Now on to the apple cider vinegar rinse. That is basically equal parts ACV and water, although you can play with the ratio. Again, in a squeeze bottle. Run through and rinse, rinse, rinse. This is not a detangler! So, I would just let dry and comb after. Hair is more fragile in it’s wet state than dry. So, the less pulling in this state the better. In my opinion this is the basic, bare bones of hair care. Who is this method good for in my opinion? People with short hair. People who don’t wear product in their hair. People who don’t color their hair. People with fine, oily hair. Easy Peasy. Alright, lets move on.
Next, the never shampoo and use only dry shampoo. Ok...no. So, think of this. Your taking natural oils and then absorbing them with a product applied to your scalp. Then your taking sweat from working out or what have you and then absorbing them with a product applied to your scalp. And then again. And again. Again. So what is happening to your scalp? It’s just getting coated. Yuck. Not only yuck, but not at all healthy for your scalp. Even if it is only corn starch or rice starch, it’s still not good to clog your hair follicles. Your just saying hello to dandruff, dry scalp, or hair loss. Just say no! Now, I’m not saying never use dry shampoo. Use it. I do. I love it. I just use it as another tool in my tool box, just not the only tool. Try professional dry shampoo. Try corn starch. Try rice starch. I mix cocoa powder and corn starch and essential oils for my brown hair. It works awesome! Got it? Good! Moving on.
This is the one I recommend to my clients, friends, and just random strangers who want to join the no-poo movement. Cream cleansers. Think of your scalp as an extension of your face. You don’t wash your face with soap right? Right?? Right! Don’t use shampoo full of drying, harsh chemicals that do who knows what to your scalp and to your body. Cream cleansers require you to give yourself a good scalp massage. Bonus! Massaging your scalp increases blood flow and stimulates hair follicles which in turn produces hair growth. Win Win!!! You could even use a nice light conditioner as your shampoo. just make sure to use friction. That’s what is really doing the cleaning here. Friction on and friction off too. So, scrub your scalp as you are rinsing too. That way you will also not feel like it is weighing your hair down. Still with me?
The enviromental factor. This is how I look at it, if it is good for the enviroment it is good for you! Stay away from “dirty” shampoos and conditioners. That means pretty much anything at the grocery. Why? They are cheap. Why are they cheap? They have cheap ingredients. Cheap ingredients have no benefit for your hair or body. Don’t buy professional shampoos that are dirty either. These include anything that smells like candy or cake. You know which products I’m talking about. If you don’t, ask your stylist and have a conversation about it. It’s a huge movement in the beauty industry and I’m sure your stylist will know plenty about it. If not, look for a stylist that does. Of course you want it to deliver results too right. Well, I bet you can find those qualities in a high performing high quality shampoo don’t you think?
The low down and dirty is this. Try things! Stay true to your values! I like to use all kinds of things and when I hear of something new that someone is doing, I’m interested and usually I’ll try it. I like coconut oil scalp massages and hair treatments. I like avocado hair masks. I like to use detoxifying muds on my hair and scalp. I like to brush my hair and scalp vigorously. I like to shampoo twice a week. I like to use cream shampoo and then a luxurious sulfate free essential oil yummy shampoo. I like to do keratin treatments. I like to use lemon juice to lighten my ends. Then I’ll do a flamboyage to spice it up. Interested in the no-poo movement and what it’s all about? Go ahead, try it. You may like it.
