To wash or not to wash, that is the question…sort of.
The new buzzword in the natural beauty world is ‘No Poo’ or the ‘No Poo Method’. This new movement is really a flash back to the 1800s when it was recommended to only wash your hair once a month. Slowly, as products evolved and synthetic shampoos entered the market, the frequency of shampooing has increased to a once a day routine. Many are now convinced that if you skip a wash your hair will become an oil slick, and in most cases this could be true, but it’s not your hair’s fault, it’s because of the shampoo.
Hair naturally contains an oil called sebum which is essential for protecting and maintaining healthy hair and scalp. Increased washing and chemicals found in many mainstream shampoos strip the hair of its natural oils. This then sends a signal to your oil glands that your hair is dry and they must produce more oil, so produce they do, creating an overabundance of oil. Then you increase your shampoo and the cycle continues.
Enter the ‘No Poo Method’
The method is not to skip washing your hair altogether, but rather replace shampoo with products such as baking soda and apple cider vinegar, working your way up to water only. This will allow the natural oil production cycle to rebalance and the hair to be well protected and softer, and even increase growth. Plus, if you are currently using a mainstream product, ditching shampoo can decrease your exposure to many toxins.
Steps to going ‘No Poo’
When starting the process you have to be patient as your hair may feel a bit oily in the beginning. This is because the oil production cycle has to be broken as the oil glands slow their production of excess sebum. This process can take 2-6 weeks depending on how often you were shampooing and also what type of product you were using in the past. Synthetic shampoos tend to strip more oil than natural products.
The most common ‘No Poo’ formula uses baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The baking soda cleans the hair and the apple cider vinegar conditions the hair. If your hair is dry, increase the amount of vinegar. If your hair is oily, increase the amount of baking soda.
Baking Soda Hair Cleanser
Paste Method
- ½ – 1 tbsp baking soda
- Wet hair while in the shower.
- Scoop baking soda onto your damp hands and rub together, forming a paste.
- Massage paste into scalp of your hair.
- Rinse thoroughly and follow with an apple cider vinegar rinse.
Spray Method
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 cup water
- Add ingredients to a spray or squirt bottle (non-plastic is best).
- Wet hair while in the shower.
- Spray soda mixture onto hair and massage into scalp.
- Rinse thoroughly and follow with an apple cider vinegar rinse.
For either method, be sure to focus the baking soda to your scalp rather than the shaft of your hair. Too much baking soda will damage your hair. If your hair becomes dry or damaged then you are using too much baking soda, too often.
