3 Weeks With No Shampoo And …???

crunched by Crunchy Betty on November 2, 2010
filed under Hair

One of my favorite parts of going no 'poo.

Jeezopee. Can you believe it’sÂ been three entire weeks since the beginning of the no ‘poo experiment?

I cannot.

Time went by so quickly, and you know what? I only missed the shampoo twice: Once in the beginning when I had really dry ends (which I mentioned in the It Gets Better post) and once when I wanted my hair to smell like flowers or springtime or happiness.

Not that it ever smelled bad. The feedback was, it never smelled like anything.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s what we’re doing today:

I’m going to give you an update and my thoughts on this whole monumental change. Then, I’m going to show you my before and after picture.

After that, I’m going to open the floor for anyone to talk about their experience. But (more importantly) if anyone wants to send me a before and after picture, I’ll create a section in this post just for you.

Ready? Set. Go!

My Thoughts on No ‘Poo

This was so much harder than switching to homemade deodorant. I didn’t expect that.

I suppose having to look at or run your fingers through your hair is much different than sniffing your armpits. Much more tactile. Much more … alarming.

Through this entire three weeks, I stuck to the basic formula, which you can find here. I didn’t stray once.

I washed my hair every three to four days, depending on how oily it was. Occasionally, I would rinse it with plain water in the shower.

One of my favorite parts of going no ‘poo, surprisingly, was the rubber-flower shower cap I used. I picked that old thing (above) up at a thrift store last year and never, ever, ever thought I’d get use out of it.

Now, my head gets to look like an anemic daisy-covered light bulb or an extra from the Beauty School Dropout scene in Grease. It’s kind of awesome.

So, when I wasn’t washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar, I was using the shower cap. I wish I could send you one, but I’m pretty sure it’s the only one of its kind these days. The others all combusted on the heads of smokers in the 1950s.

This is what hair looks like when it isn't shampooed.

Check it out. That’s my “after” pic. (I’m feeling neither smiley nor photogenic tonight. Sorry about that.)

That’s what my hair looks like when it hasn’t been shampooed for three weeks.

The Detailed Run-Down on No ‘Poo Results

The first week was t-o-u-g-h. My hair was greasy and REALLY dry at the ends. Around day 9, it suddenly zapped into relative perfection. This further solidifies the idea that if you’re going to try this: You have to give it time to work.
Now that it’s been three weeks, my hair feels thicker – but I think it may just be the natural oils doing their job. Either way, the hair has substance, baby. I would no longer classify my hair as fine at this point. It’s better than fine.
Oddly, even though it’s thicker and less dry and FAR less “flyaway-ish,” it’s also more prone to static electricity. Huh. Haven’t heard anyone else say that.
Unlike other reports from people with straight hair, mine did not find some inherent wave. In fact, it became MUCH more straight. The times I’ve worn it down, I haven’t even needed to use a straightener.
I’ve noticed it does better if I don’t use the hair dryer and just let it do its own drying naturally – otherwise, it feels a little dry and brittle.
It’s incredibly shiny compared to before. And it’s a deep shine. A healthy shine. Yeah. That’s right. My hair is the bomb.
Lastly, it has darkened in color. There’s no more brassy ring to it (which I wasn’t even aware of before). It’s just a deep, rich, dark brown.

All pretty good stuff, yeah?

Before and After No ‘Poo Wrap-Up

Am I going to go back to shampoo?

VERY occasionally. If it weren’t for my affinity for homemade hair masks, I probably wouldn’t ever use shampoo again. But, this blog dictates that I do other fun stuff with my hair – so I think there might be a shampoo or two in my future. Especially given the no ‘poo/olive oil mask debacle here at Confessions of a Baltimore Housewife.

BUT! I will only shampoo once in a blue moon at this point. Only when I have no other alternative. And it will always and only be natural, organic shampoos (no real surprise in THAT revelation, huh?).

Suffice it to say, I’m a hardcore no ‘poo convert. It worked for me.

Wanna see?

(I know you do.)

Now, I know the lighting is a little different (I forgot to turn on my back light tonight), and my hair isn’t quite that much darker, but it is noticeably darker. So much so, I had someone ask me yesterday where I had gotten it colored. Ha.

Also? In both pictures, my hair had just been washed (“before” with shampoo and “after” with baking soda and apple cider vinegar) and left to air dry. Other than the lighting, the “control” was exactly the same.Â Three weeks on the nose – that’s the time span between those two pictures.

Which hair do you prefer?

What Kind of No ‘Poo Thoughts Do You Have?

Did you do this?

Did it work?

Do you love it/hate it/feel a little emo about it?

And if you DIDN’T do it and were waiting to see what my outcome is, do you think you’re brave enough to give no ‘poo a shot?

And don’t forget to send me before and after shots. If anyone does that, I’ll pop a brand-new section in right before this one with your pics and a link to your blog, iff’n you so choose. You can send before and afters to [email protected]

Man. I’ll tell you what. There’s no better feeling than finding out how much better off you are with less.

No shampoo? No problem.

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Puterbum8

I’m 17 years old and I went no ‘poo with my mom 5 months ago! Woo! I love it! I have less acne and my hair curls and all that jazz way better!
Someone

I’m thinking of adding 1 egg, beaten, some molasses and warm olive oil to the baking sodawater mixture. What do you think?
Babs

I love your blog! I think you’re great, but I blame you (at least in part, there are other internet people who did this to me too) for how my hair looks right now!

Bah! I have been No ‘Poo for two (2!) months now and my hair is STILL greasy. I am starting to give up hope.

At first during this experiment I had high hopes that No ‘Poo would work, and I was only ‘washing’ my hair once a week with 1 tablespoon of baking soda dissolved into a cup of water, and then ‘conditioning’ it with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar dissolved into another cup of water. I washed my hair so infrequently because I thought my scalp was ‘detoxing’ and would do so faster if I didn’t mess with it much.

After waiting a few weeks for my hair to detox, I eventually had to admit to myself that it was still alarmingly greasy, and so I began rubbing it with a washcloth while in the shower so as to redistribute my natural hair oils. This washcloth rubbing that I do is a legitimate No ‘Pool technique and is called, “The Mexican Rag Method.”

I have like, 5 boars hair brushes that I also brush my hair with, and then
have to wash right after using because the bristles are always all filled with
grease.

I brush my hair every day with these 5 brushes and see absolutely no
improvement in the amount of oil that remains puddled on my scalp.

After the end of the second month of this situation, I began to grow disillusioned and undertook an aggressive No ‘Poo cocktail of using baking soda, vinegar, the Mexican rag method and the brushing with a boars hair brush one after another in sequence. This did nothing to cut the grease.

My disillusionment soon turned to desperation, and in the past 2 days I have washed my hair with an egg, some green clay I bought at the health food store, baking soda and vinegar and baking soda and the juice of a fresh lemon. Then, after ‘washing’ I used the Mexican rag method and then brushed my hair with all of my 5 brushes. . . AND MY HAIR IS STILL GREASY.

The **** am I doing wrong?!?! I have very fine, straight, limp, brown crappy hair. I managed to break quite a lot of it while brushing it and rubbing it with rags in the shower, but most of my hair grows to about the middle of my back.

Does anybody know if No ‘Poo just doesn’t work for people with crappy hair like mine?

Please don’t feel bad for inspiring me to stop washing my hair and looking greasy and unkempt for two months, I did it to myself. I don’t REALLY blame you, the internet, or the No ‘Poo method for my situation. . . I blame my hair.
- inez
  
  Hey, I had the similar problem awhile back and we have the same kind of hair. I found that I was using too little baking soda and too much vinegar.
  Try 1 1/2 tblspn baking soda in 1 1/2 cups of water. Use a plastic bottle, like the kind that comes from hair dye. The tip helped me get it into my scalp better and distribute it more evenly. Saturate your hair with water first though, before applying. Massage your hair from root to shaft like you would normally with any shampoo and rinse. Then, use 1 tblspn of apple cider vinegar in 3 cups of water. Try not to use too much on your scalp; as this is the mistake I was making and it was coming out greasy. Its hard to not use too much of the rinse on your scalp, but i used the bottle the distribute that evenly, also. I use just barely enough on my scalp then the rest on my hair shaft (I saved two bottles from my root dyeing.) After you use the acv rinse, rinse your hair again with warm water. I sandwich my hair between my hands and rub downwards as Im rinsing my hair out. I always feel the oils in my hair shaft as Im doing this and worry that I used too much of either one, but it seems to work. I rinse my hair 2 days later. Sometimes I have to do this twice a week, if rinsing my hair out with water doesnt get it clean. (I work in an auto parts store, very, very dusty, so I have to do all of this twice a week sometimes)
  I hope this helps. If it doesnt, try an organic shampoo and conditioner from Natural Grocers Vitamin Cottage, if you have one where you live, (theyre cheaper than whole foods).
- Silverempiress
  
  Do you have hard water? I am on the third week of no poo and everything went great the first week but the second week my hair felt greasy even with way more baking soda. I found a blog that said if you have hard water the minerals will build up on your hair. It said to boil water, let it cool and then use your cooled boiled water with the baking soda and acv. I did this and it worked. You can rinse your hair with regular shower water but mix the bs and acv with the boiled water. My roots are now squecky clean but I think I am still using too much acv on my ends they are a little sticky. Boiling my water and using that to make up my bs/water and acv/water mix helped so much.
  Try that before giving up.
- http://profiles.google.com/allybeth4 Ally Beth
  
  Maybe you are brushing it too much? That always makes my hair feel more greasy and takes the oil to the ends of my hair. What happens if you just used a regular brush, instead of a boar bristle brush? Just curious
- Linda
  
  I know that This post is old but anyway. I am on my second try of going no poo. The fist time I used BS and Vinegar, but after using vinegar my hair felt very greasy. Have you or anyone else tried just to use BS and nothing else? I am doing that at the moment, and have like you very thin strait hair…
- taylor schrang
  
  I’ve been Baking soda ACV for about 4 months now. I have very different hair than you, but I had a similar problem. just not getting past that greasy thing. But I finally got over the hump here’s how:
  
  1) DO NOT do a hair mask. I tried the egg hair mask, and I never got the egg out with just baking soda. Wait till hair gets over the hump for a hair mask, and then I would also have some mellow shampoo on hand to get it out.
  2) Wash you hair more than once a week. I’m a full time BS/ ACV girl now and I still wash once every three days. Once a week just wasn’t enough. I might try to cut back in the future, but for now this works
  3) You might need to shampoo. I swear the thing that finally got me over the hump was using a clarifying shampoo just once. I was visiting a friend and my hair was just gross, and we were going out, so I used their clarifying shampoo. When I went back to BS/ ACV things started to do good things.
  
  Hope this helps.
Kate

I have been poo-free for over a year now, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I use 1/2 T of baking soda in 12 oz of water for the wash and 3-4 T of ACV in 16 oz. of water for the rinse. My hair is on the curly side- it will straighten if I blow it out and be wavy if I leave it alone. I found that even after a few months my ends were still pretty dry. So, I finish with a little bit of commercial conditioner (organic, of course!) which I leave in. Then, to enhance the curl I “plop” my hair. I press the curls to my head using a t-shirt and leave it there as long as possible. Overnight is great. Then, I end up with nice, well-defined curls with no frizz.

So advantages are much less frizz, need to wash every 2-3 days, (I was an everyday washer before,) less split ends, and it’s toxin-free!
- Sarah
  
  How do you keep the tshirt on your head! That’s a great idea. I have really curly hair and love my hair most int he morning but it’s always soo frizzy from my pillows.
Lark

Ciao from Italy– I really love your blog! Bit of a challenge for you: I was wondering if anyone can offer advice about hair care for swimmers? I’m currently swimming about 5 times a week and am becoming increasingly uncool about the amount of chemicals my hair is being exposed to on a weekly basis. Obviously I’d rather have chlorine in the pool than Legionaire’s disease, but if there exists in the crunchy collective any natural way of combatting the effects I’d love to hear it!
- Gigglemei
  
  hey I swim too and club soda actually neutralizes the effects of chlorine in your hair. After swimming just pour this through your hair and continue with whatever you would usually do such as shampoo and condition.
- Darling12you
  
  I’ve heard that powdered ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) neutralizes chlorine. I put about a tablespoon of it in my bath, to offset all the chlorine they put in the water supply to kill bacteria.
  
  Plus, ascorbic acid powder, or buffered vitamin C powder (which just adds some calcium & magnesium to make it less acidic & more gentle) actually nourishes your skin, it’s like food for your skin. You might want to try making a mix of ascorbic acid & water to rinse your hair with. Be sure to wash your hair afterwards. When I don’t wash it out, it acts sort of like a hairspray–I look like I have bed head or my hair stays in sort of a towel-dried mess until the next time I wash it. Luck!
Heather

I’ve been no poo for a little over a month now and love it. I did have the breaking-in phase, but much of that, I think, was that I wasn’t getting the BS scrubbed in very well. I don’t tell many people that I’ve made this switch; I get too much judgment and end up explaining myself too much. So I just keep it to myself. Note: My dandruff has significantly decreased with no poo. That, and the environmental benefits, why would people NOT switch?
hazeleyedshorty77

Hey! I have been doing No ‘Poo for 9 days now. I was wondering…Will brushing my hair speed up the “transition phase”? Obviously I wouldn’t brush it a zillion times, but probably 50-100 strokes a day…?
My hair is similar to yours. Thin. :) I also have quite long hair (reaches to my belly button). I am blonde too. So will it take longer in the transition phase because the oil has to go throughout my whole head?

I have also noticed that my hair doesn’t look that gross, it just feels gross…really gross. ;) So far I am good though. And I am pretty sure my transition period won’t last that much longer (because I have similiar hair to yours). Thanks for you post! Much appreciated. :)
Hazeleyedshorty77

Oh My Lanta! I love my hair now. I have been No ‘Poo for 13 days and today was the day my “transition phase” ended. My hair is sooo soft. I can’t stop touching it. :) It is definatly worth it.

The only thing that I disliked, was the fact that my hair darkened a little. I have blonde hair and I would like to keep it as blonde as possible, not dirty blonde. :/

Don’t think that No’ Poo permanently darkens your hair! The reason your hair darkens is because your hair took in your natural moisture (oil) and locked it in. When your hair is oily, its darker, right? But what happens when your hair locks in that moisture on the inside? It darkens!
Just letting you know. :)

Also, if you are considering going No ‘Poo, one suggestion: Brush your hair! (not too much)
Brushing your hair will make your transition phase (gross oily stage where your hair is changing its PH levels) go faster. Your transition phase won’t end until the oil has fully reached the ends of your hair. When this happens your body realizes it doesn’t have to produce soo much oil. Thus, ending the transition phase and beginning the beautiful stage. :)

Hope this was helpful!
- http://twitter.com/Penelope1389 Penelope Shepherd
  
  This is super late and who knows if you’ll even get it! However, if you want to keep your hair light, but still keep the no ‘poo up you can add lemon juice to your routine which will naturally help lighten your hair up in the sunlight.
  
  The tip about brushing is good too. Definitely helps with the transition. However, I wonder about getting more volume out of my hair with the no ‘poo method.
  - Ann
    
    I been no poo since I last got my hair cut so about 5 weeks now, my hair used to be so limp but since going no poo I noticed a big difference in volume.
- Amber
  
  If you use lemon juice instead of or with the apple cider vinegar it will lighten your hair and gives a nice glow for blondes
  - hazeleyedshorty77
    
    Thank you! I think I will try that. :) I actually had to switch back to shampoo for circumstantial reasons, but just recently I was like, “I seriously need to go back to that. It was awesome!” So….currently I am in my 2nd transition phase and am hoping I am almost through and on to beautiful hair.
    I have a quick question before I add Lemon Juice to my routine. If I ever had to switch back to shampoo for circumstantial reasons (I would never do it if I didn’t have to), would my hair be extremely light because all the darkness from the “locked in” natural moisture is gone?
    I don’t exactly want to permanently dye my hair, but if lemon just brings out my natural HIGHLIGHTS, I would love to do it. :)
    Thank you Amber!
Jessie

It took my hair a little longer to adjust. I’ve been No ‘Poo for a couple of months and I love it. I’d say it took me about 6 weeks or so to adjust. If you’re just trying this, stick with it!
April Breland

I just started this yesterday and I’m already loving it. Granted, I only washed my hair with shampoo about once a week anyway, but I’m enjoying the fact that I was able to sleep on wet hair and not wake up a yeti the next morning. I’ll let you know how it goes! I even have a before picture(again, it hadn’t been washed in like a week so I don’t get the nice control that you have). Anyway, thanks for turning me on to being a crunchy! :)
Brandyantor

2 and a half years of no ‘poo, hippy-dippy nutjob living! I was just going to try it and see, but I’m a convert. Surprises the heck out of the salon ladies who cut my hair, as a) I don’t smell like a salad dressing and b) I don’t have split ends. It’s fun to tell people, as I’ve witnessed people actually physically step backward and away from me.
- http://www.facebook.com/ashley.splettstoesser Ashley Subsin
  
  Yep, my in laws are grossed out when they ask how I get my hair so nice and I reply I don’t use shampoo. lol
Sarahliann

Just found your blog, and never heard of going no ‘poo, however I am a perfect candidate for no ‘poo bc I only wash my hair once or twice a week (really dry hair), but now that I am a 30-something I have noticed I can’t go as long as I once did (getting oily almost next day, very perplexing, messing with my system). I did my first no ‘poo the other day and am really excited about it, I did not get oily the next day! Thanks! I am looking forward to what will happen next. In the last few months I have replaced all skin care items with edible things, never thought this possible for my hair…like I said super excited!!!
Rachel

I’ve been no ‘poo for about 6 weeks now and my hair looks great! But I have really bad dandruff and my head is SOOOO itchy!! I really don’t want to go back to using shampoo, so any suggestions would be wonderful! Thanks
- Cheratomo
  
  This sounds like you’re not scrubbing your scalp enough. If you don’t the oil will stick on your scalp. Use your fingertips and press firmly down, and scrub for at least a few minutes. I heard some people scrub for five. This should help.
- Char
  
  You might want to try crushing to powder an aspirin or two and adding that to the nopoo. Aspirin can take care of the dandruff.
Ireland-4-ever

How does this work for color-treated hair? Does the BS/ACV have any ill effects on the color?
- Offthemarket
  
  I have been coloring for years. Dark. It hasn’t faded my color at all. Now waiting to do my first henna or other natural dye.
Hime

I started my no ‘poo journey today! I was wondering if it were okay to use commercial conditioner on your shaft/ends, or does it strictly have to be the ACV wash?
Regina

I am in the beginning stages of No Poo (Day 11 of a BS wash and lemon juice/water rinse), and I too am experiencing extra static. Did you ever figure out anything that fixed this problem? Or will it go away as I continue to adjust? Thanks!
- Emma
  
  This response is sooooo late, but those little dryer sheets do the trick! Just take one and rub it over your hair. The static disappears, plus it leaves a light fragrance. I hope this helps anyone reading this MONTHS after this was initially posted, but who are still wondering.
Jwells

You should try Wen by Chaz Dean. I am having the same results you are having, with a more pleasant smell and feel and a more gentle transition…
Laneashley9

What can you use to make your hair smell good?
http://profile.yahoo.com/7OLVD3F5Y3MFLI5I27OYRFPRL4 Allison

I am a ‘no poo’ girl, and here is how I do it: about once a week I wash with just a tiny bit of diluted baking soda, ACV rinse. Then, any other time I take a shower, I do a scalp massage with just water. Works for me! (I have short, straight hair, and I do not brush it.)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=202305037 Jenna Howard

I am on day 4 of “no poo” conversion. Your blog has given me a pep talk! Today my hair is grooooossssssss and I was thinking this morning that I can’t stand it but I will stick it out. Thanks so much!
http://www.facebook.com/whitney.massopust Whitney Goddard Massopust

How do you deal with the bedhead then? I have to at least wet my hair to tame it in the morning otherwise its wild. I don’t do the “no’poo” but I do only shampoo my hair every few days.
- http://twitter.com/djweath Donna Weathers
  
  I’ve been ‘no poo’ for two weeks now and am over the yucky transition. The first week was easy though – I was camping and kept a cap on my noggin most of the time and only did one water only wash the entire week. In between times I used a dry poo mixture of corn starch and baking soda with essential oil mixed in. Just brush a dab of that through the hair in the morning and it perks it right up.
  This morning – three days after my last bs/acv wash I didn’t need to do anything more than a light tousle with damp fingers and I was ready to go. I have short straight brown hair that was always flat when I was shampooing. Now it has life!
  Give the “no poo” a shot, you’ll be amazed!
Tabetha

After I bleached my hair recently (3 or 4 times), it had been gettng SO oily. Instead of washing my hair every 2-3 days, I have to wash every day! So I decided I need to do something different. I’m tired of an always oily & itchy scalp! I dyed my hair back to brown with organic henna for the first time a couple days ago. I love the results & my husband loves the smell compared to the chemical dyes. I ordered some organic shampoo bars & I’m ready to do this! I have 3 young daughters with long hair & I think this will be an easy transition for them since they don’t have to wash as often…maybe every 3-4 days. I’m a stay home mom of 4 & my husband works out of town alot so I can stay in through most of the phase. I’m excited to go natural! I’ve got Indian in me & I think that’s why I’m always looking for natural cures for things before taking the kids to the doctor who is just going to give them poison. LOL seriously, they will prescribe antibiotics every time they get a cold. It’s ridiculous. Anyways, wish me luck!
freckleface_girl

I am having trouble with nopoo. I tried it in desperation as I had extremely frizzy ends. I have super fine hair that is dry. My hair became this way about 5 years ago when I hit college and was showering twice a day as a collegiate athlete. So my assumption was that I had stripped all my oils away and they had never recovered. At first when I went nopoo it was hard because my hair was oily. After about 4 weeks the oil production died down but I went in for a hair cut (of course they shampooed) and had a deep conditioning treatment as well. I have continued to do nopoo since then and have only washed my hair with shampoo (without sulfate) twice due to hairspray from an undo and a yogurt/avocado mask. Did these three shampoos make me start all over on the oily phase? Currently I am fighting an oily scalp again and my frizz does not seem to be any better. My hair feels very dirty. In addition the dirtiness makes my hair tangly and difficult to manage. I do BS/ACV two to three times a week and just rinse with water other days. What am I doing wrong? Do I have the wrong type of hair? Help!!!
- freckleface_girl
  
  Oh, I have been doing nopoo since the end of April by the way.
annnnndi

My transition phase only lasted about 3 days, and I’ll tell you why! I have short hair (chin length) and I never stopped playing with my hair (redistributing my hair’s oils). But take caution, massaging your scalp will produce MORE oils during the T-phase so you may want to avoid that. brushing your hair, or running your fingers through it will get the oils to the dry parts and (if your hair is like mine) leave you with a miraculously short transition period.
Yamini

Hi! I’ve been no poo for the past 4 weeks-6 weeks. And my hair definitely is less frizzy and and more curly. But my scalp feels greasy and waxy and flaky. Anyone have any advice? I use 1 spoon of baking soda in a one 1/2L water botter and ACV same. Any suggestions on how my scalp can stop looking greasy?
http://www.facebook.com/stephanie.sierra.182 Stephanie Sierra

Will NEVER use shampoo again! My preteen daughter? (who has beautiful curls, albeit difficult and frizz-prone) and I started no ‘pooing a few weeks ago, and although she has not exactly raved about the process, it is plain to see tha something WONDERFUL is happening to the Sierra girls’ hair.
Oh and do we have a name yet? Anti shampoo league? On my bottle that I use for the baking soda mixture I wrote on it calling it simply “The anti shampoo”
Any who, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!
mrsmudrash

I am just starting this and need some clarification…do you use the entire 1 cup water + 1 tbsp baking soda all at once…for one wash? – or do you keep a bottle of that and use say 1/4 cup every wash? Just wondering how much I should be washing with! :) :) Thanks!
- Tracy
  
  Don’t use the entire mix for one wash. I would say anywhere from 1/3 to 1/4 cup of the mix per wash is about right. And don’t forget to let it sit on your head for awhile and do a good scalp scrub then rinse!
  - hazeleyedshorty77
    
    I agree about not using the whole thing. However, if you like more water in your mixture because it helps distribute the mixture better, than dilute less baking soda (I suggest a tsp. which is 1/3 of a TBSP) in the full cup of water, or perhaps 3/4 cup of water. Whatever works.
teschade

Has anyone else developed dandruff? I’ve never had a problem with dandruff before in my life and I’m about 2 weeks into no ‘poo and I have dandruff every day! Is it just my scalp riding itself of build-up? Is there anything I can do to get rid of it and still stay no ‘poo? Please help!
- Beth
  
  Wonder if it’s a build up of Baking Soda? Maybe you’re not rinsing enough? Just a thought…
  - Stephanie
    
    I haven’t tried No Poo yet but I may, though I have already had a big problem with dandruff. Do you think no poo would help at all if I added TTO?
- Beth
  
  Wonder if it’s a build up of Baking Soda? Maybe you’re not rinsing enough? Just a thought…
- Michaela
  
  try adding tea tree oil to your bs mixture, just a couple drops, its supposed to be great for dandruff. I’ve only had a problem with dandruff once and I added a drop of TTO to my shampoo (sorry to say I havent made it to no poo yet, my oil is so thin and oily as it is I’m scared to!) but just the drop in my shampoo cleared up my scalp in a day, hope it helps!
- hazeleyedshorty77
  
  I know this is super late and may not help you directly, but maybe it will help someone else with the same problem.
  
  I have NEVER had any problems with dandruff. I may get a dead skin cell here and there but never enough to be considered “Dandruff”. When I first transitioned to No ‘Poo, I noticed on my Boar Bristle Brush a lot of dandruff (in transition phase). Now, this was really odd for me (just like you). So, I decided to just stick it out since I was nearing 2 weeks and my transition would be over soon. Man, am I glad I did. :)
  
  I later found out that the dandruff is caused by the scrubbing necessary in the shower and the brushing with a Boar Bristle Brush. During the transition phase, you are essentially supposed to be removing the dead skin cells that accumulated on your head over time. The removal of these allows your sebum oil to produce freely and adjust naturally. The dead skin cells get in the way, so you just need to remove them and then wait for your t-phase to be over. The only reason the dandruff is sticking around is because your hair is still greasy because your in the t-phase. Once your hair adjusts and absorbs your natural oil, the dandruff will fall off and you won’t have a problem with it again.
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  It worked for me. :)
silvia

What if for example I’d like to rinse my hair with a coffee(I make like a regular cup and rinse my hair after washing it)? I love the smell of coffee but how do I include it in this routine of washing with baking soda and rinsing with vinegar? Do it after both or in between?
full of poo

A friend and I tried no ‘poo together a few months ago. After more than 2 months my hair was still a greasy mess. I was unhappy with my results, but it worked really well for my friend. She’s still no ‘poo (4 months now) and I just use an all natural shampoo, and I still like to use vinegar every now and then.
Crunchy Convert

I’ve been no ‘poo for almost 9 months now and my hair feels AH-MAZING! It’s softer and not nearly as frizzy as it used to be. I bought those plastic condiment bottles from walmart for less than a dollar and mix i part soda to 3-4 parts water for the no ‘poo and 1 part acv to 2-3 parts water for the rinse. When I first started out I used Heinz acv but it smelled horrible, like fermenting gym socks. Braggs leaves my hair smelling fruity, almost as if I used a fancy shampoo/conditioner. This treatment also leaves my hair somewhat curly for the first day. (With the soda wash, I’ve noticed that if I make a big batch and leave it for a week, the soda clumps together at the bottom of the container. I find it best to just make it right before I wash my hair.)
Tracy

Ok I need some clarification: if you wash every 3-4 days, what do you do on the off days? Just rinse with water, or wrap your hair up when you shower and don’t get it wet at all?
Also, I tried an egg and olive oil mask the other day and my hair did not come clean after I used the BS/water and then ACV rinse 3 times! Can we use hair masks while going no ‘poo? If so is there a different way to make sure that you wash out all of the mask?
Last question: I have dandruff! Never had it before until I’ve started this no ‘poo. I wash every 4 days and I’ve tried pouring straight ACV on my head as someone recommended with no success. What do I do to get rid of it? Tea tree oil in BS/water mix? Less baking soda in 1 cup water? PLEASE HELP!!
http://www.facebook.com/cindy.mitchell1 Cindy Mitchell

I did it for the first time yesterday – and to my surprise my hair is…(drum roll) …completely normal! It’s clean, doesn’t smell of anything…I love it!
I found it dried super fast too! Which – aside from having to sit with the ends of my hair in towel because it wouldn’t stop dripping – was awesome. My hair is a few inches past my bra strap and within half an hour, it was dry.
Speaking of dry, today (24 hours post no ‘poo) the ends feel a little dry. It’s also a tad thicker than usual, which is cool too.
I’m a convert so far! :-)
ashbee

i just started no pooing a week ago..and yeah im in a gross phase..im not freaking out about it but i am curious about the mixture ..i see you ladies are saying use 1tbs or 2 tbs and then the rest do water..yeah idk about you guys but i have alot of hair ..i use one of my daughters old sipy cups and fill it about half way and then make it wet so it feels like wet sand..as im rubbing it into my head..ill occasionaly dip my head under running water to help distribute the baking soda while i scrub my scalp. i also put some tea tree oil in the mixture due to some dandruff issues i have. am i doing this right?? am i using too much?? or it depends on my hair??
Kelly

Hi there! I’ve stumbled upon your blog here, and I’ve been considering going “no ‘poo” for a while, but I am concerned about the transition period. I work in the food industry and have to deal with customers every day, and I don’t want them thinking that I’m “dirty”… Is there a way you can shorten the transition period? Thank you! :)
taylor schrang

Here’s a question: I’m a No’poo girl, but I want to use a hair mask because I have wavy kinda frizzy hair. Are there any hair masks that come out completely with out using shampoo. If you think I need Shampoo for post mask washing which/what kind would you recommend?
- Hazleyedshorty77
  
  Actually, I heard a woman on YouTube say she did a clay (red) mask. She got regular clay powder from a health food store and did the same mixture but substituted the clay for the baking soda. She was a total believer. She said her hair felt incredible (it looked it too!) and that it was so soft. I haven’t done a lot of research on that particularly, but I suggest you do.
  
  I don’t remember the name of the video, but the woman was very blonde blonde and the title had No ‘Poo in it. She has two videos about it so if its not one, its the other.
  Hope this helped!
Lydia

If you just use bronners then everything is way easier……..
Barbara

Hi Crunchy Betty

I’m trying to go no poo (it’s been a week now) and I’m quite happy because my hair is not oily but soft!
Still, I have a problem with dandruff… I already had it but I think it’s going worse with the no poo method.

Do you know what I could do to stop it?

By the way I’m french, so I’m sorry if my english is not that good.

Thanks a lot! I hope I won’t have to stop going no poo!
- Valerie
  
  Hi! I haven’t tried this, but a post above said that using a drop or two of tea tree oil in the baking soda mixture can clear up dandruff. Let me know if you try that and it helps!
  
  I’m going to try to go no poo but I have scalp psoriasis that might come back if I stop using shampoo… My psoriasis looks and acts exactly like dandruff, so I’ll probably try tea tree oil too. Good luck!
Weiszgirl

Did you ever figure out how to get rid of the static?? I’ve been no poo for almost two weeks. My hair is super shiny but flat and SO staticky! It’s awful!! I even tried rubbing my hair with a dryer sheet which didn’t work! Help!!
http://www.facebook.com/jennifer.asker Jennifer Asker

I use eggs. What I do is to beat one in a bowl, and then add water to it. In the shower, I dip my ends into the mixture, rubbing it in and working my way upwards. At the end, I pour the puddle left at the bottom over my scalp. I leave the mixture in my hair while I wash the rest of my body, and then wash it away in the end.

In the beginning I thought I’d freak. My hair felt so greasy, and heavy, and it didn’t smell like spring, or sunshine, or love, or hotsexymama. Half of the time I was paranoid it’d smell like eggs (Cause it smells like eggs when it’s still wet/moist. And if I can smell like eggs, then someone else should be able to smell it too, right? And oh my god is that why no one’ll sit next to me in class or on the bus sweet baby jesus yuck). And then, after a few weeks it felt good and less greasy. Nowadays I almost exclusively use eggs in washing my hair. On lazy days, however, when I’m too tired to get my bum downstairs for my egg, and then up again for the shower, I use shampoo. And let me tell you, there’s a difference.

My hair gets all kind of light, and fly~ish with shampoo. It looks kind of sexy. Sort of. And then it doesn’t, cause the hair just flies around as soon as I breathe, and I always have a hundred individual strands of hair from different directions going into my face, eyes, nose and mouth and ears. It’s really hard to do stuff with it.
With eggs, however, it gets “heavier”, eg; the hair doesnt’ fly around. It comes more in.. dreads. Or, obviously not dreads, but it doesn’t fly around and live its own life like it does with shampoo. It’s still all light and wavy, but I don’t have as many strands of hair going into my mouth everytime I talk or do something. My hair gets another texture with eggs as well. With shampoo it’s like a bowling rink, and my hair pins cry for help as they keep gliding down. With eggs it’s just.. soft. And the pins stay in place for longer. And it just got really darker too, like yours.

Most of my friends get sceptical when I say I wash it with eggs, and some can’t believe it. And my dad’s harpering around on how we don’t really need to save money on shampoo cause it’s something people need in their daily life. Cut down on candy or something else. I still rock it though.

…. Long rant. Anyway. I’m happy with my eggy hair, and I’m even more happy over the fact that I’ve found this webpage and that I’m not alone in my no ‘poo. I’ve never heard of it before, but better late than never. I love it.
http://www.facebook.com/kattaklyzm Kat McAlevy

I know this is an older post but I’m trying this out, after the success I’ve had with washing my face with honey I figure why not!
http://www.facebook.com/april.taylorgreen April Taylor Green

Can u do the no poo on color treated hair. I’m a dirty blonde that goes Lighter every 3-4 months?
- Zara
  
  Hey! Someone already commented for blondes: use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar! It lightens your hair in the sun :)
http://www.facebook.com/rondakinnett Ronda Sargent Kinnett

Do you use the baking soda and apple cider vinegar everyday?
Katylaide

I’ve been trying no ‘poo for nearly three weeks now. My friends think I’m an absolute lunatic! But there is a lot of encouragement online. I even went to a Masters interview about three days in, with my hair in a bun. I think the grease compensated for not putting in any product (like I would bother anyway). I was successful in the interview, by the way. My hair is about 90cm (3 ft) long and I like it long, but I was beginning to feel my daily or nearly-daily shampooing didn’t make for sustainably long hair. My hair is ultra greasy right now but I’m definitely waiting at least 8 weeks before I give up on no ‘poo, but honestly I don’t think I will go back to shampoo. The one thing I’m not liking so much is that my hair is less curly now, but I think that may be because I’m constantly brushing it and separating the curls.

Is the oil on your scalp the same as the oil on your face?
BayouYogini

So I have super curly hair, and I am a group fitness instructor. My hair was getting destroyed by constant shampooing-hey, I sweat for HOURS every day. I HAD to wash my hair. So I decided that this would be a great thing to try- my hair is funky more often than not any way.

I love it. I will never go back to shampoo. Like I said, I have to wash my hair more often then I would like to, but it’s just the reality of what I do. I found after the first month that I didn’t need to wash my hair every day, I could go up to 3 days with out washing it! And when I sweat, I notice a HUGE change. Before, I could really feel the funk starting-the oil mixing with sweat and hair products. Ick. Now-my scalp doesn’t really sweat. Not THAT way. I’ll run my fingers through my scalp and all that I feel is a very light sheen of water. Which is how your scalp should work for cooling your body.

My hair also dries in half the time now. Having a ton of curly hair usually = 4 hours to air dry. Now? About an hour. My curls are also alot more uniform. And I swear my hair did grow 2 inches. And it’s funny that so many people said thier hair got darker…I developed some auburn and red cherry lights in my curls. And my scalp feels so healthy. I never knew that a scalp could feel like…anything. But it makes sence that the skin of scalp is different then the skin of the rest of your body, and that it is going to have muscle tone under it. Getting in there with finger tips to really scrub the baking soda out has made it feel great.

Thank you for this wonderful post. I’m slowly but surely convincing my fellow teachers to try this.
http://twitter.com/dibyanta Alika D. V. Tuwo

Hey there! I’ve just stumbled into your blog and found some neat stuff here! Going no ‘poo seems tempting… But does it also work even after a work out/exercise etc? I also live in a tropical country which is hot and humid for every single day, which makes my hair turn greasy like really really fast.. Has somebody else living near the equator tried going no ‘poo? What results did you get?
42ponies

I’m still in the first week of trying it and my only problem was that it’s much more difficult to get all of the hair clean without a lather. That’ll just take some practice but I just didn’t think about that. For me getting my whole scalp clean was a bit more work than I anticipated but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Just wanted to share. :) Where it actually gets my hair is clean and shiny so I expect good results when I get it more figured out lol.
http://www.facebook.com/lyndsey.alexander.7 Lyndsey Taylor Alexander

I tried no poo for approximately 2 months or more. I had to shampoo once because I got my hair dyed and the lady shampooed it, but other than that i followed the no poo exactly. I went through quite a few stages with this. Sometimes I loved it and sometimes hated it. I wore A LOT of pony tails because of the oilyness mostly and still do now because I got so used to it and I think I have now forgotten how to do my own hair lol. I have a terrible memory but I feel like I hit the transition phase and loved it for a little bit and it was soft but then it went bad from there. The main point is that I stopped doing it because my hair started feeling coarse and felt like there was stuff in it that needed to be washed out and trust me I rinsed and rinsed so I don’t think anything could really be left. Also I either had dandruff or baking soda remnant which once again I don’t know how it could have happened because I know I had to have rinsed enough! I finally gave up after 2+ months reluctantly and very sadly. I am now looking for a natural/organic shampoo or some other way. I don’t know what to do I really wanted this to work for me. Can anyone offer any help?
- http://www.facebook.com/darlene.watson.3572 Darlene Watson
  
  have you tried making your own shampoo with castille soap? Google (or I found pinterest) has a TON of really great recipes. I order my supplies on amazon and am getting ready to make a new batch / new recipe and I love the results!
amylouu

I am considering trying the No Poo method but am wondering how using a flat iron will affect my hair while No Pooing? Is there anything I can add to my hair after the shower that can protect it? Also, for those that have a regular work out routine, how does sweating regularly affect the effectiveness of No Poo and do you have to do it more frequently? Thanks!!
kellyjo

I have been doing this for almost a year and would never go back to shampoo. I love this. The only thing I add is sometimes rub it a diluted “good” conditioner to the baking soda “wash”. :)