stop using shampoo

so shortly after that entry I ended up using shampoo. I had to go out and I still had dandruff and I needed it to go out and look presentable. I admit my dandruff isn’t that bad at all but it makes me self-conscious. Anyway, as I had suspected it only made it worse after, and am back to baking soda or just conditioner. The first time again with the baking soda my hair looks crappy. The second time, which was the other day, it feels really soft. So I am liking this no shampoo thing. I just need to remember not be tempted and cave in. Also, my face is looking so much better since I stopped using shampoo on my face. Sure its not 100% clear yet, but its getting there. And all allergy bumps I had all over my face are gone, its makes me feel a whole lot better! Yay!

fI just got out of the shower about 15 minutes ago. So I decided I should record my experience before I forget.

I used the baking soda and water mix on my roots area, and thats it. I scrubbed it in. And it made the worse matted mess of my hair. So I had to use conditioner.

However, the conditioner softened my hair a lot faster then shampoo so I didn’t have to leave it on for 5 minutes to get the knots out of my hair. I left it on for probably about a minute.

I also used the mix on my face by the way…I normally use shampoo, and you know what? My face feels clean and not ridiculously tight! Yay!

But anyway…. the good part was it worked faster like I said. And when I towel dried my hair it did not knot right back up like it normally does. I mean, sure I still had a few, but I was able to brush my hair with no pain.

Maybe it was just luck, but hmmm…. Also, normally 5-10 minutes out of the shower my scalp starts itching like mad. So far so good.

There may just be something to this! But we will see in the next coming days.

Oh, and one more thing. I know a lot of people use apple cider vinegar for conditioner, and I have tried that one in the past and it just makes my hair ever more full of knots. And my conditioner is mainly fruit extracts, and oils more then chemicals….so I don’t feel too bad. But will try to work on it I guess :P

found a recipe for a baking soda wash and acv rinse. I was using way too much! Using the new recipe works great, and doesn’t strip my hair, but leaves it soft.

and want to try it. I am mainly in the US and the shampoo here really irrates my scalp. I have used my normal brand and tried another brand its not working. My scalp is itchy, my hair looks dried out and I am getting drandruff (something I never get unless I am under extreme stress for a few days to a week). So I think it will be interesting to try this out. I already gave up usuing face product on my face cause I am allergic to them here as well.

Anyway, so really I am just testing this out! Would like to see how it works, and hey! Considering 32 of 32 found this worth doing, heck, why not!

I worked baking soda into my hair, and after I rinsed it off in the shower I poured over some diluted ACV … it really cut down on the greasy feeling. I’m 3 weeks into this, and don’t want to give up!

Washing my hair with baking soda really cleaned it up, but made it really flat. Maybe I scrubbed it in too much. Will keep experimenting with this…

I have a combination of sticky and dry hair going on right now at day12. going to try the baking soda wash and maybe apple cider vinegar.

So, after my last entry, I was getting this nasty greasy sebum-y spot on the back of my head. It smelled bad and felt gross. So I got this “natural” cone-free conditioner (http://www.natures-gate.com/shop/showitem.asp?ProductId=42102320&menuId=138&withLinks=1) which I think smells a little funny… but it did the job of getting the nasties from my hair. It made me good enough to not feel bad about going to a wedding ‘poo free. It didn’t make my curls just pop and my hair look wonderful, though… I think that’s an impossibility without a great many chemicals and lots of time and effort, so my hair stayed back for the wedding. Since then, I’ve used it once or twice when my hair starts feeling sebum-y… every few weeks. But then I think it smells funky (like the conditioner) for a few days after. I think, when the conditioner is all used up (which might take longer than I want), I may try one of the ‘shampoo’ bars.. I was looking at the JR Ligget bar (http://secure.jrliggett.com/) they had at my frou frou grocery here in Asheville, and the ingredients didn’t look all that different than a natural conditioner – no harsh detergents, that’s for sure. And a bar would be way better for travel/backpacking/peace corps than a conditioner bottle. So that’s definitely my next step, once I get done with this stinky conditioner.

started 10/18/09

I’ve already booted disposable menstrual products, face wash, facial moisturizer and other facial products out of my life. I’m healthier, I look better, and I’m saving money. I’m convinced that we’re being sold tons of stuff we don’t need…

So next I’m interested in getting rid of shampoo. I do have a bunch of shampoo at home to finish before I can totally stop using it, but CrunchyBread advised me to try this before I run out of shampoo in case I don’t like it, and that’s probably good advice. (Thanks Crunchy!) I will start by doing more research, and then I’ll give it a shot. I just got a really short hair cut – not sure if that makes this easier or harder to adapt to?