No Poo Results

Back on December 30th, I wrote about my top five health goals for 2013, in this post.  I said I would regularly report back on my progress.  I had already begun experimenting with my beauty routine, so naturally I have results to share in that area with you first.  Today I want to share with you the outcome of using the No Poo Method for my hair.

So, let me cut to the chase . . . the results of not shampooing my hair are awesome!  Totally true story.  The last time I washed my hair with shampoo and followed up with conditioner was on January 7th.  I was so, so nervous to start this routine.  The thought of my hair looking like a greasy, awful mess was literally scary for me.

This was my hair on Jan. 7.  Even freshly washed & conditioned it was a bit frizzy and dull.

   The thing is, even after washing and conditioning, my hair didn't feel soft.  It wasn't shiny or easily manageable.  I had to go to extra efforts with lots of creams and a straightener to get it to lay flat.  And the amount of hair that I was losing was crazy.  This is in part due to years of illness and malnutrition, but even after working so hard on my diet, I was still losing more than I wanted. 

This my hair on Feb. 7th.  Same light and just cleaned. 

Another angle.

I cleanse my hair with one tablespoon of baking soda diluted in one cup of warm water and follow up with a conditioning treatment of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in one cup of warm water.  I do this every fourth day.  By day three my hair does tend to get a bit too oily, but I just address that with a ponytail.  My hair is very, very soft.  It is not hard to comb out after cleansing and I don't need to use a straightener unless I feel like it.  On "cleansing day" I sometimes warm up the tiniest amount of coconut oil in my palms and smooth over the top of my hair to help a few stray strands lay flatter.   It also feels fuller and I am not losing nearly as much hair as I was before.  I can literally see the difference on my bathroom floor.

The process was hard for the first two weeks.  My hair went totally wacky at first.  It got really oily and I had weird cowlicks appear out of nowhere.  I faithfully stuck it out though.  I did not use shampoo in between and despite the amazing amount of oil my hair was producing, I stuck to the every fourth day routine, not being tempted to cleanse more often in an effort to handle the extra oil.  Then suddenly, exactly on day 14, my hair . . . got awesome.  I stepped out of the shower and started styling it and it was just miraculously perfect.  I felt like a Pantene commercial, minus the horrible chemicals.  Since then, I have added a drop of lavendar oil to the apple cider vinegar.  I found that my hair doesn't stink like ACV, but I wanted a light pretty scent.  After the first day, the lavender fades and my hair just smells like hair.  Very neutral.

This is a shot in the sunlight.  I thought it better demonstrated how shiny it is now.

The color has lightened just a tiny bit too, which I love.

The big take aways of this successful experiment for me:

1)  The beauty industry wants my money, but it does not give a sh#@ about the long term effects of its products on my insides.  It also doesn't care that its messages are unattainable and demoralizing for me and millions of other women.  I look prettier the closer I get to the true me.  I don't need extra layers of expensive stuff to be a better woman.  Me and the beauty industry are broke up!  (I was paying for all our dates anyway.  What a freeloader!) 

2)  The big driver for using all those products (for alot of women) is trying to be attractive enough to the opposite sex.  Guess what?  My husband loves my hair MORE now.  He says it is so nice and soft to touch and there are no harsh chemical perfumes overpowering him.  Take that Pantene, my guy thinks I'm sexier without you!

3) It's so easy.  It is not hard to follow this routine at all.  I even did it while traveling for work.  In my book, simple is better.  I have more important things to do, 'cause I am way more than good hair.

Give it a shot people!  Tell me how it goes for you. 

P.S.  Don't you wish every self-experiment went this well?

(Lots of thanks to Liz at Cave Girl Eats for inspiring me to do this.  Check her blog out.  She's gorgeous and she does it all naturally.)