No-Poo FAQ

Several months ago, I shared how I found myself having to come to terms with my life-long straight hair being declared curly and that in order to manage the dryness that comes with curly hair I threw out the shampoo and conditioner bottles and embraced the more natural method of hair cleansing… otherwise known as “no-poo.” (Looks like I finally embraced the term as well.)

Surprisingly, that has become one of my most popular posts. (Figures since it was pretty embarrassing to admit.) I have tried to answer everyone’s questions as best as possible in the comments, but if you are just stumbling across the post, filtering through them all to see if your question was already addressed can be daunting. Today I’m sharing an update as well as compiling all of the questions here for ease of access.

It’s been over eight months since I began experimenting on my head with all-natural hair care and I’m happy to report that I have NOT been following my own method this entire time.

An odd statement to make, but I’m glad that during the first trimester of my current pregnancy, I seemed to lack the mental clarity to remember to refill my bottles before I got in the shower. Thankfully, there was an old bottle of my shampoo up on the ledge for situations just such as this and I resorted to using it most days my hair needed washed for many weeks.

During that time, my hair became increasingly difficult to untangle and surprisingly greasier and greasier. Oddly enough, it also began falling out, which anyone who has ever been pregnant knows that during that time, you’re hair is supposed to be at it’s most luxurious only to begin losing it all during your postpartum period.

Once I realized that I had to stop shampooing again, my hair was instantly manageable again! Sadly, I’m still losing hair so in all fairness, I won’t attribute it to the shampoo (unless it was the catalyst.)

I’ve come to appreciate the flexibility from routine this method of hair care affords. With the busy harvesting and canning season followed by my bi-annual sewing marathon having just come to a close, I do realize I’ve been neglecting caring for my curls as much as I should and more often than not I am adding a day or two between washes and resort to wrapping it up in a bun and noticing no adverse effects. I’m sure that any mother can appreciate not having to be a slave to her hair!

Another observation I’ve made is that I’ve really come to associate the scent of the apple cider vinegar rinse with cleanliness. I know that losing the perfumed scent of our shampoo and conditioner is a major consideration for those contemplating making the switch to a natural hair care routine and I found this to be encouraging!

Finally, I did run into one issue that I just have to mention…. it turns out that I’m not the only one who enjoys the scent of the apple cider vinegar rinse for in the peak of fruit fly season I found that  I once neglected to secure the plug on the bottle and which admitted access to dozens of the little insects who were floating dead inside. I wish I was more observant and had noticed before I had squirted half of it on my head. Wasn’t feeling too clean that day I’ve got to say.

Now onto your questions….

{No-Poo Basics}

Is the baking soda rinse is in place of shampoo and the apple cider vinegar rinse in in place of conditioner?

Basically. The baking soda does function like a cleanser and the apple cider vinegar as a conditioner.

How do you use the aloe vera treatment on your scalp?

My dry itchy scalp issues were localized and I believe that I was just using my fingers to massage a bit of the gel into the scalp. Despite the name, this aloe vera gel really isn’t like a gel at all and is quite watery, massages in nicely, and dries quickly. So I was simply applying it to the dry hair (or wet after a “shampooing”) and it was drying with no problems (like residual greasiness etc.). My hair is pretty thick too and using my fingertips to get under the hair and in to the scalp worked nicely. If you were going to blow dry your hair I don’t know that I wouldn’t apply it after the drying to make sure that you’re not wasting your time and money on the aloe vera in case using the blow dryer reduced it’s efficacy.

Could I use regular or even better, this intriguing citrus vinegar of which you speak?

Several people weighed in and said they use just plain white vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar with even better results. I see no reason why you couldn’t make that a more pleasant smelling experience by trying it with the citrus vinegar which simply infuses the vinegar with the scent of the citrus oils.

Is the tea tree oil just for scent or to help kill the itches?

Tea Tree Oil 
Day One: Freshly washed and plopped… I used gel prior to plopping and a bit of hairspray to arrange it once dry.

Day Two: I ran my fingers through to comb it, wet some of the ends and used some hairspray to arrange it.

Day Three: I put my hair up to try and get some “headband curls.” I originally saw this technique on a youtube video, but she is charging $30!! for it now and so I can’t share it with you. In a nutshell, you put a headband over the top of your hair (and under your bangs if you have them), scrunching up your waves or curls around the crown. Begin by taking sections of your hair, small or large, around your face and wrapping them up, over, and under the headband so that it ends up back down with the rest of your hair. Continue in the same fashion around towards the center back and then begin over on the other side by your face. You can do this for overnight and take it out in the morning, but I used a thin headband that matched my hair and I thought it made a lovely updo for the day. You can do this with wet or dry hair, but if your hair is dry like mine was, it works best if you spritz it with a bit of water and hairspray or gel first.

Day Four: Remove the headband in the morning and style your curls. They hold really well so there is not need to be timid with them.

Day Five: A bun

Day Six: The bun on day five makes for a wavy ponytail on day six.

Thanks to everyone who commented with your experiences with all-natural hair care as well as tips, tricks, and suggestions. They have been so interesting and helpful! I was greatly encouraged to learn that I’m not the only one who doesn’t shampoo her hair anymore!