NATURAL HAIR CARE

Do you wish you could stop throwing away your money on expensive shampoos and conditioners? Are you looking for a way to clean and condition your hair without the weird chemicals that are present in commercial products? Do you want your hair to look and feel better than it ever has before? Then remember and follow these basic guidelines:

Shampoo: Shampoo is good at stripping oils from greasy hair. Unfortunately it strips too much oil from your hair, leaving it dry and frizzy. Even so-called "gentle" or "moisturizing" shampoos are too harsh on your hair. That's why so many people need conditioner: to replace the needed moisture to their hair. Shampoo is also full of lots of things you don't need, like sudsing agents, fragrances, and weird chemicals (have you ever read the list of ingredients on your shampoo bottle? what are all those things?). The best thing you can do with your shampoo is throw it away. You can clean your hair without weird chemicals, harsh stripping, and lots of lather. I'm not kidding here, it's time to bid farewell to all shampoo!

Conditioner:: Condtioner is okay for your hair, but you will probably find that you don't need it anymore after you stop using shampoo. Until recently, I was probably the world's biggest consumer of conditioner. I couldn't shampoo my hair without using large amounts of conditioner to detangle, defrizz, soften, and make my hair more managable. I needed lots and lots to keep my hair looking normal. I sampled hundreds of different brands, searching for the "perfect" conditioner that would make my hair beautiful. You can't imagine how shocked I was when I quit using shampoo and my hair was just as beautiful and manageable as could be without conditioner!
Some types of hair do need a little bit of conditioner to keep from looking dry and frizzy. In that case, make sure you use a conditioner that has no silicone (or any ingredient ending with "cone"). Silicone makes your hair look shiny on the outside, but on the inside it is drying and damaging to your hair. Many inexpensive brands of conditioner (Suave, White Rain, etc.) are silicone-free and safe for your hair.

So, if I'm not using shampoo, how do I clean my hair?

Baking Soda and Vinegar: You might think this is crazy, but it works great! I was searching for recipes to make my own inexpensive natural shampoo & conditioner, but most of the recipes included ingredients found only on distant planets. Or the ingredients were way too expensive for my frugal nature. Then I stumbled across the baking soda/vinegar hair routine, and it sounded too good to be true. Not only do I know what these ingredients are, they are very inexpensive and I already have some in my kitchen! But I gave it a try and now I am firm believer. The baking soda/vinegar method is also referred to as "no-shampoo" or "no-poo" for short.

Here are the basic steps for using "no-poo":

Brush Your Hair: Before wetting your hair, brush it out thoroughly to remove any tangles. You will also find that lots of brushing with a natural bristle brush will help to distribute the natural oils down the shaft of your hair to condition the ends. Brush your hair morning and night, or more often if you can. (Warning: if your hair tends to be greasy, you won't want to brush as often as this can increase activity in your scalp's oil glands.)

Baking Soda: Drench your hair with warm water. Make sure to moisten every part of your scalp. Put a heaping tablespoon of dry baking soda in your hand and add a few drops of water to form a paste. With your fingertips (not your fingernails), massage this paste into your scalp. If necessary, add more baking soda to cover every part of your scalp. Add some water to your scalp to help distrubute the baking soda. There are a few key points to remember here. First, to take your time and massage your scalp with your fingertips with small, circular motions. Don't use the palms of your hands, just your fingertips. A good massage helps to loosen and lift dirt and oil from your scalp; it also increases blood flow to the roots of your hair and actually makes your hair grow faster. Don't be in a rush, take your time and give yourself a good head massage. The second thing to remember is that you are washing your scalp, not your hair. Leave your hair alone and concentrate on your scalp. Your hair will get clean enough as the baking soda rinses off your scalp (unless you use lots of sticky products on your hair, which I don't recommend). This method of washing your scalp instead of your hair was a great revelation to me. I always thought that my hair was such a tangled mess. It turns out that I was just hopelessly tying it in knots every time I washed my hair! So concentrate on your scalp and make sure you have covered every square centimeter of your head. Then rinse out all the baking soda as you continue to massage your scalp. Make sure that your hair is rinsed clean.

Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is great for hair, but you might want to use white vinegar if you have white or blond hair. Make a water/vinegar solution that is about 1/2 to 1/3 vinegar. Pour on enough of this solution to completely drench your hair. Leave this to soak in your hair for a few minutes (like conditioner), then rinse clean. Don't worry if your hair still smells like vinegar after it is clean, this smell will leave as your hair dries.

Conditioning: Since I have long hair, the ends tend to be a little dry and frizzy. I like to condition the ends as my hair is drying. I put a drop or two of olive oil (that's right, olive oil) on my finger tips and run it through the ends of my hair. A tiny bit of oil goes a long way, don't use too much! You can also use essential oils or a little bit of hair conditioner (just read the ingredients and make sure that it doesn't have any silicone).

Wow, that was easy! If you have oily, greasy hair (like I used to), you will find that your head will start to produce less oil after you start this system. Since your shampoo isn't stripping the oils from your hair anymore, your oil glands won't be working overtime to replace the conditioning oils in your hair. You might have a 1-2 week period where your hair goes in shock from the new system and gets a little out of control. It may get very greasy or very dry. If this happens, just stick with it! Your scalp and hair will balance out after they get used to the new way of life. And you will find that your hair will need washing less frequently. I used to wash my hair every day, and when I first started no-poo, I only needed to wash every other day. After about six months of this program, I wash my hair about once every five days. Many people, after using no-poo exclusively for a long time, find that they only need to wash their hair once a week.

The baking soda and vinegar are the basic elements of no-poo, but it can get more complicated if you need it to be. Start with those two basic ingredients, and expand from there as you learn what your hair needs. For example, you can use a raw egg instead of baking soda to remove excess oil and dirt from your scalp (both baking soda and eggs are slightly alkaline). If your hair is dry and frizzy, try adding honey to the baking soda scrub. You might also try using less baking soda, or leave the baking soda on your head for less time.
For acidic rinses (to soften hair and restore Ph balance), try using lemon juice instead of vinegar. If your hair feels too greasy, use less vinegar in your rinse. Finding the correct balance of baking soda and vinegar might take some experimentation. You might also want to experiement with different essential oils and their cleansing/conditoning properties.

Here are some great links that give more information on the no-shampoo method:
Mothering.com Natural Home and Body Care Forum: This is a great place to post questions and get some answers (you'll have to become a member before you can post). Don't forget to look in the "sticky" (the very first message) titled "Recipes: Soapmaking : Unshampoo". Scroll down a bit and you will find a whole section of hints and recipes about no-poo.
Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl Page: Incredibly helpful site for girls with curly hair.
Motown Girl.com: No-Shampoo Routine, also for curly hair.
Naturally Curly.com: More help for curly hair.
The Long Hair Community: Tips, recipes, and a forum for making your long hair look beautiful.