Newbie with a newbie mistake. Help please :)

[Yedda]

I should have put that, sorry. I did rinse with ACV but did not try the baking soda solution. I don't think I have anything here at home that is sulfate free, but dh is getting off work early. So I guess if I need to shampoo, my next question would be what kind of shampoo? I'm totally a newbie at the no 'poo thing. I do have some suave naturals around here somewhere I think. And some Dr. Bonners, I thought about trying some of that. But then I thought I should wait, post here, and see if you guys who have more knowledge/experience had a better solution.

I have never put these ingredients in my hair but when I over-oiled my hair I had to use a non-diluted sulfate shampoo to get it out. Sulfate shampoos may be slightly harsher but they seem to get unwanted oil/grease/gunk out better too.

[Coriander]

Perhaps a fancy updo can hide some of the oiliness for now.

Welcome to LHC!

[bumblebums]

Another thought: in the future, I would avoid putting mayo in your hair if you want to stick to no 'poo. The #1 ingredient in mayonnaise is oil, and oils vary widely in how easy they are to get out of your hair. Olive oil, for example, is so viscous that it requires SLS shampoo (though EVOO is usually not used in mayo as it turns bitter when whipped), so most no 'poo-ers stay away from it.

Avocado by itself might be easier, and all the other ingredients in mayo (egg yolk, vinegar, salt, and even mustard seed!) are okay for natural hair care. But perhaps when you start out, it's best to try one thing at a time, go slow, and not switch too fast between different treatments.

[piratejenny23]

It looks ok now, not fabulous, but acceptable. The party is at the house of the same friend who told me it looked 'greasy', not the shiny kind but the dull kind. I agree that it was probably the baking soda that made it look dull that day, I had mixed up a new batch and I think I made it w/too much baking soda.

incidentally, baking soda opens the cuticles, and open cuticles can make the hair look dull. closed cuticles=shiny hair; things like vinegar and cold water close the cuticles.

i've been feeling a little grumpy that your friend made you feel nervous about the way you look! i hope her comment was meant helpfully, and not because she doesn't understand your no 'poo routine.

[tonyalaya]

i've been feeling a little grumpy that your friend made you feel nervous about the way you look! i hope her comment was meant helpfully, and not because she doesn't understand your no 'poo routine.

That's too funny! I didn't appreciate her comment either, but she's going through a difficult time right now so I'm trying to let her snarky comments roll off my back. (This morning it would've rolled right off my hair quite easily! lol!) She's usually not like that, guess the stress makes her critical. She does not understand why I'd want to go no 'poo, but she did know I was doing it so perhaps she was genuinely trying to be helpful. She is from Argentina and has BEAUTIFUL silky shiny thick black hair that is just gorgeous no matter what she does to it. Makes me just green with envy.

Thanks for all the other helpful advice. I truly appreciate you guys taking the time to help me out. I'm thinking of stopping the baking soda for now, my hair tends to be dry and frizz up easily. Can't wait until I have more time to dig into the articles, and let my hair completely air dry to 'type it' and all that fun stuff.

[BlndeInDisguise]

I tried CO, left it on for about 10 or so minutes, but it still felt very oily.

Did you massage it in really well? That helps to lift the greasies off your hair. I've also found that you have to rinse longer with conditioner than you do with shampoo.