Where are the No Poo people?

[DaSwiss]

I have spent 2 days randomly cruising around trying to find the No Poo threads but I give up. Here's our thread! Post here if you are in the above and need or can give encouragement and advice. This thread is probably going to lend itself to those of us who are in the beginning stages and haven't settled on a method yet.

I'm coming up on 7 days for being Poo free, although I'm 'cheating' and still doing BS and ACV everyday. I think I'm ready to start skipping days, which will be a very big step for me - I've been trying NOT to shampoo my hair everyday for years.....

[systemaurora]

heya! I've been no 'poo for 2 weeks even now. I've used baking soda twice and ACV/lime juice the other three showers I've taken since then. My hair is so waxy and greasy looking sometimes... argh. But my health problems have really improved over the past two weeks, so I definitely think this is a step in the right direction.

Have you joined the LJ community no_poo? There are lots of helpful people there.

[Gumball]

There are random threads around which are no-poo. You can find topics like CO (conditioner only), WO (water only), and even SO (sebum only). Those methodologies don't use 'poo. Technically even those that use baking soda or ACV are no-poo. With that expanded scope of no-poo directions I'm sure you'll be able to find more resources about it! :)

[Poolsoflaughter]

Well, here's the COing thread, which might help. :flower: It'll be alright. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898

[Sapphire'sWings]

I've also started with the baking soda/ acv thing. I still get gunky hair for some reason. Like, there's sticky fuzzy gunk on my brushes. I was told on the WO thread that it is sebum. Still, my scalp issues have improved a lot. No itch, dandruff, or smell issues. :D

[DaSwiss]

Thanks! Is there a BS & ACV thread? Am I doing the right thing by using BS and ACV to wind down to weaning myself off daily showers?

My hair is being weird, so I'm going to have to check out those other threads. It looks FANTASTIC. But, it is feeling a little gunky, maybe thats just a transition? And the roots feel somewhat crunchy which leads me to believe that the BS everyday is just too much and I'll have to start weaning off that too.

Off to look for the other threads! If anyone wants to talk about just BS and ACV, I'm in!

[frizzinator]

Here is the thread for not using water, shampoo or conditioner, but most folks try the WO (water only) method first, and if they don't like it then they might try NW or SO as described in this thread. This thread begins in the archives, but I can't make the link to the older thread work. If you search for it in the archives, it's not too difficult to find.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=144

[Magicknthenight]

When i find a thread i wanna keep an eye on i just go to Thread Tools and suscribe. That way later i can click the down arrow by Quick links and go to all my subscriptions. I'm not sure if you knew this but it may help keep track of all the treads you want to check up on
I hope that helped!:D

[n3m3sis42]

I did no-poo for a little over a year. I loved it, but was seduced by the world of natural shampoo bars back in March (and love that even more).

I was sort of surprised at the lack of no-poo threads on LHC. I second the recommendation for the no_poo community on LiveJournal. That community was quite helpful to me when I was no-poo-ing. :)

[Oskimosa]

I'm here! I'm here! :o

I am on the same thing, no-poo with BS and ACV. Not sure I'm liking it so far, though.. I'd love some support, too. We should really open a no-poo thread HERE at TLHC. I'm certain my hair is simply too greasy for WO and wayyy to much for CO. I have got to wash this mop somehow, and BS and ACV are not quite satisfying my issue with oilyness. From the replies I've seen here and elsewhere, I might not ever get past a greasy scalp with that formula. But I'm certain I want to stay away from sodium laureth sulfates, if not cones as well, and I dont have money to spend on expensive products for my hair. (I have super thick hair so I go through them much quicker than maybe most other people.)

People say good things about shampoo bars, but I've heard they last 20 shampoos and they can run that many dollars. That's a month or less of washes! Yikes!

[DaSwiss]

We can use this as the No Poo thread!

I really think it would be nice to have a central gathering place for ALL no-poos - WO, CO, SO and BS people.

I am thinking about using clay as 'poo'. Oskimosa, have you considered that? I think it would really help combate the greasiness. Also, are you using a Boars Bristle Brush? If so, shake some baby powder in your hair and massage it in for a few minutes, them brush it out. That should get rid of a lot of grease.

This week I am trying to do CO and just BS and ACV every few days. I really would like to get myself down to SO though - only water or CO every few days. That would be a dream for me.

[n3m3sis42]

I'm here! I'm here! :o

I am on the same thing, no-poo with BS and ACV. Not sure I'm liking it so far, though.. I'd love some support, too. We should really open a no-poo thread HERE at TLHC. I'm certain my hair is simply too greasy for WO and wayyy to much for CO. I have got to wash this mop somehow, and BS and ACV are not quite satisfying my issue with oilyness. From the replies I've seen here and elsewhere, I might not ever get past a greasy scalp with that formula. But I'm certain I want to stay away from sodium laureth sulfates, if not cones as well, and I dont have money to spend on expensive products for my hair. (I have super thick hair so I go through them much quicker than maybe most other people.)

People say good things about shampoo bars, but I've heard they last 20 shampoos and they can run that many dollars. That's a month or less of washes! Yikes!

The shampoo bars I use are between $5 and $6 a bar. I have yet to use one up entirely, although I have thinner hair than you do and only wash twice a week.

[n3m3sis42]

I am thinking about using clay as 'poo'. Oskimosa, have you considered that? I think it would really help combate the greasiness. Also, are you using a Boars Bristle Brush? If so, shake some baby powder in your hair and massage it in for a few minutes, them brush it out. That should get rid of a lot of grease.


When I was doing no-poo, I would do a bentonite clay mask once every month or two because I would start to get a bit of greasy scalp. It worked really well, but it was too drying to do more often than that on my hair, which tends towards dryness anyway.

Oskimosa, what was your routine before you went no-poo (and for how long)? There's a "detox period" for a lot of people who stop using detergent-based shampoos (ones with SLS). During that time, it's common to have the greasies.

[Riot Crrl]

We are all over this place lol. I liked CO immediately and had no transition or detox or any problems. I do the Curly Girl style and not the LHC style.

[DaSwiss]

Whats the difference between LHC and CG style of no poo?

[Riot Crrl]

Whats the difference between LHC and CG style of no poo?

CG: Put the conditioner on for a short amount of time, scrub vigorously as if using shampoo, rinse out.

LHC: Put the conditioner on, leave on for a really long time for half an hour or an hour or something, then rinse out.

At least I think that's it.

[Kyamo]

Doesn't the CG method also say to only use a tiny amount of conditioner on the scalp and none on the ends?
If so, theres a third way: use lots of conditioner to saturate the hair, massage it on scalp, leave for 5 mins, massage again and rinse.
Many CO people here (including me) also use a vinegar rinse.

[Riot Crrl]

Doesn't the CG method also say to only use a tiny amount of conditioner on the scalp and none on the ends?
If so, theres a third way: use lots of conditioner to saturate the hair, massage it on scalp, leave for 5 mins, massage again and rinse.
Many CO people here (including me) also use a vinegar rinse.

Well the book says to but I think a lot of us are using more, lol. I actually laughed when I read "a teaspoon." But, that is for the washing part. After that is done and rinsed out (I, anyway) condition the rest. And usually with a different and more heavy conditioner.

I use vinegar rinse too, just not every time, usually once a week.

[Minx]

I've been no-poo for over a year now.
I CO but I do a runnier condish on first like a wash, then do a nicer, thicker condish with some honey and leave that in for 10 or 15mins. Then I rinse with water as cold as I can bare... which is very cold!!

[mira-chan]

:waving: Hi! Herbs only routine for the past year and a half here. ^_^ Not on the OP's list, this method doesn't use commercial shampoo or conditioner. I use mostly Indian herbs and very rarely a bit of ACV.

[harley mama]

I CO most of the time. When I do have to use shampoo, I dilute it first.
My hair has been much happier since I am not washing with harsh
shampoo almost daily like I did before finding LHC!

[Oskimosa]

When I was doing no-poo, I would do a bentonite clay mask once every month or two because I would start to get a bit of greasy scalp. It worked really well, but it was too drying to do more often than that on my hair, which tends towards dryness anyway.

Oskimosa, what was your routine before you went no-poo (and for how long)? There's a "detox period" for a lot of people who stop using detergent-based shampoos (ones with SLS). During that time, it's common to have the greasies.


My routine used to be shampoo and condition every day. Over the past winter, I started skipping days here and there. Then I cut my hair short and barely needed conditioner at all. Then I hennaed and needed to wash and condition even less--I can go to the 3rd day without washing. I started using Garnier Fructis Fortifying Long and Strong and didn't even need a conditioner. Wash every 2-3 days (by the 3rd though i'm so greasy i cant handle having my hair in my face).

For almost 2 weeks I've been doing BS and ACV, using very diluted honey and tea on the ends before the ACV. So far I cant handle the greasiness and refuse to believe putting powder in my hair will make it cleaner! Greasy = dirty + stinky to me. I'm trying to hang in there, though, since I've heard it takes a while to adjust. But I wonder how much of that is just getting used to it? The shampoo bars I've heard leave a sticky residue, but i was curious about the ones from hennaforhair, since they seem to be real nice. But I can't get hooked on an expensive shampoo.

[DaSwiss]

CG: Put the conditioner on for a short amount of time, scrub vigorously as if using shampoo, rinse out.

LHC: Put the conditioner on, leave on for a really long time for half an hour or an hour or something, then rinse out.

At least I think that's it.

See, I am doing niether of these. I am actually pretty much WO for my scalp, and CO for the ends. I don't put C on the scalp. I might, but i just want to leave my scalp alone for a while and see what happens.


:waving: Hi! Herbs only routine for the past year and a half here. ^_^ Not on the OP's list, this method doesn't use commercial shampoo or conditioner. I use mostly Indian herbs and very rarely a bit of ACV.

:o Sorry! I'll edit the OP ;) Herb lovers are definitely welcomed!!!

--

Here is a question for everyone, if anyone has the answer: Are there any LUSH conditioners that anyone has used for CO? I have turned my friend onto NO Poo, but shes a Lush addict so thats one way I can convince her to start. ;)

As for me, I'm on day 10 of No poo! day 3 of WO(scalp)/CO(ends). I put my 7 day pictures in my BLOG. My hair felt pretty greasy this morning so i attempted Snowys massage to draw the grease down and then i had a really hot shower, with a cold rinse. I still kinda felt greasy so i did the baby powder thing. It worked, no grease now, but now it feels a little dry. Also it took FOREVER to brush the baby powder out!

We'll see what happens tomorrow. I am still thinking about using Rassoul clay, or even the German 'Heilerde' here, which is a clay powder. I think i would treat it like its BS though and do a vinegar rinse afterwards. I don't know yet.

[n3m3sis42]

My routine used to be shampoo and condition every day. Over the past winter, I started skipping days here and there. Then I cut my hair short and barely needed conditioner at all. Then I hennaed and needed to wash and condition even less--I can go to the 3rd day without washing. I started using Garnier Fructis Fortifying Long and Strong and didn't even need a conditioner. Wash every 2-3 days (by the 3rd though i'm so greasy i cant handle having my hair in my face).

For almost 2 weeks I've been doing BS and ACV, using very diluted honey and tea on the ends before the ACV. So far I cant handle the greasiness and refuse to believe putting powder in my hair will make it cleaner! Greasy = dirty + stinky to me. I'm trying to hang in there, though, since I've heard it takes a while to adjust. But I wonder how much of that is just getting used to it? The shampoo bars I've heard leave a sticky residue, but i was curious about the ones from hennaforhair, since they seem to be real nice. But I can't get hooked on an expensive shampoo.

My routine before I went no-poo was an SLS shampoo and a coney conditioner about every 3 days. I didn't get very bad greasies at first, but after about 6 weeks of no-poo'ing, I did finally notice a "detox phase". So it can take a while to adjust.

Incidentally, I *never* put powder in my hair. I'm not saying it's bad, but I was scared I wouldn't be able to get it out. :)

...And I use Chagrin Valley shampoo bars and have never had any problem with sticky residue. But people seem to have varied results, and I think that a lot depends on the quality (hardness especially) of your water and how much experimentation you're willing to do to find the right routine. I was one of those lucky freaks for whom they worked immediately (or at least they have so far).

[Afternoonrain]

DaSwiss...have you tried using clay yet? I've been on this two year fling with no shampooing (I've broken down on two occassions, and both times, been sorry that I wasted money :) Now, I usually WO maybe every 3 weeks? Now that it's summer I've been swimming a lot (and really never end up wearing a swim cap.) After swims, I use a whip made of mint tea, clay (usually french green) coconut oil, EO, etc that cleanses and moisturizes.

[Oskimosa]

My routine before I went no-poo was an SLS shampoo and a coney conditioner about every 3 days. I didn't get very bad greasies at first, but after about 6 weeks of no-poo'ing, I did finally notice a "detox phase". So it can take a while to adjust.

Incidentally, I *never* put powder in my hair. I'm not saying it's bad, but I was scared I wouldn't be able to get it out. :)

...And I use Chagrin Valley shampoo bars and have never had any problem with sticky residue. But people seem to have varied results, and I think that a lot depends on the quality (hardness especially) of your water and how much experimentation you're willing to do to find the right routine. I was one of those lucky freaks for whom they worked immediately (or at least they have so far).

I dont think I have hard water, I live in houston and we get water from Mexico. It's pretty toxic stuff but I dont think it's hard. How will that affect shampoo bars for me, do you think? Stickier? And yes, not wanting the powder thing. I want to stay commited to no sulfates, dont really care about cones, and want to satisfy my cheap side. But I just washed my hair with BS and ACV today and still feel MEGAgreasy. I still have shampoo in the house... ugh.. temptation! :(


DaSwiss...have you tried using clay yet? I've been on this two year fling with no shampooing (I've broken down on two occassions, and both times, been sorry that I wasted money :) Now, I usually WO maybe every 3 weeks? Now that it's summer I've been swimming a lot (and really never end up wearing a swim cap.) After swims, I use a whip made of mint tea, clay (usually french green) coconut oil, EO, etc that cleanses and moisturizes.

I must be missing something... how do you wash with clay? Im assuming you're not talking about the clay pellets like you use for cat litter.. right? :p

[DaSwiss]

Incidentally, I *never* put powder in my hair. I'm not saying it's bad, but I was scared I wouldn't be able to get it out. :)


I can validate that fear. It works like a charm, but I think if you have A LOT of grease, not just a mild swvitzing, it takes a while to get it out. I did it yesterday and I was brushing FOREVER. I might do it again today though, just to see if it happened yesterday just because i had some grease build up or something.



DaSwiss...have you tried using clay yet? I've been on this two year fling with no shampooing (I've broken down on two occassions, and both times, been sorry that I wasted money :) Now, I usually WO maybe every 3 weeks? Now that it's summer I've been swimming a lot (and really never end up wearing a swim cap.) After swims, I use a whip made of mint tea, clay (usually french green) coconut oil, EO, etc that cleanses and moisturizes.

I haven't tried the clay yet but your formula sounds LOVELY! I bet the mint tea is nice and refreshing.





I must be missing something... how do you wash with clay? Im assuming you're not talking about the clay pellets like you use for cat litter.. right? :p

I don't know what clay pellets are, but ours comes in a powder. I saw they also have some on amazon and i think its like a clay mask. No matter, you can mix a little or a lot of water and make as thick or thin consistency as you want - so you can make it like a shampoo, or like a paste and use it just like you would CO, BS, or even regular shampoo. I haven't done it yet, i just had a friend recommend it so now I'm intriqued. Clay has amazing binding properties to whatever SHOULDNT be there. So it won't strip your hair like shampoo but it should take away some of the excess. Native Americans have been using it for hundreds of years for cleaning hair and face, and also for internal ailments. They actually sell it here in the grocery store, I used to mix it with water and drink it for pregnancy heart burn and its way more effective than any medication!

[n3m3sis42]

I dont think I have hard water, I live in houston and we get water from Mexico. It's pretty toxic stuff but I dont think it's hard. How will that affect shampoo bars for me, do you think? Stickier? And yes, not wanting the powder thing. I want to stay commited to no sulfates, dont really care about cones, and want to satisfy my cheap side. But I just washed my hair with BS and ACV today and still feel MEGAgreasy. I still have shampoo in the house... ugh.. temptation! :(


What ratio of baking soda to water are you using? I hesitate to tell you to use more baking soda because it can be drying if you use too much. But there was this one girl on the no_poo LiveJournal community that suggested that the commonly used ratio of 1 tbsp BS to 1 cup water was actually too high, so I tried decreasing to half of that as she suggested (out of curiosity). This was well past my detox phase, and I was only washing once a week at the time, so I don't think my natural oils were being stripped to the point that my scalp was producing tons of oil. When I decreased my BS ratio, it felt like my hair NEVER got clean. I gave it a couple of weeks and went back to 1 tbsp of BS per one cup of water. Just a thought.




I must be missing something... how do you wash with clay? Im assuming you're not talking about the clay pellets like you use for cat litter.. right? :p

I have powdered bentonite clay that can be mixed with water to make a mask for your face or hair.

Here are the instructions I follow when I mix up the clay:
http://www.eytonsearth.org/preparing-powdered-clay.php



I can validate that fear. It works like a charm, but I think if you have A LOT of grease, not just a mild swvitzing, it takes a while to get it out. I did it yesterday and I was brushing FOREVER. I might do it again today though, just to see if it happened yesterday just because i had some grease build up or something.


Good to know, and thank you for sharing. Considering the number of times I've ended up with oil all over my hair when I tried to do an oiling and got carried away, I'm guessing it's better if I don't put any powder on my head. :)

[Oskimosa]

What ratio of baking soda to water are you using? I hesitate to tell you to use more baking soda because it can be drying if you use too much. But there was this one girl on the no_poo LiveJournal community that suggested that the commonly used ratio of 1 tbsp BS to 1 cup water was actually too high, so I tried decreasing to half of that as she suggested (out of curiosity). This was well past my detox phase, and I was only washing once a week at the time, so I don't think my natural oils were being stripped to the point that my scalp was producing tons of oil. When I decreased my BS ratio, it felt like my hair NEVER got clean. I gave it a couple of weeks and went back to 1 tbsp of BS per one cup of water. Just a thought.


Yes, I'm using the 1 tbsp BS to 1cup water. And for the ACV, I do 3 tbspns of it for 2 cups of water.

And I was bad last night... My hair was so chunked in oil and gunk.. I was just scratching my scalp for about an hour getting white junk off and in my nails. I was so grossed out.. So I bailed and SHAMPOOED with my sulfate-conie Fructis!! :wail: oh well. It just feels so good to be clean.. I dont know what I am going to do with myself. I really hate being greasy. My skin and hair have always been greasy. I'm going to have to stick with shampoo, I think. Just.. something natural. Gotta find something without all the chemicals.

[DaSwiss]

I think its ok to shampoo once in a while if you just can't take it anymore. Then its more like a gradual weaning. Maybe see if you can go that long again!

I think i am at 12 days now, but i had a small, diluted shampoo (just from a leftover hotel shampoo - and it was no poo and made of Quinoa :p) on day 7. I still consider my 'No Poo' lifestye to have started 12 days ago though. :cool:

[freznow]

I haven't used poo in a year and a half. 8)

No commercial products in a year, and I went on an 11 month stint of just WO and SO. Now I'm making my own with herbs and stuff. They make me feel like a mad scientist and a (clean) swamp monster all at the same time!

[DaSwiss]

I haven't used poo in a year and a half. 8)

No commercial products in a year, and I went on an 11 month stint of just WO and SO. Now I'm making my own with herbs and stuff. They make me feel like a mad scientist and a (clean) swamp monster all at the same time!


ooohh! I want to be you! I'm going to continue with CO for a while and see if i can work my way to WO and SO. What was your 'routine' like when you did that - ie. WO how often compared to SO? How often are you washing with herbs now? Whats in your herb repertoire? So many questions!

I was thinking about using ground flax seed as a once-every-few-weeks-when hair starts feeling heavy scrub. But i haven't looked into it yet. Maybe clay and flaxseed.

[n3m3sis42]

Yes, I'm using the 1 tbsp BS to 1cup water. And for the ACV, I do 3 tbspns of it for 2 cups of water.

And I was bad last night... My hair was so chunked in oil and gunk.. I was just scratching my scalp for about an hour getting white junk off and in my nails. I was so grossed out.. So I bailed and SHAMPOOED with my sulfate-conie Fructis!! :wail: oh well. It just feels so good to be clean.. I dont know what I am going to do with myself. I really hate being greasy. My skin and hair have always been greasy. I'm going to have to stick with shampoo, I think. Just.. something natural. Gotta find something without all the chemicals.

Some people say they get the greasies from using too much ACV. I use 2 tbsp ACV per 1 cup and that seems to be more than a lot of people use. If you do still decide to try this again, maybe try cutting down the ACV and see if that helps?

If you do decide to go back to shampoo, then I hope you find a great natural one that works for you. :D

[n3m3sis42]

I haven't used poo in a year and a half. 8)

No commercial products in a year, and I went on an 11 month stint of just WO and SO. Now I'm making my own with herbs and stuff. They make me feel like a mad scientist and a (clean) swamp monster all at the same time!

I've only seen your hair in your siggy pics, but if the current siggy pic was taken after you switched to herb washing, it looks like it's a lot happier with that than it was with SO. Yay you! :D

[Igor]

In the last 4 years or so I have used shampoo maybe a handful of times. It took a long time to get my scalp used to it but now WO and CO is enough to keep my scalp and hair happy and clean :D

[tiny_teesha]

I use herbs :) I stuff up and use shampoo diluted every now and again to get my mother off my back, but otherwise herbs are great :) Though i'm STILL trying to find the perfect method to use it....:rollseyes:

[Oskimosa]

I think its ok to shampoo once in a while if you just can't take it anymore. Then its more like a gradual weaning. Maybe see if you can go that long again!

I think i am at 12 days now, but i had a small, diluted shampoo (just from a leftover hotel shampoo - and it was no poo and made of Quinoa :p) on day 7. I still consider my 'No Poo' lifestye to have started 12 days ago though. :cool:

Maybe that's a good idea, I should clarify like once a week and bs and acv the rest of the time. As it is, I've been getting in the pool alot lately and feel the need to wash at least lightly after a swim. I'm trying to find out everything I can about shampoo bars, since I dont have hard water maybe they'll work for me.


Some people say they get the greasies from using too much ACV. I use 2 tbsp ACV per 1 cup and that seems to be more than a lot of people use. If you do still decide to try this again, maybe try cutting down the ACV and see if that helps?

If you do decide to go back to shampoo, then I hope you find a great natural one that works for you. :D


Then again not using enough wont detangle well. I think I had a spoonful to a cup of water and it didn't feel like i had done much other than make my hair stink. Usually I used 3 tblspns and 2 cups of water. I once left out the honey and tea on the ends and my hair felt quite dry on the ends. But using even LESS bs will clean my hair even less, correct? It's rather uneven. Roots super greasy, ends somewhat crunchy. Tsk tsk. N3m3sis, you are quite fond of the CV shampoo bars, right? Do you think they might work for me?

[WritingPrincess]

I'm slowly weaning my hair off of shampoo, and I'm still washing every night. I think Monday night I'll start doing WO every third night. This way I don't get the O/O (otter in an oilslick) look, which I hate. I'm trying to go completely WO, but I'm taking my time. When I get up to 'poo once a week, I'll leave off entirely. Too bad that my friend gave me a whole bottle of 'poo for my birthday. :)

[n3m3sis42]

Then again not using enough wont detangle well. I think I had a spoonful to a cup of water and it didn't feel like i had done much other than make my hair stink. Usually I used 3 tblspns and 2 cups of water. I once left out the honey and tea on the ends and my hair felt quite dry on the ends. But using even LESS bs will clean my hair even less, correct? It's rather uneven. Roots super greasy, ends somewhat crunchy. Tsk tsk. N3m3sis, you are quite fond of the CV shampoo bars, right? Do you think they might work for me?

I *love* the CV bars. I can't remember if you already mentioned this earlier in the thread--do you have hard water? A lot of people who have hard water seem to have trouble with the CV bars (and maybe shampoo bars in general, but I'm not sure). I think it's worth reading up on some of the ginormous shampoo bar thread here and maybe asking a few questions over there.

Also, there's a really good article by Calista on shampoo bars:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=4

[curls2grow]

I'm a no-poo-er. Or a CO-er. But I confess that when I go every 8 weeks for a trim my HD does use shampoo and it has not been a setback at all.

[Oskimosa]

I really don't think I have hard water. I live in Houston, TX, and we get our water piped in from no-place-special in Mexico. (When I first moved here, I think I got sick while adjusting to the water! No wonder!) It's also quite hot and humid here. And thanks a bunch for the article, I'll read it right now.

[freznow]

ooohh! I want to be you! I'm going to continue with CO for a while and see if i can work my way to WO and SO. What was your 'routine' like when you did that - ie. WO how often compared to SO? How often are you washing with herbs now? Whats in your herb repertoire? So many questions!

I was thinking about using ground flax seed as a once-every-few-weeks-when hair starts feeling heavy scrub. But i haven't looked into it yet. Maybe clay and flaxseed.

I classified myself as WO for about 3 months last year, and the rinses would be either every other day down to about twice a week. It was a little more freeing in WO, because I could rinse 'whenever' and not feel bad about messing up my schedule or over cleansing or anything.

Then I swithed to SO. Honestly my hair didn't feel much different than when it did WO, so I stuck with it. You can find a lot of my posts (and others) in the NW/SO thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=144) and some of it in my blog. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?u=9098) I had one rinse in that 8 month time frame. But then I got itchy fingers, and now I'm in herbs.

So far I've tried hibiscus, cassia (which while being conditioning is also pretty darn good at cleaning!), fenugreek, and my favorite of all, soapwort. I'm going to try yucca eventually. I got all the herbs at herbco.com, they have good prices and decent stock. Basically, I just put the powdered herbs in a bottle with warm water, shake, apply to hair, wait a bit (~10 min), rinse! Sometimes it doesn't work out as well as I wish, other times it's great.


I've only seen your hair in your siggy pics, but if the current siggy pic was taken after you switched to herb washing, it looks like it's a lot happier with that than it was with SO. Yay you! :D

Thank you! Yeah, that's after a soapwort wash! It's happier, but finickier. On SO I could count on it being pretty much the same every day. Now it has moods :rolleyes: like it will be nice and pretty and clean when I don't need it to be, but the minute I have some important picture taking event...!

[n3m3sis42]

Thank you! Yeah, that's after a soapwort wash! It's happier, but finickier. On SO I could count on it being pretty much the same every day. Now it has moods :rolleyes: like it will be nice and pretty and clean when I don't need it to be, but the minute I have some important picture taking event...!

I feel that way about my hair sometimes, too. It's nearly always nice since I've been using shampoo bars, but as soon as I actually *want* it to look nice for something it, um, rebels.

[Oskimosa]

So I guess I'm back on board this no-poo stuff until I get my shampoo bars from CV. I have got to say this:

When I chickened out and shampooed with my old favorite Garnier Fructis Long and Strong, my hair was FURIOUS. It was crunchy, flyaways were everywhere, it felt dry and the color (henna!) looked dull and there was no shine! Wow! Although the greasiness wasn't there, I guess the buildup of cones was the only reason my hair looked so good!

I washed last night with BS and ACV and slept on it wet. It is rather happy today.

This has been so enlightening to me. I'm going to keep up with the BS and ACV until i get too greasy and then just clarify. I upped the amount of honey in my rinse for the ends diluted with tea, and that seems to help a bit conditioning my ends.

[n3m3sis42]

So I guess I'm back on board this no-poo stuff until I get my shampoo bars from CV. I have got to say this:

When I chickened out and shampooed with my old favorite Garnier Fructis Long and Strong, my hair was FURIOUS. It was crunchy, flyaways were everywhere, it felt dry and the color (henna!) looked dull and there was no shine! Wow! Although the greasiness wasn't there, I guess the buildup of cones was the only reason my hair looked so good!

I washed last night with BS and ACV and slept on it wet. It is rather happy today.

This has been so enlightening to me. I'm going to keep up with the BS and ACV until i get too greasy and then just clarify. I upped the amount of honey in my rinse for the ends diluted with tea, and that seems to help a bit conditioning my ends.

This is really interesting to hear. I gave up both SLS and cones at the exact same time and have never used either one again (since March 2007). So to this day, I'm still not sure which one my hair doesn't like. Although I'm thinking it might not have liked either one, because it never looked "good" when I used shampoo and conditioner. It looked "okay", but it was horrifically frizzy a lot of the time.

Oh, and maybe this isn't an appropriate place to ask, but I'm dying to know what CV bars you ordered. If you don't want to hijack the thread by answering that here, maybe you could make a post about it on the shampoo bar thread? :D

[DaSwiss]

No no, go ahead and discuss products in here too! Thats kinda why I wanted the thread - to find out what people are doing, using, etc. I am kind of interested to see what the semi-poo people use for their 'once in a while' shampoo. I have used tiny amounts of Johnsons baby shampoo, but just once now. I'm not sure what im going to do yet.


When I chickened out and shampooed with my old favorite Garnier Fructis Long and Strong, my hair was FURIOUS. It was crunchy, flyaways were everywhere, it felt dry and the color (henna!) looked dull and there was no shine! Wow! Although the greasiness wasn't there, I guess the buildup of cones was the only reason my hair looked so good!

I washed last night with BS and ACV and slept on it wet. It is rather happy today.

This has been so enlightening to me. I'm going to keep up with the BS and ACV until i get too greasy and then just clarify. I upped the amount of honey in my rinse for the ends diluted with tea, and that seems to help a bit conditioning my ends.

This is exactly me.

[Oskimosa]

This is really interesting to hear. I gave up both SLS and cones at the exact same time and have never used either one again (since March 2007). So to this day, I'm still not sure which one my hair doesn't like. Although I'm thinking it might not have liked either one, because it never looked "good" when I used shampoo and conditioner. It looked "okay", but it was horrifically frizzy a lot of the time.

Oh, and maybe this isn't an appropriate place to ask, but I'm dying to know what CV bars you ordered. If you don't want to hijack the thread by answering that here, maybe you could make a post about it on the shampoo bar thread? :D

I would love to.. I was DROOLING over that site! I can't waaait for them to get here; trying to schedule a clarifying before I use them. I got: Summer Sunshine, full size, because I'm really thinking it will work for me. The rest, samples of: Babassu and Marsh Mallow, Carrot Milk and Honey (not sure that one will work, but I wanna try anyhow), Mocha Java Lip Butter Balm, Chocolate Almond Soap (may use as conditioner), Java Spice soap, Orange Creamsicle soap, and Three Butter Lotion bar. All the other shampoo bars I wanted to try were out of stock, so I'll get more the next time around.


No no, go ahead and discuss products in here too! Thats kinda why I wanted the thread - to find out what people are doing, using, etc. I am kind of interested to see what the semi-poo people use for their 'once in a while' shampoo. I have used tiny amounts of Johnsons baby shampoo, but just once now. I'm not sure what im going to do yet.



This is exactly me.

I am so glad I'm not alone on that weird reaction. My hair really calmed down after the BS ACV cleansing. I guess the sulfates are getting too rough on my hair and only silicones were "protecting" it. But you have to get a thick buildup for that to happen. Yuck!

[Oskimosa]

Sorry, I have to update my hair again.. This is getting to be a frustrating wait. My hair was ok yesterday but I knew I had to clarify before jumping in to the poo bars. SO, today we took my nephew down to the complex pool, very nice and fun and all, but I forgot to wet my hair down first. I couldnt believe the matted tangled mess my hair turned into. It had NEVER done that at a pool before! Then again, my rutine was majorly out of whack.

So after an hour in the water, I went to shower and clarified with sulfates only, no cones. UGH! Even though I conditioned the length with honey and tea and finished with an ACV rinse, my hair was barely untangled. It looked like a frizzy matted mass... as if I constantly dyed it and washed with cheap harsh shampoos and never conditioned it! To top it all off, I have no body! The roots are flat and lifeless while the length is poofed and all. Yuck! I've got to ponytail this mess back until those bars get here.

[DaSwiss]

Ooohh, that sounds bad. I always try to put my hair in braids before i go into the pool so i don't have to worry about tangles, but even when i do that, its still really crappy afterwards.

Right now, my hair is in a great mood. Its super shiney and really appears thicker. If i was brutally honest though, i would also call it greasy, but its hard to say. It doesn't seem like greasy, bad - just that its not a dry mess that it used to be and I'm still adjusting. I braided it last night and my DH said 'whats up with your hair, it looks so shiny and healthy'. That is HUGE because DH never notices crap like that. :rolleyes:

[Magrat]

So glad I found a no 'poo thread!

I went no 'poo about 8 months ago and since then I've only had schampoo in my hair once and that was at a salon, but even that one was not too harsh, the only cleansing ingredient was akryl poly glycoside.
I wash my hair about twice a week. WO once a week and either CO (with a conditioner I make myself) or clay or egg the other time.
Rinse with cold water, occationally I have an ACV-mix for a last rinse as well.
My hair is less frizzy these days and I have begun to think more about it, in general taking more care of it now than before.

Oh, and I've never ever washed my hair every day, but every other day even when I used schampoo. I had a transition period of maybe three months when I went no 'poo before I was comfortable and not greasy.

[DaSwiss]

Magrat, I see you are in Europe - where do you get your clay from? I was thinking about just getting the German 'HeilErde' but i didnt know if there was one more specifically suited for hair.

[Magrat]

Magrat, I see you are in Europe - where do you get your clay from? I was thinking about just getting the German 'HeilErde' but i didnt know if there was one more specifically suited for hair.
I have tried two kinds.
The first I used was a fine powder from Crearome (http://www.crearome.se/default.asp?ProductNr=4100&ProductID=323824&bargain=0&ProductGroupID=14249) a marvellous (but pricey) place that sell natural oils, essenses and other things that you can use to make your own hair- and skincare products.
The other (that I have right now) are small pieces of clay from a company called Urtekram, which is Danish I think but they are available in most health-stores in Sweden and some net-shops as well, like this one: http://www.bodystore.com/cgi-bin/ibutik/AIR_ibutik.fcgi?Avd=3&funk=visa_artikel&artnr=A3571
HTH

[jivete]

I've been no poo since February. I started off with BS & ACV and didn't like it. I then went to a combination of WO and Indian herbs and clay poo. That was working pretty well, expect I had a hard time getting enough moisture. When I used CO to get out the henna, I fell in love and haven't went back. I "wash" every other day and I'm thinking about alternating between the CO and Shikakai/Amla mix and maybe WO (well with conditioner on the length). My hair is fine and actually cleans pretty easily. I do worry that the CO is leaving too much build-up on my scalp, but the results are so much more consistent than any of the other methods I've tried. I probably just need to exfoliate my scalp every couple weeks. I've been meaning to, I just keep forgetting to bring the brown sugar to the bathroom...

Oh and I think people tend to get confused about what hard water is. It's just excess of certain minerals (Calcium and Magnesium I believe) and is not harmful to people, just hot water heaters and soap. Texas has some of the hardest water in the US and I would imagine water from Mexico would be the same. It costs money to treat hard water and has 0 health benefits. Here's an explanation & link to map.

http://water.usgs.gov/owq/Explanation.html

[fizbobunny]

That's a great hardness explanation.

Yep, hard water is bad for soap. When I lived in Louisiana with hard water I had to use more than the recommended amount to wash clothes. Now I live in Mississippi and I use half the recommended amount cause I have soft water. Those foam soaps work great for me too, like the foaming dish soap. My mom tried it (she still lives in Louisiana) and she had to use so much that she switched back to regular dish soap.

[n3m3sis42]

I would love to.. I was DROOLING over that site! I can't waaait for them to get here; trying to schedule a clarifying before I use them. I got: Summer Sunshine, full size, because I'm really thinking it will work for me. The rest, samples of: Babassu and Marsh Mallow, Carrot Milk and Honey (not sure that one will work, but I wanna try anyhow), Mocha Java Lip Butter Balm, Chocolate Almond Soap (may use as conditioner), Java Spice soap, Orange Creamsicle soap, and Three Butter Lotion bar. All the other shampoo bars I wanted to try were out of stock, so I'll get more the next time around.

I have all three of those, but I haven't tried Summer Sunshine yet. It's supposed to be somewhat cleansing, and my hair has been on the drier side lately so I'm waiting to try it until it's in a more oily phase. :D

Of the other two, Marsh Mallow and Babassu was nice, but I could only use it one or two washes in a row or I felt like my hair was too limp (because it's a pretty moisturizing bar). It's really weird; my hair is on the dry side, but because it's rather fine and sort of thin (and maybe because my length has some damage, but I don't know), it gets weighted down easily by moisturizing products. The Carrot Milk and Honey was good but, on my hair, not the best out of the bars I have used.

I can't wait to hear how these work out for you! :)

[Oskimosa]

Texas has some of the hardest water in the US and I would imagine water from Mexico would be the same. It costs money to treat hard water and has 0 health benefits. Here's an explanation & link to map.

http://water.usgs.gov/owq/Explanation.html

D'oh!

I guess I'll find out soon enough.


I have all three of those, but I haven't tried Summer Sunshine yet. It's supposed to be somewhat cleansing, and my hair has been on the drier side lately so I'm waiting to try it until it's in a more oily phase. :D

Of the other two, Marsh Mallow and Babassu was nice, but I could only use it one or two washes in a row or I felt like my hair was too limp (because it's a pretty moisturizing bar). It's really weird; my hair is on the dry side, but because it's rather fine and sort of thin (and maybe because my length has some damage, but I don't know), it gets weighted down easily by moisturizing products. The Carrot Milk and Honey was good but, on my hair, not the best out of the bars I have used.

I can't wait to hear how these work out for you! :)

I find it so strange that Marsh Mallow and Babassu is so moisturizing since Ida reccommends it for people with oily hair. That's why I bought it. Maybe she figures that people's scalps are oily because of the harsh cleansers they use, and that the quickest way to remedy it is with lots of moisture?

[n3m3sis42]

I find it so strange that Marsh Mallow and Babassu is so moisturizing since Ida reccommends it for people with oily hair. That's why I bought it. Maybe she figures that people's scalps are oily because of the harsh cleansers they use, and that the quickest way to remedy it is with lots of moisture?

I think that's the theory, yes. So if you have oily hair because that's just the way your hair is, then it may not work for you, but if you have oily hair because your scalp is really stripped and overproducing oil, then it should help.

Or something like that. Marsh Mallow and Babassu is not as moisturizing as Olive Babassu, which my hair could not handle at all the first time I tried it. When my hair is in a dry phase it works nicely for me, though. :)

[Oskimosa]

Ok, so last nite I was worried about drying my hair out so I used the Babassu and Marsh Mallow one, and also the chocolate almond for my body. The choc almond smelt nice, but other than that, nothing so special as far as I can tell. The Babassu and Marsh Mallow, though, REALLY smelt nice. I loved the woody, oak, cedar, sandalwood thing going on.. Like bathing in a forest river or something! Yum. Anyhow, I washed my hair twice, got a bit of a better lather the second time but overall like washing too oily of hair with too little soap. But my hair came out feeling squeaky clean but soft and completely untangled. Weird.

I slept on it wet, and this morning I don't have the usual poofiness and sometimes wild waviness associated with it, so I'm glad for that cause I've got somewhere to be and don't want to resort to flat ironing anymore. But I wonder if it will look oily and stringy later. I'll check back. This may be a winter time bar for me to kill static and add moisture, but I'm still glad I didn't use something too drying. My scalp is fed up with that.

[roxyhead]

I have a couple of these, I *think* it was the Babassu and Marshmallow that was the best in my really hard Toronto water, the Summer Sunshine kinda ok, and the Rosemary and somethingorother the sticky nasty mess. I haven't used any of them in a while since they redid the shower and we took the filter off the showerhead, because things'd probably be worse now. Though I think the filter was mostly just for chlorine. The water here is basically liquid rock, though I was trying to rinse with rainwater as well.

I do like the Mocha Java lip balm a lot...that stuff's gotta have caffeine in it, and I travel with the shampoo bars. Other people's water is better than mine.

[Oskimosa]

Afternoon update on babassu and marshmallow poo bar and my hair...

It does NOT feel greasy, which is a huge relief. That means it is not going to turn my head into a greasball. No, it actually just feels like I used too much or too heavy of a conditioner. My scalp actually feels normal and happy, my length is still a bit dry but kindof weighed down by product in a non-greasy way. WEIRD. Here's some pics:
http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/roots.jpg Roots don't arc as high as normal, though its not flat as if they were greasy from not washing. Yay! Achem excuse my lack of recent henna-ing.
http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/bangs.jpg See the limpness is not bad, it just looks sleek.
http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/length.jpg To me, it just doesn't look as shiny and isn't as soft as it could be (like with cones.) However I fully anticipate that repeated use could remedy that. And I think that is a really realistic shot of my henna color and got it not to 'flare' at the camera! Yay! But look how boring it looks :p

ETA: My mirror is also really dirty, sorry, should've wiped it down first, makes it look like there is dust/dirt or something in my hair.

Oh and heehee this shot of my roots makes it look like I'm going bald http://www.geocities.com/kornroses/bald.jpg Haha DANG BLONDE ROOTS!!

[nostalgic]

Hi! I'm a newbie and I've recently gone no 'poo (a couple of weeks). I used to s&c every day/every other day but now I use bs every few days and acv afterwards and sometimes in between. I guess I'm sort of looking for reinforcement: am I doing it "right"? I'm worried about the bs damaging my hair if I use it too much... is that possible? I also want to learn more about the oils I can use in my hair: can anyone give me some guidance on that? Thanks in advance!

[Oskimosa]

Well, at the risk of running you off by interrogation, theres alot more to it than that! Whats your hair type, you haven't fill those in.. And how is your hair behaving? Unruly and disobedient, submissive and listless, or rather typical? You're going to have to gauge what it wants from you and answer it's enigmatic requests. As you can see from my frequent whinings here and pictures, it's not like I have it down yet but I can tell you we'll get there.

[nostalgic]

ha! sorry, I guess information would help... I posted something similar on the newbie board... my hair is straight but because I'm growing out A LOT of layers, it tends to flip out in odd directions now :(. It's about chin length and I'm pretty sure it's on the thin side of average. And yes, I figured my routine couldn't be that easy haha. Well, I'm kind of trying to get back to basics by using only natural products (bs, acv, herbs, oils, cassia, etc). Currently it doesn't really feel any different than it did while I was doing S&C except now it doesn't get as greasy as fast and it really does behave better. That said, I guess I'm paranoid about moisture because I *think* that it runs towards the dry side (on my ends). Basically I'm trying to curtail any damage there now because it's going to take sooo long to grow the layers out and I'll wind up trimming it all even at some point and I'd like that point to be later rather than sooner :)...

[Oskimosa]

ha! sorry, I guess information would help... I posted something similar on the newbie board... my hair is straight but because I'm growing out A LOT of layers, it tends to flip out in odd directions now :(. It's about chin length and I'm pretty sure it's on the thin side of average. And yes, I figured my routine couldn't be that easy haha. Well, I'm kind of trying to get back to basics by using only natural products (bs, acv, herbs, oils, cassia, etc). Currently it doesn't really feel any different than it did while I was doing S&C except now it doesn't get as greasy as fast and it really does behave better. That said, I guess I'm paranoid about moisture because I *think* that it runs towards the dry side (on my ends). Basically I'm trying to curtail any damage there now because it's going to take sooo long to grow the layers out and I'll wind up trimming it all even at some point and I'd like that point to be later rather than sooner :)...

Well, then, yay! And welcome, and all that. I hope you feel as welcome as I did. I'm kindof new too, although I'm trying to catch up by reading every bit I can. This forum may completely overturn everything you thought you knew about hair.. It did for me, anyways. I used to shy away from all-natural things and you know.. pretty much judge it all as 'hippy stuff'. But now, I feel so differently.

I'm so glad your hair is behaving better! Mine was about to start a revolution and uprise against me. Right now it's sortof just eyeing me warily...

Anyhow, if your hair is on the dry side, no poo may be just right for you. It's pretty much a process of elimination finding out what your hair likes and wants, and you seem to be on the right track. Check some of the threads about oilings or other treatments people use to keep their ends happy. So far, I just stumbled on the catnip thread.. can't wait to see where that goes!