A Lesson in No Pooing

Now before your imagination goes awry and your dinner starts to come back up, let me clarify what I mean by “no poo.” It is not using shampoo, and I have been subscribing to this tactic for nearly one month now. That’s right, I will be officially one month NO POO this Thursday. Why stop using shampoo? I noticed that this winter, by sensitive skin and scalp were worse than ever before. Like many other things, since having my wonderful little blessing 20 months ago, my skin has not recovered.  This winter I noticed that my scalp was itchy to the point of bleeding. It was not pretty. So I switched to organic shampoo and conditioners, as well as my organic soap, facial products and deodorant (and yes, if you’re wondering I do eat Paleo granola and own Birkenstocks).

By the end of January, even the natural products weren’t cutting it any more. I spoke with friends about my itchy, bleeding scalp and a good friend suggested to stop shampooing my hair. I have greasy hair. I have always had greasy hair. The idea of not using shampoo seemed crazy to me, but she promised to bring over what I needed to be successful. She brought over a paste made of water and baking soda and then a spray bottle full of apple cider vinegar (which Mr R promptly dropped and cracked and I had to replace). After my first wash, I quickly realized that I would not easily go without conditioner or detangler. I found that pure Moroccan Argon Oil was a good substitute. Now, nearly a month later, and nearly 6 months since I coloured my hair, my scalp and hair has never looked or felt healthier. I am committed to this No Poo idea and frankly, not sure I really want to use shampoo again, other than when we travel. Here’s some progress pictures taken at 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks.

1 week no poo

2 weeks no poo

3 weeks no poo

For anyone interested in trying No Poo, simply use a baking soda paste (baking soda + water) in place of shampoo and lather as you normally would, and apple cider vinegar in place of conditioner. You can choose to rinse out the apple cider vinegar or leave it in. I rinse it out and then apply pure Moroccan Argon Oil to the ends of my hair before combing.