No More 'Poo

I just found this article tonight about ditching your shampoo. Check it out here. It was quite intriguing to a mom that has been getting more and more "natural" since her son was born 15 months ago. So I did a little looking around and came across this article here. It really made me think. I mean, I knew shampoos have chemicals in them, etc. but I never really thought much about it. Then I got to the part about zinc pyrithione (the stuff in those dandruff shampoos, which hubby and I do use occasionally) and how toxic & deadly a small amount can be and I decided that it is time to get rid of that! Yikes! And then the article mentioned how all these chemicals get washed into the rivers and bodies of water, etc...and I know all that, but now I am paying attention! We have a septic system and a well so that hits close to home! AND we live right next to a creek so I really don't want to be contributing to polluting our water and hurting the wildlife. And not just with shampoo, etc, but that extends to household cleaners, etc.

So anyway, the more I am researching this whole "No Shampoo" thing, the more excited I am becoming about it. Here is another good article I found about it. I think I am going to try it. I am going to post pics too, because I really haven't found too many (there are a couple in the first linked article, on MSNBC). So you all get to follow my "experiment" and I promise I will be totally truthful about it! I read that it can take between 2 weeks to 2 months for your scalp to readjust its oil production, etc. so you will probably get to enjoy some lovely icky hair pics. And, my hair is quite long, so I am going to have to decide if I will cut it in the next day or two, to reduce tangling and just for an altogether fresh start. I shampooed & conditioned my hair today (usually do every other day) so I will take my beginning pic tomorrow. So no more shampoo for Ali!

Oh, one more thing, in my short research, I read that coarse, thicker, wavy/curly hair can have better results with no shampoo (but I did find some people with soft straight hair that said they loved their results). My hair is pretty much like that. I have always had a problem with it being thick, frizzy and a little wavy, but not enough to look good so I straighten it or wear it in a ponytail or clip. I also have itchy scalp problems and I read that will go away too. I even found where people were saying their frizzy/slightly wavy hair ended up having a very nice natural wave to it. I am very hopeful!

You DO still wash your hair but the way you do it is with baking soda and occasionally apple cider vinegar. Or you can use only conditioner every couple days. I am going to try the baking soda to start with. All you do is dissolve about 1 teaspoon baking soda in enough water to make a paste and then massage it into your scalp. Then you let it sit for a bit and then rinse it out. You can follow with the apple cider vinegar (or lemon or lime juice if that is not satisfactory) rinse for the ends of your hair a couple times a week. I don't think I will do the ACV, at least not to start, mostly because I don't have any at the moment. I will let you know if I decide to use it. Alright, that is it for now, wish me luck!