I haven't used shampoo in two years. No poo and natural hair care has been a very popular topic on my blog. You can find all the resources here in the no poo section.
What is The No Poo Method?
"No Poo" simply means washing your hair without shampoo. Yes, I still wash my hair and no, my hair doesn't stink.
Natural, nourishing, healthy ingredients are what make natural, nourished, healthy hair.
The idea that your hair needs chemicals to be healthy is crazy! And frankly, the commercial shampoo marketers are genius to convince us of that.
One of the main benefits of going without shampoo is that it allows your scalp to develop its own natural oils, which can nourish your hair and keep it moisturized. These oils can also help to reduce dandruff and other scalp irritations.
In addition to healthier hair and scalp, going without shampoo can also save you time and money. You won't have to spend hours washing and styling your hair, and you won't have to spend money on expensive hair care products.
You can learn more about my journey and how I stumbled into the no poo method on my about page here.
Two Year No Poo Update
In my first year of no poo, I used primarily baking soda & apple cider vinegar. It worked fantastic....until it didn't.
See my 1 year update with pictures here.
My hair became very dry with the baking soda & apple cider vinegar. So I decided to start experimenting with a lot more no poo methods (learn about different methods here).
It truly is a trial and error approach to find what your hair needs and what method is best for you. I get a lot (a whole lot) of emails, comments, and questions asking what method someone should use. I honestly cannot answer that. Everyone’s hair needs are so unique and everyone has different desired results. I had to go through the trial and error testing myself to learn what I needed. So have fun with it! Experiment and get creative!
After some trial and error, I found that my hair loves rye flour. Yep, I said flour! I mix a couple tablespoons of rye flour with enough water to make a paste. I wet my hair, massage the rye flour on my scalp and hair. I leave it for a few minutes and rinse. The trick is to be sure your hair is tangle free and to rinse very, very, very well or else you will have flour bits left in your hair.
Here is an overview of my current hair care routine:
- I wash about once every 2-3 weeks.
- I use dry shampoo once or twice in between washes.
- I mostly do a rye flour wash. About once every 3 months I'll do a baking soda & apple cider vinegar wash. Learn more about each method here.
- I do a bentonite clay or coconut oil mask about once a month. I leave for about 20 minutes, rinse, and wash. Learn more about deep conditioning and masks here.
- I use argan oil as a hair serum to tame any stray / frizzy hair. Learn more about argan oil and how I use it here.
- I let my hair air dry whenever possible.
- I “scritch and preen” using a boar bristle brush 2-3 times a week. This is basically massaging your hair for about 5 minutes. Then use the boar bristle brush to distribute the natural oils your hair produces down the shaft of your hair. Learn more about scritching and preening here.
- I use Essential Oils in all my hair care. I add them to the rye flour, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, dry shampoo,clay, and coconut oil. Anytime I wash, condition, or use a mask, I add essential oils. My favorite essential oils for hair include:
- Lavender (soothing)
- Cedarwood (healthy scalp and promotes hair growth)
- Peppermint (healthy scalp and promotes hair growth)
- Rosemary (healthy scalp and promotes hair growth)
- Clary Sage
- Sage
- Basil
- Juniper
- Ylang ylang
- Sandalwood (promotes hair growth)
- Lemon (photosensitive, if you have sun sensitive skin or plan on being in the sun, don't use lemon)
- Cypress
- Rose
- Melrose
- Purification (my favorite essential oil ever!)
- Tea Tree (healthy scalp)
Hold Up....And Then I Got Pregnant
Everything was great with rye flour and the above routine until I got pregnant! And any mama knows that pregnancy results in lots of hormone changes and your hair definitely shows it. I felt like I was going through transition all over again (transition is the period of time when you first go no poo. Your hair is detoxing chemicals and there is an adjustment period. Read more about that here.). It took me a couple months to figure out my new hair. It was just…..different.
Here is what I found my hair needed while pregnant (this is what worked for me. Your hair needs while pregnant will probably be different.):
- More boar bristle brushing. Every day.
- I needed to go back to baking soda & apple cider vinegar as my primary method.
- I could go longer in between washes.
Learn more about my pregnancy and pregnancy tips here.
Pictures of No Poo Hair
More Info on The No Poo Method
Go to the no poo section of the site here for all the no poo information you need. Here are some of my most popular no poo posts:
Get The No Poo Method eBook
No more tears! The No Poo Method eBook is here to save the (bad hair) day! You'll get all the tips & tricks you need to embark on this liberating journey. This step-by-step guide will unlock the secrets to restore your hair's health and unleash its true potential. You'll get all the details on how I cut ties with commercial shampoo and thrived with a natural hair care routine!
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