I’m going back to shampoo.
I gave this a real shot.
I’d been reading about the “no-poo” movement for months before I pulled the trigger. Replace all my shampoo with baking soda? Check! Apple cider vinegar as my new conditioner? Double check! I did it as instructed.
And I have to tell you. It just didn’t work that well.
It was mostly uncomfortable.
Why did I try the no-poo method? I had an itchy scalp and thought this would solve it. And to be fair, it sort of did. Three weeks in and 50% of my itch went away. And before you gross mofos think I’m rocking dandruff, think again. I ain’t no scrub. I take care of mine.
It was just yesterday I realized the weather had changed and that probably affected my scalp. So the probable reality is that the no-poo didn’t do diddly (love that alliteration) for my conditioned scalp. It was just plain old humidity.
The biggest issue I had with it was that my hair never felt clean. I use a little bit of molding creme every day. I toss my messy shit up and back and then to the front. Kidding. But I do use the creme in place of a brush. So, my hair is always a little greasy from that. As such it needs a powerful cleanser every morning. Baking soda doesn’t cut it, as the proponents of the no-poo method claim. You know how when you clean your hair and it squeaks? Baking soda isn’t that powerful. No-poo’ers claim that squeakiness isn’t a sign of cleanliness. But, at least it is an indication that something is happening.
Washing your hair with baking soda is unsatisfying. You put it in a spray bottle and mix with water. You then spray your hair down in the shower. You’ll swear nothing is happening. It just feels like water being sprayed. But supposedly it pulls the grease out of the hair. But like I said before, it doesn’t feel clean. It just feels greasy.
Then you condition with apple cider vinegar, which I’m convinced does nothing. It’s a nice thought and all, to condition with something natural, and it smells amazing, but it just didn’t renew my hair. The baking soda dried out my hair and the vinegar ain’t exactly Kiel’s.
Then I’d put the creme in, but my hair was puffy and dry. It made my hair huge. And I have a lot of hair to begin with. Also a lot of head.
I wanted this to work. I put in a lot of time. It didn’t work for me. So, this morning I grabbed the Bumble and Bumble off the shelf and shampoo’ed my hair for the first time in six months.
It felt. Well… glorious.
Okay, that wasn’t the most manly thing to write, but it really did. It’s the only word that fit. Of course I only know like 500 words total and many of them are just adverbs (adding “ly” to adjectives).
I’m back on the ‘poo. My hair feels healthier, it’s easier to style, and I don’t have to worry about ruining pillowcases because of the oil buildup. Just for a goof today after I conditioned, I reconditioned with the vinegar just for old time sake. No, didn’t feel any more conditioned, but I did smell like a salads for a few moments. Worth it.
Frankie says:
I doubt this applies to you, but I knew a guy whose scalp would itch anytime he ate anything spicy, black pepper included. Kudos to you for giving no ‘pooing a shot.
Kate Hall says:
I’ve wondered about this myself. I’ve read about it and always heard that it worked “gloriously” for everyone. Glad to hear they’re all LIARS. And you meant six weeks, right? At the end there you said you washed for the first time in six months.
Grey says:
Haha, it’s refreshing to read a writeup about natural product use that is, well, honest.
I love the idea of switching to natural products and I’m concerned about the safety of ingredients in the stuff we use, but at the same time, reading reviews of all these alternative products and what they can do and how they can compensate tends to seem a little, I don’t know, biased? Like maybe they don’t always work that well but it’s worth it for the reviewers’ peace of mind anyway?
Mothers little hleper says:
Fabulous! Now I don’t have to bother with trying the natural way, I too have an itchy (not dandruff) scalp and I live in humidity city, Singapore. Grease buildp needs the shampoo!
Melissa says:
I’ve use tea tree shampoo since college; I’ve tried a few brands but, like Paul Mitchell’s version the best. It doesn’t lather all that well and I still use my regular volumizing shampoo after first applying the tea tree shampoo. But, it calms my scalp a lot. I also use it when giving my dogs a bath because it helps calm their skin (the high heat & humidity irritates their skin). They sell a couple of different sizes. The first time I bought it, I opted for the smallest size so I wouldn’t be peeved if it didn’t work. The bonus is that, as you rinse, the tea tree shampoo helps your skin on your face & back too. It’s an antiseptic and treats acne.
Melissa says:
There’s a kick in the crotch…my first sentence references college and I left the ‘d’ off of ‘use’. Other than my failing to type ‘used’ rather than ‘use’, the rest my comment is accurate. Sorry about that.
Alison Dennehy says:
I avoid anything with petrochemicals or sodium lauryl sulphate, have done for years. Now, if we do use shampoos with those in them – even the really expensive ones – our scalps get itchy and flaky and sometimes even scabby. But I don’t fancy not shampooing at all, though I have certainly read about it and it is supposed to be fine. I will stick to the least toxic shampoos I can find and keep the baking soda for the kitchen I think 🙂
Sarah @ Slapdash Mama says:
Oh I’ve thought about ditching the poo but I’m addicted to the squeak! I will stick to my usual squeaky clean self. The best I can do is kind if stretch the days out between pooing. Shampooing that is.
Kat says:
I can’t imagine going without shampoo! The “au natural” thing is nice in some things but my hair would be a big greaseball within 48 hours without a proper wash and would make me nuts
Elizabeth says:
Ahh..Good to know… Baking soda doesn’t work for hair, but it’s great for deodorant (w coconut oil) and also for keeping your teeth white.
I like your concluding sentence. Lol! Thanks for your informative post. Glad I found it. 🙂
Virtuous Pervert says:
Yeah, the whole natural stuff is a nice idea, but I’m not surprised it doesn’t work… I’ll be sticking to shampooing..
Ericamos says:
Thanks for being our human lab rat. I was originally interested in trying this back when you first started, but like you, I have to use hair product to tame my mane, and if the baking soda didn’t clean your short hair, there’s no way it could even begin the penetrate the suck that sits atop my head.
Killian says:
Thank you for being straight up about this – I’d read about it, but my hair gets nasty after a day. All the fashion mags that say to skip a day or two between shampoos have not met my hair.
If your scalp is itchy, get some pure argan oil (NOT a product *with* argan in it) and massage some into your scalp. Sleep on a towel overnight, and shampoo as usual. Do that once every 2 weeks or so and voila. Problem solved.
Brian says:
Just wear a hat… Works for me
Tracy @ Momaical says:
Yeah – I wasn’t buying the whole no poo claim. Baking soda may work wonders on teeth – but my hair needs TLC to look somewhat presentable. Good for you though – you really gave it a long try!
Beth says:
I haven’t been brave enough to go no-poo. The people I know who have… just walk around with greasy-looking (but healthy?) hair. It also sounds like a lot of work from what you say here.
I stopped shampooing daily like 10 years ago- just cutting back to 2-3 times a week improved my hair’s condition.
I also recently started using that “Clear” brand- it’s cheap, but it leaves my hair actually feeling really nice.
Heather says:
I had a friend in high school who tried to do the whole ‘no shampoo’ thing. Apparently she read a book that told her ‘shampoo is bunk! Your hair’s natural oils clean it!’. Unfortunately, she believed it. When her long greasy hair finally got the best of her several weeks hence, it reaffirmed my belief: washing your hair with stuff designed to wash your hair is GOOD.
Jackie says:
Just yesterday I was thinking, “If only I could smell like salad…” — NOT. LOL!
K. Cross says:
Haha, this site always cracks me up. I have dark, thick, naturally curly hair. While I live in the south, and typically only wash my hair once a week, I could never imagine saying that apple cider vinegar smells wonderful.
First Night Design says:
I can’t belieeeeeve you gave it a shot for 6 months. Are you crazy? Still, at least it means we don’t have to! Just followed you back on Twitter, btw.
Danica Pelzel says:
Haha, this is great! I’ve actually been considering shampooing with baking soda to get rid of dandruff naturally. I recently threw out my selsun blue because it definately had some totally unnatural ingredients in it. I’m still on my search to find a more natural dandruff shampoo!
Babs says:
I’ve done the no-poo as well but I didn’t replace it with anything, natural or not. Just agua. Now, don’t freak out everyone, but I actually went without using soap at all for probably 5-6 months as well. I too have a lot of hair, and it’s long, which tends to get greasy very easily and the first week or so was a bit embarrassing, to say the least. But I stuck with it and eventually my hair was soft and clean. Maybe trying only water would help.
Oh, and I don’t not use shampoo anymore. I’m a girl. I want my hair to smell fruity n stuff. But I only wash it a few times a week.