My attempt at no poo + my hair care product

Last spring I read a few blogs about the 'no-poo' method. If you haven't heard of that before, don't worry, it isn't gross like it sounds. Basically it's a 'natural' way of cleansing your hair using only baking soda and vinegar. You wait as long as you can during washes and eventually your scalp trains itself to quit producing so much oil. I have a friend in Korea that uses this method and it works fantastic for her hair and she has great results. She just wrote about her hair after 1 year of this method. 

I kept going back and forth on whether or not to do this method and finally this past summer I took the plunge and quit using shampoo. It was ok, for a day or two... See, it was summer. Summer was the time that I started back at crossfit. Our gym has no air con and let me tell you, after a workout, my whole head would be sopping wet in sweat and just the ends of my hair were dry. Not washing my hair after a crossfit workout was absolutely disgusting. I also swam with Dave during the summer and I couldn't 'wash' the chlorine thoroughly out so I often treaded water or swam like a dog in a lame attempt to keep my ahead above water. ha ha! During this period my hair was unbearable. I couldn't brush it wet, couldn't brush it dry it and it felt like straw. 

After about two weeks of washing with baking soda and having straw like hair I decided to try a new routine that worked for my lifestyle. I still liked the idea of occasionally cleansing with baking soda because it really cleanses your scalp (squeaky clean) and removes all those oils and the nasty sweat from working out. I also don't like washing my hair every day. I just don't think it's necessary.

Pureology  |   It's a 10  |  Moroccan Hair Oil  |  Suave Dry Shampoo

So, here is what I do. It works great for me and maybe it will work for you too.

• About once a week I'll wash my hair with shampoo and then give it a good baking soda rinse. I mix 1/2 c. water and 1/2 T of baking soda and massage it into the roots of my hair. I rinse it out well and apply conditioner. 
• When applying conditioner I don't apply any on the roots. It keeps more oils out of there. I only apply conditioner on my roots if it is super super dry outside and my scalp needs the help. It's rare. 
• Morocan Hair Oil - I love this stuff and I think it's worth the money. I put it in my hair after it's been flat ironed. After a few minutes it just feels moisturized but not oily. I have also used coconut oil but it leaves the oil in until you scrub it out. 
• Dry Shampoo - I use dry shampoo for in-between days. I have a Pureology brand and a Suave brand. They both work just fine. If I use a dry shampoo I can often go three days (yes I said three) without washing my hair. I can wear it down for two days and I normally braid it the third. 
• Quality Product - Other than Suave dry shampoo I do use quality products, mainly Pureology. I know not everyone can do this because it is expensive. I'm lucky enough to have a good friend who is a hair dresser so I can get a good discount on product. I will say that products without sulfate make a big difference and you can find plenty of those at Walgreens & Target. 

Overall, I'm happy I tried the no-shampoo method. I know it didn't work long term for me but it opened my eyes to the fact that I can train my hair to only be washed every 2 or 3 days. And let's be real - showering is a pain in my rear so the fact that I can wash my hair less it a huge time saver for me.

That's my hair journey. What's yours? Do you wash your hair daily? Would you ever try a baking soda rinse? Got any good hair tips?