A Week Without Shampoo.... On Purpose?

 So, Now You Know I've Stopped Using Shampoo....

And You've Been Asking Questions

Well, let me go ahead and answer a few of the questions I've gotten in person, for the few of you that indulge me in reading about my silliness.  First, Yes, my hair is clean!  I do wash it only 1-3 times per week, but I rinse it with water every time I shower.  I use the baking soda (BS) and apple cider venigar (ACV) rinses 2-3 times a week right now.  Yes, my hair WAS oily/greasy for awhile.  But after doing a more concentrated BS paste wash (thick paste, scrubbed in at scalp, rather than using a rinse) twice in one week, it helped clear it up.  This lasted a grueling 6 weeks for me, but its done now.  I think if I had started with the paste it would have been a shorter transition period.  Anyway, I survived by doing a lot of messy buns, hair scarves and ponytails. Now, my air feels much better.  More on that below.  

Recipes:

BS RINSE: 1 TBL Baking Soda, mixed with 1 cup water.  Sometimes I brew dried lavendor from my garden or chamomile tea to use in place of the water.  Tea tree oil can reduce itchiness  and dandruff.  Just a few drops though. 

ACV RINSE:  1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 3/4 cup water. Add a squirt of honey if you have dry hair.  Lemon instead of vinegar if you feel like sunning in some high lights.

My Day by Day Hair Routine

Friday

Today I washed my hair, using a BS rinse.  I forgot the ACV rinse.

After a thorough rinse and gentle towel dry (just press the water out peeps!  Don't create frizz by scrubbing, twisting, or otherwise roughing up your wet hair!  Then, I tied it up in a t shirt instead of a towel.  It's 100% cotton, weighs much less than a towel, and doesn't fit right anyway.  I saw this idea when researching poo-less style tips.  I like it.

 I combed through my hair. DON'T USE A BRUSH ON WET HAIR!!  It will cry....  Your hair will break, get frizzy and just cry!  It might even begin to not like you....

I should mention I clean out my brush and comb a lot. Mostly because of shedding hair (long hair problem #1!) but also because when you brush hair, whatever is on your hair gets on your tools, and visa versa.  I only use a wide tooth comb and a natural boar bristle brush.   I also thoroughly comb/brush my hair before getting it wet.  Keeps from shedding in the shower, and prevents tangles.

I used a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends because I forgot the ACV rinse.  Not much at all, and remember, my hair is on the thick side and past my shoulders.  Shorter hair will need less, longer thick hair might need more. 

Well, two hours later my bangs are dry and the rest is still damp. I have Vacation Bible School to help out tonight, so I think I'll go curly ;). My little Batman always compliments me on my hair when I put in these 'bendy rod thingies'. It's only my second time using them, so we'll see how it works.  Now I'm off to eat a hearty bowl of mushroom and barley soup for lunch ;). 

I got impatient.  So I took them out after a fast blast of heat from the dryer.  I don't heat style often (these days) but when I do, it's fast and wild! Anyway it's still damp in the back, but I think it'll put some nice bounce in my hair tonight.  (Because the hair was still damp, it didn't last long, bummer)

Ok, here's the stats:

Texture:  once dry it feels great!  I can easily run my fingers through my hair.  Not oily at all.  It even feels a bit silky (though not that same silky soft feel as when I was using shampoo and onditioner.  Remember, that's an artificial healthy feel that occurs when you strip everything good off your hair and coat it with artificial junk.)

Smell:  smells like hair!  If you want a bit of that freshly shampood smell, add essential oils to your rinses.  I like adding peppermint oil in the summer because it keeps mosquitoes at bay.

Shine:  good!  Also has a great natural high light going on.  I'm not sure if its because I'm in the sun a lot or because I'm not coating my hair with dulling products.

Saturday

9:01 am. Pre workout, mid coffee.  Shiny, silky beautiful (IMHO)!!  I was going to add another picture, post workout, house cleaning marathon and shower, bu it pretty much looked the same after a good water only rinse.

Sunday

I had a hard time deciding what to do with my hair today, but it did 'behave' quite nicely.  The texture and shine were great and made a quick braided up to an easy task for a already stressful morning. I'm fairly certain my kids are more ornery on Sundays simply because we have a tight deadline to get out the door!

Monday

After church yesterday we went swimming in a friends lake community.  I did thoroughly rinse my hair before bed, but didn't really feel the need to get the rinses going.  Mostly because I knew I'd workout hard this morning and follow with the BS and ACV rinses anyway.

Well, there you have it ;). Anyone feeling inspired to ditch the shampoo or maybe just totally grossed out, lol?  If you av questions I'd love to answer them!  

Stay tuned for a long Wordless Wednesday this week, capturing our summer in iPad snapshots!