Have you heard about this no poo movement? In case you haven't, let me go ahead and put your mind at ease; it has nothing to do with feces or lack of feces. It's a hair care movement.
I feel like "movement" is the wrong word. Movement should be reserved for campaigns for national, social change, not a change in grooming. Right? But I don't have a better word, so movement it what will be happening, deal with it.
So "no poo" refers to the absence of shampoo. Most conventional shampoos and conditioners have unnecessary and scalp-damaging ingredients. Specifically, sulfates get added to a lot of hair products because they create the suds we associate with cleaning. However, these sulfates strip your hair and scalp of their natural oils and actually end up drying out you hair and therefore damaging it. If you are a woman with curly hair (henceforth referred to as a curly girl) like me, this is especially problematic as our hair is naturally dry already and requires lots of moisture to bring out the curl.
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| (source) Not me, just a picture of awesome hair I wish was mine. |
You've probably heard from various hair care specialists that your not supposed to wash your hair every day for reasons similar to what I've described above: your scalp's natural oils are good for your hair and washing using conventional methods strips said oils. If you're a curly girl, you should have been told to wash even less often. For about 8 years now, I've been shampooing twice a week at most, always using moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to care for my curls. The problem is, just cutting back on shampoo use isn't enough.
Have you heard stories about, or perhaps experienced yourself, the problem with face wash? That by washing too often, or using the wrong kind of cleanser, you can dry out your skin, causing your body to produce extra oil to compensate; thus, face washes designed to prevent oily skin and acne can often actually cause it? Your scalp has a natural pH of 4-7, just like the rest of your skin, and using sulfate-laden shampoos can cause the same problems on your scalp that I just described about your face. When you cut back to intermittent shampooing, it's certainly better than daily, but you're ultimately still living with the same problem. Shampoo either dries you out by stripping those natural oils, or causes oil production to go into overdrive and makes your hair oily. The no poo movement wants you to stop using store bought cleansers altogether.
The most common substitute presented (as described if you clicked the link at the top) is baking soda dissolved in water to use for shampoo, and apple cider vinegar (ACV) dissolved in water as conditioner. Many people have problems with the baking soda part of this method. While it may work at first, over time extensive baking soda use can also damage your scalp. It's a highly alkaline substance with a pH of around 8 or 9, and combined with rocketing your scalp's pH down to 4.5 with the ACV just minutes after, can be very bad for your scalp and hair. It's the same basic principle used to color or perm hair, called clarifying, which we all know is bad for it. I would advise against using soda more than once a month, especially if you have fine hair (curly girls typically do have fine, if thick hair).
What's a girl to do instead? Well, there are lots of options. If you are willing to pony up the dough, there are all-natural and sulfate free cleansers available in stores for purchase. I've also read about people substituting bar soap. I myself tried an oatmeal/goat's milk bar I had when first starting this process, but with thick curly hair, its almost impossibly for a solid to make it to my scalp. Many people have also used liquid castille soap, but used on it's own, liquid castille presents the same problems as baking soda. Finally, you could just make your own. This recipe uses castille soap diluted with other ingredients. This one, my personal favorite, is specifically designed to balance your scalp pH and only requires 2 ingredients! There are also a bunch of recipes out there for DIY conditioners as well, including one that I made up and is pictured below.
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| It doesn't look like much, but it's good stuff, I promise. |
You will need:
16 oz jar (best if you can find one like that pictured above with measure markings on it)
2 oz course salt (approximate by pouring directly into jar- salt water is REALLY good for curly hair)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
a few drops of essential oil (any variety, this is optional and used only for scent)
It's really easy to construct. Just dump all of the ingredients into the jar and put it within reach of your shower. When you are ready to condition, put the jar under the tap and fill with warm water. Use a spoon to stir it well and make sure all the ingredients are dissolved (doesn't take long). Then, pour over your hair. Let it sit for a few minutes while you wash your body or just enjoy the hot water, then rinse. I like to rinse with an ACV mixture (2 tablespoons of ACV in 16 oz of warm water) first, and then do a final rinse under cooler tap water, which is better for your hair.
I find, when using this recipe, I don't need to apply anything to my hair after the shower to bring out it's curl or control frizz, but if you do, take just a dab coconut oil and spread throughout your hair. I promise, this recipe works wonders. I've been no poo for about 3 months now, and my hair has never looked better.
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| Not the best picture, but I promise it looks good! |
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