shampoo free update

hi everyone!  i’ve gotten some requests for an update on my shampoo-free experiment (which has easily transitioned into a way of life) so wanted to take some time to fill you in!  first things first: i’m loving it!  and since i have naturally curly/wavy hair it’s been great on cutting down the frizz.  i finally found that diluting the apple cider vinegar rinse a TON helped tremendously on taking away the intensity of the smell.  i still get little whiffs of it when i’m working out, but it’s tolerable.  and worth it because the apple cider vinegar really does goes a long way in the detangling department!

i can’t lie, i’ve had some greasy days.  mostly due to my love of coconut oil and josie maran’s argan oil and the copious amounts i put all over my body and into the ends of my hair.  but a good wash with the baking soda rinse takes it all out!  i have to say, i’m happier with the texture of my new shampoo-free hair, although it’s less soft than when i was putting a million and one products in it.  but somehow less soft also looks better.  and i think it seems healthier and stronger.  i’ve been using my mason pearson brush religiously, and i love it!  and i find that i can go a couple of days without a rinse, and still have hair i’m happy with.  which is ideal because i’m a lazy girl when it comes to beauty!  

so there you have it, i’m loving it and not looking back.  i think shampoo/conditioner and hair products in general are a thing of the past for me.  chime in below if you’ve tried it and have something to share, i’d love to hear! (and if you’re interested, you can read my last progress update here) xx- sarah

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Reader Comments

  1. Laura Bear|

    I have really enjoyed reading along on this journey! As an avid kerastase user, it gets expennnnsive with long hair. Keep it up, you're an inspiration!

    Reply
  2. sarah|

    Your first poo-free post inspired me to stop using shampoo and conditioner that same day! I'll admit I was pretty lazy about it and never used the baking-soda rinse or the apple cider vinegar combo. I work in a kitchen, but to my surprise the food smells washed away with water and after putting a little coconut oil in my hair after showering it all looked and smelled great, but that was only for the first month. Since week 4 or so my scalp has become increasingly dry. I was bit embarrassed since I have dark brown hair and sometimes you could see flakes *eek!* I've been meaning to research no shampoo solutions for dry scalps, but two days ago I was feeling lazy and desperate and I did it, I reached for the shampoo.. and I must admit I used it and had one of the best hair days of my life. Here I am three days later wondering what my next move is-maybe I'll starting shampooing a couple times a week and see how that treats me.
    (Sorry this is extremelyyy long winded-just thought others might have had the same experience and could offer some advice!)

    Reply
  3. Lydia|

    I would love to try this, but my problem is whenever I sleep on my hair, it ends up crazy! Partings all over the place, weird kinks, stands up in the back… Awkward!!

    Lydia
    lupinelydia.blogspot.com

    Reply
  4. Sarah of a fine line|

    Your timing for this post could be any better. I've been doing the shampoo free thing for about 2 weeks now. I actually almost grabbed for the Pantene bottle in the shower tonight, cause I feel like the baking soda treatment really isn't doing it for me. I've been trying to do it every 3 days, but I feel like my hair can still be pretty greasy (which was never the case until I started this). I think maybe my baking soda solution isn't concentrated enough.
    I've also been using a far less concentrated vinegar solution. I added 1 vanilla bean, 1 cinnamon stick, and a few bits of cardamom to mine. Obviously, the more spices you add the less cost effective it is, but my vinegar solution really doesn't smell bad. It just has a faint spicy vinegar aroma. I also have long wavy hair, and am rather lazy about styling it, so I'd be really pleased if I can make this work!

    Reply
  5. Wendy|

    Your post inspired me, who then inspired 2 GFs and a husband, to try going with the BS/ACV. Our results have been like yours. Some experimenting, but mostly happy from the start. One has copious, fine, very curly hair, another has long straight, thin hair, and my hair is more like yours in that it's curly/wavy. The husband has seen his scalp problems immediately clear up.

    I too have messed up and made it too greasy a few times because of coconut oil, or leaving in the ACV rinse. Now I rinse it out, since my hair isn't thick enough to handle leaving it in (weighs it down). I also made up (this is for dark hair) a batch of strong rosemary tea and use that to dilute the ACV. Much prefer the scent of rosemary over vinegar. And I follow that with a second, pure rosemary rinse. My hair comes out shiny, not greasy, soft and with body. So much less frizzy. For the past 2 weeks, I haven't used any commercial products at all. Only BS/ACV, coco oil and rosemary. For blondes, camomile probably is the way to go. I haven't used heated styling tools much either.

    So thank you! Great inspiration. Other friends may well take the plunge too. Oh, and I agree that it makes hair stronger. I feel like there is less breakage and other hair loss. Yey!

    Reply
  6. Melissa|

    So glad you are loving it too. It's been about four months or so for me and I am delighted with the results.
    For the person with dry scalp, just use the ACV instead of the baking soda every once in a while. It balances the Ph of the scalp. My flakes have been gone since day 1.

    I get so excited everytime I get rid of a product bottle.
    To cut back on grease you can put coconut oil, water and salt in a spray bottle.
    There is a recipe on Pinterest. That prevents over oiling it and creates beach hair.

    Thanks for the update 🙂

    Reply
  7. simone|

    I went no poo with you about 6 weeks ago and loved it. i never went through an adjustment period. my hair did have a strange texture at its roots but i'm sure this would have gone away over time. i also have soft water where i live and hard water at my gym so my hair reacted differently depending on where i washed it. however, last week i had an event to go to and reached for a bottle of aveda and it was life changing – my hair was more spectacular than it has ever been and remained clean and shiny for five days! i'm not sure what to do now – go back to ACV? I also started this experiment when I found out I was pregnant and read somewhere that your changing hormones can totally mess with the no poo experiment. who knows – maybe i'll continue with no poo now and give my hair a shampoo treat every 6 weeks.

    Reply
  8. Sofia|

    Thanks for sharing your success, Sarah! I still shampoo but am majorly cutting down with hopes of trying no-poo one day. It's a major challenge for my hair since it's light and really fine. I recently discovered cornstarch (used like dry shampoo) to be a huge help for absorbing the grease. Not sure how it'll work for wavy/frizzy hair but might be worth a try on the greasy days 🙂

    Reply
  9. kristin dee|

    i am so with you! the other big thing i have found is that my scalp feels healthier. i have tried shampooing once or twice since cutting back (with kiels which is really nice!) and noticed that it irritated my skin.

    other wonderful thing – i am going to save lots on hair products. (score) although i would love to purchase one of those fancy brushes.

    thanks for the update:)

    http://www.girlsongrovest.com

    Reply
  10. Justina|

    this is so great. you are the first 'white' girl I know who is doing this–as a person with very 'textured' hair I normally only wash my hair about once a week (which sound crazy to a lot of people!) you've inspired my to try and be shampoo free too! It'll be a minute before I give up conditioner though…baby steps!

    Reply
  11. Brittany|

    I am also a no-poo person! If you have curls, I use a product called deva curl. It lets you "wash" your hair and "condition" it, but isn't a shampoo or conditioner. It really cuts the frizz and I havent missed the suds either! My stylist turned me on to it, and I wont go back! http://www.mydevacurl.com

    Reply
  12. sarah yates|

    i LOVED reading all of these responses! if squarespace would allow it i'd leave comments at each ones. but since i can't at the moment, i'll write back to you all in one..

    thanks so much for chiming in and for all the great recs! really wanting to try the rosemary tea rinse and cornstarch dry shampoo! can't wait to give it a go!

    xx
    sarah

    Reply
  13. Rachel Ward|

    I have been shampoo free for about 4 years, shampoo-lite before that for probably 10 more. I don't see myself ever using it again.
    RW

    Reply
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