The “no poo” hair care method is insanely popular — but is it actually doable? And does it actually work? I decided to find out.
The idea of going without shampoo terrified me. I have naturally platinum blonde hair, and the smallest bit of oil is visible, so I was used to washing my hair frequently.
However, one of my friends told me about the “no poo” method, where you essentially give up shampoo completely. I was skeptical: I thought my hair would look disgusting every day, it would smell, and worst of all, not be able to do anything but sit in a bun on top of my head.
Even though I had my doubts, I decided to try out the “no poo” method. Read on to learn about my experience!
Back in the 1800s, people only washed their hair about once a month. There was no need to wash it more than that! People lived naturally, and nobody complained, so clearly they were doing something right.
In the 1970s, synthetic shampoos took off and daily shampooing became part of the norm. Until then, most people washed their hair about once or twice a week. Dandruff was also not a common concern until the ’70s. See a connection?
That was one of the main reasons I decided to try this method.
Long story short, I have a love-hate relationship with the “no poo” method, but mostly love! For the first week, I can’t lie, I hated it. I hated taking a shower and not being able to condition my hair, and couldn’t stand having my hair in a bun or French braid all day. It was difficult to make it look good.Â
However, my hair didn’t smell, and I only used dry shampoo once. Surprisingly, washing it with water did the job — for the most part.
After the first week, things started looking up. I decided to begin using the vinegar and baking soda “shampoo and conditioner” method. To do this, you need to dissolve baking soda in water to create a “shampoo.” You’re looking for a paste-like consistency – nothing too thick or too watery. Massage this mixture into your scalp thoroughly, then rinse.
For the vinegar “conditioner,” mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of water. Once it’s mixed, pour it on your head and work it though your hair.
I didn’t shampoo my hair for four weeks (and I’m still going!). I only used the vinegar and baking soda twice a week, and only when I felt I needed it. Honestly, I didn’t have much of an adjustment period after I started using the baking soda and vinegar. My hair looked fine during those four weeks.
There’s no lingering vinegar smell (I promise!) and no obvious signs that I wasn’t using conventional shampoo. My hair’s natural texture was more defined, and it looked better without heat than it ever has.
Though the first week was difficult, the “no poo” method has worked for me, and I think everyone should give it a shot.
I have a few quick tips to make your experience easier if you decide to try this method:
- Resist the urge to condition. Your hair might not feel soft in the shower, but I promise it feels great after it’s dry.
- Dry shampoo is fine in moderation, but relying on it completely is just as bad as washing your hair.
- The only part of your hair that actually gets dirty is the hair that touches your scalp, so try to leave the bottom section of your hair alone for the most part.
For more info about the “no poo” method, especially for those of you that have curly hair, be sure to check out this CF article. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!
What do you think?
What do you think about this method? Would you try it? Would you like to see more posts like this in the future? Remember to tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment!
I tried this for a month. My hair got so greasy it stood up with no product and I got greasy flakes of skin stuck in the roots. All the brushing in the world didn’t fix it. To cap it off, my hairdresser told me (no prompting) that my hair was so damaged it looked like I’d been swimming every day. I hadn’t been near a pool.
PASS PASS PASS!
I use the no-poo method (which was created by Lorraine Massey and discussed in her book, Curly Girl), and it says nothing about not using conditioner – in fact, she highly encourages it. As someone with thick curly hair (just like the poster below), I go through massive amounts of conditioner and my hair looks great. The trick is to find a conditioner without certain ingredients which you can find in Tresemme’s natural line of products. With that in mind, I haven’t shampooed my hair in over a year and everyday is a good hair day!
I use the no poo method – I have thick, black, curly, coarse hair (I’m Indian) I actually use honey mixed with water. My hair is AMAZING. I used to use like five products to get it to look anything close to normal. It’s pretty much perfect now, and I just use normally honey. I got through the transition period by washing my hair every day with honey; now I wash like once, twice a week and it’s still perfect, plus bouncy and healthy. I swear it even grows faster. I advocate this all the way.
I thought about giving it a go, and actually did do the no poo method for a short period of time. However, upon reading most dermatologist’s opinions on this trend, I put it aside. What I read was that washing with just water isn’t enough to get your hair properly clean, and can actually end up doing more harm than good, and that washing with baking soda alters the natural pH of the scalp and can cause many more issues than a regular shampoo with proper pH. What I decided on doing, in the end, is using sulfate-free shampoo’s on a regular basis (2x a week) and once a month washing my hair with a detoxifying, residue remover formula. It has worked great so far, and I’ve been doing for almost a year! There is a Brazilian brand called Lola Cosmetics that sells a wonderful hair kit, completely sulfate free, that really helps to moisturize and repair damaged hair. I used the whole thing and then made a review on my channel – watch if you’re interested in the no poo method or if you’d just like to bring life to your hair again!
What about after exercising? I can’t stand not washing my hair after running or going to the gym!
I am so glad you decided to try this and share your experience with us Sarah! I’ve been meaning to try this, albeit I’m starting once school is over. Haha, I feel like I couldn’t function if I was stressing over what my hair looked like while trudging through classes simultaneously. I know that’s silly, but these mental things are tough to get over…
Anyway, I’m definitely going to try the no ‘poo experiment! Great post 🙂
My experience with apple cider vinegar is not positive. A couple of years ago I used it as a conditioner because of all the positive feedbacks over the internet. They said to rinse hair with apple cider vinegar makes your hair feel soft and silky and as it is completely natural I decided to give it a try. At the beginning, in first few months the hair really seemed healthier and softer than usual and had a nice shine. So I decided to continue. So far I’ve been using to rinse my hair with the vinegar for a bit more than a year and let’s say – they have become dry and brittle. And lets not forgot to mention that they had a discoloration. I have naturally medium to light ash brown hair but after the treatment with ACV they have become like slightly auburn, like brassy.. Not a bad color but not what I want and fits my overall coloring of the face, skin and eye color that is cool.
be careful using baking soda, it increases the pH of your scalp and can actually cause your hair to become brittle. http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/13831-baking-soda-destroyed-hair.html
If you have curly hair you probably still need to condition. That’s a very big part of our routines.