my decision to give up shampooing

Yes, you read the title right. I have decided to give up shampoo and conditioner. Now, before you judge me, I have a perfectly good explanation as to why I have decided this (and you can read about that here).  You might say I'm crazy, and I agree with you, but I am really anticipating what my hair could look like if this all plays out right.

I have done my research, and according to my sources, the process of transforming my hair from a mop head to a crown of beauty is simply to give up my beloved shampoo and conditioner and go for something a little less glamorous - baking soda and apple cider vinegar!
 

These ladies didn't use shampoo, and check out how fabulous their hair is.

Think about it, is shampoo really that necessary?  What did women do before modern shampoo was invented in the 1930's?   They washed their hair once a week, or even once a month, with soap, that's what!  Shampoo as we know it is actually designed to make us wash more often by stripping our hair of all oils so that our scalp has to overcompensate and produce more oil, resulting in greasy hair.  So we shampoo again to get rid of the grease, and the cycle continues - pretty sneaky of shampoo companies, right?  If Victorians can have thick, shiny locks with no shampoo, what's the point in me using it?

Before the crazy history teacher in me comes out full-force, I'm going to change the topic and focus on the supplies needed for ditching the 'poo.  On a side note, I really hate calling it "'poo", but I've jumped on the bandwagon and followed what the rest of the internet is calling it.  Ugh.

Supplies Needed:

• Baking Soda
• Apple Cider Vinegar ("ACV")
• Spray Bottle
• Squeeze Bottle
• Essential Oil (Optional)
• Wet Hairbrush (Optional)
 

Put one tablespoon of baking soda in your squeeze bottle and mix it with one cup of warm water.  Shake it until the baking soda has dissolved.  

Add two tablespoons of ACV into the spray bottle and mix it with one cup of water, then shake.

Once you are in the shower, rinse your hair completely with just water.  Add the baking soda mixture to your scalp only.  It's really important to not put this on your ends, as it will dry them out.  You'll want to massage the baking soda mixture into your scalp, helping it to break up all the "gunk" that's been left on from products, pollution, etc.  The mixture should feel a little slimy and gritty, and it won't lather, which it weird because I love a good lather, but you will get used to it.

After you completely rinse the baking soda out of your hair, it's time to add the ACV.  I recommend only putting it on your ends, because it could end up making your scalp really greasy if not.  The ACV will moisturize your hair and restore your scalp's pH, which is very important if you want a healthy scalp.  I like to comb the ACV through my hair with a wet hairbrush (you can find one on Amazon).  These things are man's most amazing invention, and I highly suggest investing in one.  I leave my ACV on while I do my other shower things and then rinse it out.

I take my showers at night and let my hair air-dry.  I put lavender on my pillow every night, so I wake up with my hair smelling like lavender, plus a get a nice, peaceful sleep.  If you'd rather, you can put a few drops of essential oil in your hands and run it through your hair to add smell and shine.

I've read that using heat and a few products with this method are not going to mess it up, though I probably won't use any - mostly because I never used any to begin with.  I've only been no 'pooing for a eight days now, but I've been experiencing dry and brittle hair with greasy roots.  I'm not worried though, because this is to be expected.  For the first few weeks, it takes the hair some time to adjust and stop producing so much oil/get used to not having waxy conditioners.  After the first week, I am starting to develop habits and adjust my method so that it works best for my hair.  My friends and family all think I'm completely insane, but I am so excited to see how this is going to work out for me.

Supposedly once your hair has adjusted to no 'poo, you can go a week, maybe even two, in between washes.  Right now I'm going three days, which is one day more than I usually go with shampoo, but I'm hoping to increase that to four or five starting this week.  The great thing about going no 'poo is that there really isn't any right or wrong way to do it.  It's all based on your hair and what you feel comfortable doing.  So now that I've started, I'm definitely going to keep going and see how long this works - hopefully I'll be able to go months, even years, without ever missing my shampoo.  We'll see!

 Good luck ditching the suds!