Actually, I haven’t washed my hair in 10 days. You read that right. I haven’t washed my hair…in over a week. I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching lately, and while I switched to ‘gentler’ sulfate-free shampoos, using them just didn’t weigh well with my other changes, such as using vinegar and baking soda to clean.
I love that my house smells amazing ALL.THE.TIME. Seriously. Going ‘all natural’ got me thinking: why not apply it to my beauty routine as well?
We’ve eliminated highly processed foods (I always strive for 5 ingredients or less if it’s food that doesn’t come from the produce department), and everyone is feeling so much better. Why not capitalize on the experience and go all out?
My only problem with No Poo?
Greasy hair for a month. Or two. Not so great, right? But when I looked at this problem, and really weighed the pros and cons, it was a no-brainer. I had to give it a shot. I promised myself that I would give no ‘poo at least 6 weeks. Right now, that feels like a really, really long time.
I’m a bit stubborn (shocking, I know), so once I set my mind to something, I go all out. I trucked myself to Costco for a 13-pound bag of baking soda (no, just for this product. I clean with it, too!).
I ran to Whole Foods for Apple Cider Vinegar. I looked up which essential oils would work best and decided that I would use Lemon and Rosemary.
Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon essential oil can help with fatigue, stress, and it can even help your mood! It also helps to control oil. Because of this, I add lemon to my baking soda wash.
Rosemary Essential Oil
This oil is widely used in hair care already, probably because it is supposed to stimulate the hair follicle and encourages growth.
Rosemary may also help with the onset of gray hairs (YAY!), and might even slow down premature hair loss. Since I have extremely fine hair already, I’d call it a win-win.
Once I’d figured out what to put in my no ‘poo solution, I had to make it. There are two options out there for your baking soda mix: a paste or slurry.
I went with the latter because quite honestly I just don’t have time to mix a paste when I’m in the shower right now. Once I’m able to go 5 days with great-looking hair, then maybe I’ll try the paste. For now, I’m a make-ahead kind of girl. To use my recipes, you’ll need two Peri Bottles.
Baking Soda Wash
- 1.5 Tablespoons baking soda
- 4 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- Water to the top
Shake the dickens out of it to get the baking soda mixed completely. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP or you’ll end up with unusable clumps (which may or may not have caused me to dump my first attempt…).
Once you’ve got your mix, get your hair wet and squirt the baking soda wash on your ROOTS. Do not apply it the length of your hair. Massage your scalp in a circular motion for about 2 minutes, then rinse well. Do it twice just to be safe.
Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
- 2 Tablespoons organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- Water to the top
Shake your rinse gently to mix, and apply to the ENDS of your hair. Skip the scalp, especially at first since you’ll have an excess of sebum. Trust me on this one. Then rinse with water. Yes, you’ll smell like vinegar, but it will dissipate quickly as your hair dries.
What Next?
Let your hair air dry (don’t use heat on your hair right now, please!), and then brush with a Boar Bristle Brush to spread the sebum (your body’s natural oils) the length of your hair. Oh, and get thee some cute hair ties (I really like THESE, or you can make your own) and a shower cap.
You’ll be stylin’ a ponytail for quite a bit. The idea is to go as long without washing your hair as you can stand. Right now, I’m shooting for every 3 days. The days that I don’t wash my hair I STILL TAKE A SHOWER. Just make sure that you put your hair under a shower cap!
I highly recommend that you use quality ingredients in your no poo recipe. Not only will you get the best results, but if you’re trying to avoid the yuck, then it’s just smart. I recommend using Young Living essential oils for any recipe that you’re making to put in or on your body.
Ready to get started? Click here to order your oils.
Hey! I just started doing this yesterday. I had been meaning to try for a few months and finally got around to it. I am on day 1 and my hair feels great. I wanted to ditch shampoo because I feel like its too irritant for me, I have also always had issues with each one I try, some give me dandruff others don’t, my scalp is just a mess. Hopefully this method will work, if not I hope it at least rids it of other toxins. I’ll be blogging about it a bit so you are more than welcome to check out my posts.
Do you use any coconut oil or anything similar following the ACV?
I use Argan Oil for my hair. I’ve heard that coconut works well for many, but it doesn’t like my hair (I have fine hair).
This is my 2nd time doing this, i wash my hair once a week or once every 2 weeks, i heard the longer you can go without washing your hair the better, this is also supposed to help your hair grow and i already see improvement 🙂