Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Adventures in No-Poo

I just thought of something interesting that I've been up to that is blog-worthy. It is called no-poo. And no, it does not mean that I'm refusing to use the bathroom :) (Gross!)

No-poo is an underground movement of sorts, perhaps better defined as a rebellion against the idea that we must wash our hair every day. So I've stopped using shampoo. Well, actually, I'm weaning my scalp of shampoo, and am currently going about 10 days between washes. In between I use a baking soda paste or an all-natural shampoo bar. 

I think its been really interesting. I've always had pretty dry hair that could go 2-3 days between washing, but the point is that your scalp produces oil on an as-needed basis. Just like breastfeeding, scalp oil is all about supply-and-demand. So if you wash your hair more often, the more it needs washed, because you're stripping away the natural oil. 

Most people probably go no-poo for ecological reasons (less plastic packaging) or just to save money. Myself, I kind of just wanted to try it. Why not? I'm all about saving money and simplifying my life so I thought it would be a neat experiment. 

I've read a lot of testimonials online about how people who do this have amazing results, with shinier, bouncier, healthier hair. I can't say that my own results have been amazing or life-changing, but it hasn't been awful, either. There is a transition period of anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for your body to regulate the amount of oil (sebum) it needs to produce. That has been the hardest part for me, because obviously, nobody likes greasy hair. But I just tried to time my "in-between" days for days I knew we weren't going anywhere and it was okay. And after about 4-5 weeks, I think I'm at a good place with this. My hair just seems... normal. Not amazingly beautiful, but I've never been that lucky anyway ;) And certainly not greasy or stringy or gross. 

I mentioned something about it to Derek a few days ago, and he said, "oh, are you still doing that? I completely forgot!" So I guess thats a good sign :) If this is something that interests you, just google "no poo" and you'll get tons of information. It's kind of cool. 


See, it doesn't look too bad :) This is how Annabel and I spent the last hour of the Super Bowl!

3 comments:

Rock 'n Roll Momma© said...

i wish i could go no-poo...i have a super oily scalp and face, it's like i never stopped being a teenager! i generally go every other day at least in between washes but that's just because i don't shower daily if i'm not going anywhere (and i'm a homebody so i don't go places all the time). sounds like an interesting experiment though!

Melissa Wisley said...

Has it been that long already? My hair feels great and I didn't think I would make it this long without using shampoo. I miss the smell of my hair after using shampoo but I don't miss feeling like I had to wash it every other day either.

Tera said...

Well, I can't say I'm ready to try it but I did want to say that your hair must grow really fast! I didn't realize how long it had gotten! :)