Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

No ‘Poo Update

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Many of you may recall that a few weeks ago, I announced that I would stop shampooing my hair.

I swear it isn’t as gross as you think!

Tim and I have both been using baking soda and vinegar as alternatives to shampoo and conditioners for a few weeks, and on the whole, we’re quite pleased with the results!

My hair is very dry, and it took about 3 washes with the new stuff before I thought my hair started to look really and truly great. Tim has very oily hair, and it took about 5-6 washes for him to reach the same place. There is a transition, but it is really worth it. And honestly, you hair doesn’t look that gross in the interim…just slightly dirty. You will most likely be much more aware of how it looks than anyone else. If you are going to do this, start out on a Friday, and by the middle of the following week, your hair will look so much better than it ever did with shampoo!

I did use shampoo one time in the past few weeks. We were on a last-minute trip and I just didn’t have a way to easily pack our new accouterments. When I shampooed with the traditional stuff, I won’t lie…it felt great! Baking soda doesn’t suds up at all. So that was nice. But once my hair dried, I could IMMEDIATELY tell a difference…my hair felt much less soft and much frizzier than it was while using baking soda. I’m actually really glad I used shampoo once because it helped me see very clearly just how much better my hair was doing without it!

I don’t have any pictures because my hair mostly just looks like my hair to me, only a bit shinier and easier to work with. I’m not going to tell you that I don’t still have bad hair days, because I do, but the problem now has to do with my hair just feeling TOO thick and full sometimes. There are worse problems to have, don’t you think?

And my hair used to feel dirty after 2 days, but now it feels dirty after 3. That’s a time saver!

So, yeah. I’m all about the “no ‘poo” movement. Some friends have advised that there may come a point where its magic is not as strong, and that will be ok if it happens. I’ll be sure to let you know, though!

Going Without Shampoo: The Great Experiment Begins

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I’ve been hearing about how awesome it can be to wean your hair off traditional shampoos and conditioners for a few years now.

But I have been really REALLY reluctant to get started. Mostly because I hear that you will probably experience a “transition” period with your hair where it looks kind of gross.

I’m blogging today from that exact spot. The gross place. 🙂

I started using baking soda and vinegar as my shampoo and conditioner on Friday night (and you thought your weekend plans were wild…).

Here are some of my initial thoughts about making the switch:
1. Don’t assume that there is just one recipe for what you will be putting on your hair. I made that assumption, but earlier this morning I started doing a bit more research, and it seems that everybody has a slightly different recipe. I’m feeling pretty sure that I’m not using enough baking soda for my hair, so I’ve increased the amount and we’ll see how it goes moving forward.

2. My hair is already thick, but it definitely has more volume than it ever did with shampoo and conditioner. When left to air dry, let’s just say that I’d fit right in at a pageant in Texas. 🙂

3. Actually doing something with my hair (putting it up, styling it) is much easier, it seems. I sort of feel like I have that one-day-dirty hair all the time.

4. The downside of having hair that is so easy to style is that it does still feel a little dirty to me. I doesn’t smell dirty, but at this point, I will say that shampoo made my hair feel cleaner. Or maybe I’m just not used to what naturally clean hair feels like? And also, remember that I’ve decided I haven’t been using enough baking soda, so I might start seeing different results later this week.

So I’ll be posting another update in a week or so to let you all know how it is going. In case anyone is feeling brave and wants to join in, here’s the recipe I’m currently using as of this morning:

Baking soda “no poo”:
mix 3 parts water to 1 part baking soda. apply as much as you wish to the scalp of your head and scrub gently but firmly. you can also put a little on the rest of your hair, but mainly focus on the scalp. Let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing. I just mixed 5 tbsp of baking soda and 15 tbsp of water in a tumbler with a lid (use what you’ve got, right?) and I expect this mixture to last me maybe 4 sessions.

vinegar “conditioner”:
currently I’ve just got a squeeze bottle with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 cup of water. Apply this mostly to the ends of your hair. It’s a good idea to turn your head upside-down as you apply this, just to decrease the changes of getting it in your eyes (it does sting a bit!). I only let it sit for about a minute before rinsing it. I don’t think it needs too much time. Be sparing about how much of the vinegar goes on your scalp, as I think it can make your hair feel oily if you put a lot there.

I’m sure that I’ll play with the conditioner recipe a bit in time, but first I want to get the baking soda part figured out.

So yeah, that’s what I’m doing. Are you grossed out? Intrigued? Ever tried it, yourself? I’d love to hear what you think. And of course, if you have any tips, I’d love to hear them!