Thursday, June 10, 2010

How do we No 'Poo?

Since the No 'Poo/'Poo-Free Method is working so well for the Husbeast and I, I thought it was time for a much more detailed post about how we do it.

We went cold turkey into the No 'Poo Method.... we didn't do anything like go a week without washing our hair, or go a week using nothing but conditioner on our hair. We just started using baking soda and apple cider vinegar and didn't look back.

My usual mix is 1/4 cup of baking soda per 1 cup of water. The container we put our mix into holds about 2 cup, so we put in roughly 1/2 cup of baking soda, then add water. This usually lasts for two washes for each of us (so, four hair washes per mix) before we have to refill it. I've more-or-less stopped measuring now, and just refill it in the shower by shaking what looks like the right amount of baking soda into the container and adding water straight from the shower head.

The apple cider vinegar mix is approximately 1 Tbsp ACV to 1 cup of water. Once again, the container we use holds 2 cup of water so I do approx 2 Tbsp of ACV. Since I'm not a big fan of the smell of ACV, I also add 2-3 sticks of cinnamon and a little vanilla extract. After soaking for a day or so, the mix smells more like cinnamon and vanilla than ACV.


A good look at the cinnamon sticks in the mix


The smell of vinegar SHOULD wash away when you rinse your hair... if it doesn't, you might be using a little too much ACV in your mix.

So here's the usual wash cycle: get hair wet in regular shower temperature water. Shake up the bottle of baking soda and water, and apply to your hair (I use one hand to pour and the other hand to scrub my scalp to insure the mix is getting over my entire scalp). Massage mixture into your scalp well, and allow to sit for a few minutes (I take this time to soap up and wash my body with my new addiction, LuSa Organics soap). Rinse well with warm to warm-hot water, massaging your scalp under running water to rinse all the baking soda out.


This is the patchouli, orange, and lavender blend and it's fantastic!


Apply the ACV mixture to your scalp. I usually find this part shockingly cold, after being under the warm water, but after the initial pouring, I adjust. Allow this to sit another three or so minutes (i wash my face and just enjoy the warm water). Finish by rinsing with lukewarm to cool water (this closes the hair shaft, and should be the last step in ANY shower, no matter what products you use to clean your hair). Rinse well to insure you are getting the ACV out of your hair (otherwise you will smell it any time you sweat, she says with the bitter voice of experience).



That's all there is to it! Yes, you do much more scalp massage using baking soda and ACV than you do with commercial cleansers, but here's the scary thing: most commercial shampoos and conditioners contain carcinogens. Yes, cancer-causing chemicals. And your skin - including your scalp - is the largest organ in or on your body, so why would you want to rub carcinogens all over yourself?

For more information on the toxins in beauty and personal care products, I will turn the mic over to EcoMall.

I can definitely attest to how successful this 'Poo-Free experiment is... my hair looks fantastic.

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