I am going no-poo !

I've decided not to shampoo my hair anymore.

For the past three years since my transition to green beauty, I have struggled to find a hair care routine that works for me. My hair is ridiculously baby-fine, which doesn't pair well with my oily scalp. Volumizing shampoos, nourishing shampoos, clarifying shampoos, they all have the same effect. Evening shampoo, morning shampoo, it doesn't matter. My hair is nice and shiny for a few short hours but then falls flat, a limp and oily mess.

Today I say "no more!"

NO-POO. 

What?

• "No-Poo" means no shampoo. It is a method of hair care in which one does not cleanse the head with shampoo. 

Why?

• Cutting shampoo from a routine cuts down on the number of shampoo bottles being discarded.
• While there are many green beauty companies that create non-toxic shampoos, even more companies are selling shampoos that contain chemicals, sulfates and other unpleasant ingredients. 
• Shampoo strips the hair of it's natural oils, causing it to create more oils to compensate; no-poo supporters refer to this as a "vicious cycle".

How?

• Some people are able to get by with simply rinsing their heads with warm water and no further steps necessary to maintaining a healthy scalp.
• Others use a mixture of baking soda and water to take away impurities without removing natural oils, followed by a rinse of acidic apple cider vinegar to balance the slightly acidic pH of the scalp. Vinegar is also softening for the hair. Usually this is performed once a week with an ultimate goal of lengthening time between rinses or even cutting them out altogether.

So, according to my friend who hasn't shampooed her hair in a little over a year, the first step to going no-poo is to use a clarifying shampoo the night before you want to go no-poo with the logic that it gets rid of whatever build-up is in your hair. Last night, I borrowed my husband's bar of Lush Squeaky Green that I had actually given him because it was too clarifying and drying for me and I lathered up in my last shampoo for hopefully a good long time!

Come back a week from today to hear about my first week no-poo. I'll be updating regularly on Wellness Wednesdays with pictures and stories of how no-poo works for me.

Disclosure: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with any brand mentioned. All opinions are my own!