Update: One Week No-Poo

One week ago yesterday, I washed my hair for what I hope to be one of the last times. I made the decision to covert to a no-poo lifestyle. So far, it is going okay for me. It hasn't been instantly gratuitous, which I didn't expect anyway; my scalp is adjusting.

The Oil

When first switching to no-poo, it is common to experience a phase in which the scalp is still producing the same amount of oils as if it were still compensating for the natural oils stripped away by shampoo. This detox or adjustment phase varies in time length per individual and some may not even experience one at all. For me, my scalp type was oily before going no-poo and I feel like this may be an advantage for me during this adjustment phase. I mean, I was already used to dealing with the feeling of greasy hair so it's not like this oiliness is a new experience to frustrate or discourage me. And unlike during my fruitless search for the perfect shampoo for me, I have hope for better days ahead.

The Smell

It's just a fact of life that different regions of the body have distinctive odors. The oil of the scalp has it's own scent, not good but not particularly bad, and I have noticed mine more now that I am not using a shampoo with it's own scent to mask it. The first few days I was no-poo, I was so paranoid thinking I could smell my hair oil and asked several people who swore up and down they couldn't smell it. Still, I've taken to spraying a little perfume on my brush and I don't know why I never did that before as it really makes my favorite scent linger longer.

The Germs

One personal obstacle I am overcoming during this lifestyle change of mine is coming to grips with the hygiene of not shampooing. As a nurse, I got over my germaphobia long ago, but still do feel the need to take a thorough shower after a shift. I used to shampoo after every shift as part of that cleanse, so I was scared of the germs that might inhabit my hair if I didn't. But then a friend pointed out to me that shampoos are not antibacterial soaps like for hands anyway, and I got over that fear.. mostly. Out of the past seven days, I have baking soda scrubbed and apple cider vinegar rinsed my hair four times. I do plan to cut back over this coming week! I will post again soon to update on how that's working out for me. For now, enjoy this one week no-poo selfie I took :D!

The surprisingly normal roots of a girl who hasn't shampooed  in one week :).