Comments on Crunchy Chicken: The no poo experiment

i was linked to your blog from shakesville, and as...

2010-01-14T17:14:33.982-08:00

i was linked to your blog from shakesville, and as a 'pooless woman m'self, i had to weigh in. ^_^

if the baking soda/vinegar method doesn't work for you, i hope that you'll try something else. in june after i'd researched a bit, i decided to try the simplest method that seemed to work for everyone who tried it. (several people who'd tried (and failed) with baking soda said that this method worked for them.)

the magic ingredient? just water.

i have long curly hair that is very thick. i really doubted that this would work for me, considering that i've always needed tons of conditioners and products on my hair. now my "routine" is to comb my hair before i get in the shower. this removes dirt, loose hair, and tangles. then when i'm in the shower i skritch my scalp with my fingers all over, and comb everything out under running water.

going through transition sucked. >_< near the end i was panicking that i wouldn't be able to stick to it... but then one day i felt my scalp and realized i was done. @_@ no oily feeling at all. just clean and soft. my hair is shiny and looks as good (if not better) than when i used all of those products on my hair. i love it. ^_^

SECRET FOR SUCCESS -
get your hair wet...part ...

2009-01-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

SECRET FOR SUCCESS -
get your hair wet...part it down the middle and run a cloth from scalp to end one hundred times each side...this distributes the oil and leaves a less oily scalp and softer ends. This eliminated the need to use baking soda all the time. In fact I don't even use baking soda anymore, just an egg yolk. Also...at night scritch your scalp gently and brush out. This reduces flakes and gets the grimies out of your hair as well as stimulating the scalp. I've had the greatest success since incorporating the wash cloth and scritching technique

I'm going shampoo free starting today, actually st...

2009-01-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

I'm going shampoo free starting today, actually starting about 20 minutes ago in the shower, and I'm excited.

Although I did recently cut my long hair off and it isn't super thick either.

Anywho...cheers and best of luck!

NAOmni

about 9 months of no poo for me. short hair.
2009-01-22T00:03:00.000-08:00
about 9 months of no poo for me. short hair.

before, had to shampoo every day as my hair got oily, and my scalp itched if I didn't take a shower and wash my hair.

now, I can go 2-3 days without a shower and my scalp doesn't get itchy at all, and my hair doesn't get oily. No real transition time for me.

now, I do bs wash every 2-3 days, and do a vinegar rinse every day.

--sgl

Awesome. : ) I agree with some of the other comm...

2009-01-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Awesome. : ) I agree with some of the other commenters here that you should give yourself the freedom to alter the recipe depending on how it goes. I started out using a baking soda paste for the first few weeks, and then went into a more dilute version. If it's really greasy at first, up the baking soda content. And make sure to apply to dry hair and leave on for a bit so that it -ahem- soaks up the grease. Heh.

Good luck!

I am on my 4th day of being a"no-poo"
And it ha...

2009-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

I am on my 4th day of being a"no-poo"
And it hasn't been too bad as of yet but I am experiencing way too oily hair,

Can't wait to hear your results, your hair sounds ...

2009-01-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

Can't wait to hear your results, your hair sounds a lot like mine!

I have been no poo for about 6 months now and love...

2009-01-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

I have been no poo for about 6 months now and love it. I have curly, course, thick hair so baking soda is too drying for me. I use 'cone free conditioner to "wash" my hair every other day. Once or twice a week, I use brown sugar and conditioner to make a scalp scrub and then rinse with apple cider vinegar. So, brown sugar is a good sub for baking soda. I did have a transition period where my scalp was itchy, but the brown sugar scrub helps with that. Good luck.

I have been going no poo for about 4 months and my...

2009-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

I have been going no poo for about 4 months and my hair looks and feels just as good as before. Of course my hair is not quite shoulder length so it is hard to compare. I am letting it grow out to donate, so we will see how it does then. No harm in trying. If it doesn't work, you at least know for sure.

@Jennifer: yes, baking soda is mined, but all soap...

2009-01-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

@Jennifer: yes, baking soda is mined, but all soap requires a base (basically what BS is doing is producing a soap from one's own oil), and many (lye in homemade soaps) are even more destructive than bicarbonate. You can google no poo, though, and see how other people have deleted BS; there are a number of testimonies about flax seed meal, for example.

When I dreadlocked my hair I had to stop using sha...

2009-01-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

When I dreadlocked my hair I had to stop using shampoo and conditioner. It took some getting used to but my scalp slowly stopped producing so much oil since it wasn't being stripped away. It took me about 1-2 months. I use Dr. B's bar soap once a week since I can't wash every day and baking soda once a week won't cut it. One bar lasts me up to a year.

Of course for straight hair, combing it distributes the oils from the scalp to the roots which cuts the buildup on the scalp and should help with dry ends, also.

Oh, and a recipe I used pre-dreads for dry hair: Olive oil infused with rosemary (finely chopped rosemary sat in olive oil for several weeks) coated on everything but the scalp, then washed out (apply BS/vinegar or soap/shampoo prior to wetting hair or it will just slick off).

Good luck to all the new no-pooers out there!

~Tara

I would love to try this, but I play roller derby ...

2009-01-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

I would love to try this, but I play roller derby and practice three times a week for two hours, and when I leave my hair is so soaked with sweat I look like I just showered. I also have very long colored hair (red) and it's hard to keep it the color I like, so I'm really interested in how it works out for you.

I use baking soda to wash my hair... it's natural...

2009-01-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

I use baking soda to wash my hair... it's naturally curly. I use about 1/8 cup mixed in warm water.

I liked the results of the vinegar as to the way my hair felt after wards, but I do not blow dry my hair, so the vinegar smell seemed to linger for hours until my hair dried. My pillow also began to smell like vinegar.

I switched to lemon juice as a rinse and like the smell of that better and it works almost just as well or the same. I use about 1/4 cup diluted in WARM water so I don't freeze while pouring it over my head in the shower.

I tried the no poo, and will try it again, but so ...

2009-01-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

I tried the no poo, and will try it again, but so far it hasn't worked for me. I, too, have long hair that gets oily fast. I used to have to wash it daily, but I did manage to train it to go about 3 days now. It can easily get back to two, though, just by washing more often, so I have to be careful.

The biggest problem for me using the no poo method was how it didn't seem to rinse clean. I had build up on my hair, which was apparent when I'd brush my hair and this white residue coated the brush. Unpleasant! Also, I don't like the smell of vinegar, and it just lingered even after it dried.

Since I have a low-flow showerhead, I assumed it was the pressure, and started rinsing under the faucet. It didn't help. Still, I am determined to try again. By the way, I love this blog! I am going to add a link to it!

Will you post pictures? I'm interested in how my t...

2009-01-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Will you post pictures? I'm interested in how my thick hair would look poo less

Keep this up and this will be you- and no one WANTS to be borg. LOL J/K But seriuosly bald is beautiful and until now, I never realized before Bald is Green!

I've been no poo since August, and I love it. I ha...

2009-01-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

I've been no poo since August, and I love it. I have long, thick hair. It took me quite a bit of experimentation and days of hair pulled into a ponytail with a headband on to get where I am now, but now I'm down to washing about twice a week, and my hair is shiny and beautiful. I use 2 tbsp baking soda to 2 cups water, and 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar to 2 cups water because of the length of my hair. Some tricks that worked for me: 1. It's all about the scrubbing! Before you get in the shower, scrub your scalp with your fingertips over your dry hair. When you get in the shower, wet your hair and scrub your scalp again with your fingertips. Then apply the baking soda mixture and scrub scrub scrub until your scalp tingles. Rinse very well, scrubbing. 2. Use the ACV mixture only on the hair below your ear line, it'll make your hair oily if you do it too high up. Good luck!

I tried no poo but it didn't work for me. It sound...

2009-01-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

I tried no poo but it didn't work for me. It sounds like we have similar hair so I will let you be my test dummy before I delve into it again. I HATE greasy hair!

Good luck! From all the other posts it sounds like...

2009-01-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

Good luck! From all the other posts it sounds like an awesome switch to make! I think I'm going to try it to. Coconut oil is pretty cool. It will help moisturize your hair but it does make hair really greasy! I'd recommend only using it on your ends and not your scalp. And one good thing about using coconut oil is it'll make it less likely for your hair to catch on fire :P

It seems like all the green bloggers have been tal...

2009-01-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

It seems like all the green bloggers have been talking about the 'poo diet lately. And I'm severely jealous.
I want to start a "diet," but I still have tons of shampoo left and I don't want to waste it. Any suggestions for how to switch over without wasting the shampoo and conditioner?

I just read the comment about baking soda being de...

2009-01-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

I just read the comment about baking soda being death to frizzy, porous hair, and laughed out loud. That pretty much describes my hair, and my experience going no poo. I also could not stand the smell of my hair. Other people's success with it always makes me consider giving it a try again, but . . . I just dont' think I can go there. I do think my specific hair type may be the issue.

I just don't see why? It seems that buying a nice...

2009-01-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

I just don't see why? It seems that buying a nice homemade shampoo bar made of local oils and honeys and milks made by a local artisan would have WAY less effect on the environment than baking soda, which needs to be MINED. Maybe it's because it is a relatively local mining to me (Wyoming), but I would prefer to support a local business woman or man and to use something made of sustainable ingredients instead of using something that is mined that we can use up and not have anymore.

I didn't go no-poo but I have gone from shampooing...

2009-01-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

I didn't go no-poo but I have gone from shampooing every day to just twice a week. I have long thick oily hair that's been highlighted (now growing out) and is dry on the ends. I found that just rinsing my hair well in the shower (still shower every day!)most days got the sweat and salt out, and my hair is actually less prone to oiliness now than it was last year. In other words, when I shampoo'd daily I needed to shampoo daily, now that I don't, I don't need to either.

my teenaged son has long, horribly oily hair that ...

2009-01-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

my teenaged son has long, horribly oily hair that regular shampoo just seems to make worse. when clean, it's a beautiful, snowy blonde but when dirty... ugh! he started using baking soda and vinegar last year and the difference has been amazing. his hair is now something you want to touch and his face has cleared up considerably

I've been shampoo free for almost a year now and d...

2009-01-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

I've been shampoo free for almost a year now and don't miss it. My hair is past my shoulders and thin and fine. Usually I just scrub my dry scalp before I give it a good rinse, and I use apple cider vinegar as a rinse every other time or so. So mostly it's straight water! Sometimes I use baking soda, but rarely.
My hair reacts differently depending on what I do after I wash it. If I comb it out wet then it stays long and straight, but if I let it dry before I comb it it remains full of body. I think the little shoots off the edges of each hair don't get smoothed down by conditioner, so the hairs stay hooked together, kind of like several strands of yarn. I have nothing but good things to say about this method. Jenny