Comments on Crunchy Chicken: Going no poo: the initial report

I started going no-'poo a couple weeks ago and...

2011-09-02T11:14:59.501-07:00

I started going no-'poo a couple weeks ago and the EXACT same thing happened to me! (Which is weird becuase I have relatively thick, wavy hair... O.o) I took a shot in the dark and stopped using Baking Soda, and it worked! I just use a vinegar rinse whenever my hair starts to get greasy and when it's not a water rinse or no wash at all works fine. (I have a really itchy scalp and this worked wonders!) My indicator of when I'm washing to much is when my Scalp gets irritated from being dried out. Then I just go a few days without washing and space it out some more. My hair looks awesome, it's super soft and my frizzies are going away! So my advice is to ditch baking soda and just go with Vinegar and water ;) once in a while when I want a nice scent I use white-rain coconut conditioner, but besides that I hardly use anything on my hair!

I just started the no 'poo experiment last nig...

2011-05-19T08:06:10.149-07:00

I just started the no 'poo experiment last night. I was a bit worried about my ends so before I showered I put some olive oil in my hands and ran them through the ends of my hair then I did the baking soda/vinegar hair treatment. In the vinegar I put two drops of sandalwood essential oil and one drop of jasmine essential oil (my favorite scents) and my hair smells fantastic! The ends are a little crunchy but I do need to get the dead ends trimmed so I am crediting the crunchiness to that. Other than that, my hair smells great, looks natural and feels rather silky. So far so good. :)

About the smell... what's your ratio of ACV-wa...

2011-04-26T15:08:43.283-07:00

About the smell... what's your ratio of ACV-water? I use 1 tbs ACV to 1 c water, and when you rinse there is not a hint of vinegar. My sister said my hair smelled like shampoo... that may be because (apparently) a naturally clean scalp just smells good.

i am doing the no poo experiment right now, this i...

2011-01-09T23:08:43.822-08:00

i am doing the no poo experiment right now, this is my second week.
i have a rosemary bush in my back yard so i get some leaves an soak them in water for a few days, add the water with the B/S and use that twice a week. every other day i use natural organic goat milk soap. my hair has never felt better! a lot used to fall out when i would wash, but not anymore, and it feels softer and shinnier, and i think its growing faster.

I tried no poo condition only method. I only rinse...

2010-12-02T05:54:58.856-08:00

I tried no poo condition only method. I only rinsed my hair and then used condition. It felt good. Little oily but not bad. I did this for 4 days. Then I bought some brenners liquid soapand washed my hair with that. It felt greasier after using it like product buildup. So then I washed it with the bs/acv. Still felt like product buildup. It felt like I had a lot of wax in my hair but my hair had a lot of body. But felt terrible when I ran my hands thru it. I thought that it needed better cleansing from all of the products I have used in the past. I have been using a boar briste brush during this time as well. I have mostly straight fine thick hair with some wave in it. So I routinely flat iron my hair. I really want to get to the point where I can. Wash it just once or twice a week and rinse and condition it the other days. Anyone have any advice for me? I am dying to go back to an old shampoo to have my soft moving hair back again.

I looked into the Lush shampoo bars that a lot of ...

2010-01-23T10:03:27.845-08:00

I looked into the Lush shampoo bars that a lot of people seem to be using and found that they contain sodium laurel sulfate, so those are a no go for me. I have a bad reaction to SLS. I think I'll stick with the BS/ACV while my hair is normalizing. Another thing I've found is important when ditching shampoo is to brush regularly with a boar bristle brush to distribute the natural oils in your hair.

Laura - I'm so sorry you had such a horrible o...

2009-07-21T13:21:26.834-07:00

Laura - I'm so sorry you had such a horrible outcome. I would imagine the baking soda was too drying for your hair hence the split ends?

About what to do, I would deep condition the bejeezus out of it every time you wash your hair (get a real thick conditioning balm) and hope it grows out before shredding on you. Hopefully, you won't have to resort to shaving your head :(

I tried the no poo experiment for approximately 10...

2009-07-21T13:13:57.165-07:00

I tried the no poo experiment for approximately 10 months. I have extremely fine, straight hair. My hair is now ruined. I have split ends that pretty much go all the way up to my scalp. It's terrible and I know the only way to fix it is to literally shave my head, which, what woman wouldn't be reluctant to do? While doing "no poo" I discovered that baking soda does seem to "clean" one's scalp, but the rest of the hair just gets a very nasty buildup. I didn't use vinegar afterwards but for perhaps a week because I didn't like it. I did one tbspn baking soda to one cup of water about once a week, then after a while upped it to twice a week because my scalp seemed to get dirty faster. After ten months of horrible hair days and damaged self esteem I decided to use Regis Pure Results shampoo. My head felt so good afterwards. I mean it was a huge difference. My hair was bouncy again. And clean. I guess I'm just wanting people to know that it may seem to work for the short term, but isn't worth ruining your hair. Is there anyone out there that has been doing it for a long time (like I had) without gaining a lot of damaged hair?

Hi there, thanks for the blog and all the commands...

2009-06-10T13:41:30.221-07:00

Hi there,
thanks for the blog and all the commands.
I want to try going no-poo and was going to go like my mum used to do: when she was a kid until being a young girl, she would use vingar first and then rinse with chamomile flowers in hot water, because it shines the blonde hair (blonde hair only, so she told me). I recently bought a bunch of dry chamomile in the Chinese market I cannot use for tea (not good quality). I might use it for my hair; Have you heard about other plants specific to one color or one type of hair? I definitely dont believe in "one solution fits all". Who said one way of cleaning would work great for all types of hair combined with all types of water? I think we all need to try and adapt? I'm kinda scared to begin though becasue my hubby is so sensitive to smell....bacon smell would be a no-no...

Wow. How did I miss this? Must have been when I ...

2009-04-08T03:43:00.000-07:00

Wow. How did I miss this? Must have been when I was sick as a dog and not reading many blogs. Sheesh. I didn't know you finally tried no 'poo.

Well, I gather you gave up on it. One thing I will say is that you're not supposed to wash your hair with the baking soda, just your scalp. I have a feeling it took so long to rinse out the baking soda because you were working it all through your long hair. Which is also why your hair turned out stiff on the ends.

Oh, well. At least you tried it. Still working great for me.

I've been using strained, diluted lemon juice for ...

2009-01-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

I've been using strained, diluted lemon juice for a few months now, every 2-3 days or so. It works well with me and smells much better than when I used vinegar or baking soda. The only problem is when I go to the beach or swimming pool - my hair gets a little tangly for a little while. I'll have to try the baking soda then, like someone mentioned above.

Hi Crunchy--So I'm a no 'poo-er but a different me...

2009-01-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hi Crunchy--So I'm a no 'poo-er but a different method. I actually follow the curly girl method because, well, my hair's really curly. Basically it involved washing your hair with conditioner (trust me, it works even though it sounds kinda gross). Anyhow, I heard it mentioned from other cg'ers that you can add a little lemon juice to your conditioner (or in this case vinegar rinse) as a light astringent to help get rid of the filmy build up.

I don't know why the earlier poster mentioned the vinegar rinse as a distributor for the oils. Everything I've read has said something different. See, your hair is naturally acidic. Washing it with the very basic baking soda (in water, which is also basic) will fluff up the cuticle layer on your hair, leaving it vulnerable to damage, moisture loss and potential frizz. The vinegar rinse, being slightly more acidic than your hair will help the cuticle layer lie flat again.

I hope this isn't too much information. I just thought it might help. You can also use a low poo (basically a natural shampoo) every once in awhile to clarify, and it won't set you back in your transition. Just make sure it doesn't have any SLS or other damaging sulfates. Cocobetaine, olefin sulfonate and cocomidopropyl betaine are acceptable surfactants.

Alright, enough of my book. I hope everything goes better for you. :)

I was so excited to try the no-shampoo thing a few...

2009-01-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to try the no-shampoo thing a few months back. I did it for well over a month and eventually switched back to shampoo. I have long, thick hair, too, and although it never looked totally terrible, it never looked very good, either. The filminess never got any better. The filmy residue started building up on my comb and I couldn't stand it. I really wish it would have worked. And I might have stuck with it if it seemed like the troubles were improving, but nay, they were only getting worse. I hope you have better success!
-Meagan

I haven't used shampoo for over a year. I didn't l...

2009-01-24T20:04:00.000-08:00

I haven't used shampoo for over a year. I didn't like baking soda at all, but using vinegar once in a while makes my hair very soft.

I just use plain water most times. It seems to work fine.

I thought I had to wash my hair every day, too. No...

2009-01-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

I thought I had to wash my hair every day, too. Now I do 3 times a week, and it is great. It always looks better on the 2nd day! I tried the no 'poo experiment last year, but with honey and baking soda. The honey tore out my fine hair! Maybe I will try some baking soda by itself this weekend. I've recently stopped conditioner all together and use a rosemary oil as-needed on the ends.

As for working out, I now only go running on the days that I wash, and I do yoga or go bike-riding on the non-wash days because I don't sweat much doing those kinds of activities.

I agree with the Simpleton on how to deal with wor...

2009-01-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

I agree with the Simpleton on how to deal with working out: just rinse! I think that most of what happens to your hair during a workout is just sweat, not grease. And sweat rinses out with water, since it's just salt water itself.

I work out 4 or 5 days a week, and earned the nickname Sweat Queen back in high school. But since I've been no 'poo (~1.5 years), I wash with BS and vinegar every 3rd or 4th day, and just rinse and dry on any other day that my hair gets sweaty enough to need it.

Different strokes for different folks, but I too t...

2009-01-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Different strokes for different folks, but I too think you should drop the coconut oil. At the very most, use grapeseed oil, which is much lighter, and I would do it only weekly or so. As far as the workout blues, have you tried rinsing out the salt right after exercise? I'm wondering if that's part of the filmy problem--it certainly was for me back in my shampooing days.

I have two very different textures to my hair, a "topcoat" that is dry, porous, and wavy and an undercoat that is oily and clings to my scalp. A conditioner's nightmare. I'm on Day 5 of no 'poo (just by chance) and think I'm going to love it, although there have been some setbacks. My hair is less greasy underneath and less dry on top. Apparently unlike every other person on the planet, my hairline has stopped breaking out since I started. I did try to go without the daily bicarb yesterday, and it was a mistake, but I think I see the possibility in the near future. And by the way, Dr. Bronner's is awful for my hair, although I use it for all kinds of other things.

I've been "no poo" for awhile, and also added esse...

2009-01-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

I've been "no poo" for awhile, and also added essential oil to the vinegar. Two things about the sticky/crunchy issue - first, I have found that if I run a comb through my hair in the shower while the water is running, my hair ends up soft and very curly. Second, I brush my hair every morning with a natural bristle brush to distribute the oils. This not only makes it easier to keep clean, but eliminated the itching. Just my $0.02.

it can take months for your scalp to stop making e...

2009-01-23T02:50:00.000-08:00

it can take months for your scalp to stop making excessive oils to fight the store bought shampoos. i've been doing no poo for 6 months now. (it took a month for my hair to get better). one key is to brush your hair a lot like daily with a natural bristle brush to distribute your hairs natural oils. and i only wash my hair once a week with the baking soda.

I echo what other commenters have said about tweak...

2009-01-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

I echo what other commenters have said about tweaking the amount/timing of the vinegar--I have gotten itchy scalp issues with no-poo, and I started using more vinegar, and occasionally using vinegar before and after the baking soda as well, and my scalp doesn't itch now. I use apple cider vinegar.

Good luck!

I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only one who had a b...

2009-01-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only one who had a bumpy time of it with no poo. I gave up quickly, but I have really difficult hair to begin with. But in every other review I've read, it seems like no poo just instantly yielding amazing results with no vinegar odor issues. I was beginning to develop a no poo complex.

Crunchy- than you so much for all the laughs today...

2009-01-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

Crunchy- than you so much for all the laughs today. I truly feel we have similar and oil producing bodies so having you as my test subject is fantastic.I tried no poo for a few gross days and gave up because I can't stand the oil. I wash my hair every other day (I don't care what you all say, anything longer and I am dripping oil) and need my hair to feel clean. I am using an organic shampoo right now and its so so. I remember watching Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and they made some shampoo out of clay. I need to look that up. Maybe that could work. I do hope no poo work out for you but just in case it doesn't, its nice to have a backup plan.

I was inspired to chronicle my shampoo alternative...

2009-01-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to chronicle my shampoo alternative here -- http://lowplastic.com/2009/01/22/my-shampoo-solution/ -- which came as much out of a need to control mild eczema as reduce plastic.

It took me a month to detox from traditional shamp...

2009-01-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

It took me a month to detox from traditional shampoo. Hang in there.

I get an itchy scalp when I use BS too much - make sure you dilute it enough. And I wouldn't use it everyday. Here is a recipe I LOVE for no-poo:

1 c. Dr. Bronner’s organic castile liquid soap (The almond scented version is GREAT for this - best smelling shampoo ever!)
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
3/4 Tbs. tea tree & Vit. E oil (or just one oil only)
1 c. distilled water
1 (16 oz) spray bottle or other container for application

This is an alteration I made from the recipe offered by Lindsay Edmunds at Passionate Homemaking: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/08/homemade-natural-hair-care-shampoo-recipe.html

I find it works GREAT. It leaves the hair a little heavy, but it is very soothing to the scalp. I alternate between this and BS, otherwise the itchiness drives me nuts.

Make sure you also dilute the vinegar enough. I add basil and rosemary essential oils (just a few drops per quart of the vinegar/water mixture) to cut back on oil and for the smell. I never smell the vinegar after my hair is dry, unless I've used too much.

Hope this helps!

Ooops! Everywhere in my earlier post that I wrote...

2009-01-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Ooops! Everywhere in my earlier post that I wrote: t. (for teaspoon) should have been T. (for tablespoon). Sorry.