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

Your problem was that you went cold-turkey. Of cou...

2009-06-12T14:52:07.547-07:00

Your problem was that you went cold-turkey. Of course it didn't work! Silly.
You have to gradually switch over, over the course of 3 to 6 months. You have to let your hair get used to it. Here's a great post on how to make the switch:
http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/2008/02/01/simple-herbal-hair-care/

I think you should try again, it would be a shame if you didn't.

I just spent 4 months trying to "train" my hair to...

2009-05-26T14:19:22.286-07:00

I just spent 4 months trying to "train" my hair to go longer than every other day without needing to be washed and all I have is an itchy, built up with oils scalp. :( I was doing somewhat ok when my hair was shorter when I started (also growing my hair out) and could go 4 or 5 days without it being itchy and that's about when it would start looking bad too. But I also started stretching it to 5 to 7 days and it got really itchy and gross looking. Now with longer hair, I find that I can go maybe 1 day without washing, 2 if I'm lucky but that my scalp is itchy if I go more than 1 day without washing. So neither no poo or going longer in between washings is working for me.

Glad to read there are so many others who can't do...

2009-04-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Glad to read there are so many others who can't do the no poo thing. I get tired of women with beautiful thick hair telling me I shouldn't shampoo everyday. My hair is thin, dry and brittle. If I go without washing, it's greasy. If I use baking soda, it's dry.

Those who poo poo the ones who can't no poo just have no cloo.

I used to do the baking soda thing, but with swimm...

2009-03-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

I used to do the baking soda thing, but with swimming regularly in chlorinated water I had to go back to a shampoo bar.

"Jessica said...
I've been happy with my Lush shampoo bar, though I would be thrilled to find a local supplier. I haven't figured out what to do about conditioner though..."

There are quite a few shampoo bars on etsy, you might have luck finding a local on there. I've used the Lush solid conditioner as well, although it doesn't work that well (I have thick, dry hair and it's just not conditioning enough, but it does work well enough that I can just use a little bit of Aesop rose hair masque in the ends and be ok).

oh, joy, i'm thinking maybe Melaleuca is the name ...

2009-02-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

oh, joy, i'm thinking maybe Melaleuca is the name of the manufacturer? because if it's from the actual melaleuca tree, people will need to be very careful as melaleuca is a highly allergic thing for many (especially me.) makes my asthma go nuts!

okay, i'm doing this today. i have very thick, 3'...

2009-02-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

okay, i'm doing this today. i have very thick, 3' long straight hair that everyone has always commented on, and still does even though i'm 57. i have reduced hair washing to pantene once weekly for over a year now. and have very hard water. washing my head upside-down in the sink with the hand hose (mommies used to do this to kids all the time when i was a kid) so i can pool the hair in the sink, i first wet it with a cup of 50/50 white vinegar/britta filtered water to see if that helps the hardness (i hav previously tried dr. bronner's but it came out like hay scum which must have been the water.) then on to a tablespoon of soda in a cup of britta, then a hose rinse, then a tbls acv in a cup of britta. then another hose rinse, and then olive oil rubbed into the hair in the sink, which i put the stopper in and filled during the last hose rinse. let's see what happens.

As somebody mentioned, just using conditioner actu...

2009-01-30T18:35:00.000-08:00

As somebody mentioned, just using conditioner actually can work well, and cuts down on rinse time. I know because I did this accidentally once...bought the similar to the 'poo conditioner and used it for weeks before I figured it out. However, I DID figure it out, because, though I have a lot of hair, it is fine, and the wave I usually have disappeared as it became quite limp. This technique would probably be great for somebody with dry, frizzy, thick, or super curly hair.

And WOW, that last comment...that bitter-sounding person needs to get a grip. People who are really trying don't belittle others who are, too. Any bit helps.

Sorry Crunchy, but "ooh, I tried it for a few days...

2009-01-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry Crunchy, but "ooh, I tried it for a few days but it was like icky-poo" is incredibly lame.

Maybe you could sell the blog to someone who really does something? Nah, you're just another greenwashed media whore.

I tried no-poo. It was very nice at first, actual...

2009-01-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

I tried no-poo. It was very nice at first, actually. My hair seemed fluffier and dried faster. (I had very thick, long, oily hair.) But eventually it became very "tacky" to the touch. I'm too busy to deal with that mess.

I think I will try the shampoo bars. Plenty of people here are raving about them.

I tried the BS method and thought it wasn't great ...

2009-01-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

I tried the BS method and thought it wasn't great either. What I switched to was a smaller than dime size dollop of shampoo and rinsing with vinegar (apple cider vinegar, a hunk of rosemary and 2 yummy flavor tea bags mixed with warm water- my hair never smells like vinegar). I've been using the same bottle of shampoo for over a year now. My hair is mid-back length and very thick. I've had excellent results with this method so if you want to try another variation, you might give this one a go. While I DO use poo, 1 bottle over the course of 13-16 months isn't too bad IMHO.

At least you tried, Dear crunchy Chicken. Lots of ...

2009-01-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

At least you tried, Dear crunchy Chicken. Lots of hairbrushing seems to be a key factor too. I have got the hang of it now after 3mos of trying...no more itchy scalp/ear canals/under-carriage!!!

However, whilst you've got your bicarb on hand have a go at this use for it.
http://frenchtoastfrance.blogspot.com/2008/09/amaya-brushing-her-teeth.html

It works so well for my sensitive teeth and cleans my partial denture beautifully too.

(Apologies to Riana for my "cheek" in pasting her post...I would have asked but can't comment on her wonderful blog as it doesn't take "anonymous" comments :( )

Great work and kindest regards from Australia,

Sue Caissy

I've been doing the bs/vinegar about once a week f...

2009-01-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

I've been doing the bs/vinegar about once a week for awhile now. At first I tried the baking soda paste, massaging that into my scalp, but it seemed to dry my hair out too much, since I don't have alot of oil to contend with. So now I just do the 1 tablespoon in a large tumbler of water and that works great.

Crunchy, maybe you need more bs? I'm thinking the oilier the hair/scalp, the more bs is needed to cut it.

My hair is so shiny and soft, it's amazing that this really works! I hope you'll try this again in the future, Crunchy One, when things calm down for you. It really simplifies life and FPF would be so proud of you! :)

Hi,

Why don't you try to stay away from the...

2009-01-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Why don't you try to stay away from the shampoo for a while. Once a week should work fine. You may need to go through an initial period of very greasy hair -your sebaceous glands are probably working overtime with all that shampoo, but after a while your body will adjust.

Then you can take a more sensible and environmentally friendly approach. Use less. Remember using LESS is always best. Better than using something else or recycling !

Your hair looks great. Stop beating it up with shampoo or other detergents! You need the natural oils to protect it.

At least you tried. This is one thing that I don'...

2009-01-27T07:35:00.000-08:00

At least you tried. This is one thing that I don't think I'd ever try. I'm just not that brave.

I only use the bs twice a week and the cup with th...

2009-01-27T02:41:00.000-08:00

I only use the bs twice a week and the cup with the tablespoon in lasts about 6 washes on average. Water use is down if anything. Maybe you just had too much of it in your hair?

Mine has never been better.

Try again when you aren't stressed by other things perhaps :)

viv in nz

I may try it again in the future or perhaps altern...

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

I may try it again in the future or perhaps alternate occasionally with Aveda, my "green" shampoo and the baking soda action. Oh, who am I kidding. It's unlikely I'll try it again. I've got more weird things I'd rather experiment on.

I had really bad luck with shampoo bars, but it's possible I just need to keep looking for something that works on my head.

I like the idea of using something that is low in chemicals for cleaning my hair, since the rest of my cleansers are inert. But I also don't like drying the crap out of my hair experimenting either...

I have gone without shampoo for a year. I only use...

2009-01-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

I have gone without shampoo for a year. I only used rain water from our water tanks. Baking soda sounds like a very bad idea to me - no wonder you felt all yucky and itchy!

It took a little while for my hair to adjust - initially I had to wash my hair twice a week instead of just once as before, but I gradually returned to my once a week schedule. The hair looked fine, it did not smell, it felt perfect and was not sticky.

And I used less water than before because I did not have to rinse etc.

Part of the reason why I decided to try the no-shampoo method was to see whether it would help get rid of some eczema that had been troubling me. Unfortunately, however, it made no difference whatsoever in that respect.

I haven't tried no 'poo, but as an interesting alt...

2009-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't tried no 'poo, but as an interesting alternative, I've read that conditioner by itself has enough surfactants to clean your hair as properly as shampoo. http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/12/15/is-wen-conditioner-a-wonder/

You might be able to get away with no shampoo, but using only conditioner instead!

I'm really surprised it didn't work for you -- fra...

2009-01-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm really surprised it didn't work for you -- frankly I don't think you tried long enough, but if you're not happy with it then you're just not. It's too bad; my hair an scalp are in the best condition they've ever been in.

I do hope others will not give up too early because of your short trial, though, because it does work for many of us.

Wow. I'm just realizing that most no-poers still w...

2009-01-26T18:07:00.000-08:00

Wow. I'm just realizing that most no-poers still wash everyday. Der on me.

Yeah I think if that's the case, no-poo wouldn't be as worth it (environmentally speaking) as washing less often...slowly spacing out washes to go longer and longer.

~Tara

I also gave up on the baking soda and vinegar meth...

2009-01-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

I also gave up on the baking soda and vinegar method, because it dried up my hair something awful. I now do a very diluted natural shampoo about twice a week and an occasional vinegar rinse or wash using shikakai powder. I also do a lot of sitting around indoors this time of year, and rarely work up a sweat, so dirtiness isn't generally a problem.

At least you tried. Nobody ever did anything by no...

2009-01-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

At least you tried. Nobody ever did anything by not trying. It is better to have tried and fail, than not trying at all-Ooops! I just made an argument for trying to unplug the frigidaire!

I'm with you on this... I gave up the no 'poo thin...

2009-01-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

I'm with you on this... I gave up the no 'poo thing after just over a week (erm... yeah, maybe I should mention that on my blog actually).

Either way, there are far more important ways we can be helping the earth than using baking soda and vinegar on our hair. Good on you for at least trying it!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that can't deal w...

2009-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that can't deal with the baking soda and vinegar hair cleanings! I, too, have long hair, and it wasn't so much getting the ends of my hair clean (I don't use any products on it), but actually getting the baking soda mixture to my scalp and the actually dirty/oily hair.

There's just something easy, convenient, and effective about the thicker sudsier stuff...

--Erika

I tried going no-poo once, and had about 10 differ...

2009-01-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

I tried going no-poo once, and had about 10 different things to try that I'd read up on.

I'm back to poo after 6 months of experimenting. It just isn't for me and my hair, if I want to get out in the public eye. I had people pointing and staring, I kid you not. My hair was one huge greaseball, and then it started dreadlock-ing and let me tell you, I am SO not hip enough for that. :)

I figure I'll just redouble my efforts in other areas to make up for it!