No Poo? Can Do?
I have many options ahead of me thanks to suggestions regarding the state of “a-hairs” on my head.
This makes me happy… but…
Not being one to take hair crisis research lightly, after discovering the closest Aveda school is two and a half hours away I crawled through the World Wide Web for suggestions about curly hair care.
Apparently there’s a book out there called Curly Girl that I need to check out. But even more fascinating is a theory called “No Poo.”
(You know, just the word “poo” and I’m sucked in. It’s a side effect of the life I’ve lived since giving birth to Uno five years ago.)
“No Poo” is slang for No Shampoo. Back in the Dark Ages of 2008 a Sydney, Australia radio host issued a hair challenge to his listeners: To follow the advice of some fabulous muckety-muck who reportedly hadn’t shampooed his hair in 15 years and looked fabulous (and still smelled nicely as well… they didn’t mention he emitted a rancid odor.).
The host challenged listeners to go without shampoo for six weeks. Everything else in their normal hair care routine was ok, but shampoo allegedly strips hair of its natural oils and does bad things with bad chemicals that are just bad, bad, bad so No Shampoo For You!
At the end of the six week “No Poo” challenge 86% of the participants reported their hair was “Gorgeous and ‘fluffy like a kitten’ (i.e. better or the same as when you used shampoo)”; only 14% reported their hair as “Skanky (i.e. worse than when you used shampoo).”
Now, we all know Australia is upside down and maybe that means they live in opposite world and anyone who tried this in the United States would end up with results of 86% being Skanky and 14% Fluffy like a Kitten but… but… this is an intriguing idea.
- For the curly haired —- No Poo made the curl more defined and less frizzy.
- For the thin haired —- No Poo gave more weight and body.
- For those with dry scalp, psoriasis or dandruff —- unequivocally, these problems went away, even for those who had used expensive treatments for years unsuccessfully!
- For those with fine hair —- became easier to work with, felt thicker from the natural distribution of oil and didn’t need products to give them more body.
A bit more research and I discovered a blog called Raising Olives. The author documents her six-week transition from Shampoo Purist to No Poo Person. She’s a real gal who went No Poo!
Can this be an actual option?! I need advice! It flies in the face of all I’ve known growing up, namely, that if you don’t shower and shampoo on a daily basis you should probably just make a reservation on the pull-out bed in hell.
I was discussing my hair conundrum with Lizard on the way to church this morning (I know, his life is full of fascinating conversations with yours truly) and he suggested instead of fretting about it, I should just cut all my hair off.
He meant it.
So now in addition to No Pooing, I’m considering cutting my hair short, sassy and curly a la Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, or Natalie Portman. (Not in Star Wars. You probably guessed that already.).
If you’re cringing inside about all this hair talk, I want to assure you I expect this will be the last time I dedicate an entire post to my hair… but, then again, this is a fast-changing world and some promises are made to be broken.
Particularly when they involve hair with a mind of its own and need to file orbital flight plans.
Could you No Poo? Have you No Pooed? How do you feel about me No Pooing?
(Oh dear, I really hope people read the entire post and not just this ending italics part. That could give the wrong impression.)
So…when you shower, would you use only conditioner? I’m intrigued.
Yes! Then there are also some “dry shampoos” that basically act like baking soda that absorb the excess oil. Raising Olives also recommended a boar bristle brush to distribute the natural oils. Apparently after six weeks you’re back on your bady’s natural oil-producing cycle and it’s better than anything else.
Fascinating! I want someone else to try it first though…
I have gone a week before without washing my hair! I also continued to run and work out. Those two combined did not work out so well. My hair felt nappy. For me it’s a no go, but for you? Considering you’re allergic to sweat 😀 I think this would be a fun experiment for you!! Just think of all the time in the 6 weeks you could save by not washing your hair…. 🙂
I will get my hair wet everyday, but I don’t shampoo everyday. I started doing this after coloring my hair to hopefully help that expensive salon color job last longer. I’ve found that my hair does well on the no shampoo days. My hair is not quite as thick and curly as yours. I guess the only way you’ll know if it works is to give it a trial run!
I say try the “no poo” route! If your hair gets all nappy, you can rock the dreadlock look or you can always cut it ultra short then!
Keep the scissors away from your hair!! I personally like your hair longer:) I have done the no poo! However I used Wen cleansing conditioner. I liked it but to be honest it was a little pricey at first and my fine hair did not like the extra oil. I can see how it would work really well for curly hair though. I think you can get it from QVC or directly from the website for Wen. A google search should bring up the website. Also..while going to an Aveda school would be great for getting your hair cut inexpensively, you can also visit the salon and ask for suggestions of products to use. All you would pay for is the products you buy. Some malls also have Aveda stores and offer the same heavenly massage and tea and knowledge. All I bought was shampoo and walked out relaxed and floating on a cloud of hair bliss..wow..i truly have a problem:)!
I think I would try it – I would just want to know what else to do – and have to figure out the specifics…
I am only admitting this here that this post made me do the “No Poo” experiment this week. I am honestly not a fan of my own hair ever so it pretty much always goes up in a pony tail type of look with a clip or band. I have tried skip-“pooing”, and “pooing” at night instead of the morning. I think I prefer “pooing at night” instead of skip-pooing. I do suffer major unrully morning hair so I do need to use a no frizz cream (currently using redkin cream). I actually had my hair out of any type of contraption and was ok with it on my poo at night use frizz cream in morning experiment. My skip poo day made me frustrated and wanted to give myself a mr. clean cut.
“I have tried skip-‘pooing’, and ‘pooing’ at night instead of the morning. I think I prefer ‘pooing at night’ instead of skip-pooing.”
Michelle, this one sentence had me in such fits of laughter that my husband was giving me strange looks. I know you’re referring to the shampoo issue at hand, but something in the way you wrote it makes me think of…well, you know…and just cracks me up! 🙂
I’m quite intrigued. Probably not enough to actually try it, but intrigued none the less. Would love for you to try it out and report back!
There was a whole discussion about this on WellTellMe for a while:
Many of the gals there were using regular bar soap (like Ivory or Dr. Bronner’s) and rinsing with water-diluted vinegar (apple cider vinegar, I think?). They swear by that method. I never got up the nerve to try–that, and I’ve been using up the same Sam’s Club size bottle of shampoo for the last five years. BUT, that bottle is literally just about empty! So, I might be persuaded to join you on this slothly campaign… Maybe. My husband says he likes me natural, but not bohemian. I’m worried that he might excommunicate me if I don’t wash my hair. Hm. 🙂
Whoops. I forgot to post the link, but when I went to get it the website wasn’t working. I’ll try again later.
P.S. I just looked over to the right to discover that the last 5 recent comments were posted by ME. Does that mean I get a prize? Does that mean I need to get a life?