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witty_nameA. Because I stopped using shampoo and conditioner.
I had tried them all. The $2 bottle, the $20 bottle, the hippie-flower-organic, the salon-grade, the medicated. When dandruff lasts for almost a decade, you try all of them, and I did.
Nothing helped, most made it worse, and all of them dried and thinned my hair. Every wash would bring clumps into the drain catch.
So I hit the search engine for a way to make my own hair care products and found a blog post by a woman who had stopped using shampoo entirely with excellent results. I did what she did and yes, it works. If you want to try it, here it is (with extra tips for success from me):
No Poo Hair Care:
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda (aka bi-carb, baking soda)
2 cups warm water
non-glass container for mixing
*Dissolve bicarb in water, tip it on very wet scalp and hair, work in for one minute, rinse thoroughly.
then,
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (use only a couple of drops for children)
2 cups cool water (the colder the better)
(same) non-glass container for mixing
*Dilute vinegar in water, tip it on just cleaned scalp and hair, rinse immediately and throughly in cool water.
afterwards,
If your hair is dry or tangled when brushing, add a very small amount of food-grade oil to affected areas and brush through. Style as usual. (I use coconut oil.)
If your scalp is dry or irritated (eg. vinegar dilution feels too strong), then your washing temperature is too hot, your hair needs more brushing with a gentler brush, or your head has a sunburn or chemical burn. Aloe Vera juice applications can help while you fix those other factors.
Q. Will your hair have the same kind of clean feel as before?
A. No, this is a different kind of clean.
Shampoo strips everything from your scalp and hair, and conditioner then coats the damaged surfaces.
Bi-carb sticks to debris and odours which then get washed away together. I do not know what the vinegar does, but please pay attention the first time you use it because the effect is dramatically softening without any of the heaviness of conditioning products.
There is an adjustment period of about a month wherein your scalp will re-learn how much body-oil it needs to secrete into the environment atop your head. BE PATIENT, KEEP AT IT. Get a good hairbrush (good, not expensive) and gently brush your hair many, many times a day. I am eight years poo-free and have had very healthy hair from six months after I started.
Q. Will this cost more than shampoo and conditioner?
A. No, it will cost much less. Also, other issues you have been spending money on may improve. My very bad acne improved dramatically after I stopped using shampoo and conditioner (along with other things I stopped using and eating).
Q. Can I pre-mix the bi-carb and vinegar into separate containers and keep them ready in the shower?
A. Yes, other people have, but I have always mixed them up fresh.
Q. Do I need to wash my hair everyday?
A. That depends. If you get your hair dirty or smelly every day (eg. you work in a seafood shop), then yes, wash it everyday. If not, I suggest washing it three times a week for best results and more often if your scalp is irritated.
Q. Can I dye my hair at home?
A. Yes, and I have successfully. Do not use the shampoo or conditioner products in the colouring box, just rinse well with water and then go back to the usual bi-carb & vinegar routine.
Q. If I go to the hair salon they will be using shampoo and conditioner as part of my service. Is this a problem?
A. Yes. I tried this once with a very mild shampoo only. The result was a mildly irritated scalp, and the haircut did not "sit" right. The shape of the haircut depended on my hair being stripped of all natural oils and so it lost it's shape. I can usually find a salon that will just water-spray my hair and then trim or shape it as needed.
Every time someone ends their dependence on a commercial product, especially one that needs industrial strength infrastructure and chemical compounds or comes in a disposable container, they have improved their own quality of life. Please let me know if you try this or have any questions.
I had tried them all. The $2 bottle, the $20 bottle, the hippie-flower-organic, the salon-grade, the medicated. When dandruff lasts for almost a decade, you try all of them, and I did.
Nothing helped, most made it worse, and all of them dried and thinned my hair. Every wash would bring clumps into the drain catch.
So I hit the search engine for a way to make my own hair care products and found a blog post by a woman who had stopped using shampoo entirely with excellent results. I did what she did and yes, it works. If you want to try it, here it is (with extra tips for success from me):
No Poo Hair Care:
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda (aka bi-carb, baking soda)
2 cups warm water
non-glass container for mixing
*Dissolve bicarb in water, tip it on very wet scalp and hair, work in for one minute, rinse thoroughly.
then,
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (use only a couple of drops for children)
2 cups cool water (the colder the better)
(same) non-glass container for mixing
*Dilute vinegar in water, tip it on just cleaned scalp and hair, rinse immediately and throughly in cool water.
afterwards,
If your hair is dry or tangled when brushing, add a very small amount of food-grade oil to affected areas and brush through. Style as usual. (I use coconut oil.)
If your scalp is dry or irritated (eg. vinegar dilution feels too strong), then your washing temperature is too hot, your hair needs more brushing with a gentler brush, or your head has a sunburn or chemical burn. Aloe Vera juice applications can help while you fix those other factors.
Q. Will your hair have the same kind of clean feel as before?
A. No, this is a different kind of clean.
Shampoo strips everything from your scalp and hair, and conditioner then coats the damaged surfaces.
Bi-carb sticks to debris and odours which then get washed away together. I do not know what the vinegar does, but please pay attention the first time you use it because the effect is dramatically softening without any of the heaviness of conditioning products.
There is an adjustment period of about a month wherein your scalp will re-learn how much body-oil it needs to secrete into the environment atop your head. BE PATIENT, KEEP AT IT. Get a good hairbrush (good, not expensive) and gently brush your hair many, many times a day. I am eight years poo-free and have had very healthy hair from six months after I started.
Q. Will this cost more than shampoo and conditioner?
A. No, it will cost much less. Also, other issues you have been spending money on may improve. My very bad acne improved dramatically after I stopped using shampoo and conditioner (along with other things I stopped using and eating).
Q. Can I pre-mix the bi-carb and vinegar into separate containers and keep them ready in the shower?
A. Yes, other people have, but I have always mixed them up fresh.
Q. Do I need to wash my hair everyday?
A. That depends. If you get your hair dirty or smelly every day (eg. you work in a seafood shop), then yes, wash it everyday. If not, I suggest washing it three times a week for best results and more often if your scalp is irritated.
Q. Can I dye my hair at home?
A. Yes, and I have successfully. Do not use the shampoo or conditioner products in the colouring box, just rinse well with water and then go back to the usual bi-carb & vinegar routine.
Q. If I go to the hair salon they will be using shampoo and conditioner as part of my service. Is this a problem?
A. Yes. I tried this once with a very mild shampoo only. The result was a mildly irritated scalp, and the haircut did not "sit" right. The shape of the haircut depended on my hair being stripped of all natural oils and so it lost it's shape. I can usually find a salon that will just water-spray my hair and then trim or shape it as needed.
Every time someone ends their dependence on a commercial product, especially one that needs industrial strength infrastructure and chemical compounds or comes in a disposable container, they have improved their own quality of life. Please let me know if you try this or have any questions.
