26 days in...going strong

Yesterday I had a dr's appt...you know the one *rolling eyes* and of course just needed my hair to look, feel and smell clean. If nothing else than for my own comfort. So, even though it was not a wash day and didn't really need to be washed, I mixed up some bs and dr bronner's. I forgot that I was going to use a tbsp AFTER diluting it. So I used a little much. *oops* So, in the end my hair was WAY too clean. I was SO worried that I had totally screwed up the headway I had made. I noticed the ends were dry as well. Today, I did a wo wash with an acv rinse. My hair, thankfully, looks and feels fine now. I didn't have time to let it dry before I had to leave so I dried it as well as I could and dusted with cornstarch...because it does look oily after a wo wash until it is completely and totally dry. I will definitely continue with the bs/bronner mix but used correctly- haha. I have to decide on the frequency though. My husband said my hair looks so much better. It has lightened a little so it isn't really the dull drab mousy brown anymore. It is still dark especially indoors but it has more texture and depth to it because of the "highlighting" now.

Diet related...?

I had another thought about the odor. Something I ate. I started wondering about this because I have had a horrible stomach ache yesterday and today as well- the likes of which I haven't had since before I discovered I lactose intolerant. So I thought about what I had eaten in the past couple of days that was out of the norm. Canned tuna. I googled this and in an admittedly brief search discovered that, according to several sites - some even reputable medical type ones lol- that canned tuna is notorious for causing gastrointestinal issues and body odor of various types. Maybe that was it? I don't know if I had a problem last time I ate it...it was a while ago and due to the undiagnosed at the time lactose issue I always had stomach issues back then.

At any rate...this morning I could still smell a hint of the stale scalp odor though it was not as strong a yesterday and I was just desperate. I did discover it was concentrated on the back/top of my head. On top of the tuna possibility I also thought a) maybe I wasn't washing that spot well or b) I was getting ACV rinse in that area and maybe that was causing an issue. I made a rinse of chamomile tea, lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla extract. I saturated my hair in it. I used two bowls, one to pour over my head and one to catch the rinse so I could repeat the process. I also put some in an applicator bottle and concentrated it on the spot. I did this whole process several times then I soaked my hair in it for as long as I could sit bent over like that with my head in the bowl. I was in the tub. I decided to just pour the rinse in the tub at that point and I laid down to immerse my hair as much as I could (I have a large two person soaking/spa tub.) I followed this with a really good rinse with warm water then a cold water rinse.

The result...? My son said my scalp smells like peanut butter cookies...rofl!!! Hey, that is a HUGE improvement over dirty laundry- his reference of yesterday's odor. I'll take it and I'll consider it to mean 'you smell good'. :)

Ok. Hopefully that crisis is solved. I don't think i will be eating tuna again...just in case. But I do think I will be eating peanut butter cookies here pretty soon... Haha! ;)


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Day 23...and Dr Bronner's...

After returning to the bs/acv wash yesterday, I woke up this morning and headed to town. About halfway there I could smell that stale dirty scalp odor. My son confirmed that my scalp smelled. *sigh* I applied some baking soda when I got to my moms house and that helped absorb the odor and bought me a few hours- enough to shop and return home. I decided to try Dr Bronner's soap. I have seen mixed reviews on it- I decided I just needed to try it. I bought the peppermint liquid one. When I got home I washed with it and followed with an ACV rinse. My scalp burns a bit- I am not sure why though I have put it through the wringer in the past two days. On the positive side- it smells better. My hair also has VOLUME. WOW. So, I am going to experiment with using the soap more. Hopefully the burning is not related- because other than that I am very pleased.

My plan for the next wash is:
about 1 tbsp diluted Bronner's Soap (I premix this with water in a 1:1 ratio)
about 1 tbsp baking soda
mix together in palm of hand to lather and apply to scalp
massage well
rinse thoroughly

My plan for the next rinse is:
about 1 tbsp ACV diluted with water
OR about 1 tbsp lemon diluted with water
OR chamomile tea diluted with water

I did see a 'recipe" for a cinnamon vanilla ACV rinse...fill a jar with ACV, add a vanilla bean (or some vanilla extract) and a couple cinnamon sticks. Use about 1 tbsp diluted in water for a rinse. I will try this after I go to the store next and get the cinnamon sticks.

I am feeling like this whole process is very complicated and it seems like more of a hassle than it's worth. But that's where it gets me...because it IS worth it. If I can have nice healthy hair for longer than a couple of hours (about how long my nice (but not healthy!!) hair lasted with shampoo) then yes it is worth it. And once I get the routine down that works well for me- it will be much easier. I might have to change it up a bit here and there- changes in weather, hormonal issues, etc...but for the most part I should be able to learn all of this and go with it. We do the same thing with shampoo- I had three different shampoos and two different conditioners I would use for different reasons/desired outcomes. And the results were VERY temporary. And not healthy at all.

no no-poo balls!!

Well I posted earlier I had made up some no poo balls- baking soda, honey a tea tree oil. My hair has been an oily mess and I thought maybe it was the transition/detox period. Unfortunately it was getting a hint of that dirty-oil smell I got all the time with shampoo. Today I decided to give it a good scrub with straight up baking soda mixed with a small amount of water. (What I was doing originally.) It worked great!! I did use white vinegar instead of ACV...but I am going to return to ACV- I just like it better and I think it works better. I also noticed my hair is a bit frizzy at the scalp- not sure if I got overly aggressive with the baking soda today, or if it's the white vinegar not conditioning as well or what. But I am SO happy that my hair is not greasy after washing like it has been. YAY!

One thing I have learned- THIS TAKES TIME. It probably won't be a smooth, easy, quick fix. You may have to experiment. You can't give it 2 or 3 weeks and say 'it's not working.'

Transition

I think I may have hit the 'transition phase' so many speak of. Where your confused hair realizes something has changed and is saying 'what is going on?!' and starts overproducing oil briefly. I did put a very small amount of castor oil on the ends so it's possible it's that but my hair seems more oily overall even on the day I washed. But...it still doesn't look or smell bad like it did with regular shampoo. So, at this point I can deal with it. Hopefully it won't last long!! I will be doing a honey/brown sugar scrub tomorrow.


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Day 16

WO wash today (ACV rinse), dusted with cornstarch. Not only went in public but attended a party. No worries or concerns that my hair looked or smelled dirty. When I used shampoo I wouldn't leave the house without washing my hair- felt and looked too nasty even if I had just shampooed it the day before. Today was the 2nd day since washing with bs. Plan to use bs every third day for a while before (hopefully) moving to every four...then every five...etc. I am so happy I found out about this. I was SO tired of greaseball hair even with shampooing every day. (which was horrible for my skin!)

On a side note, I have rough skin on my chin, neck and jawline. I used a brown sugar-olive oil scrub today (second time I have done this) and my skin is so smooth, looks so fresh and young. I find it funny that I would wash my face with oil but it really does work- actually better than any facial cleanser I have tried) and I love that I don't have to worry about any chemicals. Doesn't get much more natural than (real) brown sugar and olive oil...seriously.

now i know it's working...

My husband just reached over and rubbed my hair...small gasp "oh wow..." he says "holy crap...I don't think I've done this since you started." He ran his fingers through a bit more and says "wow...it's like so silky smooth..."

*big huge smiles giggles and grins*

I can pretty much say without a doubt I will NEVER use shampoo again. Ever.

Priceless.

Day 14

This morning my hair looked ok- not too dirty or oily. Felt worse than it looked though. This was day 3 since last bs/acv...I am hoping to get to doing that just once a week. I still think, for me, doing that gradually is the thing to do. So, today I did a BS/ACV routine. Hair looks and feels amazing. It is soft, moisturized, and I have so much body! Color is still a little on the mousy side but it does not look as drab - looks healthier and shinier. I have errands to run tomorrow and a party to attend on Saturday. I might do a honey/brown sugar scrub that day but I will see what my hair looks/feels like.

Day 13

My hair is AMAZING!! It seemed oily last night and this morning. Especially after using the boars bristle hairbrush on it. I did a wo wash (oh I did an acv rinse too) and after it was barely damp, I though 'no way is wo going to work for me.' It was oily, stiff-like, and YUCK. But, I wasn't going anywhere today, so I dusted with cornstarch and put my hair up. Checked later after it is completely dry...and WOW! It doesn't look oily or dirty at all. It just looks...normal. I could totally go out in public and no one would ever guess I hadn't washed it today let alone not used shampoo in almost two weeks. Normally...when I was using shampoo...there was no going in public if my hair wasn't washed. You could totally tell and it was gross. Right now it's early evening and my hair is not oily...it doesn't stink...and it looks fine. I am amazed and SO happy. I can't believe I can wash it less often yet have it stay cleaner longer.

Here are some photos...the funny kink in the back is from having it up in the clip while drying.

Day 12...and a self-done haircut

I cut my own hair yesterday. Basically I trimmed, redid the layers all over and framed around my face. I found some great videos on youtube by notaditdot on cutting your own hair. I've done it before but she had a lot of info and shows techniques so you can SEE what to do. Allowed me to get a bit more courageous and creative with my own hair. :)

Here is a before photo of front and sides (just after bs/acv and day 11 of no 'poo):

And here are my results:

As far as my hair...It is smooth (i should have hit it with the boars bristle hairbrush before taking the 'after' side view), it is clean, it doesn't smell, it is soft and not dry. I am very happy with the results so far. And I noticed this morning that areas of it are a pretty brown with blonde highlights and even some red! The lights shines on it beautifully too. It is very pretty and I sure hope it continues throughout my hair so I can get rid of the nasty dull mousey brown/dirty blonde I normally have.

I noticed some very slight oiliness this morning mostly in the front on top of my head. But I did a ton of brushing, combing and manipulating while cutting it yesterday. With regular shampoo, it would have been a greasy mess today after all that handling. I just put some cornstarch on the oily spots and it's completely presentable. I also noticed I am having no problems with static. That was always a huge problem for me...year 'round. But it hasn't been an issue now since day one- one time I had a little fly away, but I applied a very small amount of oil to the ends (like I applied it to my hands and while they were still wet with oil I ran them lightly over my hair ends.) and that was the end of that. :) yay!

Day 11

BS/ACV. Today is Day 11 in the process and day three since last wash with bs. My hair was presentable but did feel dirty. Last time I did a bs wash though I had reduced the amount of bs and I think that was a bad idea. Today I used one of the no 'poo balls I made yesterday. (on that link look for post #71.) I am guessing it was probably a Tbsp of baking soda. I use an empty honey squeeze bottle...place the ball in that and added a little water to make it about the consistency of shampoo. Applied it, rubbed it in, added more water to the bottle and shook it to rinse out the residue. Applied that over rubbed in bs. Let it sit for a minute and rinsed well. The ACV wash is not measured...I pour a tbsp or so into a cup and add water. Soak ends for maybe a minute then apply to hair. Rinse very well...I let the water run over my face- when I can no longer taste the vinegar...it's rinsed well enough. ;) Follow up with a cool water rinse. Hair is still wet but I plan to update later today with a report on hair condition and photos. I also cut my hair a bit. I might cut more later as well after it dries...I might want more framing around my face.

Day 10...interesting update

I had posted my hair looked damp. Now it just looks normal. Very odd. I was planning on doing a brown sugar honey scrub tomorrow. Considering waiting. Still have to figure out routine.



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Day 10 afternoon

I am not sure if I can describe this. My hair was oily this morning, as I posted in my previous post from today. I did a wo wash. It has dried and it is slightly oily but simply looks more damp- like it simply isn't dry yet. It looks clean, doesn't smell (hubby confirmed)...I think anyone in public would just think it hadn't dried yet from shampooing it earlier in the day (giggle).

I am going to come up with a routine I think. And I am going to make no 'poo balls (in a way I hate these terms but I also think it makes people take a double take and pay attention...).

Anyway- info on these little gems:
From here:
Quote:
"A No Poo Recipe
I just wanted to share this since its working great for me.
I make no-poo balls, its a lot easier than mixing everything together in the shower.
I just mix together BS, water, honey, and EO's roll it into about 1/2"- 1" balls and let them dry for a few days. I keep a dish of them on my bathroom counter and just bring one into the shower, cup it in my hand, let some water mist over it and work it into my hair."

As far as measurements, from a source I can't find now, she recommended about 1 cup of baking soda, a large squeeze of honey, and a few drops of tea tree oil. Then enough water to make it into a thick paste.

Day 10- Time to recap...

This is a recap of my process thus far, more for my own sanity to keep good track of what I did than anything. :)

Day 1: no wash, no rinse
Day 2: bs paste wash/acv rinse
Day 3: no wash, no rinse
Day 4: bs wash/acv rinse
Day 5: brown sugar honey wash
Day 6: bs wash/acv rinse
Day 7: no wash/no rinse...though I did a honey lightening treatment and rinsed with water so...
Day 8: bs wash/acv rinse
Day 9: no wash/no rinse
Day 10: wo wash

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I have used shampoo and my hair is better than ever. i can see I was doing the bs wash every other day...I am cutting that back to every third day. It makes sense to me that one might sort of "wean" ones hair of being washed so much to help it adjust better...? idk. I wonder if I could do a baking soda wash once a week and do the brown sugar honey scrub in between along with wo washes. My hair really liked the brown sugar/honey scrub. hmm. Experimentation, experimentation, experimentation...lol.

This morning my hair was noticeable oily. Did not stink though. Normally with shampoo it would have been this oily yesterday and would have certainly stunk by today. It is still damp right now but it feels and looks cleaner than before I did the wo rinse in the shower. Hard to tell for sure until it dries though.

If nothing else to add for today...I have determined I am in desperate need of a haircut. :)

While I have found many blogs like this one and gleaned good info, encouragement, etc from them...my favorite go-to resource at this point is the no 'poo method forum.

Day 9

A little oily today. But I had to really study it to determine if it was indeed oily or just shiny. I have been using the brush probably more than I should have been. I also could be going in to the transition period? I did use less bs in the wash yesterday...maybe I cut back a little too much and that is why hair is oily today? All things to consider...

One thing I have already learned in this process is that everyone responds differently and experimentation is necessary to find what works best for your hair. I plan to just do a wo wash tomorrow. Will use cornstarch if necessary. And when I do the next bs/acv wash i will up the bs again a bit. I actually liked using the paste- i just need to be sure to rinse very well with that. I may go back to that again.

This is still a HUGE improvement over washing with shampoo. Had I used shampoo yesterday, It would have been oily like this last night. And, today, it would be even greasier and it would stink. Blech. Huge improvement.

Boars Hair

100% Boar Hair hairbrush that is. I am not comparing my hair to a boar's hair. :)

I have read several recommendations to use a 100% natural boars hair brush- the bristles grab onto to dirt and also spread the natural oils from your scalp all along the shaft of your hair.

I used it as soon as I got home. Normally my hair would have been full of static after that. But not today- it was beautiful. Shiny. Sleek (and not from greasiness lol). Soft. Gorgeous. I kept saying aloud 'I can't believe this, my hair is amazing.'

My husband said my hair looks better. He said it looks so clean, and bright and that it looks 'evened out' or something. (he's a guy, and not a girly guy, so give him a break here...suffice it to say he notices a difference.)

I am so happy with my hair right now. I have to assume this is going to continue. I am keeping in mind that I could have a transition period still. But as of right now I don't foresee ever going back to shampoo and the grease ball hair.


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Day 8

I did a bs/acv wash this morning. I have had a rough couple of days and just wanted to help myself feel better with a good hot shower and what-not. Normally I would have easily just let it go. It was not oily, didn't really feel dirty, looked just fine...

I am really pleased with this so far. It is not getting as oily or dirty as it did when I was using shampoo...it stays cleaner longer...and when it does get to where it needs a washing, it is not stinky like it was before! That's totally worth it.

Have a good day. :)

Honey Lightening UPDATE

Well, I mixed it up, applied it and left it on for an hour. The roots are a little "brighter"...it is all over actually. But definitely not as much of a change as I expected and still too..."dull". I guess I will have to do it again another day and maybe leave it on longer. I did read some people leave it on for a couple/few hours and also do repeated lightening sessions to obtain the results they want. It could have been my honey as well. The darker ones are more effective I guess. And I mixed the honey and water then added the cinnamon. I probably should have mixed the honey and cinnamon and then added the water.

Regardless, I tried to get a photo but I can't get the new lightness/brightness to show well so it isn't really rendering a whole lot differently from the 'before' picture. It was overcast outside though too so not as much natural light- maybe that was causing part of the problem as well. idk. Maybe if I had done a shot of just the top of my head before and after. Hmm. Well, I will probably do this again so I will post updates and photos when possible.

As for my hair...this is the evening of day 7. I didn't do the bs/acv wash today, but of course I did the honey application and wo rinse both before and after that. My hair is not oily at all, my scalp doesn't itch. I would be perfectly comfortable going out in public. I plan to do the bs/avc wash tomorrow again.

Day 7 & a Honey Lightening Treatment

This morning my hair was very slightly oily...and I had to look close and study it to determine if it was just my dark, drab graying roots or if it was in fact oily. In two spots, almost like a couple of patchy areas, it was slightly oily. The first spot was up toward the front just behind my hairline and the other area was on the very top but back of my head- like where a Jewish Yarmulke would sit. I dusted it with cornstarch just to see if it would help again, pulled my hair up in a scrunchie and...all better! No one would know I didn't wash it today. The goal is to get to at least four days between bs/acv routines with wo washes in between.

I did read one post where she mentioned she was washing her hair too much at first with the bs and simply prolonged the onset of her "transition period." But I have also read people say that if you don't want to do this "cold turkey" you can gradually reduce the amount of shampoo by diluting it over several washings until you are using none. I think, for me, I am going to just let my hair tell me- if it feels dirty or oily, I am going to do the bs wash. I figure since I am not stripping natural oils, just cleaning off the excess, it will not disrupt the process. And at this point it seems I should be able to go a few days without using the bs and that is acceptable to me. BS can be harsh if used too much but every few days should be fine i think.

Now about the Honey Lightening I mentioned. I want to brighten up those dark, drab, graying roots. There is a henna coloring option. But I think I'd like to just go lighter. And I have the ingredients for that. Honey, water and cinnamon (there are variations and the type of water matters...more info here.

Will post pics later! :)

Day 6...Evening update

My hair is so clean and not at all oily. It is still soft, though not quite as much as right after washing it this morning. Very slightly itchy. Even when using shampoo, my scalp would be itchy almost all the time. It could be either related to a medical condition I have - itchiness in general is an issue - or the shampoo and now the baking soda irritates my scalp. I do not notice an odor in my hair or on my scalp and that was confirmed by my resident sniffer (hubby lol).

Sometimes, people complain of the ACV being smelly even after drying. Or if the hair gets wet later. I do not notice a smell at all. I was in the pool today and I did not notice the vinegar smell on the right side, however I did notice it very slightly on the left. I am really thinking it is all in the thoroughness of rinsing.

See ya tomorrow!

In the beginning...

I have not shampooed my hair in 6 days. I did not say I haven't washed it...I said I haven't shampooed it.

There are many different ways to wash your hair when you don't want to use conventional 'shampoo. Every hair type requires a different approach as you go along you will find what works best for your hair. Here is a very good online community with info on doing this. http://no-poo.livejournal.com/profile . (Click on their user id to go to the discussions after you read their little 'do this first.") They classify hair types by letter and number in the forum so if you would like to find other users with your hair type, you can. The classifying list is here 9and will probably look complicated at first...) http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/Personal27.html

My hair is: 1bFii (straight with slight body, Fine, normal)
Common Abbreviations: BS-->baking soda, ACV-->apple cider vinegar, WO-->water only

DAY ONE: (June 1st) I did not wash my hair this day.

DAY TWO: (June 2nd) I opted to make a paste with the bs. There is mixed feelings on this. I should have chosen to NOT do this. *sigh* Anyway, it is what I chose so I mixed a tablespoon of baking soda with water and made a paste. I applied the paste to my scalp, worked it in, rinsed (probably not well enough) and then did the ACV wash. To do this I added a couple of tbsp of ACV to a cup of water, soaked my ends in it for a minute then poured the rest over the ends (I know now to apply it over my entire head...no need to do just the ends with this like what I was used to having to do with conventional conditioner.) I was shocked when I combed through it- normally I would have a ton of tangles, snarls and hair falling out. This time, it combed right through and only a few strands fell out. Air dried like always. It felt a little oily by the end of the day but not as bad as with shampoo. and it didn't LOOK oily, it only felt oily. Plus, it didn't stink.

DAY THREE: I did not wash my hair this day. By the end of the day it was "dirty" feeling...like I had used hairspray the day before. It still didn't look greasy, a small amount of oil was barely noticeable. Still it did not stink. (and I had my hubby confirm this for me...lol) Normally on this evening of day two, with conventional shampoo, I would have been noticeably greasy and stinky.

DAY FOUR: I did another BS wash with ACV rinse. At least this time I put the bs in a full cup of water so it was more diluted...HOWEVER this also is incorrect haha. You shouldn't use the entire cupful. (I didn't read the "read this first" part of the website like I have directed you to do so above...) By the end of the day it looked pretty good but it was ITCHY. I realized I had messed up (using too much baking soda) and contemplated using shampoo to start over. Instead I read about a brown sugar honey scrub to help with itching and since I had used a similar brown sugar scrub on my face (AMAZING!!) a few days prior, I thought I would try that.

DAY FIVE: I mixed brown sugar and honey to make a paste. I added a little olive oil (DO NOT DO THIS!!) Scrubbed my hair and this time did a lime rinse. It felt great after, combed through beautifully, and all seemed well. Until I figured out why you don't use olive oil. It looked greasy. *sigh* So, I grabbed a puffy makeup bristle brush, some cornstarch, and dusted my hair. PERFECT! I wore it up to help hide any remaining greasiness that might show through as the day went on.

Another note- my hair is thicker at this point and staying up better than ever. Before there were many days my hair was thin and would not hold the clip in place very well. My favorite two styles are to just put it up in a scrunchie or to wear it in a mock french twist held in place by a medium butterfly clip. (which is what I did this day.) I was even confident enough to go out in public like this. My husband said it looked fine, didn't look greasy, and didn't smell.

By the end of the day, it still looked GREAT and smelled fine. I did feel 'hairspray dirty' at that point but I assume it was due to me using the olive oil (did i mention DO NOT DO THIS??!?) and cornstarch.

TODAY- DAY 6: I did a bs wash and acv rinse today. a proper one this time. ;) My hair feels clean...as clean as if i had used conventional 'poo if not even more so...and WAY softer than had I used conditioner. It even has a little body and waviness- which normally it doesn't unless I put it up in a scrunchie to dry (or use tousling shampoo with mousse and work it while blowing it dry...) It doesn't itch, stink, anything. It is amazing. It is only mid-day right now though so I will post later what it islike come night time.

This is me right now...day 6 of no 'poo. I desperately need some layers and my roots are showing lol but I think it shows well the cleanliness and softness.

Intro...

Going no 'poo.

HUH?? What is that. I mean I know what 'poo' is but...what the heck are you talking about? I am talking about washing your hair without shampoo...NO 'POO.

What?? No shampoo? No lather? No...no clean...??? right...no shampoo and no lather. But clean? A week into it and my hair is cleaner today than any day I washed with shampoo...except maybe for the 5 hours or so right after when all oils were stripped off and it "seemed' clean. Little did I know that my scalp was working overtime to produce more and more oil to make up for what I was stripping off.

There is all sorts of info around the internet about why to go no 'poo...google it. (seriously...google "no poo method".) I am only going to go into MY reason for doing it. While I am all for saving the environment and saving myself from plastics, chemicals, yada yada...I am WAY more interested in saving myself from the nasty, slick, stinky, gross, GREASE BALL I had to accept as my hair. I would wash my hair in the morning (with shampoo) and by evening it would be oily and have a slight odor. By morning, the oil was noticeable to me but probably not anyone else. I could disguise it easy enough (putting hair up and "fluffing" it a little.) By that evening though it would be noticeably oily and smelly close up. By the following morning, we are talking greasy hair, noticeably stinky and impossible to disguise at this point. And itchy. (I always had itchiness to a degree, mostly in the area above my ears, but this would be horrible and intolerable.)

Now, you may wonder why on earth I would let it go to two days especially when, by the end of day one, it was oily already. Well, a couple of years ago I started reading up on oily hair and heard about letting it go in between washes to give your scalp time to neutralize itself, to use only natural shampoos, etc etc. And I had tried some of that - I spent more days greasy from trying to allow my hair to fix itself than I spent clean for a good year if not longer. GROSS. My hair never did improve and I finally figured it had been more than long enough and I was just going to have to resign myself to shampooing daily even though I was sure that was not good for my hair either. Even though I am a work at home mom and have some leeway in the personal hygiene arena, HAHA, but of course I prefer to be clean and presentable and certainly my husband prefers that over the alternative lol. So...daily shampooing it is.

I would shampoo in the morning using a clarifying shampoo. I would condition only the ends (because they were dry but getting conditioner near my scalp would cut my 5 hours of decent hair to about 3...). Styling? forget about it. It would never hold a style. By evening it was oily. Sleep, rise, repeat. ugh.

One day I was looking for facial cleansing stuff because my jawline and neck get extremely rough. (btw, have you ever heard of cleaning your face with oil? Seriously! It's amazing. But that's another story.) In searching for info on that I suddenly came across the no 'poo method. How I managed to miss this when doing all my searching before I have no idea as many posts seem to be from that time frame. But thankfully I have found it now. And I decided after about half a day of reading about it that I had nothing to lose and was going to try it. Several ladies (and even at least one guy!!) have blogged about their progress and the ones who post pics of their results after doing this long term have GORGEOUS hair that I can only dream of at this point and never would have thought it was possible for me to have. I decided to document my own progress and I hope it works for me (so far so good) and I hope that someday it will be me posting pics of my gorgeous hair. :)

Hope you will join me on this journey.

Before going no 'poo... I selected this photo not because it's a great picture (um cuz it's NOT) but precisely because it's not a great picture. It shows my hair oily, it shows the dry ends and it shows the odd curls it would have after being put up all day in a hair scrunchie thing. lol