I remember how much it made sense when I heard that the more you shampoo your hair, the more you need to shampoo it. Even with moisturizing shampoos you are stripping the natural oils so much that your hair works overtime to make up for it, resulting in the "I just washed my hair this morning so why does it feel so gross?" phenomenon. A couple of years ago I decided to try the No ‘Poo method and stop using shampoo altogether. I absolutely loved the results - soft, silky hair that I could run my fingers through at any time of the day or night and never hit a tangle or snag. My hair at the time was around the top of my shoulder blades and, as it has always been except for perming, poker straight and very thick. For some reason that I can’t remember, I quit the no ‘poo method and reverted to shampoo and conditioner. In the past two weeks, however, I’ve jumped on the shampoo-less bandwagon again. My hair is currently very short (think pixie-ish) and still very thick.

Using the No ‘Poo method saves almost a literal ton of money. You probably have baking soda at home as well as apple cider vinegar. And even if you just have regular vinegar (or lemon juice even), you can still do it. How much does a jug of vinegar and a box of baking soda cost? The amount you use each time to wash your hair is going to vary depending on what your hair prefers but I can guarantee that it’s going to be massively cheaper than a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. And it’s far more natural too. 

If you’re new to No ‘Poo, you may want to read this page for an overview as well as tips. The procedure itself is incredibly simple though it will vary from person to person as hair is different from one person to the next. My "tools" consist of a squirt bottle (it used to contain agave nectar) that I fill with water and a tablespoon and a bit of baking soda, a bottle of apple cider vinegar, and a cup  for mixing the water and vinegar. My procedure consists of wetting my hair thoroughly, squirting on my scalp some of the soda/water mixture (shaking the bottle well first; you’ll notice the settling of the soda in the picture above) until I feel like I have enough (very scientific, I know). I then massage my head and hair well. With my short hair, this isn’t difficult at all. When my hair was longer, I used to squirt the soda/water onto my hair instead of my scalp and then use my hair to massage my head. After I’ve even distributed the mix around, I rinse my hair again with plain water before taking the cup, which I’ve filled with about 3/4 of an inch of vinegar topped up with water, and slowly pouring it over my head, gently working it all over with my other hand. I then rinse out the vinegar, dry my hair, and I’m good to go. There is a decent amount of vinegar smell while my hair is wet but once it dries it’s gone. I think. My hair is too short to stick under my nose to check but I’ve had no complaints from either my son or my boyfriend.

I’m hoping to stick this no ‘poo method out. I see no reason to return to shampoo though I do still have 3/4 of a one-litre bottle of Tresemmé in my shower. Maybe I’ll use that as bodywash? Or maybe not. I’m loving my emu oil soap and hoping to make my own (non-emu) soap in the near future.

Give no ‘poo a try. What have you got to lose?