low-poo

coconut oil hair mask removal – no-poo friendly!

crunchy confession: i have deeply missed my coconut oil masks. being a water-only washer, they were completely out of the question. even though i might not ‘need’ them because my hair gets conditioned with natural scalp oils, i really missed them. i think it’s really soothing to massage oil all over your scalp and have your hair smell like real coconuts 🙂

crunchy ideas: i decided to tie my sections of my hair into different ponytails and try to wash the coconut oil out without a low-poo or castile soap. was i nervous? who me?? pshh.. yes. but maybe that was because i decided to do this at 10pm the night before i had to be in the office. not smart on my part, my friends. not smart.

so what did i use? why? what happened?

well… let’s just say i have a no-poo friendly way of washing out coconut oil hair masks. crunchies REJOICE! .

all-natural coconut oil mask remover - no shampoo & no conditioner!

Continue reading coconut oil hair mask removal – no-poo friendly!

so you’ve got the flakes…

so you’ve gone no-poo/low-poo and now you’ve started seeing some flakes…
or maybe the cold weather has dried up your poor scalp.
let’s check out some ways to keep your scalp moisturized and healthy!

natural dandruff recipes (even no-poo friendly ones!)

causes of dry scalp/flakes/dandruff:

dry scalp
irritation to ingredients
bacteria/fungus on the scalp

so what can we do to help our scalps out? try these natural solutions! you don’t need to do them all. experiment and see which one/s work best for you and your hair type 🙂 when trying one, use it for a few washes before you judge it. some of these will take a little time, and others will be a little more immediate (depending on the severity of the dandruff and your hair type). the “**” denotes low-poo friendly options only, and should be avoided by no-poo-ers!

natural solutions to dandruff –

overall tips:

drink enough water. you should be drinking roughly 1/2 oz of water per pound of body weight, or 2/3 oz of water per pound of body weight if you’re very active.
wash your hair less & remember to scritch and preen!
take fish oil supplements. i swear by this fermented cod liver oil/butter oil blend. it’s pricey, but the best money can buy (that i know of). you can either get it in capsules (easier to take daily), or as a gel (what i have… it’s tough taking it, but i don’t mind much anymore. it goes great in tuna salad! haha).

natural solutions:

each solution is unique, so don’t be afraid to play around with them (and maybe even mix some things up!)

try a different wash – if you’re a no-poo-er, ditch the baking soda and switch to a no-poo alternative or a low-poo (you can even try water-only, which is what i do now!). the bs/acv routine could very well be too drying for your scalp. you can always switch back later on down the road!
raw honey – slather raw honey on your scalp and massage into wet hair. let it sit for 15-20 minutes and rinse well with cool water.
acv – use an acv rinse on your scalp. this should be stronger than your usual acv rinse. try 3-4 tbs per cup instead of the usual 1 tbs. rinse well with cool water.
EOs – add a few drops of tea tree oil or rosemary oil to your bs/acv mixes. rinse well with cool water.
pure aloe vera – slather pure aloe vera on your scalp and let sit for 15-20 minutes. rinse with cool water. *this is my go-to remedy!
lemons – rinse with lemon water (1 tbs fresh lemon juice to 1 cup water). rinse well with cool water.
witch hazel – rinse with 3 tbs witch hazel and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice. rinse well with cool water.
whip up a couple egg yolks and apply it to your scalp on dry hair. let it sit for 15-20 minutes and rinse very well with cool water.
onion – blend an onion and massage the “paste” into your scalp. leave on for 30-60 minutes and rinse very well with cool water. a lemon juice rinse will get rid of the onion smell!
coconut oil – massage coconut oil into your scalp before you wash your hair. let it sit for 20 minutes to overnight and wash out. you can add in 1 drop of tea tree oil or rosemary oil for every tbsp of coconut oil for extra flake fighting power! **
oils – as with CO, you can also massage almond oil or jojoba oil into your scalp before you wash your hair. let it sit for 20 minutes to overnight and wash out. you can add in 1 drop of tea tree oil or rosemary oil for every tbsp of oil for extra dandruff fighting power! **
DIY scalp rinse – try this heavy duty scalp rinse!

whew! i hope this helps!
what’s worked best for you? any other tips you have?? leave it all below! ❤

and don’t forget to enter in the “thank you giveaway”!! just as a little THANK YOU to my crunchies, i’m giving away an essential oils kit! ENTER HERE! CLOSED.

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the title picture is clearly edited for pinterest reasons… lol

no-‘poo/low-‘poo for dyed hair

2021 edit: i no longer subscribe to or support the “all-natural” label. more here.

the long awaited post is here! (and the long awaited source list is on its way!)

we’re finally going to formally address going no-‘poo/low-‘poo with dyed hair!
insight on going no-'poo or low-poo with dyed hair

when i first decided to follow my hippie heart and become a no-‘poo-er, i had dyed hair…that had been dyed over dye…over dye. it wasn’t a good hair situation, haha. i’m a natural brunette that accidentally dyed my hair almost black, let it fade, lightened it to a honey brown, dyed it to a medium auburn brown, let it fade, and then dyed it dark brown (wait for iiiiit….)… all within a year and a half and all out of a freakin box! before that, i dyed it dark brown every month to 2 months. and this was post-bleach blonde, post-cherry coke, and post-black-underneath hair. my hair hadn’t been it’s natural color since about the 7th grade. no joke. like i said, it wasn’t a good hair situation!

my hair started to split on the ends in between my yearly cuts (yes, yearly), and i was SO fed up with my hair. i knew i wanted to stop dying it, so i also decided to look into “healthier” shampoos to help my hair, too.

little did i know that my life was LITERALLY going to change because i decided to not dye my hair. but that’s a story for another time i suppose.

so is going no’poo/low-‘poo with dyed hair possible? YES. is it safe? YES.
but here are a few things to consider before your switch (or during!)

some things to consider:

how damaged is your hair?
– ANY type of permanent/semiperm/etc, hair dye is damaging. period. end of story. it sucks, i know! so for example, if your hair is dry and breaking with your current store-bought shampoo/conditioner/products, chances are that the bs/acv routine isn’t going to the best option for you. long story short, if your hair is damaged, go low-poo. if your hair is healthy, you can try no-poo, and always keep low-poo in your back pocket 😉
are you okay with your dye fading quicker?
– you won’t be using the specialized shampoos that help color last. my hair dye faded between 3/4 of the time and 1/2 the time it would’ve usually taken with the bs/acv routine. i know that’s a deal breaker for some people. but that’s where low-poo is your best bet! low-poo won’t fade dye quickly like no-poo.
are you okay with finding more natural dye alternatives?
– because your hair will thank you! and it’ll fit into your no-poo/low-poo routine!
are you going to continue to dye your hair?
– if you’re an avid dyer, chances are no-poo isn’t the route for you. you can try low-poo. never think you need to stick to commercial products! but please do keep in mind the damage will be more apparent. the damage is the same as it always is, but commercial products smooth out hairs and “glue” split ends together. you don’t get that with no-poo/low-poo.

how to successfully transition away from commercial hair products as a “dyee” :

only wash your hair every few days or longer. it’ll be less harsh on your color-damaged hair.
keep. your. hair. moisturized!! whether that means CO masks weekly, or raw honey conditioning every wash (or both), you have to listen to your hair. YOU know YOUR hair better than anyone.
eat right & supplement when you need it.
avoid heat as much as possible! whether than be a curling iron, blow dryer, or hot shower, it’s all heat to steer clear of.
nurse your hair back to health!! & be patient with it! you may need to treat it with a heavy dose of protein (egg yolks), or seal in some serious moisture (raw honey). it’ll get better as time goes on.
use a boar bristle brush to pull scalp oils to the ends of your hair. your own scalp oils and sebum are magic for your hair!

some other posts you might find helpful:
– low-‘poo options
– no-‘poo resource page (where you can find info on everything from deep conditioners to salon trips to troubleshooting)
– coconut oil mask

any tips from fellow dyers out there?

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DIY no-‘poo alternative shampoos & conditioners

2021 edit: i no longer subscribe to or support the “all-natural” label. more here.

as we know, no-‘poo can be pretty difficult to master. i did “no-‘poo week” in hopes i’d help a lot of people. but there’s still one huge thing i wanted to address & publish…

diy natural shampoos and conditioners

for some people, baking soda/acv isn’t the route to go. neither is castile soap. but what do you do when those no-‘poo methods don’t work for your hair, but you don’t wanna go low-‘poo?

try these homemade alternatives i’ve gathered up! these do require more time, but you should be washing your hair much less, so no big deal, right? 🙂

as with any no-‘poo/low-‘poo method, there is a transition period when you first switch from regular shampoo/conditioner. and with these following recipes, using hair products is not advised since there’s nothing in these mixes that will clean the products back out of your hair.

also, these methods won’t lather (unless you add soapwort). that doesn’t mean it’s not getting your hair clean!
also also, these mixes are okay for both hard and soft water.

lastly, these ingredients can be found at your local organic store and local health food store. call & check! if not, there’s always online!

shampoo

lemon shampoo

mix 1/3 cup lemon juice with 2/3 cup water for oily hair OR 1/4 cup lemon juice with 1 cup water for normal hair
*you can add 1 tbsp acv for those with dry hair
put into container and use as shampoo
this might lighten hair over time if you’re in the sun a lot

hibiscus shampoo

place either 2 fresh or 2 dried hibiscus flower petals and leaves into small blender
add 1/2 cup water
blend into paste
use as regular shampoo
*you can also use powdered hibiscus for homemade blush/eyeshadow!

powdered shikakai shampoo (for sensitive scalps, hair growth, and hair root strengthening)

in a sauce pan, mix 1 tbsp shikakai powder, 1 tbsp amla powder and 1 tbsp reetha powder into 1 1/2 cups water
heat till almost boiling, and turn the heat to low
let simmer for 10-15 minutes
strain and use the liquid as shampoo

soapwort shampoo

chop 1 1/2 tbsp dried soapwort
bring 2 cups water to a boil
add soapwort to boiling water, and stir a couple minutes
cover and let simmer for a 1/2 hour
strain, put in container, and use as regular shampoo
*this WILL be sudsy! (for those that miss bubbles!)

fuller’s earth shampoo

mix enough fuller’s earth with water to make a watery paste
apply mix to hair and rub on scalp as you would regular shampoo
rinse very, very well

castile shampoo mixes- a gentler castile method (use distilled water)

mix 1 part liquid castile soap to 8-10 parts distilled water (or even diluted further if you can)
mix with: aloe vera; raw honey; argan oil; jojoba oil; avocado oil; coconut milk; vitamin e oil; a few drops of various essential oils; etc.
keep in container and use as regular shampoo

*tea shampoo (for added color & gray coverage)

for added color and gray coverage benefits, use tea instead of water in ANY of the shampoo mixes that have water
black teawill help darken hair over time (3-5 bags steeped for 1 hour)
chamomile tea will help lighten hair over time (3-5 bags steeped for 1 hour)
red or rooibus tea will help add red to hair (3-5 bags steeped for 1 hour)
add 1 tbsp sage (or equal parts if you’re goin hardcore coverage) to help cover grays
…remember to strain before you add to your mixes 😉

shikakai & soapnut shampoo

here’s a great tutorial on it. & she claims it takes out oil treatments from your hair too. that’d be great! … if anyone wants to test that claim and get back to us here at AE, more power to ya!

you can add steeped mint leaves and/or various essential oils to ANY of these mixes

**if you want a sudsy lather, steep soapwort and add it to any shampoo mix (soapwort instructions above)

conditioner

these conditioners are geared towards no-‘poo-ers. these will rinse out with your regular no-‘poo routine 🙂

coconut oil (dry, damaged hair… but it’s golden for everyone)

mix 1/3 cup warm water with 1/2 teaspoon melted organic unrefined coconut oil
you can add a few drops of any essential oil- lavender, orange, rose, etc. mmm!
keep in container and use as regular conditioner (shake each time)

raw honey

mix 1 teaspoon raw, organic honey into 2 cups very warm water (not hot) until honey is thoroughly dissolved
put into container and use as you would a regular conditioner

avocado oil (frizzy hair)

mix 1/2 cup warm water with 1/2 teaspoon avocado oil
put into container and use as regular conditioner (shake each time)

vitamin e oil

mix 1/2 cup warm water with 1/2 teaspoon vitamin e oil
put into container and use as regular conditioner (shake each time)

sweet almond oil

mix 1/2 cup warm water with 1/2 teaspoon sweet almond oil
put into container and use as regular conditioner (shake each time)

coconut milk

apply as much coconut milk as needed to cover the length of your hair (if you choose to use canned, make sure there are no added sugars or preservatives. you don’t want a sticky mess in your hair)
use as regular conditioner
the best coconut milk is homemade. no sugar, no preservatives, etc. and the best part? you can drink it! so delicious & healthy! yay!
– i’m not sure what i did wrong with this one, but it left my hair dull and limp. i know it’s supposed to be amazing! i’ll try it again someday

other deep conditioners

*obviously water and oil don’t mix. shake mix vigorously before applying. the water is there to help to keep the oil from “sticking” in no-‘poo hair, but will still give hair moisture.

2-in-1

only 1 mix needed for these bad boys!

eggs

whip up a couple egg YOLKS
use as shampoo, let sit 10-15 minutes, and rinse well!
*there is a such thing as too much protein in your hair! please don’t use this more than once a week. and even that is still too much for some people’s hair. you’ll know you have too much protein in your hair when it starts to break/snap easily. sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s true! that being said, eggs are GREAT for hair. don’t let the protein thing scare ya off

aloe

use as much pure, organic aloe vera juice or gel as you need to cover all your hair from roots to ends
let sit a 10-15 minutes (shave/bathe?) and rinse well!

cucumber/lemon

blend 1 peeled cucumber and 1 peeled/de-seeded lemon in a blender
use mix as shampoo

coconut milk/aloe combo

see my recipe here

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please keep in mind some of these shampoos/2in1’s will expire quickly. use common sense 😉 i suggest making only what you need, and keeping extras in the fridge! the conditioners listed do NOT need to be kept in the fridge.

any shampoo/conditioners YOU love? let’s hear it!

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