hey crunchies! here’s our second installment of our no-poo motivation series!
this post comes from Laura of Ten Healthy Fingers. check her out and spread the crunchy love!
not gonna lie, i cried the first time i read this…
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My name is Laura and first of all, I want to say that it’s a huge honor to write a guest post in this amazing blog.
I have not used any regular shampoo for seven weeks now. I got this amazing idea to go no’-poo from Almost Exactly and I am so grateful to Alex. So grateful that she has helped me to leave my awful hair in the past.
How and WHY did I decide to go no-‘poo?
So back to the start. I have had crazy-awful hair for I-don’t-even-remember-how-long. As a teenager I used regular shampoos from any other supermarket, then I went to salon products and then to pharmaceutical products. All this time I had a huge problem with oily skin on my face and †awfully greasy hair. I needed to wash every day to keep my hair clean. And I was a very outgoing person, going to music school, regular school, friends etc. That meant literally washing every day. Annoying, huh?
A few years back, the problem went even worse. Now it got to the point where I had to wash in the mornings, because washing in the evening was pointless.
I really needed help from a professional, I was unhappy.

The doctors blamed hormones and †wanted to prescribe hormonal contraceptives against it, I declined.†It got really bad – I didn’t even get my hair truly clean anymore so I went to a professional, specializing on hair, to take a closer look at my scalp. She looked it with a magnifying camera (200x) and recommended special deep cleanser, special shampoo and of course, special conditioner. To be precise – I only bought these three (each cost about 17-20 euros, in dollars 22-26 USD). She prescribed more things and all together, there were 7 items.
Those actually cleaned my hair and in the beginning I was able to wash every second day if I really-really wanted and stayed home the second day. At some point I felt they are still not good enough and after quitting those products, it got worse again, I think even worse than before. You know the desperation if you constantly need to worry how your hair looks, does everyone see how greasy they are, not to mention that hair held more close to scalp. I was literally unhappy with my hair and with myself and you know what it can do to a girls’ self-esteem.
The beginning of no-‘poo process
Then I found this blog and I am forever grateful! I did everything just as Alex has written. I did the clarifying and I started washing my hair once a week. Gross? Yep, it was. The first two weeks were awful for me, but then again – I had the worse possible hair before. In between I rinsed my hair with warm water. There were moments when I wanted to go back to a regular shampoo, just to feel my scalp a little bit more clean. I stayed strong and looked at Alex’s hair for motivation. After all – I had nothing to lose, it couldn’t go any worse than before, just had to tolerate it for a bit longer.
Daily, I used my fingernails to massage my scalp and then brush for 10 minutes. It made me feel a bit better and it felt like my scalp can breathe more.
I didn’t feel particularly good, but I had my goal and in bigger plan – it’s just few weeks of tolerating and rest of the life of happiness.
Two weeks
At the end of the second week I was not quite sure, but I THOUGHT I felt a little different. I noticed that my outgrown fringe started to became rather clean. That was the moment I knew that Alex was really right and that I’m not going to quit!
There is one thing I wish I would have payed more attention to – Alex strongly advised to deep condition often. I underestimated this a little, because it didn’t feel that necessary. Believe me – it is! Even if you feel in the beginning that it’s cool without deep conditioning – don’t trust yourself. It was the biggest mistake, because I think now I have to cut my hair more than I should have if I deep moisturized more.
Three weeks
I felt better than ever. I knew that it’ll probably take a little more time, but I was sure that there is a moment when this routine will make my hair completely clean. They appeared quite okay by the end of the third week, but I still felt they’re rather dirty, especially in the back.
Five weeks
On the 36th day ( I suddenly saw that my transition period is over! BC/ACV routine really cleaned my scalp, even the back of my hair were now clean. An on top of it – they stayed completely clean for TWO DAYS! It was a miracle, I don’t even remember when was the last time I didn’t feel this need to wash my hair every day.
And if you read from her posts that in a little time you begin to see what your hair wants -I thought that it’s insane, how on earth am I going to get my hairs’ needs?! But she was totally right, you are going to see what your hair need. At first I did everything just like she said, I think I did it for 5 weeks and then I started to “listen to my hair” and experiment a little with my routine. It’s not as messy and inconvenient as you would think. It takes about 10 seconds to make these mixtures even if I make them right before washes.
How am I doing now?
At this very moment, seven weeks of no’-poo, I feel amazing. After five weeks I started to wash a bit more often, because I am renovating my home, so my hair just got more dust in them. I can now wash every third day. It does get greasy at the end of the second day, but nothing compared to what was before. I think it’s even so little that other people can not really see it, I’m just understandably more sensitive and paying more attention to the appearance of my hair.
Can you go no-‘poo?
Absolutely. If I did it with my most-oil-producing-gross-greasy-hair, you can absolutely do it! If I went through a 5-week transition period with my hair, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU can, too! Almost Exactly is the best help you can ever get for the transition period and after that. Everything is written down, there is information about literally any situation that may appear and Alex is so helpful when it comes to a new person going no-‘poo.
I love my hair now, I am genuinely happier. THANK YOU, ALEX! You changed my life!
-Laura
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thank YOU, laura!!!
leave her some love! and questions!!
don’t forget to check her blog out, too!
