no poo – Page 2

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

traveling & no-poo

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

low-‘poo-ers have the luxury of throwing their products into their luggage & heading outta town! & ROM crunchies don’t have to worry about packing anything.

so where does that leave no-‘poo-ers with their homemade mixes?? whether it be for business or vacation, let’s talk no-‘poo travel.

how to travel with no-'poo

here are some things to think about before you travel if you’re no-‘poo:

how long are you gonna be gone?
if you’re only gonna be gone a few days, wash before you leave and just bring some dry shampoo. no need for worrying about bringing your mixes! if you’re going to be gone a while, consider how you’re going to carry and keep your mixes while you’re away.
where are you headed to?
can you buy everything you need there? or are you bringing everything?
are you flying?
remember you’ll have to follow that ~3 oz rule with liquids and gels.
will you have access to a fridge?
will you be able to store your mixes that need to stay refrigerated, or will you use another method till you’re back home?
would you go low-‘poo for trips only?
for some that would be interested in the ease of low-‘poo for trips, it would allow you to throw your travel-sized low-‘poo in a bag & call it a day. just pick up a travel size bottle and squeeze what you need into it. and bonus – you could keep the rest of the low-‘poo to wash out coconut oil masks that were previously unable to be used as a no-‘poo-er!

so you’ve decided you need a way to bring your mixes. what do you do?

easy way:
pick up a few travel size bottles. fill one with plain ol baking soda and the other two with undiluted acv. once you arrive at your destination, you can mix them in a separate cup & use them as normal. i’ve done this many a time and i’ve never had any issues. if you’re using castile soap, fill one container with castile soap (undiluted) and the other two with undiluted acv. you can mix as you go.
if you need to bring along a deep conditioner, take some raw honey with ya! it won’t count as a liquid (although peanut butter and cream cheese count as “gels”…gross) and doesn’t need to be in the fridge.
if you’re using another homemade version that needs to stay in the fridge (like aloe vera), consider the following…

tricky way:
invest in some cool-packs/ice packs and one of those mini-beach-cooler-bag-things. you can travel with those for hours! i kept some of my probiotics nice and cold on my road trip across the country with a few ice packs a styrofoam box. i also wrapped it in the comforter i was bringing with me, but i’m paranoid about keeping my little bacteria alive haha.
if you’re flying & traveling with an infant and/or toddler, put the baby food/breast milk/formula/juice/etc in the same bag, and store your ‘poo mixes in an old baby food jar. ice packs are okay to take thru security when accompanying baby items. woot woot! if you’re not traveling with a little human, TSA will most likely take your frozen ice packs as you go thru security. no worries! pack an extra ziplock baggie to fill with ice once you’re thru security. i’ve love to say asking for a cup of ice shouldn’t cost a thing, but airports are weird. best o’ luck! and chances are they won’t confiscate a fully frozen gel/ice pack. honestly, it depends on who you have for TSA agents and what airport you’re going through. i’ve been through airports and brought good ol unopened Makers through security with me (as in the adult beverage). and i’ve NEVER had an issue bringing my big ol jar of liquid coconut oil deodorant with me. my jar of homemade toothpaste (that truly looks like death in a glass jar) hasn’t ever caused any issues either. and just this summer, i’ve flown all over the US as well as made a trip down to puerto rico. so all in all, don’t be worried about traveling with homemade goodies!!

hardest way:
buy everything you need once you get to your destination. it’ll mean an extra trip and extra money spent, but for those that don’t want to go low-poo for a few days, or for those whose hair isn’t a baking soda fan, it’s unfortunately what you have to work around.

anyone have tips on traveling as a crunchy, or have an entertaining story about getting your things from point A to point B?! 😉

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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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rinse-only method…. update 3!

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

so i’m terrible at updating you guys apparently. sowwy ❤

this post is gonna be much longer than my past updates, but it’s honest. please keep in mind i’m still a HUGE fan of water-only washing when you read this! it seems like i’m discouraged (kind of) BUT i’m sticking to my guns!

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one more thing….

……

………….

i only took a few pictures… IM SORRY! and they were from before my first wash and after my last. i was in the shower thinking “i can finally update people….cool! ….CRAP I DIDNT TAKE PICTURES!”

meh.

ok, so let’s see what i’ve been doin:

– used my bbb like it’s my job
– didn’t wet my hair between water-only washes
– washed my hair with ONLY water on 6/10 (last wash was 5/24)
– used my dry shampoo last weekish
– washed with water ONLY day before yesterday, 6/19 cuz it was getting oily
– washed my hair with ONLY water last night, 6/20

before my first wash ^

so this time around was really weird….

i water-only washed for the first that monday night. to “wash” my hair, i stood under the warm shower water and rubbed my scalp all over in small circles. after i was out and my hair air dried, i only had that clumpy grease feeling in the back of my hair. so i thought “whatever. i’ll just rinse better next time and my scalp can deal with itself…” lol. i didn’t do anything about it.

then about 3 or 4 days later, my scalp was SO greasy. probably because my scalp was thinkin “hey, wanna ACTUALLY wash me now?!” … to which i naturally replied, “nope.”

so before i went to bed, i used my bbb for twice as long as i usually do. then i woke up with less greasy hair. thanks, bbb ❤ it was still on the gready side, so i used a TINY amount of dry shampoo. then i went about my life, loving how low maintenance and hippie my hair is for the next 3ish days. then i REALLY needed to do something. i’m quite certain that greaseball head doesn’t scream “i’m successful at life” in the office. so, i used dry shampoo before work and went about my day with voluminous hair.

then that day and the days after, i had SO many fly-aways. SO many. it looked like i just hadn’t brushed my hair in days (well. i hadn’t. but you know what i mean, right?). and to top it all off, my hair was getting that “heavy” feeling from the grease. so the day before yesterday, i broke down and washed with water only again…so about a week later, instead of 2.

the day after i washed (yesterday), my hair was SO greasy in the back. the front was golden. it was soft and grease-free. but the back….and the underside…. it looked like i put too much leave in conditioner in or something. idk. so what did i do? told my hair to deal with itself faster and threw it up in a bun. when i got home from work, i couldn’t take the grease anymore! iiiiiiii couldn’t take it. i think that says a lot, coming from the girl that wants to only wash her hair once every few weeks lol. so i gave in and washed it with only water again last night. it helped, but it’s still not where i want to be.

verdict- the FULL transition to water-only wasn’t as smooth as i thought. it might also have a lot to do with the fact that i love sleeping in summer weather. it drives my matt insane because he loves having a fan on him while he sleeps, and i’ll use a full on comforter in the middle of the summer. clearly from the grease ball i am, my scalp wasn’t my biggest fan the past couple weeks.

about “washing my hair”— guys. i didn’t realize how much work it’d be. haha. i was rubbing and rubbing and rubbing and rubbing… and my arms were getting tired, and my neck hurt because my hair was entirely too heavy. i had to ‘fold’ my hair over my shoulders to keep the weight off my neck while i tried to scrub my scalp with water lol. at one point, i got so fed up with it that i stopped and just stood there staring at my castile soap mix.

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exactly how i felt in the shower last night

but i didn’t use it! i didn’t!

so here i am, total greaseball after washing 2 nights in a row, giving you Update 3. i’m not as frustrated as i was last night… just want the transition to be over with, ya know? 🙂

after my third water-only wash…blegh. the top is okay… the underside…grease city! wish me luck at work today!

but when i think about it, i haven’t washed my hair with any sort of no-poo in almost exactly 1 month! it’s been either nothing or water for almost 4 weeks. so i’m a little more okay with where i’m at.

anyone else still tryin to chug through that transition period? i’m right there with y’all!

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rinse only method… update 2!

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

as promised, here’s another update for my journey to being a rinse-only method gal!

the last time i washed my hair before this update was may 9th. and goodness gracious people, i still shower! hahaaha.

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so as of today, i washed my hair this past friday (5/24) after having 15 days of rinse-only greasy hair. (if you’re new to my blog, please don’t judge me).

before i show you the pictures, i’ll let you know what i’ve been doin:
– i didn’t wet my hair at all when i showered
– i used my boar bristle brush every 2 to 3 days
– i used my fingers to get the tangles out
– i used my castile mixture to wash my hair this time
– i used dry shampoo last saturday morning (5/18) and it worked way too well….lemme explain…

about this dry shampoo i used…
i used my regular homemade one (no biggie there). when i used it, my hair was getting pretty greasy looking in the front and not as much everywhere else. overall, my hair wasn’t as greasy as i’d expected. but then after i used the dry shampoo, my hair just stopped being greasy. just freaking stopped! for DAYS after. DAYYYS. i honestly didn’t even have to wash my hair when i did, but my hair was starting to be a little stinky. esssentially what i’m sayin is that after 15 days of not washing my hair, it wasn’t that greasy (even a week after i used the dry shampoo. a whole week!)

the following pictures are not altered, cropped or edited in any way. I SWEAR. my transition has been unbelievable. even today, my hair looks like it’s just been washed. I LOVE THE ROM. (also, welcome to my parents’ house lol. i’m here visiting for the holiday weekend and my mom’s sort-of-birthday. hence being so slow with replying to your questions & comments!)

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unbelievable, right? honestly i was worried to post these pictures because they don’t look like it’s been over 2 weeks since i’ve washed my hair. i promise on everything these are the real pictures from about 10 minutes before i washed my hair this past friday. but you can see my hair’s noticeable greasier in the back.

i had the flash on so it’d reflect all the grease instead of blend in. idk if it helped or not.

& a big thank you to SAM, who’s been just as crazy as me to try the ROM!! virtual high five! haha

i’ll wash again june 7th at the earliest! i’m honestly gonna try to go 3 weeks this time around. (we’ll see!)

**if you haven’t yet, ENTER THE GIVE-AWAY HERE!!**

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update 1 for my transition to the “rinse only method”

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

as promised, here is my update on my journey to becoming a rinse-only gal!
(don’t know what i’m talkin about? check out this post!)

rinseonlymethod

i’ve gone 10 days without washing my hair! and boy, do i have the pictures to prove it. before i do that, i’ll run down what i’ve been doing….

– i didn’t wet my hair at all when i showered.
– i used a boar brush to help the oils get to the ends of my hair.
– i didn’t use dry shampoo.
– i used my fingers to get tangles out.
– i washed with a baking soda mix today, and followed with a heavily diluted acv rinse.

it really hasn’t been as bad as i thought for 10 days, but i mean.. it was GROSS. so gross. these pictures are from a couple hours ago before my first transition washing. yahoo! check it out:

YOWZA!

i don’t think i’ve ever been so happy to wash my hair haha.

see you again may 23rd, baking soda! (well, at the earliest, that is. i’m gonna try to go longer!)

is anyone crazy enough to try this with me?! am i too crunchy for my own good? lol!

no-‘poo friendly deep conditioners (no oils!)

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

a lot of you guys have gone no-‘poo and experienced dry, brittle hair. and a lot of you are only using the baking soda method, so doing the coconut oil mask is (sadly) out of the question.

well my dear readers, i have scoured the internet world for a way for you to moisturize your hair, be able to stick with the baking soda, be able to stick with the organic/natural route, AND not break the bank! *high five*

natural deep conditioners (no-poo friendly)

here are my personal top choices that will wash out easily for you no-‘poo-ers.
MIX & MATCH the following, based on what you need!

RAW HONEY (my top choice for moisture, softness & shine!)
– moisturizing
– humectant

ALOE
– remedy for itchy scalp
– moisturizing
– humectant
– adds shine

PLAIN, ORGANIC YOGURT
– softening
– strengthening

AVOCADO
– softening
– adds shine

EGG YOLKS (my top choice for strength & shine!)
– reduce breakage
– strengthening

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (ACV)
– adds shine
– softening

and here are some POPULAR COMBOS:
*ideally, you want to do these in the shower after you wash your hair, but beforehand is perfectly fine! also, these will drip, so put your hair up in an old plastic grocery bag or shower cap 🙂

ALOE & HONEY
– homemade aloe gel OR a store bought one with NO fragrance, alcohol, or dyes!!
– raw honey
1. blend (yes, in a blender) 1/4 cup aloe gel and 2 tablespoons raw honey until smooth & consistent
2. apply all over hair (root to ends) and leave on for 15-20 minutes
3. rinse with water

EGG YOLK & YOGURT (intensive protein treatment for brittle hair!)
– 1 egg yolk
– 1/2 cup plain, organic yogurt (because you don’t want sugar in your hair lol)
1. mix egg yolk and yogurt in a small bowl until consistent
2. apply to hair and leave on 15-20 minutes
3. rinse with water

AVOCADO, HONEY, & ACV (for dry hair!)
– 1/2 ripe banana
– 1/2 avocado
– 2 tablespoons honey
– 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1. blend all ingredients in a blender. you may need to add water if it’s too thick
2. apply to hair and leave on for 15-20 minutes
3. rinse with water

that about does it for now! i’m sorry i haven’t posted these miracles before now! forgive me, yea? 🙂

rinse only method (ROM) / water only washing

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

[ check out UPDATE 1 (5/9/13), UPDATE 2 (5/24/13), UPDATE 3 (6/21/13), UPDATE 4 (8/15/13) ]

oh, readers… dear readers… i will be embarking on the journey to only “washing” my hair by rinsing it with water! that’s it! seriously.

what is water-only-washing/ the ROM?
it’s literally only washing your hair with water. it’s the ultimate low maintenance hair routine, but does require more elbow grease.

with this method, you’re not stripping your hair of its natural oils, but rather spreading them down the length of your hair with preening, and “washing” away the excess with water and scritching. aka, scritching and preening will be a necessity!

scritching and preening:
scritching – to scritch, gently “scratch” and rub your scalp all over to loosen up sebum and excess scalp oils
preening – to preen using your fingers,, take small sections of your hair and gently “pull” the oils/sebum from your roots down the length of your hair. you can also preen by brushing with your bbb.
*you want to scritch and preen DAILY!

other things you’ll need to do the ROM:

boar bristle brush. make sure you keep it clean!
wooden brush
water-only friendly conditioner
satin pillow case (i know i’ve already advised this for ALL hair routines and types, but i thought it needed stressed again)
patience! a lot of patience.

who can/can’t try the ROM?

anyone! fine hair, straight hair, curly hair, thick hair… anyone and everyone!

HOW TO:

if you’re already no-poo/low-poo, you won’t need to clarify your hair again. if you’re switching directly from using traditional store-bought shampoos and conditioners, you will need to clarify your hair to slough off the silicones and waxes. to clarify, you can pick up a cheap $1 shampoo and mix it with a little baking soda in your palm in the shower. wash your hair with that mix from root to tip, let it sit a few minutes, gently wash a little more, and then rinse very well. you may find that your hair is dry afterwards, without all the silicones coating your hair. you’ll need to deep condition after. you can do this by using any of these deep conditioners.
wait a few days (after you clarify/after your last no-poo/low-poo wash) until your hair gets greasy. this will be your first water-only wash day! congrats!
before you hop in the shower, scritch and preen! you can use your bbb and/or wooden brush to help.
wet your hair in the shower with very warm water. do NOT use very hot water! heat damage is heat damage, no matter if it’s from a straightener, curling iron, or hot shower water!
focus on small sections of your scalp, and scritch under the running water until you’ve gone over your whole scalp. this will most likely tire your arms. i know it did mine! lol. you can preen as well after you’ve scritched each section.
done! gently squeeze the excess water from your hair and let air dry. wait until your hair is dry to detangle. your hair is more flexible and prone to breakage when wet, and you don’t want to stress it.

things you may notice when you start:

greasy hair. you’ll be going through a transition phase just as you did going no-poo/low-poo. your hair will need time to adjust to not being stripped of anything. the grease production will level out anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. try not to let that scare ya off!
dandruff looking stuff in your hair and/or itchy scalp. this is extra sebum and will calm down as you go through the transition phase – scritching/preening and using your bbb will help tremendously with this! but the transition phase is sadly unavoidable. keep your chin up buttercup! (check out my updates, linked above!)
“heavy” hair. it’s from the excess grease. try to stick it out! it’ll calm down as you go through the transtion phase as well.
you don’t feel a need for a conditioner – this is completely normal! your own scalp oils are the BEST conditioner for your hair, and it’s very likely you won’t need to condition, either at all or maybe once every few weeks.

i hope this post helped your learn all about the ROM ❤

UPDATE: i’ve created a post for ROM tips for success! i hope it helps!

has anyone tried the “rinse only method”? or want to?
what are your thoughts??? would YOU do it?!?

alrighty… here i go!!