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To shampoo or not to shampoo?

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  • southernloversouthernlover Raw Newbie

    I went a week without washing my hair, but I washed it a few days ago…big mistake. My hair is so nappy now. I’ll never poo on my hair again, lol.

  • thanks queenfluff.. i just got back from out of town so i just got back on the computer.. well, so after my post i decided to try coconut oil since i use it for everything else and i had a hard time getting it out. it was really greasy for days after.. my hair wasnt really greasy or oily before that.. just a little bit but only enough to make it alittle flat. i never use curling irons or blowdryers but i do like my water piping hot so maybe that is my problem. i am vegan and have been for about 10 months now so it isnt the meat. and i have used “healthfood store” kinda shampoos and conditioners for about a year.. and yes i do rinse it but just with water and i also used some grapefruit seed extract a couple of times on the scalp, dont know if it helped.. but this was interesting, i normally dont really brush my hair. i use a pick because i get paranoid about breaking it and i can be more careful about it with a pick. anyway, i got out the brush today and when i got done there was some nasty stuff on that brush!! all greyish white and kinda pasty. so i guess i should keep doing that to help get that nasty stuff out of my hair? and will soap be ok to get that stuff off my brush?

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    lovekale -

    That grey stuff is sebum – it is your hair’s natural conditioner. It is supposed to be there but since you are at the beginning stages your scalp is still normalizing so you will have an excess of it. The longer you do no poo the less you will have though. Yes, keep doing brushing and combing to remove it. I had alot of it at the beginning. I still have a little bit now too but i have to clean out my combs and brush less often than I did before. Right now, you might want to do it everyday. Yes, you can use soap to get it off or baking soda works pretty good too – yeah, it won’t come off with just water – you have “soap” it off. It will get better though – I promise.;)

    You might also want to try aloe vera on your scalp and hair – I have been washing my hair with aloe vera every once and while and it leaves my hair and scalp soft and I don’t have any flakies when I do that. Just massage it in and rinse out. If you use the coconut oil, only use it on your scalp unless you want to condition the rest of your hair – yes, it will get oily – so use sparingly – you won’t need alot.

  • Queenfluff, I’m so glad you posted this. I actually haven’t discussed this with anyone other than my hubby, but I stopped shampoo and conditioner use in my hair nearly a month ago. Understand that I typically washed and conditioned my hair daily. But this method has worked wonderfully for me. My hair is softer and sooo much easier to comb/run my fingers through. In fact, I couldn’t stop running my fingers through my hair the week after I stopped using products.

  • I use baking soda and lime juice every few days. Just rub the baking soda into your scalp. Then rinse. Next, (I keep a bottle of lime juice in the shower) pour the lime juice over your hair, and rinse. The lime juice is an incredible conditioner! On my non “washing” days, I just massage my scalp under the water; though I try not to over do massage on these days, because my hair has oily tendencies.

    Another thing that I found which is totally natural, comes from a plant in India. I had to go to a specialty Indian store to get it cheaper, but you can order it online. It’s called Shikakai. I haven’t tried it yet, (I was saving it for an “emergency”) but it is supposed to be incredible for your hair!

    Info about shikakai: http://www.redrosehenna.com/shikakai.html

    The shikakai I bought: http://www.mehndiskinart.com/Shikakai_Powder.htm

  • I’m jumping in. I haven’t washed my hair in three days, so I think I’ll take a shower this morning and rinse it with just water. I’m a little scared, to tell the truth. I have baby fine hair, just below shoulder length, and I am worried I will be a grease ball. My scalp always itches, even with all organic products! This is what is convincing me to give it a try. :)

    Birdie

  • Shikakai is very good for hair.it is an excellent conditioner.it has been used for ages in india.soak 2-3 tbsp in water overnight.use it in the morning.rinse thoroughly as it leaves some particles in the hair which start dropping after the hair has dried.Henna powder is also a good conditioner and if not soaked overnight will not give color to the hair.

  • I couldn’t go without shampooing my hair. I tried it and it became very brittle, dull and lifeless.

    Plus, I was itching my scalp like crazy…

  • i use dr. bronner’s liquid soap on my locs. the almond and lavendar ones are my favorites. but i only ‘poo maybe once a week.

  • KrystaleKrystale Raw Newbie

    I do sales and have bangs so I wash my bangs in the sink, but not to the scalp, with Vermont castile soap. (Used to use Dr Bronners, but local, local, local when I can now.) My concern is that I don’t like dreads. Can I not wash (currently shampoo with said soaps 1x per week) without getting dreads? I’ve seen some people look really good with them, but more often I’ve seen gross looking dreads. I have hair to my waist and enjoy up-dos and braids. What can I do to slick back the fly-aways? Or will that not be an issue once I don’t shampoo at all?

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    sleeknraw – That is a great story about your son! I honestly wish I had have never used shampoo in my life – I wonder how my hair would be like. I am trying to get back to that virgin hair stage myself. :)

    leafflowers – I have heard of the Shikakai Powder (i believe I did put up a link to it somewhere in this thread) but never got around to trying it. Sounds like it might work pretty nice! I do really good on the water only myself.

    littlebirdie – Hang in there! This will solve your scalp problems. It will get grease ball-y at the beginning – but you need to give it time and pretty soon it won’t be as greasy and it will be all nice and soft and clean.

    Rhazula – how long did you try it for? I am asking because for some people there is a ‘stage’ where your hair will become brittle, dull and lifeless. It depends on your prior products useage. I went throught he dry, dull and lifeless stage myself. Mostly that is your hair detoxing off product. You do need to make the effort to keep the scalp clean with massages and lots of rinsing – if your scalp is dry you might want to try some shea butter or coconut oil. Is that you in the picture? Looks like your hair is straightened? You might just need some extra conditioning when you do this since your hair is processed. To really see the benefits of no poo, you would want to grow out to your natural hair which might take you a while. Ususally African American hair does very well on no poo because the hair naturally on the dry side more than other types of hair.

    Krystale – Is that you in your picture? No poo doesn’t mean dreads. You only get dreads if you try to grow them – you need to braid and not comb out. You still use comb and brush on no poo. You can sitll do your updos and braids. You will definately have less fly-aways – more than likely you will have none at all – you might still have some at the beginning when you first start on it but they will go away. You might want to try a bit of aloe vera to tame your flyaways – it is great as a gel sub.

  • KrystaleKrystale Raw Newbie

    Yes, queenfluff, that is me and my hair in my icon. Thanks for your input.

  • rachel_akikorachel_akiko Raw Newbie

    Well, it’s been a week since I stopped shampooing my hair, and I almost gave up. It got SUPER GREASY! It’s SICK!!! lol. but it’s getting better now, and I’m using apple cider vinegar to keep the grease down, and it seems a lot less greasy than it did three days ago…

  • I’m a 100 percent grease ball. Ugh. I’m wearing my hair in braids with a bandana over my scalp, LOL! Good to hear it’s getting less greasy, rachel_akiko! I am just a couple of days behind you. :)

  • rachel_akikorachel_akiko Raw Newbie

    I’ve been wearing bandanas too! I even started wearing them around the house since my family was getting grossed out by my hair. and the vinegar rinses stink really bad so they don’t want to hug me goodnight when I put it in my hair. :’(

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    It’s been a week since I stopped shampooing – but i wash it with water every day. success so far!! it doesn’t look any different than when i was shampooing. this is amazing! i always had REALLY scary dry hair – i never realized that shampoo was causing it!

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    Rachel_akiko – Are you leaving the vinegar rinse in? If so, you don’t have to do that. The vingear rinse works right away – you can rinse it out after you pour it in your hair so you don’t smell like vinegar.

    Actually the apple cider vinegar will make your hair more slick. It is more of a “conditioning rinse”. If you want to get the grease out, use a white vinegar rinse. The white vinegar acts like a “buildup remover” or ‘clarifier” – I have used it to get grease and buildup out. Don’t use it everyday though – it more like a once a week thing or use as needed – because it can be drying.

  • rachel_akikorachel_akiko Raw Newbie

    Yeah, I’ve been leaving it in for an hour or so, and then rinsing it out under the faucet. I got it in my eyes once and it hurt so bad I thought I was gonna go blind! lol. Wow, that stinks, I thought it was supposed to get rid of the grease. :/ So will honey work? I’ve been considering getting that to put in my hair.

  • rachel_akikorachel_akiko Raw Newbie

    Thanks, bluedolphin. I’ll delete them later when the site is working. :P

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    rachel – Honey is more for moisturizing and it is hard to get out of the hair. It probably works better for coarser curly hairs – like African American type hair. It won’t get rid of the greasies. To get rid of the greasies, the best best is the white vinegar rinse or the baking soda. They will strip buildup and grease from your hair shaft.

    Yeah, the ACV will remove SOME buildup but no where near as much as the white vinegar and it seals the hair shaft so it is to more make the hair smooth – like a conditioner. So leaving it in an hour will not make any difference than if you pour it in and rinse it out right away. You will get better result with white vinegar and leaving that in – I would not advise to leave it in an hour – 30 seconds to a minute is fine (the white vinegar rinse is diluated – do not use it straight – 1 oz to 2 cups water to start – if hair is still oily you can increase the amount of vinegar – keep water amount the same).

    Believe me I have tried both and I hated the ACV because my hair felt too slick after – The white vinegar was the only thing that got rid of some pecky buildup I had that wouldn’t go away – once i used the white vinegar rinse, it was gone and never came back. You don’t have the use the white vingear all the time – it really an occasional thing – some long term no pooers use it like once a month if they need it. Last time I used it was a few months ago. Not the most ‘natural’ thing I know – but since it is a very occasional thing I didn’t feel too worried about using it – also it worked so well! I was so happy to get that buildup out of my hair!

    Lots of people who use baking soda to clean the hair use it after to smooth the hair because baking soda works similar to soap or shampoo – it gets the hair pretty clean. If you opt to use it, make sure you rinse well later.

    If you are trying to stick with really natural stuff, for the greasies, you can try sea salt rinse (leave it in for 5 to 15 minutes), lemon rinse or rosemary. Make a tea out of dried rosemary (you can use an already bagged tea that you buy at the store if you want) and let the tea cool. Pour in your hair and rinse out. Rosemary is great for oily hair and will also help with dandruff/flakies if you have any of that.

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    rachel – Honey is more for moisturizing and it is hard to get out of the hair. It probably works better for coarser curly hairs – like African American type hair. It won’t get rid of the greasies. To get rid of the greasies, the best best is the white vinegar rinse or the baking soda. They will strip buildup and grease from your hair shaft.

    Yeah, the ACV will remove SOME buildup but no where near as much as the white vinegar and it seals the hair shaft so it is to more make the hair smooth – like a conditioner. So leaving it in an hour will not make any difference than if you pour it in and rinse it out right away. You will get better result with white vinegar and leaving that in – I would not advise to leave it in an hour – 30 seconds to a minute is fine (the white vinegar rinse is diluated – do not use it straight – 1 oz to 2 cups water to start – if hair is still oily you can increase the amount of vinegar – keep water amount the same).

    Believe me I have tried both and I hated the ACV because my hair felt too slick after – The white vinegar was the only thing that got rid of some pecky buildup I had that wouldn’t go away – once i used the white vinegar rinse, it was gone and never came back. You don’t have the use the white vingear all the time – it really an occasional thing – some long term no pooers use it like once a month if they need it. Last time I used it was a few months ago. Not the most ‘natural’ thing I know – but since it is a very occasional thing I didn’t feel too worried about using it – also it worked so well! I was so happy to get that buildup out of my hair!

    Lots of people who use baking soda to clean the hair use ACV after to smooth and seal the hair because baking soda works similar to soap or shampoo – it gets the hair pretty clean. If you opt to use the baking soda, make sure you rinse well after.

    If you are trying to stick with really natural stuff, for the greasies, you can try sea salt rinse (leave it in for 5 to 15 minutes), lemon rinse or rosemary. Make a tea out of dried rosemary (you can use an already bagged tea that you buy at the store if you want) and let the tea cool. Pour in your hair and rinse out. Rosemary is great for oily hair and will also help with dandruff/flakies if you have any of that.

  • Hey no pooers! I have been no pooing since august and I think I am getting the hang of this a little bit and my hair is getting pretty nice but my problem is I want it to be shinier. There is only a little bit of shine to it on a good day. Anyone know any tips to get it to be extra shiny?

  • southernloversouthernlover Raw Newbie

    I haven’t washed my hair in 9 days. My hair feels better then ever, it’s so odd! Whenever I water rinse, I get out of the shower, dry it a little with a towel, and then it just hangs and untangles itself. It’s fantastic. When I was washing my hair, it took forever to get all the tangles out after washing it. I am so excited!

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    awillow – Lemon is your best bet for shiney hair. Use fresh lemon juice and dilute it with some water and pour in your hair and rinse out. The longer you no poo the better it will get – I am noticing that my new hair growth that is not shampooed is so much nicer and shiner than the old shampooed part of it. I keep trimming my end even though I want it be longer because my ends just look so ragged next to my newly no pooed roots. :)

    southernlover – Isn’t it great? That was one of the things I noticed first too. No conditioner needed at all! I used to have the same problem too – lots of tangles and everything – now, nothing! I often don’t even comb it until it is mostly dry. But even if I comb it wet, it is so smooth and easy to comb through.

  • Debbie5125Debbie5125 Raw Newbie

    I decided to stop shampoo just over a week ago. I have really thick hair that is premature gray, but I have covered that up. It’s in a short crop cut so I’m ready to grow out the color and let the natural gray show.

    I haven’t told anyone what I’m doing. And no comments about it looking unclean. I think it looks fine. Just a little frizzy from no products in it. If I’m going out, I put a little coconut oil on my hair to smooth it out. It did feel a bit sticky and gross but now that’s going away.

  • I stopped shampooing 13 days ago.My hair are now much softer,no tangles.I am using baking soda and lemon juice.But for the last couple of days I have noticed a lot of hair fall.They are just all over the floor when I comb. Can anyone help me with this.Also I am new to raw.About 2 months and about 80 %.

  • rawpatiencerawpatience Raw Newbie

    Hey all you no-pooers. I was so motivated by this thread that I am now three days no-poo. Thanks queenfluff for all of your inspiration, and to you all for reporting your progress. I do have one question with regards to detox. I am in the pool alot. I’ve always been careful to shampoo in order to get the chlorine out. I’m wondering now just how bad the chlorine is on my scalp and if vinegar or baking soda will actually remove it. Any thoughts?

  • Does your hair get greasy or frizzy?

  • rawpatiencerawpatience Raw Newbie

    stickybumps23, it usually gets frizzy and my scalp has often been dry.

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    sonali – Since you are new to raw, sometimes when people go raw there bodies might start detoxing out old hair – it doesn’t happen for everyone. Just know that it will grow back and probably better than it was before. Also don’t forget that hair sheds in cycles so there are certain times of the year for everybody when you might shed a bit more hair. I would be careful with the baking soda – it can be pretty drying so don’t use too much or too often – it can dry out your hair too much and than your hair will be weaker. Although it could be you are not getting the right raw foods in for your hair either, we had a thread on that where I listed the nutrients needed for good hair (remember to get good hair you need to grow it and you can’t do that with out the right nutrients). Please check out this thread here: http://www.goneraw.com/forums/7/topics/4372

    kindaraw – The chlorine is bad – not just for your scalp but for your whole body. I know that in todays society people have been led to believe that chlorine is safe and it kills bacteria and stuff. The truth is that it is a carcinogen and your skin is an organ that soaks it all in. The scalp is skin too – it soaks all that chlorine in. If I were you, I wouldnt go in a chlorine pool but I cant tell you what to do. I would wear a cap to protect your scalp and hair – but will the baking soda remove the chlorine – yes, it probably does but the damage done to your hair by soaking it in chlorine will not be reversed by using baking soda or vinegar. ACV won’t remove chlorine – white vinegar might. But it is VERY drying as is the chlorine to start with. Chlorine is already damaging and drying out your hair even before you rinse it out.

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