No shampoo needed.
Ever again!
In a recent Silver and Gold article we talked about how you can wash your hair using baking soda, and never need to use shampoo again... It is possible! And here we show you how.
There is a method called “No Poo”, which basically means, washing your scalp (not your hair, hair doesn’t need ‘washing’) with a natural ingredient that does not contain harsh detergents like shampoo does (the “poo” part). Google it, and you will find thousands of websites, information and stories from others who have been using this method for years… because it WORKS – and this is my personal journey (over 3 years and counting!).
Before
After
Why "no shampoo?"
Shampoo formulations have a whole disgusting list of toxic chemicals in them, made for the purpose of increasing the scent, look, and feel of hair. The reality is, that if your hair is in bad condition, you're either burning it with chemicals and hair style methods, causing long-term damage to each delicate hair follicle, or there is an underlying health matter that is causing hair to grow weak hair (too much alcohol, fast foods, stress, not enough hydration, etc.) since your hair grows from the follicle, and dies as soon as it grows out.
What?? Yes, hair is dead. Like a piece of straw, it’s dead. Regardless of what you put on it, the fix is temporary. Shampoo does nothing to “clean” your hair, it just strips it of anything that can possibly be on it – including its natural protectants. Conditioner on the other hand, will coat the length of your hair and your scalp with a sort of “plastic” coating. Of course your hair will look shinier! But the amounts of conditioner that touch your scalp, hands, back, and so on, will enter into your bloodstream… and it’s all toxic stuff (especially the ones containing parabens, sulfites, chlorine, alcohol, PEG, SLS, SLES… should I go on?).
Depending upon one's health level, hair's lifespan will be anywhere between 2 to 6 years. If your hair is weak, it will have a 2 year (or less) lifespan – it will break easily, dry at the ends, split. If this is you, you will NEVER have waist-length hair again, regardless of how much plastic-like conditioner you put on it. If your hair is strong and your hair follicles are too, you will be able to grow waist-length hair in a matter of 3 to 4 years. But it matters what you put on it... remember hair is like straw so it's easy to burn it!
Why is it that a person with an illness loses hair, sometimes in large chunks? Whether it’s due to anemia, cancer, eating disorders and so on, a sick person’s hair falls out at much higher rates than a healthy person’s hair (don’t you wish once again you had the hair quality from when you were five years old?). The health of one’s hair comes from the inside out, so if you want healthier hair, work on having healthier follicles… start by taking a look at your lifestyle (food, rest, stress, fresh air, exercise). Start with water (drink it up! TONS of it!) and go from there.
Watch Video (click)
Starting the No Poo Method
First, you will work at detoxifying your scalp and existing hair length (a period which can last about 1 month's time). During this time you will follow the simplest recipe, and you'll go through a few challenges – maybe some itchy scalp and flakes as years of chemicals begin to clear off your scalp and uncoat your hair length. You may experience greasier hair than usual, as your scalp is allowed to unglog and ”breathe”, and release stored sebum (our natural and healthy oils). But it will all be worthwhile in the end.
You'll have to learn to "scritch and preen" your scalp and hair to aid the detoxification process. (Scritching means massaging with the tips of your finger pads, and Preening means drawing the sebum (hair oil) to the lengths of your hair – like they used to do in the Little House of the Prairie… remember? brush brush brush before bedtime! Watch this helpful video on the left hand side.
What can you look forward to, long-term?
In the long run you will be able to have long, lustrous hair that grows about an inch per month. You'll save a ton of money on hair products (hair care should only cost about $5 per month for a family of 4), your hair won't be greasy as often (many report having to wash it only ever 4 to 5 days or even longer, with some short-haired people needing to wash once every two weeks!) and your hair won't split or dry out easily, it won’t fall out as much (I lose about 10 strands of hair with every wash now).
Your hair will be more manageable, stronger, shinier. And you'll be doing wonders for the environment! (Think of all the plastic you’ll save by not buying shampoo and conditioner bottles, plus all those chemicals that won’t go down the drain!).
What you need to buy to get started (see images at left)
- A good quality Boar Brush: $25 to $50 (Shoppers has them).
- A small bottle of Jojoba oil: $12 to $15 (Fortino’s has it).
- A packet of organic, aluminum-free baking soda ($2) (Fortino’s has it, in the health isle).
- A small bottle of organic apple cider vinegar "with mother" ($10)
- A jug of distilled water ($3 to $4)
- A set of small inexpensive plastic bottles from the dollar store (like the travel ones)
- A large spray bottle ($1.25) from the dollar store
Ready to take the No Poo Wash Method on?
Read our step-by-step instructions and method HERE.
Feel free to contact us for any questions! We're glad to help you make this happen!
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