My 'No Poo' Evaluation

After 6 weeks of
no shampoo



My Verdict:  It's a No-Go For Me, For Now
I don't want to discourage anyone from going poo-less, but here are my reasons for not sticking with it...

Why It's a No-Go:

• After 6 weeks, my hair is limp, more oily at the scalp, and still dry at the ends
• I am not saving $ without the shampooing because I am using twice as much conditioner (!)
• It doesn't smell as good, even with yummy conditioner
• I am an oil-head and don't think this is for oil-heads with long hair who live in a 90+ degree climate.
• My hair fell out when I washed it at about the same rate as with shampoo.

Why I Will Try It Later:

• Two weeks prior to going poo-less, I had gotten highlights which kills my ends. I will wait till my hair is healthy again to try no-poo.
• I started doing it in May. Where I live, by mid-June, it's reached over 90 degrees outside. Maybe I will try it again in the winter.
• I'd like to try a cleansing conditioner next time and see if that helps
• Maybe oily heads need to go 8+ weeks before they see results

Read on if you want details...

Why I Tried No-Poo



I tried 6 weeks of no shampooing to see if it was really true what I had heard about it. The premise for going "poo-less" is that your hair becomes healthier and shinier, requires less maintenance (you wash only 1-3 times per week), it saves you money, and I can't remember what else.

I first heard about 'no poo' a few years ago on Very Purple Person's blog post.  I didn't think it would work on my big oily head and thought it wasn't for me...boy was I right.  Then, a couple of months ago, I read Weslie's post on it and thought I'd give it a try. I live on the edge.


I look happy, but that's b/c it was my
last day without shampoo



My 6 Weeks

The first week, I didn't do any kind of washing, just rinsed with water. It was disgusting. I felt like an oily mess and usually kept my hair in a bun or wore a hat. I felt like I could really become a hippie if I wanted to. After the first 5 days I did wash my hair with shampoo the night before church day.

Then I remembered that there are numerous natural treatments no-poo-ers do, the most common I think is a baking soda with water solution.  I would dump about a tablespoon of baking soda into an empty Herbal Essences shampoo bottle (so ironic) and filled it with water, wet my hair in the shower, poured the solution over my head, would massage it a little, rinse, then use my usual teaspoon amount of conditioner. My hair dried and I had beach hair.  Not fun to sleep on, or wake up to.  Crispy, brittle ends, as if there were still some baking soda in there.  I had to use twice as much conditioner as usual to get rid of the crispiness, nixing the whole 'save money' reason to go poo-less.

 

Weeks 3-4 got better because I realized that my hair looked and felt cleaner if I kept the box of baking soda in the shower and poured a pile of it into my left hand, sprinkled water on it, mixed it into a paste, and massaged it into the top of my wet scalp, or the oiliest areas of it (repeated 3-4 times), then rinse. Then, after rinsing, I'd actually have to use about a tablespoon of conditioner, massage it all around, including my scalp, to counter the baking soda crisp, then rinse again.  I was doing this 3-4 times per week during weeks 4-6.  My hair was nice the first day, then oily and limp again the next day.

Pre-poo-less and happy at the salon a couple
weeks before my daring feat

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

Weeks 5 & 6, summer was in full effect and I was going to the lake and spending a lot more time outside than previous weeks.  I noticed my ends started to break way more rapidly than they ever did.  After one day in the sun, my hair was 2 shades lighter and the highlights were way too light.  This was most likely from the highlights ruining my hair and not the baking soda remnants that never seemed to wash out, but one does wonder.   

 

So, yesterday, I decided to wash my hair with my Umberto shampoo that I had planned on returning to Target.  Boy did it make me giddy all day knowing I would have my old hair and scalp back.  Mr. Johnson is happy with my decision too.