Project No 'Poo | Hair Care Routine

Hi ladies! It has been around three months now since I started the no 'poo regimen, and I am happy to report that the worst is now behind me - I am not scared anymore to wake up to a greasy mess on my head and I almost don't freak out if I don't have any baking soda on hand. The transition period lasted a bit longer than expected for me (around three months), but it's nothing I could not overcome if I made sure to take proper precautions, and in this post, I want to share with you the products I have been relying on since the start of this journey.

In my first month update post, I mentionned that my preferred way of applying the baking soda and water mixture was my Roots Only Hair Color Applicator Comb, since the comb allow the right amount of mixture to be applied directly to the scalp and roots trough hollow teeth, not touching the rest of the hair. Since it is guaranteed not to leak, it is virtually 100% mess-free!

I have had Raw Gaia Shikakai Hair Wash in my stash for some times now but to be honest, I tried it only once (more than a year ago, probably) and I thought it was just too messy so I totally forgot about it, until last month! Shikakai means "fruit for hair" and is a 100% natural shampoo powder. It is an excellent cleanser, naturally removing the dirt and excess oil accumulated on the scalp, but it does not strip the hair of its natural oils. Moreover, it detangles the hair and works wonders as a natural conditioner. Shikakai also provides new life to hair strands, strengthens hair roots, increases bounciness and silkiness of hair, promotes hair growth and slightly darken hair.

Now that I am used to non-traditional ways of washing my hair, I thought it was time to give this product another try, and I can only be mad at myself for not using it regularly sooner! Of course it is a bit messy, just like washing with baking soda, but once you get used to it, it is really simple and easy to use. You simply create a thick paste by mixing a small amount of Shikakai powder with water, gently massage it into the scalp and hair using your fingertips, wait 2 to 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water. Each time I use this product, my hair is left super soft and full of volume - what more can I ask for?

Another product I am sorry I did not use regularly sooner is Marc Anthony Salon Expert Sea Kelp Extreme Rescue Mud, which is a weekly deep repair for extra dry, damaged hair. It is formulated with sea kelp to correct, hydrate and strengthen, while the power of antioxidants, protein and silk amino acids promote healthy, rich color. Advanced Color Care Technology prevents hair from dulling.

Now this is not your typical hair mask - since it is made with mud, it feels very runny and it has a rather interesting grey-brown color. It is designed to be used on damp scalp and hair after shampooing and conditioning, one to three times a week. It feels really good to massage into the scalp and I like to leave it on for as long as I can, usually when I take a bath. I swear my hair has never felt this soft or looked this glossy after using this treatment!

After washing my hair with baking soda or with water, of course, I never skip conditioner, but since they are always on rotation in my shower, I chose not to feature a specific one in this post, and to write about two of my favorite leave-in conditioners instead. I have had Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream* in my stash for such a long time (before going cruelty-free!) and in an attempt to use it, I try to use it after each wash on the ends of my hair.

I like to spray Marc Anthony Salon Expert Keratin Miracle Frizz-Smoother Leave-in evenly on my damp hair to ensure easy detangling and super smooth hair - it never fails to leave it incredibly soft, hydrated and manageable. I have been using it every time I wash my hair since I got it, and I can really certify that it is a miracle product! This is really my favorite product of the Salon Expert range.

I try to apply oil on the ends of my hair every night before bed and my current favorite is Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Treatment, which is a daily, lightweight oil for strong, glossy, frizz-free hair. I only need one small drop for my shoulder-length hair, but even though I sometimes use too much product, it never leaves greasy residue! The day after, I wake up to extremely soft, smooth, shiny and tangle-free hair - the first times I used this product, I could barely believe how well it worked!

I hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for my next no 'poo update in a month!

*Please note that this product is NOT cruelty-free

Project No 'Poo | 1st Month Update

Yes, I gave away all of these shampoos!

Hi ladies! At the beginning of March, I announced I was jumping on the no 'poo bandwagon, and I really want to share my progress with you as the months go by. The past month has mainly been about trials and errors so I can't really talk about proper "progress", but it was rather interesting to find the method that works best for me.

At the beginning of my journey, I started by testing the recommended ratio of about 1 tbsp of baking soda for 1 cup of water, but I guess I did not let enough time to my scalp to adapt to the new routine because I thought it was getting super oily really fast - which was predictable, duh! - so I decided to add more baking soda - and I mean, tons of it. This was a terrible mistake because my hair was left more and more cotton-y, thick, heavy, crunchy and... just plain icky, after each wash, which left me completely clueless and demoralized. I did tons of research and I was glad to learn that I was not the only one who had that problem, and that the solution was simply to use less baking soda. I felt completely stupid. But wait, there is more to this...

Because I started feeling ashamed of my disgustingly dry and unmanageable hair and that no amount of hair masks or oils could solve the problem, I had the briliant idea of doing a deep conditioning treatment with... coconut oil. Do you have any idea how hard it is to remove oil from your hair with just baking soda? No, of course you don't know - who does that?! - but it is virtually impossible. I had to do four consecutive washes, scrubbing off so hard that I could not feel my arms for a while after, and I ended up dusting my whole head in dry shampoo to soak up the excess, and the worst is that this did not even fix my hair. At all. My hair was not dry - it was feeling icky because of the baking soda builduit in it, so I went back to the 1 tbsp of baking soda for 1 cup of water ratio and stuck to it until now, which partially solved the problem.

Voluminous and manageable hair after a baking soda wash

I am no longer struggling with cotton-y crunchy hair, but even though I make sure to really rinse my hair after the baking soda wash, I ocasionally see white residues in my hair, and I am not able to tell yet if they are baking soda residue, dandruff - I have never had dandruff in my whole life! - or something else. Through my researches, I have learned that adding a few drops of tea tree oil to the baking soda mixture does wonders, so I will have to check into that. These white flakes could also be the result of a mixture of sebum, dirt and dead skin cells.

Since my ultimate goal would be to wash only with water one day, I try to space baking soda washes as much as I can. Currently, my hair starts to get oily on the second or third day, so I try to brush it often to distribute the sebum throughout the scalp and hair, especially before washing it. My hair also feels a bit heavy from time to time, especially on the third after a baking soda wash, and I guess this is the oil building up in my hair, but I have been told this is the way "normal" hair feels (free of chemicals). I also found that "washing" only with water helps controls the oil, although it does not completely cleanse the hair, but I tend to do this on lazy days to give a break to my scalp and hair.

There are mixed opinions on the web about using store-bought dry shampoos when going no 'poo because they can mess with the natural cycle of your hair so I try rely on them in emergency only - if the water rinse is not enough, or if I am going out, for example. An homemade alternative would be to use cornstarch and baking soda - it really works!

I mentioned in my first post that I would skip the vinegar rinse because this tend to strip the color, so I continue to use store-bought conditioners for now, and I make sure to cover my hair from crown to ends with it, really massaging it in to counteract the drying effect of the baking soda. The results are smooth, soft and managable hair.

As for hair color, I did color my hair with box hair dye in the past month and I it did not seem to have messed up the whole scalp balance thing. It is a bit hard to say but I do think the color stays vibrant longer since I use baking soda mainly on the scalp, so it does not strip the hair as much. I have not noticed that horrendous orangey/rust/brown color so far, so I guess this is a good sign!

I don't know if I am biased or overreacting, but I do think my hair grows faster since I switched to baking soda, and I guess this is due to how you need to really massage it on the scalp, which stimulates the blood circulation. Seriously, my hair is already touching my shoulders, and it seems I got it cut only last month! It is also much more voluminous and it is easier to style - I have barely touched my flat iron in the past month!

My original idea was to store my baking soda and water mixture in an empty spray bottle, but I did not have one on hand and I was too lazy to go buy one, so I decided to try storing it in a shampoo bottle instead. It was OK although a bit impractical since the mixture is way more watery than traditional shampoo and I felt like I wasted tons at the beginning, but I got used to it. That was until I realized that my Roots Only Hair Color Applicator Comb would be perfect for this, since the comb allow the mixture to be applied directly to the scalp and roots trough hollow teeth, not touching the rest of the hair, and since it is guaranteed not to leak, it is virtually 100% mess-free!

The transition period has barely started since it has been only a month since I started this routine so there is not much I can say, but I will keep you updated! My next post will probably be about the products I use on my no 'poo hair.

Project No 'Poo | An Introduction

(image: Pinterest)

Hi ladies! I have recently embarked on a rather interesting journey, and I have sparked the curiosity of a few fellow beauty junkies on Twitter so I figured out, why not dedicate a whole series to this experience? So, let's start by the beginning - you may be wondering, what the heck is No 'Poo? Basically, No 'Poo is a method of washing your hair without shampoo. There are a few ways to do this, but in this series, I will talk only about the most popular, which is using baking soda and a vinegar (although I will skip the vinegar but more on that later in this post).

Most of us realize that washing our hair everyday is bad, but, as for showering with chemical products every day, eating animals or animal products, etc., we have been so conditioned to do so that it’s just weird for somebody to think something otherwise. The problem with traditional shampoos is that they are actually detergents - they use chemicals to strip your hair and scalp of dirt and sebum (the natural oils created by your scalp). This is how the vicious circle starts - your scalp is over-producing sebum to replace what is being stripped away by your shampoo, which is why you end up with oily hair that has to be shampooed daily.

The difference with traditional shampoos and baking soda is that baking soda is not a detergent, so the sebum your scalp produces doesn’t get stripped away, and your scalp will produce less oil since it will be in balance again. You will be able to go at least a week (and even more!) before having to wash your hair again, and most of the time, you will only need water - yes, water!

Personally, when I was younger (around 13 or 14 years old, probably), I made the mistake of believing a friend who told me you had to wash your hair every single day in order for it to be really clean, which is why I have been struggling with oily hair that required daily shampooing since then. More recently, thanks to dry shampoos, I have been able to space washes for up to three or four days, but honestly, I am tired of having to worry about how my hair will look like the morning after - and let's face it, dry shampoos are not exactly cheap - which is why I am embarking on this journey.

(image: Pinterest)

There are tons of other benefits to No 'Poo:

• Certain chemicals in shampoo, especially foaming agents like sodium lauryl sulfate, can irritate your scalp and hair, as well as the skin that your hair touches
• Your hair will be less oily and it will require less washings, it will look healthier, it will have more body and less frizz and fly-aways, it will be shinier, and it will be easier to style
• If you dye your hair, your color will last longer and it will be more brilliant since baking soda won't strip away the color as much as store-bought shampoos
• Less money wasted on chemical products (No 'Poo only requires baking soda and vinegar!)
• You may even notice new hair growth because your scalp will be healthier since it will be no longer clogged with oil and debris!
• You are doing something good for the environment since you are no longer buying wasteful plastic packagings, and no harmful ingredients get washed down the drain whenever you wash your hair, polluting the lakes, rivers and oceans. 

As I said earlier, the most popular method is to simply wash your hair how and when you would normally do it, but swap shampoo for baking soda. You could either make a paste with the baking soda in by mixing a small quantity with water in the palm of your hand, but I personally prefer to prepare a solution of baking soda and water. The most recommended amount is 1 tbsp of baking soda for 1 cup of water, but the amount of baking soda that works for you really depends on your hair. If your hair is oily, you will want to use more baking soda, and for dry hair, use less. Store the mixture in a squeezable bottle for ease of use.

In the shower, wet hair and shake very well before applying the baking soda solution to the roots of your hair only and rub in a circular motion all around, focusing on the scalp, not the rest of your hair. This is optional but I like to let the baking soda sit on my hair for a minute or while I do the rest of my shower routine. Be sure to rinse very well, because white and itchy residues of baking soda is never cute. 

(image: Pinterest)

The next recommended step is to replace traditional conditioner with a vinegar rinse in order to replace your hair's ph level and infuse some moisture - without the acidic effect to balance the harsh alkaline of the baking soda, the hair and scalp might become brittle and dry - but since the main reason why I am going No 'Poo is to re-balance my scalp and protect my hair color, I will still be using store bought conditioners for now until I run out since vinegar will strip the color. I will then try to rely on coconut oil or any other natural products.

There are no specific guidelines on how to No 'Poo, but my plan is to wash with baking soda for a week or more until I am used to do so, then try to stretch it by a day, and then another, and another, until I am satisfied with the length of time I can go without washing my hair. My ultimate goal would be to wash my hair only with water one day, but you could also just use baking soda to wash your hair whenever you want since it is cheap, healthy and free of all those nasty chemicals.

I am really excited to share my progress with you and please let me know if you are jumping on the bandwagon too, I would be curious to know how it goes!