two weeks since I've touched the bottle

it's been two weeks shampoo free! and I must say my obsession with not shampooing has only intensified.  as I touched up on "no poo" in one of my previous blogposts, and i say giving up the shampoo bottle is probably one of the weirdest yet smartest things I have ever done..

now, my first goal is to dump the idea that my hair is now gross.  let's think about this: shampoo has not been around forever, so one could argue that the hair has it's own cleaning capabilities. 

and I'm a believer in this. I'm two weeks in and my hair doesn't smell crappy or gross, it doesn't really have a smell.  plus, my dry brittle hair (from years of sun-in) has been laden with tons of chemicals, so the idea is that I am essentially detoxing my hair. 

my dry flat, straight-iron loving hair is now thicker than it ever has been before, plus I'm seeing far less breakage.  but the "no poo" movement is much more than just not shampooing.  there is a little bit more involved.  

you have to brush your hair a lot. and I mean a ton.  I catch myself taking it out of a pony tail just to redistribute the oil in my hair. and if you don't you'll spend quite a bit more time trying to make your hair look less greasy.  and you can't just brush with any hairbrush-- you have to invest in a boar bristle brush (or if you are hip to the lingo, BBB). because it is the best thing to have to redistribute oil to your hair (I use a BBB or one of the other brushes i have, i'm not super exclusive).

and then you have to decide what type of "no poo" movement you want to join, because actually there are factions, and almost a hierarchy of those who are dedicated to the movement.  first off you have normal poo-ers.  which everyone in the "no poo" movement hate.  even if you wash your hair once a month, you are still considered in this group.  then you have "lo-poo" which is people who use organic and minimalistic shampoo.  they are usually on the fence about "no poo."  followed by the ACV (apple cider vinegar) and BS (baking soda) group, who are very fanatical about their almost religious like experience with giving up the bottle.  finally, you have the WO (water only) group. which are the staunchest of people, almost turning their nose up to anyone who decides to do anything else.  i am currently a weird hybrid out of "lo poo" and WO, but i'll get more into that in a bit.

it's actually quite frightening--after spending what must amount to days on google trying to figure out what "no poo" option would be right for me, i felt exhausted, and almost ready to throw in my towel.

but alas.  i'm going to do this thing and do it my own way, because jesus--how complicated can giving up shampoo be?

the answer is very.  it's very fucking complicated.

and i can see why people don't want to give up paraben-laden shampoo.  because people on the internet are very uptight and strict on these "no poo" regiments.  an experiment that i picked up to get healthier hair and to help me not worry about what other people think is full of people who think they are better than anyone else.

many styles

it's hilarious, really-- i gave up shampoo because i am better than you.  

so, give up your shampoo if you want, if not, whatever, but this is what i did:

14 days ago was my last shampoo.  after that i moved to the WO method, which means i get in the shower with a washcloth and run the cloth over my hair in strips.  afterwards, i get out of the shower and blow-dry or air dry my hair.  and then i'm stuck brushing it 6-10 times a day.

the first week sucked, and my bangs need to grow out because they are so much work when you are "no poo." i used a ton of headbands, and learned to braid my hair in strategic spots to lessen the look of being greasy.  then on the 8th day it was like god came down and touched my hair.  it looked amazing.

but then i started to notice my hair was greasy at the top and brittle at the end.  now most WO or ACV and BS "no poo-ers" would equate this to not BBBing my hair enough.  bullshit--i have a great relationship with my hairbursh, my hair is just really fucking damaged. so, i decided to put coconut oil (CO) in my hair and leave in on my ends for a good 3 hours.

coconut oil in my hair

most places say only to leave it in for like 30 minutes, but i am lazy and didn't want to stop playing video games, so i waited for three.  but the problem was, i couldn't get the CO out without shampoo. which I didn't even think about when I put it in.

so i decided to put egg yolk in my hair since it is a natural emulsifier.  i just cracked two eggs and smeared the yolk on by hand, and then let that soak in for actually 30 minutes.

this is where it gets funny.

i washed my hair (WO) in the sink downstairs to avoid any egg getting caught in my drain.  after a good 15 minutes my hair felt clean, and i decided i would go upstairs and blow-dry my hair to see how the results worked.

well, apparently i didn't get all the egg out.

do you know what happens with heat and egg?

i had scrambled eggs in my hair and BBB.  i soaked my hairbrush (with egg) in the sink and took a shower immediately.  but now my hair looks fantastic.  the protein in the egg really did a good job making my hair smoother and softer, plus i have less fly-aways.

silky smooth coconut oil legs.

just make sure you get the egg out of your hair before you add heat.  like all of it out.  and don't do it more than once a week because your hair can have too much protein and be brittle.

and that's really it.  i did buy some dry shampoo which helps out during some of my grease-ridden transitional days (i have read 3-6 weeks), and then i guess my hair will be awesome.  with the dry shampoo i just "puff" some out onto my roots and brush through.  viola! non-greasy and voluminous hair!

also i recommend using CO on your face and legs!  it really helps with acne prone skin and does a wonder for your legs after the shower (it will make the tub slippery, however).  just don't overdo it on your skin or hair--a little bit goes a long way



so, if you want to go "no poo" be sure to google the hell out of it. and be sure to disregard the assholes you will inevitably find on the internet.  just be prepared for a lot of brushing, and still a ton of work until your hair gets used to it.  and be prepared for people to look at you like you are an idiot.

and then accept that.  and accept how awesome your hair is going to be.