"No-Poo" Challenge

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  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    I tried this and found what lots of other girls with fine hair found: it didn't work.

    Thick or curly hair seems to love it.. my hair just got sadder and flatter even after my scalp adjusted.

    After doing it I don't wash my hair as often as before (only shampoo 3 times a week) and I put coconut oil on the ends of my hair and tuck them inside my bun before working out to give it some extra moisture and protect the ends.

    I have fine hair :flowerforyou:

    I have fine hair as well and got it to work.

    Someone sent me this link: http://ecocatlady.blogspot.com/2012/02/secrets-to-my-no-poo-success.html?m=1
    It explains a lot on different things to try, hard/soft water, when to not use vinegar, etc.

    ETA: I do baking soda wash, citric acid/lemon juice rinse twice a week, and water only or nothing the rest of the week. I also sometimes use a conditioning treatment made from aloe and coconut milk.
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    I have oily hair I am terrified to try it. Always wanted to

    You're not alone. I'm more oily now then I was a few years ago and I'm giving it a shot. So far, so good.

    Give it a shot for awhile, and if it turns out terrible then go back to "pooing"

    ok :) And lol at pooing! Im immature I don't care lol!!

    I couldn't get through my original post without a few giggles. :laugh:

    Glad it's not just me :)
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
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    I'm so glad I'm not the only one who had to read a few responses to figure out what this one was about!

    Going to research this now.

    I'm just curious as to what you guys thought the baking soda was for if you thought we were talking about the traditional poo :wink:
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
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    And the cheaper the conditioner, the better. Someone else mentioned the VO5, and I often use that one, or whatever I can find cheap that lacks the waxes and plastics and silicones that make up all of the mid-range conditioners and half the high end ones...

    Very true. There is a whole subculture of the CO movement that is "no 'cones". I did find that intense moisturizing conditioners had a lot of silicones and other waxes/plastics and these were the types of conditioners that didn't work for my fine, oily hair. They would build up, weigh everything down, and generally make my hair feel greasy after drying. Plain conditioner or conditioner for oily hair is what I usually use.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    QUESTIONS!

    1) How do you administer the baking soda and water? Just pour it on?

    2) what happens if you have wicked bad dandruff? I ONLY use head and shoulders because my scalp itches if I don't.

    *note, I wash my hair every other day

    Comb your hair before you get into the shower. Make sure it's completely smooth/tangle free and try not to be too forceful when you rub the solution into your scalp. I parted my hair in one direction and poured a little..rubbed it. parted in the other direction, poured a little, and rubbed it. Flipped my hair upside down, poured a little and rubbed it... and kept going like that. Eventually I split my hair in 2 sections to get the middle of my sclap/crown which is where the oil comes from (I HATE area of my head. its evil)... and then I massage it gently for a few minutes and rinsed it out.

    Then I filled the cup w 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water (16 oz cup) and I lifted the cup over the fornt of my head and tilted it backwwards (picture someone pouring a bottle of water over there head) but I didn't really get the vinegar on the top of my head, just the back, bottom, ends and underneath. I massaged it and then rinsed it really well.

    You can use white vinegar or bragg's apple cidder vinegar

    Sorry if that's confusing.
  • SACasto
    SACasto Posts: 48 Member
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    I haven't gone the full nine yards to baking soda and water, but I've been doing CO since november '12 and my hair hasn't been this healthy since I was a kid. I have very fine hair that gets split ends starting 4-5 weeks after a cut. It gets too greasy for me not to wash every day, so I was shampooing and conditioning daily, with a deep condition once a month for the last couple years. After WEN started gaining traction I looked in to CO washing and decided to give it a shot. I didn't want to pay as much as WEN costs, especially since the majority of CO washers that I found were using super cheap conditioners (like VO5) and having results.

    So long story short, through some trial and error I have figured out how to effectively CO wash my own hair and I have found a couple of $5-$10 conditioners that last a couple months and do a very good job. I went from November to May without getting a cut, and when I finally did go in for a trim I still couldn't find a single split end. I am officially a CO washer for life (though not sure I will ever do just baking soda...)


    I really considered CO, but most conditioners just don't work with oily hair. I've had success with WEN Cucumber Aloe Cleansing conditioner, but lately I haven't been as happy with my hair.

    It's gottne oilier, and finer. It was always fine but my ponytail was thick because I have so much hair. But lately the circumference seemed to shrink. So I used 1oz of baking soda and 2 cups of hot water. I went with the white vinegar instead of bragg's even though I have both.

    After using the baking soda and combing it upside down once my hair was dry, the volume was intense. I felt like I was going to cry. I'm sure it's died down now that I've had it up for a few hours...but my hair cascaded down my shoulders. It looked like a mane or something. Pretty crazy.

    What is CO Washing?
  • LaserOctopus
    LaserOctopus Posts: 121 Member
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    I tried this and found what lots of other girls with fine hair found: it didn't work.

    Thick or curly hair seems to love it.. my hair just got sadder and flatter even after my scalp adjusted.

    After doing it I don't wash my hair as often as before (only shampoo 3 times a week) and I put coconut oil on the ends of my hair and tuck them inside my bun before working out to give it some extra moisture and protect the ends.

    I have fine hair :flowerforyou:

    I have fine hair as well and got it to work.

    Someone sent me this link: http://ecocatlady.blogspot.com/2012/02/secrets-to-my-no-poo-success.html?m=1
    It explains a lot on different things to try, hard/soft water, when to not use vinegar, etc.

    ETA: I do baking soda wash, citric acid/lemon juice rinse twice a week, and water only or nothing the rest of the week. I also sometimes use a conditioning treatment made from aloe and coconut milk.

    My hair is so fine and thin, when I put it in a ponytail, it's only slightly larger around than a pencil. I do CO - but any (even the expensive ones like Wen) that have any silicones in them (or the mid-range ones that have waxes), will damage fine, thin hair over time. Even with shampoo. For most people, the trick is to find the right one. (I didn't read the link yet, so if says the exact same thing, I apologize). Also, in the summer when I "wash" it every day, I dilute with water, about 50/50.
  • Derpina7
    Derpina7 Posts: 552 Member
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    Hahah, I love the response on here :P.
    I've been looking into this and want to try it out. I'm currently down to washing my hair once a week, I use dry shampoo on my hair when I notice it looks greasy (having blonde, fine-stranded hair and aiming to exercise 4-6 times a week definitely attributes to that very quickly). I started with dry shampoo about a year ago (and washing my hair from every other day to gradually just once a week), I've really noticed a difference in how much quicker my hair grows now.
  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
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    want to read more later, thanks!
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    I haven't gone the full nine yards to baking soda and water, but I've been doing CO since november '12 and my hair hasn't been this healthy since I was a kid. I have very fine hair that gets split ends starting 4-5 weeks after a cut. It gets too greasy for me not to wash every day, so I was shampooing and conditioning daily, with a deep condition once a month for the last couple years. After WEN started gaining traction I looked in to CO washing and decided to give it a shot. I didn't want to pay as much as WEN costs, especially since the majority of CO washers that I found were using super cheap conditioners (like VO5) and having results.

    So long story short, through some trial and error I have figured out how to effectively CO wash my own hair and I have found a couple of $5-$10 conditioners that last a couple months and do a very good job. I went from November to May without getting a cut, and when I finally did go in for a trim I still couldn't find a single split end. I am officially a CO washer for life (though not sure I will ever do just baking soda...)


    I really considered CO, but most conditioners just don't work with oily hair. I've had success with WEN Cucumber Aloe Cleansing conditioner, but lately I haven't been as happy with my hair.

    It's gottne oilier, and finer. It was always fine but my ponytail was thick because I have so much hair. But lately the circumference seemed to shrink. So I used 1oz of baking soda and 2 cups of hot water. I went with the white vinegar instead of bragg's even though I have both.

    After using the baking soda and combing it upside down once my hair was dry, the volume was intense. I felt like I was going to cry. I'm sure it's died down now that I've had it up for a few hours...but my hair cascaded down my shoulders. It looked like a mane or something. Pretty crazy.

    What is CO Washing?

    Conditioner only washing.
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
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    What is CO Washing?

    Conditioner Only washing. So instead of using shampoo AND conditioner you just use conditioner. Conditioner has enough cleaning agent to bond to the oil/dirt in your hair and remove it, it just doesn't have the sulfates and other stuff that makes shampoo foam up and get bubbly. These are also the chemicals that cause your hair to dry out, which is why if you do shampoo you should only use it on your roots if you want to avoid split ends for as long as possible.
  • LaserOctopus
    LaserOctopus Posts: 121 Member
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    And the cheaper the conditioner, the better. Someone else mentioned the VO5, and I often use that one, or whatever I can find cheap that lacks the waxes and plastics and silicones that make up all of the mid-range conditioners and half the high end ones...

    Very true. There is a whole subculture of the CO movement that is "no 'cones". I did find that intense moisturizing conditioners had a lot of silicones and other waxes/plastics and these were the types of conditioners that didn't work for my fine, oily hair. They would build up, weigh everything down, and generally make my hair feel greasy after drying. Plain conditioner or conditioner for oily hair is what I usually use.

    Yep, and they're mostly the fine, oily heads like us! I will sometimes try one of the more exotic ones that Vitacost carries, but VO5 is the cheapest by far of the no 'cone conditioners out there, and I always revert back. Plus it's usually 89 cents, or, at most $1.09.
  • goalss4nika
    goalss4nika Posts: 529 Member
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    Can I tell you what I thought this thread was going to be about lol:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    What is CO Washing?

    Conditioner Only washing. So instead of using shampoo AND conditioner you just use conditioner. Conditioner has enough cleaning agent to bond to the oil/dirt in your hair and remove it, it just doesn't have the sulfates and other stuff that makes shampoo foam up and get bubbly. These are also the chemicals that cause your hair to dry out, which is why if you do shampoo you should only use it on your roots if you want to avoid split ends for as long as possible.

    Random but a hair stylist once told me that my hair is so damn oily that I'll probably never get a split end. I still wonder if that's true, but she could have been BS'ing.
  • muffle1969
    muffle1969 Posts: 96 Member
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    I use Wen. I swim 2-4 times a week, and I've found my hair is healthiest when I actually use this product. When I don't swim, I use the Wen alone to clean my hair, as a leave-in conditioner, and then I use a drop of the styling creme. When I swim I use a sulfate-free swim shampoo first...it does not suds up and I just run it through my hair, then I use the Wen as a conditioner. I have thinish but curly/wavy hair, and it's really made it look nice.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    I use Wen. I swim 2-4 times a week, and I've found my hair is healthiest when I actually use this product. When I don't swim, I use the Wen alone to clean my hair, as a leave-in conditioner, and then I use a drop of the styling creme. When I swim I use a sulfate-free swim shampoo first...it does not suds up and I just run it through my hair, then I use the Wen as a conditioner. I have thinish but curly/wavy hair, and it's really made it look nice.

    As I mentioned in my original post, I've been a WENgirl for 3 years. ;) I'm just looking for a change because I feel like my hair isn't at its best right now.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    Hah - I actually just purchased my first "no 'poo" cleanser and have used it once. I looked at Wen but it's just too expensive, especially considering that my hair is almost to my waist now and I would go through it really fast. So I got Hair One off of Amazon. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet...I don't care for the perfumey scent and it's super thick, almost like paste so I have to use about half a cup for one wash. I'll finish the bottle and then reassess. I haven't seen any major improvement like they show happening after one wash on the Wen commercials, though.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,365 Member
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    Hah - I actually just purchased my first "no 'poo" cleanser and have used it once. I looked at Wen but it's just too expensive, especially considering that my hair is almost to my waist now and I would go through it really fast. So I got Hair One off of Amazon. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet...I don't care for the perfumey scent and it's super thick, almost like paste so I have to use about half a cup for one wash. I'll finish the bottle and then reassess. I haven't seen any major improvement like they show happening after one wash on the Wen commercials, though.

    Hair one is very different than WEN. WEN is really great, and I felt really good about my hair 6 months-a year ago.

    Hopefully now that I've vowed to not poo for awhile, my hair will revert back to it's awesomeness...if it still has some awesomeness left in it.
  • jaxelrad22
    jaxelrad22 Posts: 118
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    What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuu?

    I poo three times a day like clockw.... OH you're talking about SHAMPOO?

    This guy ^^
    .... I am right with you, all the oily or dry poo stuff is confusing! What?!
  • JumpingDog
    JumpingDog Posts: 125 Member
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    I tried ditching shampoo and conditioner for over a month. I did not get to the second month because I have seborrheic dermatitis that is kept in check on my scalp by selenium sulfide shampoos. My hair would also tangle crazily. I have thin, wavy, fuzzy, somewhat dry hair that I washed once a week with conditioner and shampoo. Baking soda made it straw-like and matted while vinegar irritated my scalp (presumably because of the yeast responsible for seborrheic dermatitis).

    I eventually moved to washing my hair with a glycerin soap instead with occasional shampooings for the dandruff. My hair isn't as tangled this way but if it does become tangled there are 'cone free detanglers (not that it matters because my mandatory dandruff shampoo has dimethicone in it).

    I also swapped my body wash out for glycerin soap. I believe I have seen an improvement in my skin because I can wash it more frequently without drying it out as much (and deprive skin yeasts of food).

    I just tried washing my face with oil the other day. It made my face baby soft and improved scaling in the t-zone of the face. I am hoping to continue it.

    Something not mentioned in this thread yet though is dry brushing; I personally enjoy it a lot and it's sort of related to the topic at hand.