No Poo

Okay this is a post I'd promised to do way back when I first started blogging and due to the downtime I mentioned in my previous post, I'm able to sit down and do it now.

Okay the no poo method of cleaning one's hair. First let me explain why I decided to try it. When I decided to try this method, I had a little afro (currently locing via loc extensions). My little afro would get extremely dry and therefore would break often. The drying was due to commercial shampoos which has an ingredients in it called Ammonium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium lauryl sulfate which helps create the pretty lather in the product yet dries out the hair. Hence my dried out lil fro. I'd heard of the no poo method which is an alternative to using these harsh chemicals but wasn't convinced it could clean my hair yet decided to try it.

The 1st method I tried and did so on my daughter was the conditioning wash. Basically you buy a conditioner like White Rain and use it to wash your hair. You put it on and rub the scalp, being sure to concentrate on the hair as well and do so just as you would when washing the hair with shampoo. I found that my daughter's curl pattern was more dominant I could finger comb through her hair without a lot of tangling and very little shedding.

The downfall I find with this method is that it doesn't help with product build up, including the conditioner itself. Therefore the method to aid in this is the vinegar and/or baking soda wash. And I found a nice detailed instruction on these processes via instructables so I'll direct you to it: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Go-No-Poo/.

I'm still feeling my way around these methods because I've adapted to the conditioner wash to the point that that's what I'll go to before the vinegar/baking soda, until build up is experienced.

I personally like each method, they save you money doesn't strip your hair of their natural oils and prevent contact with harsh chemicals that can also be linked to disease. It can take a little bit getting use to especially being there won't be the lather or that squeaky clean feeling but the hair and scalp is indeed clean.