I don't use shampoo! (No Poo update)

For those of you not familiar, 'no poo' is the movement of not using shampoo or conditioner to wash your hair (read my earlier post). Since I last blogged about it, I have moved back to my home country Australia from the UK. I have travelled a lot this year and can’t say I’ve been 100% faithful, but I won’t give up.

clean hair without the use of shampoo!

Until this year I didn’t realise the struggle of hard water. Sure I’d heard the term before but I had no idea how it impacted people trying to go no poo. It’s still possible (I mostly got by with soap nuts) but challenging. Now I’m back home and using a combination of bicarbonate (baking) soda as my shampoo and a green tea rinse as conditioner. I have a new found respect for people in hard water areas! If you’re thinking, this sounds like too much hard work, consider how many animals get tested every year on beauty products like shampoo. Many of the big brands do it unfortunately. It’s true, you could just chose a product that claims it’s cruelty free, but then there are all the other negative impacts (such as environmental) which aren’t taken to consideration.

Anyway if you are intrigued by the idea, I 100% recommend this Facebook group, with a massive library of resources you’ll surely be able to start your no poo journey, hard water or otherwise!

Dry shampoo

I love the idea of being able to quickly put something into my greasy hair and have it look normal again when i don't have time to wash my hair. But what is dry shampoo exactly? Basically it's a formula to absorb the oils (sebum) that your hair creates that can be used between washes, also used to give added volume. If you've read some of my other posts you'll know i'm not a fan of any man-made chemical products for various reasons (including contribution to global warming) so i started using household goods instead.

I've tried variations including corn/potato starch, cocoa powder and next i might look at the leftover bentonite clay i have from a failed experiment. So if you're a dry shampoo addict, or just lazy like me, try your making own dry shampoo and see what you think. It is drying on the scalp and can be a bad combo with something like dandruff so i don't recommend daily usage, but occasionally it should be fine.

No poo

So while ago I head about the 'no poo' movement (not using store bought shampoo and conditioner) and decided I wanted to give it a try. Did you know that the UK and USA produce approximately 220 and  227 million metric tonnes of waste per year respectively? One of my goals is to cut down my share of this. Partly to help the environment but also because I wasn't convinced that I really 'needed' these products (as I had always been told) and that they may be doing more harm than good. I experimented in Australia with doing bicarbonate (baking) soda and apple cider vinegar washes but after moving to London (with it's hard water) this was no longer an option.

Hard water has been a huge problem since i moved and have experimented with different options including rye flour (that still left my hair oily), bentonite clay (that left my hair waxy) and soap nuts (which were hit or miss). So far the soap nuts have been the most effective option,  but i don't always get the amazing hair I used to. But i refuse to give up! For now I will probably continue to use soap nuts to wash my hair, along with putting it up in a high bun.

One thing I can say about this is that everyone's hair is different, and what works for me may be a disaster for you. If anyone is interested in learning more about 'no poo' I strongly recommend looking at facebook groups!

bentonite clay