More Questions and Answers about No 'Poo Hair Care

There were enough questions in the responses from my No 'Poo Hair Care post that I thought it would be fun to make a whole new post continuing the conversation. :) Feel free to leave more questions and personal experiences in the comments and maybe we'll get to do this again! 

Whoa, awesome--good to know. I may have to do some more research and try this. Probably better environmental effects than having all of that chemical stuff down the drain, too. What about conditioner? No need? ~ LeAnna

Curly Hairdo Ideas thoughts:               
    For "conditioner" I use a 50/50 mix of apple cidar vinegar and water. It stinks to high heaven (I don't like the smell of vinegar) but as soon as I rinse it out I can't smell it anymore. :) Let me know how you like it if you try it! 

 This is a great way to go greener but I, for the life of me, can't stand the smell of vinegar. I'll keep using my shampoo and conditioner like normal. Thanks for the info though.  ~ Mo

Curly Hairdo Ideas thoughts:        
       You're welcome :)  and I totally agree. Vinegar STINKS! But after it's watered down and then rinsed out, I really can't smell it anymore. So it works for me. :) And, truthfully, there have been times that the price was the main reason I kept going. No 'Poo is unbelievably cheap! Especially when you compare it to using shampoos and conditioners. Even the cheap brands don't hold a candle to the cheapness of baking soda and vinegar.

Woot, no 'poo! I've been doing this for a long time, definitely over a year, maybe two. I also love it! I generally don't like the way my hair feels after shampoo anymore either. I use 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda to 6 ounces of water and use it like a rinse. I also use a VERY small amount of ACV in the same amount of water because I heard you need a 10% solution or else it dries out your hair. I think 50/50 would make my hair look way greasy, but maybe it's my soft water? So many variables! I've only recently been cutting back on washing every day. I am down to 3 times a week and my short term goal is twice a week. Maybe when I have a week off of work I'll try going down to once a week. It's a process, but so worth it. There is definitely a difference in my hair from no 'pooing less, it's awesome! ~ Real Life Montessori

Curly Hairdo Ideas thoughts:     
       Thanks for sharing your experience! There are so many ways to make it work, and like you said, so many variables that will be different for each person.  I have heard elsewhere that soft vs. hard water can make a difference, just as you said! Glad to hear you're having such success! (and that I'm not the only one who doesn't really like shampoo anymore. lol) 

Wow that's really interesting and good to know! I'll have to book mark this page! Thanks ~ Shandi

Curly Hairdo Ideas thoughts:     You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it! Feel free to email me if you have more questions - or to share your thoughts if you give it a try yourself! :) curlyhairdoideas@yahoo dot com

When I tried the "no-poo" method, I did not use a scrubby paste, I dissolved a tablespoon of baking soda in one cup of water, poured it over my scalp, then rinsed it out and poured some diluted apple cider vinegar over the rest of my hair. The first time it was fine, except my ends snarled easily when I ran my fingers through my hair. (My hair is very long.) After a few more washes, the hair above my ears felt kind of stripped, dry and hard to work with. I had heard that sodium is corrosive to hair, so I was afraid I was doing damage and I stopped. Do you think I was doing anything wrong? I tried a paste once, I think, but found it very frustrating trying to rub a paste on my scalp through thick long hair. And the water here is hard water, that might have something to do with it. I'm trying co-washing now.   ~ aemi

Curly Hairdo Ideas thoughts:    
     With hard water co-washing might work better. Or a combination of the two methods! I think if my hair felt dry after no'poo-ing I would use a stronger mix of vinegar and water. Also, I don't know how often you were using it, but I think it's best to go a couple days between washings.    

I was recent read THIS article (great read - I suggest it!) and it says that the way baking soda works to clean things is that it naturally strives to balance the pH (aka - keeping a substance neither too acidic nor too alkaline) so when baking soda comes in contact with either an acidic or an alkaline substance, its natural effect is to neutralize that pH, or balance it out. "Beyond that, baking soda has the ability to retard further changes in the pH balance, known as buffering." - quoted from the article. 

Maybe that is why it's possible to go longer between hair washings? I'm not sure!      

The article also suggests another way to use baking soda in your hair care routine....just add some to your favorite shampoo! Might be worth a try for those who are still using shampoo. :) It might make it possible to go longer between shampoos.

This is very interesting, thank you for the info! My question is: is the vinegar moisturizing?? I find if I get my hair wet, or even damp, and don't use condition I CANNOT even finger detangle it. How would using a leave-in conditioner affect the greasy-ness of the hair? and ultimately the need to wash only a few times a week? Thanks!    ~ Carly

Curly Hairdo Ideas thoughts:   
      You're welcome!  I totally understand - conditioner is a must for some hair types. I think you'll find that the apple cidar vinegar will help in the detangling department! It doesn't feel like it in the shower, but just try it!   

You can totally use a leave-in afterwards, just style and care for your hair as usual. The baking soda/vinegar is just for washing, it won't affect the rest of your routine. And I haven't found leave-ins to make Q's hair more greasy faster, unless I'm using way too much.  I don't use much near her scalp though.    

HERE's a good article about vinegar uses for hair. :)    

and HERE's another with some homemade rinse recipes. Here's what they have to say about Vinegar: Vinegar removes build-up and residue from the hair shaft and closes the cuticles. Vinegar restore natural pH and prevents an itchy scalp. Although plain white vinegar works fine, apple cider vinegar seems to be the preferred vinegar. As your hair is drying you will smell vinegar but once your hair dries there will be no smell.    

So in answer to your question, I haven't found anything to say that it's moisturizing, but there are definitely other great qualities! You might want to use a leave in conditioner apply some Shea Butter to your hair before it dries.  For more information on the benefits of Shea Butter, read HERE and HERE!