My start to helping the environment (and my body): No poo

I love learning new and exciting ways to get my body back to "normal" as well as helping out the environment.

I've become more involved with the 'crunchy' movement - the term crunchy refers to those who prefer a natural approach to life (no preservatives). This whole process includes our food, our merchandise, etc.

Anyway, in my readings and research I found a movement gaining increasing popularity called the "no poo" method and the no poo refers to no shampoo. Shampoo and conditioner is something that has come about within the past 50 years and gained popularity only because of amazing marketing. Shampoo strips your hair of its essential oils, leaving it bare and broken, but gives you that squeaky "clean" feeling that all have come to accept as normal and then conditioner adds a waxy residue on your hair to give it the lush, softness that makes it 'normal' again.

In addition to what it does to your hair, there is conversation that mentions the effects on nature that rinsing shampoo and conditioner down the drain have on our environment.

After months of deliberation on my part, I finally decided to go for it and am pleasantly surprised at the results.

You can find many different recipes online, but the 2 basic ingredients to washing your hair are baking soda (acting as the shampoo) and apple cider vinegar (as conditioner).

I'm currently following One Green Generation and got my recipe from there 2tbs of baking soda and about 2 tbs of warm water until its a paste. Scrub into scalp and leave in for about 30 sec. Rinse well. Then take a bottle and add 1 part apple cider vinegar to 4 parts water and rinse through your hair, make sure to get to scalp. Leave on hair for about 30 seconds then rinse well. Style as normal.

From No poo

Normally I don't wash my hair for 2-3 days so my official last day of no shampoo was Friday, December 4th. So my hair was roaring and ready to go. unfortunately, I had a lot of hair spray leftover in my hair from an event I attended on Friday, so I had to wash again the next morning (there was way too much debris).

From No poo

After blow drying and a full day, here is my do and I couldn't be happier. My hair is shinier and feels super clean and smooth - but not in the way we're all used to.

From No poo

From No poo

I can't wait to post an update a year or more later saying I'm completely free (and show the money I've saved, too)!