There is a huge new movement popping up in hair care – people are not shampooing their hair and saying that their hair is healthier and nicer than ever!
This method – referred to as “no poo” means that you do just that, stop shampooing your hair. There has been a book published recently from two girls who have not shampooed their hair for over a year, plus I have seen quite a few magazine articles, and stumbled across a bunch of online communities where people share their experiences in belonging to the “no poo” experience. They all claim that there are so many harsh “cleansing” chemicals in most shampoos and it actually does more damage than good – drying out hair, stripping color – even natural color – and causing frizz and breakage, as well as scalp problems.
The consensus from almost everyone that has tried this is that it really works! They all say there is a bit of an awkward transition period for the first few weeks to month where your hair does get quite greasy, but after that their hair turns shiny and healthy, and is easier to style. And those with dandruff reported that their dandruff actually went away after a few weeks as their scalp returned to normal.
Now, from the research I’ve done there does seem to be quite a lot of people that, while not shampooing their hair, are using baking soda mixed with warm water once a week or so to wash their scalp. Some will then follow up with a vinegar or beer rinse. Quite a few other people talk about not shampooing their hair, but rinsing it well every few days then using a conditioner.
I did pick up an interesting tidbit of information which I think would be great for anyone – whether they embrace the no shampoo method or not – and that is to gently rub a clean, dry or slightly damp washcloth over dry hair from the scalp to the ends to pull the natural oils through. You can use a brush for this but brushes can be damaging to the hair and will not be as effective as the washcloth.
So, I don’t think I will be embracing this movement anytime soon, but there does seem to be something to it. I will try to wash my hair less, maybe trying the baking soda mixture alternated with my regular shampoo, and I will definitely try the washcloth trick!