no (sham) 'Poo: an update

i know y'all have been waiting on pins and needles for my update on being a stinky, lazy pseudo-hippie. it's been about two months since i started my no shampoo (or also know as no 'poo) experiment. if you're unfamiliar with this way of personal hygiene philosophy, basically it's giving up shampoo. hence, no 'poo. you can check out my original post here.

so, i'm two months in. how do i, or more fittingly how does my hair feel? drum roll please...

about the same.

i know what y'all are thinking. i was thinking the same thing. i was expecting some big difference. that my hair would have a completely different personality. i would be like, "my hair is like the cool girls' hair. i know how they feel now. i'm so cool, and my hair is so cool." i was expecting my life to change dramatically.

okay, so i lied slightly. i have noticed that my hair doesn't shed as much as it used to--well actually, hardly at all--which i will check off in the pros column for no 'poo. before my hair would come out in chunks. it was disgusting. when i would take a shower where i would shampoo and condition my hair, there would be a small animal hanging out in the drain. then i would leave said animal in the drain for the boy to take care of. i am awesome. now, post-wash, only a few strands will be hanging out in the drain. i don't know if this is directly related to going without shampoo, but i'm connecting the dots. (i haven't done any research on the subject, so i'm just assuming a correlation exists between the two.)

i was really worried at the beginning of this experiment that my hair would smell. before, going no 'poo, i would wash my hair about once a week with shampoo. and by the end of the week, right before i would shampoo, i would notice my hair smelling. gross, right? so before i began my experiment i told myself that i would not continue this no 'poo thing if my hair started to smell rank. but as the weeks went by, my hair didn't smell. or course using shampoo makes your hair smell wonderful right after you wash, like flowers or whatever fragrance is in the shampoo. but using no 'poo really leaves my hair smelling neutral. i was actually really surprised. i am thinking that i might get a natural oil that i can put into my apple cider mix to give my hair a little bit of a scent.

one thing that i have found odd (and not too sure about when it comes to no 'poo) is that when i brush my hair it leaves behind some weird stuff in my hair brush. at first i wasn't sure where this crap in my brush was coming from. it is kind of like a weird dandruff. so i thought it was the boy, because he has dandruff and i don't. but then i noticed that it was from me. i really have no idea what this crap is or how to even describe it. so needless to say i was worried that i was going to have dandruff, but i don't. and then i started to wonder if i am getting all the baking soda out of my hair while i'm washing it, but i am. honestly, its not affecting anything. i don't have dandruff and i don't notice a paste on my scalp. i am kind of interested in what the barber will say when i go and get my hair cut here soon. if it's any thing to worry about, i hope they will know what it is.

so the big question is, am i going to continue with no 'poo? yes!

i want to give the no 'poo method more time to see where it will take my hair.
i still need to get my hair cut. it's been about year since it's seen any scissors, and i want to get rid of my dead ends and the remnants of when i went through my short lived hair coloring phase.
i really do need to "wash" my hair more often. i usually no 'poo my hair about once every 2 weeks, but i want to get it to where i "wash" it every few days.

do i think this method is for everyone? no.

i really think you have to have a certain disposition to go without shampoo.
when people at work ask me about my progress and then ask me if i think they should do it, i am inclined to say "no." i really think this is not for everyone. the first few weeks to months are hard. your hair will be greasy and unmanageable, and most people will give up. but if you can make it through a few weeks of greasy, icky hair and really believe that this can help your hair, then i think yes you can go no 'poo.