No Poo 7 month wrap up

Hidey Ho Lovelies!

I know, it has been a while since I've blogged.   Life has just gotten in the way.  Since my last post in August I have moved, gotten the holidays over with and gained 15 pounds.  Uhg.  I'm back in the gym training for the Triathlon I'm doing in June, so hopefully those 15 pounds will go away again soon.

So... I've been No Pooing for 7 months now, and I think my last "wrap up" was a bit premature.  After I wrote it, my hair started to feel heavy and waxy.  I struggled with it again and really hated it for a few weeks.  So my 6 weeks to adjust statement is false.  I'm going to say a good 3 months.  After the waxy period, it got even softer than it had been.  Like cat fur soft.  It was really freaking amazing. I think it is still that soft, but I'm used to it now.  I don't pet my head regularly like I was.  I just have soft healthy hair now.  It has great body and I still don't use product except on a rare occasion.  I've copied my last blog below, with edits after no pooing for 7 months.

I mostly agree with this paragraph still: 
It takes every bit of a month to adjust, I would say more like 6 weeks 3 Months.  Your hair will suck for the first couple of weeks, but it will gradually get better then be amazing and then suck again,but then be even more amazing.  There are some mental road blocks you will have to get past.  Your hair will feel different in the shower.  You aren't using shampoo that strips your hair of all it's natural oils, then conditioners that lay down artificial silicone to coat your hair and make it feel slick.  Your hair will not feel slick in the shower, it sort of feels waxy... but that is your natural oils that are coating your hair so that is actually what your hair SHOULD feel like.  Edit: My hair doesn't feel heavy and waxy like it did before, but it still does not feel slick like it did when I used shampoo/conditioner it is sort of a happy medium between the two now.  The slick silicone coated hair is not what your hair should feel like.... But that's what we've known all our life, so it is a little hard to get past that mental block.

My recipe:
You will tweak things and find a formula you like.  This is what works for me.

BS = Baking Soda solution ("shampoo").  Mix 1 Tablespoon of baking soda with 1 Cup of water.  I add 5-10 drops of Liquid Castle Soap.  I like the Lavender and the Almond.  It just gives it a little bit more "slip" (I'll talk about this below).  I don't add the Liquid Castle Soap anymore.  

ACV = Apple Cider Vinegar ("conditioner").  1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 Cup of water.

My routine:
Every 3 days or so, I use the BS to wash my hair.  They say to try to only get it on your scalp, but it gets all over my hair since it is short right now.  I use a squirt bottle and add solution to my hair until it feels a little slippery.  Then I use my fingertips and "scrub" my scalp.  I let the BS sit on my hair/scalp for a few minutes (while I'm washing my body in the shower).  Rinse thoroughly.  My squirt bottles are sort of small, but I mix up a couple of cups and that gets me through the week if not more.  Same with the ACV.

After the BS, you need to return your hair's pH to normal, so you rinse with the ACV solution.  This you should just get on your hair, not your scalp, but again... it's a solution so it just goes all over.  I work this in (no scrubbing) and let it sit while I shave my legs.  Rinse thoroughly.  The vinegar smell will go away when you rinse.

I don't do the corn starch / cocoa thing anymore.  I don't need it since I got past that second waxy stage.  
In between BS/ACV "washings" I sprinkle my hair with a cornstarch/cocoa mix, I really work it in and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.  I then rinse it out in the shower.   The cocoa is supposed to make it less noticeable on darker hair than just plain cornstarch... but if I use this and leave it in my hair looks matte and powdery, cocoa or no.  So that's why I rinse it out.  It absorbs any excess oil and smells like cocoa (YEA!).

Things to note:
Clarify your hair before you start.  I just picked up Suave's Clarifying shampoo and used it as my last shampoo.  No conditioner... just shampoo and let dry naturally.  Remember, you hair is going to suck for a few weeks.  But I feel this helped the transition period because it got rid of all the gunk in your hair.

If you aren't ready to go no poo, you can go low poo.  Instead of BS, you can use liquid Castle soap.   Liquid Castle soaps are made with various oils, tocopherol (vitamin E) and Potassium Hydroxide (None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin).  It lathers up, but is really quite natural.  It is a good alternative to BS, and what I use to wash the color out of my hair when I'm covering my grey.  (I love it as a shower gel!).  I like Dr. Bronner's, they have great scents and can be found at Target.  YOU STILL NEED TO USE THE ACV RINSE AFTERWARDS!!!!!  Edit: I find that I will use the Castle Soap once every other week or so or the Shea Moisture products (see below)... it is probably mental, but I just like lathering my hair up every now and then.  I also feel if I had used the Castle Soap when my hair got heavy and waxy, it would have helped.  I think knowing what I know now, I would have added this into my routine.  Maybe once a week, maybe every other... hard to say in hindsight. It is still great to rinse the color from my hair when I do color it at home...
https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/category/LIQUIDSOAP.html

I also purchased some of the Shea Moisture shampoo and conditioning products.  I purchased the Coconut & Hibiscus shampoo/conditioner...  They are all natural and a good transition to Low Poo if you can't handle No Po.  They are also just convenient to throw in my gym bag when I have to shower at the gym and the hair is ready for a cleaning.  I'll admit lately I've been using this instead of the Castle Soap just for convenience.   But still only every now and then.  They still don't feel like normal thick shampoo and slippery conditioner... the shampoo does lather but not like traditional shampoos with crazy bad for you chemicals in them.  The conditioner just seems to vanish into your hair... I actually really like these products and can't recommend them enough over traditional shampoo and conditioner.  They are available at Target and not too expensive.   If I had it to do all over again, I maybe would have started with this shampoo and conditioner, then worked my way into no poo gradually.   

I still agree with the following paragraph... but I find I don't need the Curl and Style Milk anymore.  I'll still use a little if I'm letting my hair air dry, but just on the ends.  The dryness went away when the waxyness did.  
My hair went through a dry period, and still can be a little frizzy if I let it dry naturally.  You have worked hard to rid your hair of silicone, so don't use a styling product with them!  Anti Frizz products and leave in conditioners are chock full of the suckers.  I LOVE Shea Moisture's Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk.  The ingredients are all natural (Mostly different oils) but the texture is like a lotion.  A little goes a long way.  I run about a dime size dollop through my ends before letting my hair dry naturally OR blowing it dry with a hair dryer.   My hair texture is wavy and slightly frizzy.  This really helps, and helped with the dryness.  You can also find this at Target.  It is with the products for African-American Hair.  I really like every product of Shea Moisture that I've tried.  I'll eventually be trying their different hair products, just to see what else I like.  Good natural stuff.  It also smells quite good, and you all know how I like good smelly stuff.
http://www.sheamoisture.com/SheaMoisture-Coconut-Hibiscus-Curl-Style-Milk-_p_747.html

Speaking of smell, Since your hair just smells like nothing using this process...I wanted to fragrance my hair.  I found fragrance oils rated for use in soaps, lotions etc.  I put a dropper or two in with some distilled water and spray some on my hair before drying.  I find it works nicely, just shake the spray bottle before every use... oil/water... you know... don't mix.  I don't really do this anymore.  I've gotten over my hair not being perfumed up.  But it is still a viable option if I just wanted to smell nice.  

 They say you should only have to no poo your hair 1x a week, but I'm finding 2x a week works for me.  Eventually I might get to 1x a week.  Edit: I can go once a week, but I prefer 2x a week... my hair starts looking dirty about day 5... which if I pull it back in a ponytail (my hair is long enough to do that now, yea!!) it doesn't matter.  

I stick by this paragraph too.
This is a commitment, but once you get through it, it is so easy and good for your hair.  I don't buy expensive shampoos or products anymore.  It's really great.  I had a friend tell me that she doesn't want to do it because she wears a helmet for Derby and gets sweaty and nasty under there... which is TOTALLY understandable, but just rinse your hair afterwards and you will rinse the sweat away.  You don't have to wash and strip your hair to get rid of sweat.  I have no problems working out and getting stinky hair, and I work out on days I don't BS/ACV.  I just rinse and it is fine.  Again, the Shea Moisture products are a good alternative if you can't get past the sweaty hair thing.

I don't "do" my hair for work every day.  I dry it most of the time and am out the door. Edit: I now can throw it up in a clip and not dry it every day.   On days I do "do" my hair, I have no problem drying and flat ironing.  As I mentioned above, I don't need any products to just straighten it, and my hair is super shiny and soft. I also find I don't really need to flat iron it much.  It is bouncy but not frizzy anymore.  I really like my hair quality now.  

Tadah!  That is my 7 month update/edit of my recap.  I really encourage everyone to at least use an all natural shampoo and conditioner like the Shea Moisture products.  After a few months, your hair will thank you.  Oh, yea... I never made the switch to henna or natural hair color.  I am gradually going a little lighter so maybe I won't have to do it as often... but I'm still using normal hair color.