How to: No more 'poo

I've been on a mission to eliminate toxins from our household; including beauty products. When it comes to beauty products I am kind of a hoarder; I have more than I even know what to do with.

Then I started hanging out on sites like these:


www.lesstoxicguide.ca
safecosmetics.org
toxicfreeawareness.com

....and thought, "WTF am I putting on my body."

So I have been looking for ways to clean my home with products that don't require a call to poison control if ingested, and since I adhere to that policy on my counter tops then WHY am I putting chemicals on my head.

Doesn't make much sense does it?

Then a friend mentioned seeing something on pinterest about washing hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. I immediately went into my fridge, smelled the vinegar and thought.. hell no.

I read on, discovering that going 'pooless improves the quality of your hair, and even stimulates growth. Not being very pleased with the condition of my hair, and desperately wanting it to grow, I had nothing to lose, so I started weaning myself off of my shampoo. Gradually using less and less, in hopes that my "transition period" would be less greasy. Some of the blogs I read said they experienced a transition period because their scalps were overproducing oil, almost like a shampoo withdrawal. I also read that instead of apple cider vinegar you can use lemon juice or honey in place of a conditioner, which was far more appeasing to my senses.

I had some major apprehension giving up shampoo {I gave up conditioner last May}, but there was some hard evidence against using it, and boy am I glad I made the change.

I washed my hair last night, and did not do any heat styling, and added no products. (I know, I need a trim.)

In about 3 weeks time, the quality of my hair has improved dramatically and I feel like my hair is SO much cleaner for SO much longer. I can go about 4 days now, and my hair still looks really, really clean. (Don't worry, I still shower) The change was noticeable enough to turn several of my friends & family members into believers, and they've made the switch too.

I also really don't need to use any other products anymore. I occasionally use a little sweet almond oil on my ends, especially if I am heat styling my hair. I know some people will have a longer adjustment period than I had, so I suggest weaning yourself off of shampoo for about a month. {I was eventually only using about a dime sized amount about 3 times a week.}

So here's what works for me.
{If you check out the sites I linked below you will see several other ways to tweak this "recipe."}

*I make a solution {in a recycled mouthwash bottle} with 2 cups of water and about 2.5 tbs of baking soda. You may need more or less. A good ratio to start with is 1tbs of baking soda to 1c of water. I like to make 2 cups at time, sometimes I use it all, most of the time I use about a cup. (I plan on graduating to a squirt bottle soon.)

*While I am in the shower I rinse my hair with warm hair, running my fingers through the strands removing excess dirt and oils. Then I apply the baking soda solution to my scalp and work it in with my fingers for a minute or two. I focus application to the hairline and crown, this ensures that my entire scalp makes contact with the baking soda solution. Don't worry so much about the ends of your hair, they will become clean by default.

*Every other wash I use a Lemon and water solution to "condition", you can also use honey and water, or apple cider vinegar and water. The amounts will vary person to person, but just remember that a little goes a long way.

{As you can see my hair is dark, and dyed so I am expecting some lightening to happen (which would have happened anyway). I am planning on quitting color too, so some lightening is actually okay since my natural color is lighter than my current one. I'll do a color update when I have been using baking soda/lemon longer}



Take some time to read about some of the benefits of making the switch, some blogs that really helped me get going are, simplemom & keeperofthehome ...and Babyslime had the most info as far as toxins are concerned. I really couldn't say a whole lot that wasn't already said, so go check 'em out if you are interest.


Simple mom also did a 2 year follow up, you can see that here.


I'll be nixing my body wash soon, I just have to cut the cord with bath and body works first.
....and I am still trying to find the perfect non-toxic household cleaner that will satisfy my persnickety cleaning standards.

So that's all, let me know if you try it or have any questions.

Namaste!
r