Natural Overhaul - Project 1, No-Poo!

We've decided it's time for a change, hubby and I. We've got baby #2 set to drop in mid December, and life with our little toddler-head is becoming increasingly hectic. We don't have time for chemicals and other nasty shit. The Bear loves getting her hands onto (and into) everything Mummy and Daddy have, and this doesn't exclude our bathroom products. Seeing as I love me some bathroom action, this is where we have decided to start our home-made overhaul.

So we may as well start at the top. As in, my head. As in, my hair. I have naturally curly hair. Not that you could tell these days. If left to it's own devices, a giant frizzy nest is a much more apt description. Years of blowdrying, straightening and dying have taken their toll. That, and commercial shampoos and conditioners (and other fruity-delicious smelling, but equally evil hair products). The junk in them is overwhelming if you sit down and have a read of the label. So I'm starting my No-Poo journey...again. I've done about a month or two of No-Poo in the past. Then, I only used a commercial (but more natural) conditioner once a week, with bi-daily rinsing. It worked! After the initial 2-4 weeks of inevitable ickiness that is natural when re-setting your hair, my hair was markedly less frizzy, damaged and dry. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the results after using my own home-made shampoo and conditioner.

I just pulled the recipe from the net. Easy as. It is literally:

Shampoo: 1 tbsp baking soda and 1 cup hot water. Shake to combine in squeezy bottle. Squirt through wet hair, massage in, rinse out.

Conditioner: 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 cup hot water. Shake to combine in squeezy bottle. Squirt through wet hair, massage in, rinse out.

The squirty bottle for the shampoo was broken, so I had to carefully pour that straight in. It's a weird sensation to get used to, massaging something in that isn't slippery and lathering, as that's what we're used to. I poured it in in parts onto wet hair, to make sure I got everywhere. Massaged the scalp all the way to the tips. It felt a little chalky, and my hair separated really nicely into well defined strands of curls. Really noticed that it was in there rinsing it out, and it kind of stings when it gets in your eyes and tastes salty...in case you were wondering. The conditioner was great to put in with the squirty bottle, because if you have thick hair like me, it's easiest to do it in sections or layers. I love the smell of ACV so that was a bonus. My hair definitely felt drier than if I had used a commercial shampoo and conditioner (all the silicone I guess!), rinsing the conditioner out, my hair felt quite dry and knotted from massaging, but combing it out was relatively easy. 

Straight after, my hair fell into nice thick strands instead of thin frizzy ones which was good. I dried it by patting and gently scrunching, which I never normally do because I immediately blowdry and straighten my hair (argh, the damage). I also put a little bit of coconut oil into the ends of my hair, because they are the frizziest and driest bits. It definitely feels clean, but a different clean to what I'm used to, which is usually VERY fluffy, frizzy and boofy for the first day or two after washing my hair. It doesn't smell like vinegar either which is good if you don't like the smell. I know the first two plus weeks will be the hardest in terms of transition for my hair. Like I said, it feels a little drier than if I had used commercial stuff, but that's because it's not coated in crap. Knowing my hair, it will go through a dry period for a day, then overcompensate with extra oil. I'll push through this gross phase! Plan is to wash my hair with the shampoo and conditioner once a week, and to wet under the shower every 1-2 days. I'll try to leave it 2 days, but with my curls it tends to get a bit messy if left longer than 1-2 days. I'll only use coconut oil for the tips, and once a fortnight as an overnight treatment.

Argh! Not used to wearing my hair curly! Will need to surf YouTube and find a style I like for my curls.

Can see lots of the heat and dye damage here. I'm tempted to try straightening it tomorrow to see how it looks without the post-hair wash frizzball effect. Might give it a go.

So! Not sure if my hair is self-absorbed enough to need an update every day, might make it every few days to a week. I'm still deciding what product to overhaul next week, I'm leaning towards a face scrub, because the ones I have invariably leave dry patches on my skin...but I need the exfoliation! I have me a week to find a good recipe to try out. Wish me luck!