Cleaning Green Part 2: No Poo!

OK, I've done it! I'm a recent convert to the No Poo Shampoo Movement!  I read Beth Terry's book Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too over the summer.  It was a quick and fun read, but it also made me consider how I could further reduce my plastic and chemical footprint. I'd heard of using baking soda and water as a shampoo, but I color my hair a couple of times a year and I was afraid to try it. Then, in the spirit of "nothing ventured, nothing gained, but more because my shampoo bottle was empty, I decided to give the No Poo method a try.  

My Hair Regimen: Baking Soda and Vinegar

You'll find all sorts of No Poo recipes on the web. I decided to keep it simple. I put a tablespoon of baking soda into an empty shampoo bottle, filled it up with water..and voilà. ! I squirt a 2 or so tablespoons of the mix on my hair and massage it into my scalp. The mixture doesn't foam up..which takes some getting used to..and honestly, as other folks will tell you, there is a transition phase of 2-3 weeks while your hair remembers how to make its own (natural) oils (since its forgotten how to do this since you've been putting chemical shampoos on it for all these years!)  My hair became very dry.  Once I started using a vinegar and water rinse, things improved quickly (I mix a 3 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of water, but you don't have to be exact and the vinegar smell doesn't stay in your hair). If you miss that "after shampoo" smell, add a couple of drops of jasmine or lavender essence to the vinegar rinse. (No Poo leaves your hair clean, but with no smell).

Now, my hair feels great and looks like it did when I used regular shampoo...but I'm not putting  all those chemicals on my scalp or down the drain. I'm also reducing my plastic footprint by not buying more plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I travel for work, so I pack a small amount of baking soda in my my luggage so I can make a No Poo mix at my destination (and have downsized the liquids I travel with in the process). I'm a fan!