The Sad Tragedy of the No 'Poo Experience

As my title suggests, my no 'poo experience has come to an end and I want to thank my mother (even though I was upset by it at first, but I'm not anymore) for pointing out my thinning hair as I am really proud of how my curls/waves look. I am no longer using the BS/ACV rinse anymore and have switched to a store bought, sulfate-free, shampoo and conditioner.

I was having problems each morning with the hair underneath being so tangled up like a bird's nest. It was painful to brush out and I was loosing a lot of hair from doing this. In the very beginning of doing this experience, I blamed the hair loss on the post partem part of my pregnancy and never really paid attention to it. I was still loosing hair, but not in big clumps as before after about the 6 month part of my post partem.

To give a little back story, I was having a recent conversation with my mother about our little family reunion coming up. She wanted to do a girl's day out, to give me a day away from all 4 kids, and get all gussied up... to do something really nice for me. She wanted to go to a good salon and also get mani's and pedi's with all the women in our family. I was a little skeptical about the salon, so I asked what she meant about it. She said my hair was looking flat and that my hairline was starting to recede at the top. I told her that my hair gets flat at the top when it is long (the longest layer is about an inch below my bra line in the back) since my curls are at the end of my hair. It did bother me and I became self conscious about my hair. I did a lot of research these past few days and found out that the baking soda cleanser, no matter how much water you use, or how little baking soda you use, the ph of it is higher (about 7-9) than your scalp's ph (at about a 4). The only thing that was remotely close to the scalp's ph is the ACV with a 4.5 ph, which means that this is still really good for your scalp! The majority of the stories I read from the women said that they lost hair even though they started out with thick hair, and that their scalp got damaged.

My husband also mentioned a post he read about someone documenting this same no 'poo routine. This girl had hair past her waist, but after about a year of doing the baking soda/ACV rinse, she started loosing clumps and clumps of hair. She finally figured out that it was the baking soda that caused this hair loss and has since stopped using it.

I did notice a couple months back, that my sides where starting to look thinner and I could see a lot of my scalp there. I always chalked it up to my hair being greasy and nasty which was my indicator I needed to wash my hair. I have since stopped using the baking soda and have bought the L'Oreal Everstrong Anti-Breakage shampoo and conditioner. I was wanting to get the Thickening shampoo and conditioner since it claims to be for thinning hair, but for some reason in the Golden State, they have this shampoo in a locked case, and the worker just handed me the first one she saw, so I didn't get a chance to see if it was the one I was looking for or not.

Depending on how long you have been using the baking soda, it can take up to years for the hair to regrow back. I did find that Castro oil is really good for thickening and regrowing hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, so I will see if this does anything or not. To do the whole head, you will need to mix the castro oil with some melted coconut oil since it is a really thick oil and is hard to try to spread onto the scalp.

If you have started using the baking soda rinse, stop immediately! The longer you keep doing it, the longer it will take for your hair to grow back.

I hope you have enjoyed my experience with the no 'poo. If you still want to continue being a no 'pooer, there are ph balanced shampoos out there that only call for two ingredients! I would have loved to try this recipe during my experience, but never got a chance to buy the ingredients. If you wish to discontinue and go back to store bought shampoo, I did find that L'Oreal would produce salon like outcomes for a really cheap price (about $6/bottle). Once I get my hair back to normal, I will probably buy their Evercurl Hydracharge product line.

Thank you and I love you, mama, for pointing out my thinning hair so I can get it fixed! ^-^ And thank you for those sticking with me through this experience and I hope you learned a lot about your hair as much as I did.

Happy Shampooing!

No 'Poo Experience after 7 months

It has been an interesting 3 months since my last blog update about my experience. I did change up somethings since July, so I am going to combine 3 months worth into one post.

After the 5 month, I ran out of both the baking soda cleanser and the vinegar. I was happy to get back to the ACV rinse. This time, I didn't add the honey into the ACV, but I did put in tea tree and lavender essential oils. I could feel the tingling of the tea tree after the first use of the new ACV rinse, but after that, I guess my scalp healed up enough to where I didn't feel the tingling anymore.

I ran out of the baking soda cleanser twice within the last 3 months. The first time I remade it, I boiled some water then let some chamomile leaves and tea leaves brew for about 5 hours. I didn't create too strong of a smell from the chamomile, but I was getting tired of just plain old filtered water. Needless to say, my bath tub was very brown from using that mixture for a month!

The second batch of baking soda cleanser, i just added tea tree and lavender into plain, old, filter water. I made about 32 oz of this which I would have finished by the end of November, but I have since stopped using it for reason I will talk about in my next post.

I did start washing the ACV rinse out with cold water. Yes, that is right, cold water! Now, you are probably thinking I am crazy for doing this, especially with the colder weather coming, but trust me, it is well worth it! If you haven't guessed, the cold water helps to close the cuticles in your hair strands to keep the moisture "locked in," so if you have dry hair (like I do), this will help out a lot! I did start combing my hair in the shower, using a wide tooth comb, after I squirt the ACV rinse on my hair (still using the same method as I mentioned in my last post "No 'Poo Experience after 5 months"). I researched that people with my hair type (wavy/curly) should comb their hairs in the shower, especially after the conditioner is added in, and that's it. Our hair does not like a comb when it is dry! You will get breakage and split ends like no tomorrow. It's no fun and you hair will hate you for it, believe me!

I did purchase a boar bristle brush as a last minute resort when I couldn't find my regular brush. One of my children hid my brush in a drawer in the school room right before vacation time. It's a Conair brand and it doesn't work. At. All. My hair started to get static in it and it wasn't even getting the tangles out. I had to use my girl's brush to get the tangles out. I do not recommend the Conair boar bristle brush. It does work great of fine baby hair, though, our pirate prince really enjoys it when I brush his hair in the morning. :-)

No 'Poo Experience after 4 months

Alright, now that we are up to speed, here is my post after 4 months!

My hair after 4 months. This is also the next day after washing with
the bs cleanser and the lavender infused vinegar rinse.

I did run out of the herbal and baking soda mix shampoo around the 4th, so I made up a batch of just the baking soda cleanser. This time I boiled the quart of water and added some lavender leaves and loose tea leaves and let that set for a couple of hours before adding the baking soda to it.

 I also ran out of my ACV rinse so I got to use my lavender infused vinegar as a rinse until I buy some more apple cider vinegar (which I have).

For these past few showers, I have been washing my hair a little differently. When I did the baking soda cleanser, I would just squirt it all over my scalp then massage it in and let it rest for a few minutes. I would wash it out under the water, then I would squirt the ACV rinse all over my scalp, rub it in, then squirt some more on the rest of my hair, and also leave it in while I wash my face and body.

Now I flip my head over, squirt the baking soda cleanser all over my scalp, rub it in, then flip my head back over and squirt some more at the top, and rub it in again then wash it out immediately. With the ACV rinse, instead of starting at the front of my scalp, I'll start more towards the back of my head and just focus on my tips since I have layers in my hair.

I have noticed with using the lavender infuse vinegar, that my hair feels a lot lighter and the smell is not as bad as the apple cider vinegar. The only bad thing is it feels like the white vinegar is stripping my hair of it's natural oils and it doesn't feel as soft, even though I have seen people use white vinegar and have great results while using it. Also, I have to take showers every other day like I normally did with store bought shampoos and conditioner. Then again, each person's hair is different and each will have different results.

I did not make much of the infused vinegar rinse, but I will be glad to go back to my ACV rinse once it is gone.

If you feel like experimenting with one of your favorite infused vinegar, give it a try! There is no harm in trying it out and you will have an idea of which is best for your hair.

Happy Shampooing

No 'Poo Experience after 3 months

Sorry I did not get a chance to put this up back in June. My body has been going through crazy changes trying to get back to normal after having Pirate Prince. Now you get to enjoy two posts this month! -:P

Right after I posted my last blog, I tried just using the ACV rinse on my hair. It turned out being just as greasy, if not more greasy, as if you were to just use the baking soda cleanser. Needless to say I took a shower the next morning using both the BS cleanser and ACV rinse. 

I did a little more experimenting with my herbal castile soap shampoo that I had left and the last bit of the baking soda rinse I had.

I was pretty much down to about a third of the herbal shampoo and was just about to run out of the baking soda cleanser so I put both together in one bottle and to try it out. When I was doing the research on 'no poo-ing,' I did come across a tea shampoo recipe that used both baking soda and castile soap. Let me just say that I fell in love with it! It had more lather to the shampoo then it originally did by just using castile soap, and the benefits of getting your scalp rubbed clean from the baking soda. It was refreshing to use and it left my scalp feeling great! I was able to go at least 4 days without washing my hair with the "new and improved" herbal shampoo. I wish I would have combined the two earlier so I could enjoy it more, though. :-(

I keep forgetting to mention how I dry my hair after a shower, so now that I am thinking about it, I'll put it in this post. :-)

If anybody has done research on "how to take care of curly and/or wavy hair" has come to find out that bath towels are evil for our hair types! There are many ways you can dry your hair without getting too many split ends, making it frizzy, or have a rats nest to comb/brush through after your shower.

For the longest time, I used to never brush my hair before I took a shower. Don't get me wrong, I would brush my hair before I would go to school, but I never really thought about brushing before bed time or taking a shower. It wasn't until after I graduated high school and spent the entire summer with my aunt and uncle, when my aunt had asked me, while I was combing my hair after a shower, if I ever brushed my hair before I took one. So I tried it out to see if there was a difference when it came to combing my hair after it had been washed. And well, what do you know, it was A LOT easier to comb through after a shower! That was the first change to my routine.

A few years into my college years, I found out that I should scrunch my hair with a towel vs. rubbing the towel over my hair to dry the excess water off. I also use a wide tooth comb through my hair, but I have been doing that since high school. You can also use a natural boar bristle brush on your hair once it has dried. I haven't been able to buy a natural boar bristle brush just yet, it's on my wishlist after we get out of debt. :) I do remember using something similar while I was a kid and it did make my hair feel very soft, I just never realized that it was a boar bristle brush!

After doing these two changes, my hair seemed to be doing a lot better at keeping the split ends to a minimum and when I thought I was doing an awesome job, I find out there are more things to do to make my hair even better!

I found that people with my hair type should not use a towel, but a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber towel. Again, only scrunching your hair, not rubbing your hair with it. Also, people with tight curly hair do something called plopping. I do it a little different then the video. You basically lay out an old t-shirt (a large long sleeve is preferred, but I use one of my husband's short sleeve) to where the neck line and sleeves are closets to your body, flip your head over to where your hair is laying on the shirt, then fold a little bit of the shirt, where your hair ends, over the tips of your hair, then fold the rest of the shirt over toward your neck to cover the back of your head and tuck it under your forehead. If you are using a long sleeve t-shirt, take the sleeves and cross them over the back of your head then bring them to the front of your head and tie a knot. If you are using a short sleeve, just bring the sleeves to the back and tie a knot. You want to make the knot tight, but not too tight where you are not comfortable. You can leave shirt on as long as you like or as little as you like, it all depends on what your day is like. I usually take my showers at night, when all the children are sleeping, so I usually leave it in while I brush my teeth, put on the witch hazel, and face moisturizer to finish off my routine of washing my face, then take it out before I go to bed; about 10-15 minutes. If I get a shower in early enough at night, I leave it in while I watch some Stargate episodes with my husband then take the shirt off before we go to bed; close to a hour.

I haven't used any kind of hair products since switching to a no poo shampoo, but the plopping is most effective when you do use them, especially if you want the scrunch look for your waves. I like plopping without hair products just fine, it gives my waves a more natural look to them.

I hope some of these tips on how to manage your hair after a shower will help you out and make your no poo experience a great one!

Happy Shampooing!

No 'Poo Experience after 2 months

As planned, I have an update about my experience of using homemade shampoo! I do have to apologize in advance with this post as there will not be any pictures until a later time. My macbook decided to stop taking a charge, on top of Cuddle Bug stepping on it and breaking a 1/3 of liquid screen. :-/

This month, I did a little experimenting with the baking soda cleaner I mentioned in my last no 'poo post. I had stopped using my herbal shampoo because my hair would be in knots the second morning after washing and on top of that my hair was feeling brittle even with using the ACV rinse, so I went straight to using the baking soda cleaner and the ACV rinse for about 3 weeks.

I could last about 3 days before my hair started feeling dirty and my scalp would start to itch. One week, I washing my hair with the BS cleaner and the ACV rinse and the next time I needed a shower, I just did the BS cleaner. I had a horrible experience doing this! Even though I scrubbed my head really well, my hair was crusty after it completely dried! I wont be doing that again! I have not tried solely doing the ACV rinse yet, that will be my next experience for the following month.

After the past 3 weeks of using the BS and ACV combination, my hair was not having that volume effect that it did at the beginning or how the herbal shampoo did, so I used the herbal shampoo a few nights ago and my hair felt light and fluffy! Again, my hair only lasts about 2 days with the herbal shampoo, but it felt so nice to have the volume for a change!

I am still experimenting to find the perfect shampoo, but I definitely love the ACV rinse. I also have some distilled vinegar that has been infused with lavender petals as something to try once the ACV is all used up. I've read that distilled vinegar works just the same, if not even better then ACV.

Until next update!

Happy Shampooing!

Dress Refashion

I have been doing a little spring cleaning in my closet lately and trying to consign and donate most of my clothes I don't wear anymore, along with the clothes Jelly bean is now out growing. I have also been pinteresting (I don't think that is even a word, but it is now! :P) like crazy to see if maybe I can refashion some of the long sleeve shirts I bought only a year ago. They can still have some use for them, right? In my digging, I found a tank top maxi dress I had bought for Jelly Bean's baptism (almost two years ago) that I only wore once! It was a nice dress, but I wasn't too fond of the maxi length. 

So what's a girl to do?

Like I said above, I have been searching the inter webs of pinterest like crazy to see what is out there and I finally found a few tutorials that was quick and easy!

I followed the guidelines for this tutorial to make the dress a little shorter. I wanted the dress to end right above my knee since the material is spandex, so it would be perfect for the summer months here in the desert. 

I also wanted the dress to be a little more form fitting at the top, so I took another dress that I liked and used it as a guide to pin up the sides.

Sorry about the shadow at the top. My dachshund wanted to help -_-

I sewed along the pins, cut the some of the excess material, then used a zigzag stitch to serge it since I don't have a serger....yet! :P

I tried on the dress to make sure I liked the way it fitted on me at the top, then I used my measuring tape to measure the length of where I wanted to cut the skirt. I measured to about 27" from the shoulders to about my mid thigh.

This was about 27"

Next I used my rotary cutter and hit a straight line. I know, I know! I probably should have pinned all the way across to make a curve, but I was being lazy and just cut straight across! It worked out in the end. :-D

After I cut the excess, I tried the dress back on and measured from the edge of the new dress to where I wanted the new length to be. I think it was about 5-7 inches. I wanted to use the original dress hem so I wouldn't need to make a new hem on the new raw edge (why I measured the first length at mid thigh), so I measured the length with the on the piece I cut off, pinned it to the raw edge of the dress, and sewed all the way around.

As you can see, I am pinning the piece that has the original hem.

The reason for the two pieces was to make the bottom of the dress have a sort of ruffle to it! Here is the new dress!

The floral print doesn't really match at the bottom, but that's ok, I like it anyways. :) 

Now, I wasn't too fond of the no sleeves, so I used the extra fabric I had from the part I cut off and made some sleeves. I wanted to make some butterfly/flutter sleeves, by the time I got it all figured out and sewn on using this tutorial, it didn't turn out the way I had it in my head. Plus, it felt like they were pulling my shoulders down.

To fix that problem, I just used my seam ripper and detached the part that was sewn to the side of the dress. Now they look like kimono sleeves, hehe!

Now detached

Kimono sleeves!

Side view

I am happy about the outcome of the dress and can't wait to wear it to church.

I hope today's post has inspired you to dig through your closet and find those dresses you haven't worn too often! Now onward to refashion some shirts! 

Happy sewing :)

No 'Poo Experience After One Month

I seriously need to get back to blogging! I miss it. As you have notice, I changed the background up. I was getting tired of the bright orange and wanted something a little more suttle. :-P

No 'poo seems to becoming very popular these days as a lot of people are finding all the harsh chemicals in commercial shampoos and conditioners.

I decided to jump on the band wagon as I was doing some research on DIY facial cleaners. I was trying to look for something I could use as I was still breastfeeding Pirate Prince, that wouldn't effect my breast milk since our body absorbs so much through our skin. I came across an oil facial cleaner and skin toner. I really love how the oil isn't harsh on your skin what so ever and it feels like you are at the spa when you put the warm washcloth over your face before washing the oil off. The toner, for me, was drying my skin out a lot since I live in the desert. I did find a moisturizer recipe I want to try, but haven't had the chance to buy all the ingredients to make it yet. (Just need cocoa butter!)

Of course, once the searching for homemade facial cleaners started, it took me down the road to DIY shampoos and conditioners.

I was getting tired of having to search for coupons for the type of shampoo I was using (TRESemme), and still not saving as nearly as much as I would like with the coupon. I already make my own household cleaners, so why not start making my own hair and body cleaners! I'm not going to go into much details about the different chemicals that I have no idea what they are, to know that homemade is always best!

Growing up as a teen, I had the most frizzy hair of all time! My hair type is wavy with curls at the end (depending on how long my hair is. If it's short, I just have waves and puffiness). The only way it wouldn't be frizzy was if I added products to my hair and scrunched it. I have gone through many hair cuts, from super long (passed my mid-back) to an a-line bob (more so because little ones pull the hairs on the nape of my neck). No matter what style hair cut I have, it is always frizzy.

Long hair;  I was 12 weeks pregnant with Princess Pea.

Hair sitting on the shoulders, no layers

Product in my hair and scrunched; with layers

A-line bob; the shortest my hair has ever been!

Any who, I came across a lot of recipes, but my most favorite was a homemade herbal shampoo (recipe below). The recipe reminded me of the herbal essence shampoo I had used all throughout high school and I loved the smell of them! The recipe also called for essential oils , so I dug a little deeper to find some for a good price. I got lavender, lemon, and peppermint (for the toner) from here. I found even better prices for essential oils from here, so I think I will be going to this one from now on.

As with any kind of homemade shampoo, you WILL go through a transitional phase. Depending on your hair type will depend on how long the phase will be. Mine took at least a month before it stopped looking and feeling greasy. So stick with it, I promise you will notice the difference!

Herbal Shampoo Recipe:
8 oz of boiling water
3 oz liquid castile soap
1-2 TBSP of dried herbs of choice
20-60 drops of essential oils
1/4 tsp of jojoba oil or olive oil (adjust as needed- use more for drier hair or omit completely for oily hair)

Make an herbal infusion by pouring boiling water over the herbs, cover, and allow them to steep for at least 4 hours. Strain the herbs out and pour the reserved liquid into a bottle, then add Castille soap and oils. Your herbal shampoo is now ready to use! Always shake well before use since the contents will naturally separate.

I found pretty much all the ingredients where I bought the lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oils, including the bottles and a pump top. I bought the jojoba oil from iherb.com for a reasonable price as jojoba oil can be expensive, but it is great for hair and scalp. 

The first time I made this, I doubled the recipe to fit in a 16 ounce shampoo bottle, but I have to admit that I misread how much jojoba oil to use and instead of the 1/2 teaspoon (for a double batch) that was called, I used 1/2 cup! DOH! My hair was WAY greasy....I mean gross, like I hadn't taken a shower for a week long, greasy! I dumped the bottle out and redid it with the right amount of jojoba oil in it, but I was mad at myself since I used up most of the oil from the 8 oz bottle I bought. After the redo, my hair was still greasy as it was going through the transitional phase, but it was better looking then the first wash! 

Before going no 'poo

about a month after no 'poo

After the month of trying it out, the greasiness settled and my hair felt lovely! Only problem was still the frizziness, but it felt heavy and flatten out my hair. On top of that, I was still finding my hair to be a tangled up mess, more so then when I was using commercial shampoo. I was also loosing a lot of hair every time I combed and brushed it. I did some more searching and found that, for those who have been no 'pooing for many months/ years that resembled closely to my hair style, were doing a baking soda cleanser and ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) rinse. Yes, Apple Cider Vinegar! A lot of people have come out with fantastic results by doing this method of the baking soda and ACV rinse AND were not washing their hair as often (as it's supposed to be when you no 'poo). So I found a recipe for a ACV rinse that does NOT smell too much like the vinegar and it has worked wonders within a matter of one washing! There is still some frizz involved, but my hair is much easier to manage and felt much lighter in weight! I think once I have gone through my last bottle of herbal shampoo, I will start doing the baking soda cleanser. I also just recently started drying my hair with an old t-shirt as terry cloth towels are a big no-no for curly/wavy haired people. Now if only I can get Pirate Prince to stop pulling my hair out, I'll be set!

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse:
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP aloe vera gel
1 TBSP honey
8 drops peppermint oil
8 drops tea tree oil

Combine all ingredients in a bottle and shake well. After cleansing, squirt all over scalp and hair. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the tingle. Rinse well. Be sure to smell you concoction! It have a minty smell with a undertone of vinegar.

I did not have tea tree oil or aloe vera gel on hand so I used lavender with the peppermint oil and just omitted the aloe vera altogether. If you have scalp problems, like psoriasis, I would go ahead and keep the aloe vera. Honestly, you cannot smell the lavender oil as peppermint is a very strong smelling oil to begin with! If you are worried about the ACV smell, have no fear! It goes away once you rinse it off and even when your hair dries! I even smelled my hair while it was still wet and nothing! I could smell the minty freshness of the peppermint though! :-P

I think I like sextupled the recipe as I had 1 1/2 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar left in the pantry. At least I will have some to refill my little 8 oz squirt bottle as I run out of it! :-D To mix this much up, I used my big stock pot and a wooden spoon, then scooped it out with a measuring cup and poured it into an old shampoo bottle through a funnel. Not all of it would fit, so once the 32 oz bottle was filled, I used the ACV glass bottle for the rest of it.

After one washing with the ACV rinse.
(Princess Pea took this one for me, not too bad for a 6 year old!)

I love how my waves and curls are looking in this photo! I also just recently cut my hair by myself. Well, more like a trim. I ended up making a subtle V-shape for the longest part of my hair and actually defined my layers more, and trimmed my bangs a little shorter as they were the same length as my top layer. I found a great youtube tutorial for cutting long layers (and she is a no 'pooer too!) The tutorial I used to trim my bottom layer was from here. There is also a youtube video for those of us that learn things visual that shows this technique for the u-shape. I was going for the u-shape, but I like the way it turned out! 

Hopefully over the courses of the month, I can update how the no 'pooing is going!

If you ever decide to jump on the band wagon of no 'pooing, you will not be disappointed! 

Happy Thursday!

If you are a no 'pooer, what has been your experience?