My No-Shampoo, Green Hair Challenge
By Hanna Brooks Olsen for Blisstree.com
Here's how much my mother loves the idea of me going shampoo-free: she made sure she'd stocked up on baking soda and vinegar for me when I stayed in her house over the Thanksgiving weekend, which happened to fall in the middle of my eco-friendly beauty experiment.
It's possible that my mom is into the no-shampoo movement because she's pretty into going green -- but it could also be because I've been so pleasantly surprised by the results. Wrapping up my second week of going without the chemical stuff, I've noticed a lot of positive changes in my hair. Chiefly -- and I have no scientific backing for this whatsover -- that it seems to be growing more quickly. Which could be down to a myriad of other factors, like diet or vitamin intake. But it's definitely an improvement that I'm excited about.
More from Blisstree.com:
Life Without Shampoo: Week One
The No-Shampoo Movement: Can It Work For Active Women?
Shampoo: How Harmful Is It To The Environment?
Going off shampoo has also made my hair brighter, lighters, and has managed to help my strands avoid the winter dullness that plagues it every year around this time.
So far, I haven't re-introduced conventional conditioner yet -- though a lot of readers have recommended it later on down the line -- and I haven't branched out beyond the two ingredients I've been using. But this week, because I'm supposed to finally be able to wean myself off even those, I have a feeling I may be looking to introduce something new, like brown sugar (as suggested by a commenter).
I can't say that I feel any healthier, or that I don't miss the fragrance of my regular shampoo and conditioner. I'm also starting to get really curious about what would happen if I were to go back to conventional hair cleaning products.
One concern that Blisstree Editor Briana mentioned in the comments of last weeks' post was the perception that scrubbing (with lathery shampoo) is required to get the scalp really clean. But I've found that the coarseness of the baking soda has done a pretty excellent job of leaving my hair and head super-refreshed and clean, even after a long, sweaty workout.
I haven't reached a critical mass of grease yet, but I'm still not convinced it won't hit one day, driving me back into the arms of shampoo and its chemicals and oil-stripping. But then, maybe it won't, and I'll never go back.
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Posted: 11/29/11 08:36 AM ET