As a curious cat as I am, I decided to test this experiment everybody's talking about: No Poo...
This means that for at least 6 weeks I should avoid washing my hair with shampoo. Additionally no hair dryer, flat iron or curling iron. No conditioner, no protective serum, no masks...no nothing.
In theory, I should wash my hair with water only, but in the first weeks the quantity of sebum is a bit higher than normal. All these years of shampoo turned my hair into an addict that cannot function normally without its weekly shampoo and conditioner dosage. For this reason I chose to clean my hair with vinegar and baking soda at least for the first couple of weeks just to avoid the risk of being taken as a bum. I can also use egg masks and olive oil for my tops...
I decided to do this manly because my hair started falling pretty bad in the past couple for years, and I have already tried several treatments without success. I also read a lot of interesting things about this experiment. It has not been successful for everyone, but that's not a big surprise....it's worth trying anyway. The most inspiring is this guy who has not been using shampoo in 10 years, and though he is in his 60s he has wonderful hair...I am sure he also has some pretty good genes there :)
Anyway, I am in my week two of no poo...and things seam to work just like everyone describes it. My hair is a bit greasy and messy, but I can already feel it being healthier...it is softer and heavier. Also, I can see my natural curly hair coming back without freeze. It basically looks as if it is constantly wet.
So, here starts week three. I am basically half way through the process, and I have to admit that I have been tempted to use shampoo. I managed to keep myself away, but I did switch from vinegar to baking soda and I can definitely see the difference. What amazes me is the fact that after two weeks of basically not washing my hair, my tips are still pretty dry...considering that they've also been trimmed recently. Regarding my hair fall problem, I can't really see a huge difference. My hair doesn't fall as much when I wash it, but it does fall just as bad when I brush it or just touch it. Depending on how things evolve, even if I will no longer use poo, I think I will go back to my hair treatment with Alopexy 2%.
My experiment ended abruptly at the end of week three. On Thursday and Friday my hair started falling like crazy, so I decided to wash it properly and get it back on track. As much as I like natural remedies in general, the pleasure of putting shampoo in your hair is simply wonderful. The shampoo commercial with the lady imitating an orgasm while washing her hair...well that's the feeling you get after not washing with shampoo for three weeks :)
I can still see some results though, especially in the fact that my hair does not get greasy as fast as it used to. I will try to use organic shampoo only and in very small quantities.
The experiment is worth trying though. Not everybody's scalp reacts the same and nothing really bad can happen.