Remember way back when I wrote that I was trying a “No Poo” rinse for our Green UP Challenge during the month of March? Well, here I am finally finding the time to write about the experience. It seems these days that I have a lot of stuff to write about but very little time to actually write. I am really excited to where the whole “No Poo” rinse took me as it is definitely not where I thought I would end.
My No Poo Rinse Journey
The “No Poo” rinse essentially is a natural way to wash your hair. You start with baking soda and scrub it all over your hair. Immediately after you rinse and scrub all of the baking soda out. This is important so that you do not have a volcanic eruption in your hair because the next step is adding the apple cider vinegar. I am thankful for a friend that learned, from experience, that this could happen. To add the apple cider vinegar you simple pour over your hair and again you immediately rinse it out.
The first time I tried the rinse I used this simple recipe: 1- 2 tbsp of baking soda combined with 1-2 cups of water. Pour the mixture over wet hair. Massage the whole mixture into the hair and then rinse it thoroughly. Then pour 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar mixed with 2 cups of water and rinse immediately.
The First Rinse
When I was done I was horrified. My hair had so many knots in it I thought I was for sure doomed in my experiment and was ready to give up. The beauty of running a challenge though is that you have all these people you feel accountable too. So thank you for that! I spent a good 20 painful minutes working through those knots.
A day past before my next shower. Ok, if I am truly honest it was more then a couple of days. I am a mother of two young kids and really dry shampoo becomes your best friend although this time I was not using any dry shampoo. When it was time for the No Poo rinse I was nervous and worried that I would have just as much trouble getting the knots out of my hair. I did the No poo rinse again and this time it brushed out easily. I was in complete shock.
Embracing the Rinse
The next 4 times were considerably easier then the first. Sometimes I found it extremely easy to brush my hair while other times it was a bit more challenging but nothing like the first rinse. I started to feel like yes I am going to continue this after the challenge. I can do this natural thing and I actually like it! Then I visited my dermatologist.
I suffer from very bad eczema. Since moving from a humid climate, where I had learned to manage my skin condition, to an incredibly dry climate, I had started having lots of issues again. When I met with the doctor I was somewhat afraid to tell her of my “No Poo” rinse.
When I finally blurted out that I had gone hippy with my shampoo regime she immediately told me to stop. I wanted to shout and say hey I don’t want to use those nasty chemicals in my hair. But then what she told me surprised me the most. She said to also use NO shampoo and NO conditioner EVER.
My shower routine since the Green UP Challenge
I was surprised with her response and asked her what I should use instead. She said nothing. Nothing at all. If I found that I really felt like I needed a wash I could use soap on my underarms and my female ” goods”. I also, of course, was supposed to continue washing my hands with soap. The idea was that if I could avoid these products my skin would improve considerably alongside some other simple routines.
Luckily I had been using the “No Poo” rinse as I don’t think I would have willingly tried no soap at all. I was already on the road to a minimalist bathroom routine. And now? My sensitive skin has improved considerably using this new shower routine alongside moisturizing two times a day. Embracing the Hippy has been a good thing even though there is not much to do in the shower now but just stand there and let the water do all the work.



Fun read Annika, would love a pic of how your hair’s doing now!
I will definitely have to do that! I totally wish now that I had before and after pictures.