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.

 

 

By Annika Mang

 

 

 

Join and receieve a FREE Snowboarding Guide for Toddlers and Preschoolers
I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )
SIGN UP AND RECEIVE A FREE EBOOK (SNOWBOARDING GUIDE FOR TODDLERS/PRESCHOOLERS)
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

3 thoughts on “My No Poo Rinse Journey”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *