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Post by Karen on Jun 27, 2012 20:55:13 GMT -5
I have very thin hair and I can never seem to find the right shampoo. To top it off, I color my hair so it's always pretty dry. I'm not happy about all the nasty stuff in regular shampoo and in an effort to reduce my exposure for toxins, I was looking for something different.
So, I ran across some blogs that talk about using NO shampoo. Instead, rinse with a diluted baking soda mix to 'clean', and a rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar mix to 'condition' the hair. I did it 5 days in a row and although it left my hair very thick, it felt really built up and my hair felt really straw-y. I've read it can take a while for the hair follicles to stop producing so much oil (since we strip it away every day with shampoo so the follicles are in overdrive) but I just couldn't take it. So I caved and washed it Monday morning with a watered down version of shampoo. My hair felt fantastic!
Monday was the last time I washed it (no baking soda/apple cider vinegar rinses this time) and my hair has never felt better! It's super silky, it isn't greasy at all, and it isn't dry at all! I'm going to see how long I can go like this, and then perhaps try the rinses again every few days. At a minimum, I'd like to train my hair follicles to not produce as much oil by only shampooing when needed.
So I guess my question is this - anyone try to go shampoo-less? Or does anyone have any non-nasty shampoo sources?
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Post by faithh on Jun 27, 2012 22:03:01 GMT -5
I've never went shampoo-less but I have done Aveda products to keep my hair from drying out especially since I had the Japenese hair straightening treatment its important for my hair to stay hydrated!
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Post by Karen on Jun 28, 2012 4:52:43 GMT -5
The Aveda products I've seen still have the laural sulfates, which is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. It's pretty impossible to purchase a mainstream shampoo without that.
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Post by JC on Jun 28, 2012 6:22:56 GMT -5
Wow I'll have to try that! I have issues with my scalp being so sensitive. EVERYTHING makes my scalp breakout and I get dandruff. I recently started using California Baby which is baby shampoo that is all natural and nothing nasty in it. The crappy part is that it dries my hair out really badly and it started to break and get really brittle. It did wonders for my scalp though! I have been really lost for what to do at this point. Either I get a shampoo that keeps my hair nice but makes my scalp break out, or I get a shampoo that treats my scalp but ruins my hair.
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Post by Karen on Jun 28, 2012 6:35:28 GMT -5
Yeah, I can't find a middle ground for my hair either. In the past few months I've been using coconut oil as a deep conditioner - I put it on at night and lightly wash my hair the next day and that seems to help with the dryness, but only for a few days. I woke up this morning and my hair is still pass-able without a wash so I'm on morning #3 without washing. A bit of the flat iron and it's silky smooth and not at all frizzy, despite the hot weather!
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Post by 1234 on Jun 28, 2012 10:54:31 GMT -5
I used to wash my hair every day (being very very active). Then I was living in an apartment in Dublin where I had to flip a switch to heat up the water for a shower and it was expensive and I was broke. So I started pushing to see how long my hair could go. as the weeks went by, my hair produced less and less oil as it accommodated to now having the oil stripped out.
Now, I wash my hair about once a week, even with all of the biking, running, hot-yogaing. I rinse out the sweat after yoga and put conditioner on the ends, but don't wash it. It works well, and my hair is much healthier for being washed less.
I don't have the problems with thin hair though--I have the opposite problem--so don't really have any comments on that. Just wanted to share my experience of the hair washing fewer days thing. I'ave also found that getting a hair brush with the natural boar bristles, in addition to a normal detangling hair brush, helps pull the oils from the top of the head down to the rest of the hair, which needs them. This might not be applicable to shorter hair, but it's really useful for longer hair.
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Post by Karen on Jun 28, 2012 12:48:30 GMT -5
Hey, thanks for the tips! Glad to know I'm not the only one trying this!
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Post by MustangGtGirl on Jun 28, 2012 16:07:24 GMT -5
My hair is thinning as well. My Dr suggested vitamin B-12 and it has been working. My hair is falling out less and less and yes I do color my hair I go from Bond to Brown to Red all the time LOL....
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jaye
Full Member
Posts: 165
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Post by jaye on Jul 2, 2012 10:55:29 GMT -5
Ha! I'm doing this, too. Started transitioning last year but just "washing" my hair with conditioner. My hair was getting dried out by it. I did a little research and found out that the baking soda/vinegar and the conditioner method don't work well with hard water. I'm on a well and have extremely hard water.
Next I tried raw egg and nettle rinse. The nettle rinse made my hair shiny but the egg made a bit of a mess. My hair felt nice but I would find bits of egg residue. Not cool!
Then more research brought me to going natural. I rinse my hair with water but don't wash it with soap anymore - unless I am really grody like covered in hay chaff/ dust or soot. If I need to do a regular maintenance "wash," I use the conditioner but rarely.
I have long, thick, curly hair. Gets frizzy in high humidity. Looks best if the curls stay together. I need to get a boar bristle brush next so I can brush it before I rinse.
Anyway, it's working pretty good!
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Post by Karen on Jul 2, 2012 17:48:59 GMT -5
Nice! I'm not feeling so crazy after all! How long do you feel it took for your oils to start evening out?
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Post by JC on Jul 3, 2012 5:39:08 GMT -5
I'm going to have to start trying this rinsing stuff. My scalp is just so sensitive to EVERYTHING and my hair is so brittle and dry from washing it. I have tons of broken hairs now. It's sad because I used to have such nice and thick hair. Ever since I got sick last year it just hasn't been the same.
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Post by hellsbells on Jul 3, 2012 7:03:32 GMT -5
I've tried allsorts over the years. I'll find something that makes my hair look amazing for a couple of weeks then it goes lank/brittle/dry/greasy in various combinations. I want the hair I had in my early twenties!
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Post by JC on Jul 3, 2012 7:10:00 GMT -5
Yeah why does it do that? I find things that work well too but they always end up with the same result after a few weeks.
I did my first attempt at just rinsing today, no shampoo, and only conditioner on the roots. We'll see how this goes I guess...
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jaye
Full Member
Posts: 165
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Post by jaye on Jul 3, 2012 8:22:32 GMT -5
Nice! I'm not feeling so crazy after all! How long do you feel it took for your oils to start evening out? There was definitely a transition - I think it was about the second week that I noticed a little greasiness and then it was over. I have thick hair so it might hide it a little better than thin, shiny hair. Don't know.
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jaye
Full Member
Posts: 165
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Post by jaye on Jul 3, 2012 8:24:24 GMT -5
I want the hair I had in my early twenties! Amen to that, sister!!!
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