Awhile ago, I read an article on Amanda's blog about going without shampoo (sorry, can't find the entry anymore). Anyway, the simplified theory is that most shampoos contain harmful chemicals that strip your hair of its natural oils, therefore requiring your body to make much more oil to compensate. If the shampoo is removed, the body will, supposedly, adjust and produce much less oil.
At first, I scoffed. Hah.
But then, after weeks of frustration with my quite dry yet perplexingly greasy hair, I threw up my hands and cried the words I vowed I never would: "I hate my hair!"
Since then, I've done my best to read a variety of articles about this no shampoo philosophy. I found lots of articles saying the same thing--that you can use baking soda and apple cider vinegar as a replacement for shampoo--but I still had many unanswered questions. Do I still use conditioner? How often do I use this shampoo replacement? How long will it take for my hair to transition from overly greasy to oil equilibrium?
This article from wikiHow helped a bit. It basically encouraged me to use a less expensive conditioner to cleanse my hair and give my scalp a little massage, followed by leaving a moisturizing conditioner in my hair for about 5 minutes. Once or twice a week, it recommends using the baking soda shampoo substitute. Feeling I had nothing to lose, I decided to follow this strategy for a few weeks and see where it takes me. The last time I used shampoo was Monday, December 21.
So far, the difference is very slight. My hair feels a little greasier than average, but I'm hoping that my body will adjust in the predicted 2-4 weeks. I haven't even used the baking soda yet--just 1-2 rounds of conditioner with each shower. Who knows... depending on the outcome, maybe I'll even post before and after pictures.
It's definitely too early for me to have an opinion one way or another about this no shampoo business, but I do feel like my hair is happier with me--like I'm not killing it slowly with each wash. And for that, I'm grateful.
