no-poo for curly hair

I've received a couple of questions about the no-poo method for curly hair. My hair is (obviously) straight to slightly wavy, so I can't give first hand experience though there are many sites out there hosted by curly-haired girls. One method is washing hair with water only, followed by an ACV rinse.

With all no-poo methods you must massage your scalp properly (using fingertips, not fingernails, massaging thoroughly around the crown, temples, etc for about a minute). I think because regular shampoo lathers up so much we tend not to massage properly as the nasty sodium lauryl sulphate* does the work for us (*SLS is essentially a harsh, stripping detergent). In massaging properly, you may find you can ditch any cleansing products altogether (bicarb, etc) and just finish with an ACV rinse. I have read that this method can be successful for curly hair.

Here are a couple of links for curly hair. I am quite interested now to try the water only wash on my hair, and I'll report back.

Hair Update

I'm still excited about this no-poo hair regime, even after 3.5 months. I'm thrilled actually. Something I thought of this morning while massaging away with the baking soda is that my hair is a lot more predictable, behaviour-wise, than when using regular shampoos and conditioners. Often I would wash and dry my hair and it wouldn't behave like it did the previous wash. This caused great frustration when I was getting ready to go out in the evening (like that ever happens now). My hair in these photos was lightly styled in the morning, but not brushed prior to the photos. When it is brushed it goes rather silky. But I like it a bit tousled and messed up. The natural shine you get from just using ACV is amazing too. It beats serums hands down. Serums build up anyway, and can leave hair looking lank.

The only other product I use is a bit of Jojoba oil on the mid-lengths to ends. I tried coconut oil but didn't like it - for one, it solidifies when cool and this made my hair look a bit icky. The jojoba oil, as I've mentioned before, is closest to hair sebum and works really well for me.

I am still using just apple cider vinegar, rather than honey ACV - the latter made my hair a bit heavier. Nice every now and then for conditioning but on a regular basis - washing my hair 2-3 times per week - the ACV is light and works best.

My pallid complexion in these shots has something to do with Audrey waking me up every 45-90 minutes throughout the night - nasty! Two coffees have perked me up, and I managed a small smile for the camera so can't be doing too badly (yet, wait until evening comes).

If you are considering going no-poo, I totally recommend you give it a go. If you don't like it (and often it comes down to working out the best ratio of bicarb/ACV) then you can always revert back to your usual products.

The no-poo method is a nice money saver though, quite the bonus on top of healthy hair. So far, no turning back for me.