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No Shampoo Routine
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The
no-shampoo method is a concept explained in Lorraine Massey's
book entitled Curly
Girl. There is a
section for black hair, but unfortunately it doesn't cater to
unaltered coily hair. It touched on straw-setting, twist extensions,
texturizing and "type 3" hair.
However,
there are three sections in the book I found interesting which
includes "towel-scrunching", the homemade hair recipes,
and the "no-shampoo method" (or "no-poo"
which is short for "no-shampoo") in which I will discuss
this routine in detail on this page. |
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If
you find that after shampooing, your hair is hard, tangled
or take a few days to 'recover' back to normal, you'll definitely
want to read this page or buy the book.
Note
- I've received tons of e-mails from women (and men) of all
racial backgrounds and hair types and with/without chemicals
who said that this routine works for them as well.
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Highlights
Here
are some highlights from the no-shampoo section of the book:
1.
Curlies should not use shampoo.
There are a few mild shampoos
out there, but most contain
sodium
laurel sulfate and/or sodium laureth sulfate. These ingredients will
dry out your hair. Hair needs moisture - especially curly/coily hair.
You can use a conditioner to "wash" your hair and it will
get your hair clean. Her theory is that using friction from your fingertips
along with water and conditioner gets the hair and scalp clean.
2.
Instead of using shampoo, try using doing a "Conditioner Wash".
This a gentle way to cleanse
your hair and to get rid of product buildup. For better results, try
using light, inexpensive conditioners such as VO5, White Rain, or
Suave. As long as the conditioner it is not heavy, it should be fine
to use since there are enough detergents in them to cleanse the scalp
& hair. (Also you can simply rinse your hair with water).
How
to do a Conditioner Wash:
- Thoroughly
soak your hair with warm
water. Work out the
tangles with your fingers.
- Take
your conditioner (don't use too much), place some in your hands
and apply it to your hair and scalp (in sections if you have 'longer'
hair). Let it sit for a bit then massage it in as if it were
shampoo. Be sure to concentrate on your scalp. Use your fingertips,
not your nails. Gently work out any knots in your hair with your
fingers.
- Rinse
very well with cool water.
- Some
may use more conditioner and rinse that out after doing the "conditioner
wash". I find that this is not necessary for my hair, but
experiment and see what works for you!
- Lastly,
style your hair. The book calls for using a clear gel...I don't
like gel so I don't use it. I usually apply a leave-in to soaking
wet hair, gently towel-scrunch and I'm done!
3.
Try to avoid silicones. These are any ingredient ending with
"cone". They weigh down and coat the hair shaft so moisture
can't get in. Silicone products may look great at first (shine/softness),
but they may cause a nasty buildup that's hard to get rid of without
shampoo.
Here is a
link that give definitions on various cones and check out this
link on ingredients you should try to avoid.
4.
Stay away from blowdrying.
Try towel-scrunching, air-drying
or wear styles that don't require heat like twists/twist-outs etc.
5.
Lastly, try to accept your curls/coils & work with them instead
of frying them. 'Nuff
said. ;)
This
is the theory: This routine *may* work since you're not
drying hair out with shampoo, you're keeping hair well conditioned,
removing build-up of styling products in a gentle way, and you're using
products that do not weigh hair down.
Here's
an interesting quote from the book:
"You'd
never dream of washing a good sweater with detergent. Yet most shampoos
contain harsh detergents (sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate)
that one finds in dishwashing liquid. They're great for pots and pans
because they cut grease so effectively.
You're hair on the other hand,
needs to retain some natural oils, which protect your hair and scalp.
Stripping them away deprives the hair of necessary moisture and
amino acids and makes it look dry and dull."
The truth is that lathers don't cleanse at all - manufacturers put
lathering agents into products so you'll buy into the joy-of-suds
myth."
Clarifying
Treatments
You
may need to clarify you hair once in a while to remove build-up.
If your hair is starting to look dull or not responding to products,
try using anyone of the these hair-clarifying
treatments. It will help bring
you hair back to life, get it clean and most importantly they are
all gentle on the hair.
I
always clarify before doing a deep conditioning treatment. Otherwise
you will be deep conditioning over product buildup which really
won't benefit the hair. These
are all great alternatives to those harsh clarifying shampoos:
- Mix
about 3 parts conditioner
to 1 part lemon juice. I use bottled lemon juice instead of juice
from a real lemon. It's much easier and I don't have to deal with
pulp and seeds.
- Mix
1
tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of warm water (use 1 tbs to
2 cups of warm water). For longer hair, use 2-3 tbs of baking
soda with 32 oz of warm water. You can place the mixture in a
spray bottle or just pour it over your hair. Massage it in, rinse
out well and use a conditioner afterwards. (I mix it in a cup
and pour it over my head over the sink and I always deep condition
after using this treatment.) It makes my hair feel so clean without
that dry, squeaky feeling. The mixture is liquidity - not pasty.
(Note - I find this cleanse my hair the best.)
- Mix
a little baking
soda with your conditioner.
- Use
a 'clarifying conditioner', such as VO5 Kiwi & Lime.
- If
you need to exfoliate your
scalp or combat itchiness, try a Scalp
Scrub: Mix 2 tbs conditioner with 1 tbs brown sugar. It
is not harsh or abrasive as it may sound. Don't use regular sugar,
it will just dissolve.
Benefits
There's
quite a few women on many hair message boards with kinky hair that
tried this method and had success. Some reported the following:
- Softer
hair.
- Less
dry hair
- Cleaner
scalp
- Super
moisturized hair
- Having
more curls/coils
- No
more flakes or itchy scalp
- Less
breakage and minimal shedding
- Not
having to comb-out as often (since it's softer)
- More
elasticity (which leads to less breakage)
- Not
having to use as many hair products since it's not as dry or
hard as before
This
method may
not work if:
- You
use a lot of oils and/or hair grease
- You
don't like to wet your hair often (at least every few days when
wearing your hair out)
- You
don't like mixing basic ingredients together
- You
use chemicals often (hair color, texturizer, relaxer etc.)
- You
use lots of products and pile them all on your hair
- If
your scalp or hair is oily
- If
you have severe dandruff
- If
you're concerned with shrinkage because your hair may *appear*
to be shorter. My hair has gotten so much more coily/curly since
I stopped using harsh shampoos. (Lorraine speaks about this
in her book.)
Here
is a comparison pic taken 2 months after starting this routine:
sorry it's not clear, but you can still see the difference
:)
My
Experience
When
I stopped using shampoo, I wasn't having any specific problems with
my hair. My routine at the time was working for me. However at times
my hair seemed a bit dry at times or after shampooing my hair needed
a few days to recover. I never thought it was from the shampoo though.
I just dealt with it by piling on oils.
When
I first heard about the no-shampoo method I was like 'that's gross!'
After reading about it and realized the method is not about promoting
dirty hair (lol), I decided to try it because of the simplicity
of it. Also, the concept made sense to me. I figured...I have nothing
to lose. It's free and it won't damage my hair. If l liked the results,
it's just one less product I need to buy. If I didn't like the results,
I can always go back to shampooing.
For
those of you who are concerned with doing this method, I have no
problem keeping my hair clean, it doesn't smell and it's not itchy.
I go to the gym at least 4-5 times per week and I don't have problems
with cleanliness. It did take me a few tries to actually go through
with this. It's so engraved that bubbles = clean, which is not really
true. It may take you a few tries to wean your hair from using shampoo
and seeing bubbles.
I
noticed changes after the first two weeks (so did my friends and family).
After being on the "no-poo" routine for almost 4 years now,
my hair seems to get better and better. It's much more bigger, softer
and moisturized than ever before. Since I don't use any chemicals,
I don't think I will ever use shampoo again, I really don't need it!
In fact the conditioners I use has a little sud action going on when
I massage it in my hair. Here are my experiences:
- It
has made my hair softer.
- I
am able to detangle much faster and easier.
- I
have more curls/coils than I did before.
- I
have less frizz, (I was never concerned with that though).
- I
use way less products than before.
- I'm
saving a lot of money from not buying shampoo, extra hair products
and oils.
- My
hair has become much more flexible and "elastic" thus
less breakage and knots on the ends.
- It
may sound crazy, but my hair is cleaner than it was when I used
shampoo.
- How
are conditioner washes different than rinsing your hair with conditioner?
Think of a conditioner wash as your old shampoo days, except
you are using conditioner instead of shampoo. When shampooing,
you scrub your scalp with your fingertips and concentrate on getting
your hair clean. The only difference is that you are using a light
conditioner to get your hair and scalp clean. When I just rinse
with conditioner I apply it in sections, let it sit, then rinse
out.
- Are
you doing a daily conditioner wash in the winter? No, not
daily. How often I do conditioner washes depends on my hairstyle
and the outside temperature. During the winter I rarely wear my
hair out, so I could go up to a week. However, whenever it's warmer
outside I always do a daily conditioner wash.
- Are
you using your heavier conditioner on days that you do the lemon
aid rinse and the lighter one of other days? Actually it’s
the other way around. When I used to do the lemon/conditioner
mixture, I used a regular V05 conditioner mixed with lemon juice.
On non-conditioner wash days I use either Suave Humectant or Aussie
Moist which are both very heavy and helps my hair to behave.
- When
do you do the baking soda or scalp scrub? I only do the baking
soda/water combination when I need to clarify my hair for a treatment
(like deep conditioning). I rarely do the scalp scrub, but when
I do, it is very refreshing!
- What
products do you use on this routine? Visit my regimen
page to view my detailed hair routine.
- Will
this method cause build up? It may cause build up if the conditioner
is loaded with "cones" or if you use a heavy conditioner
(like deep conditioners or conditioners that are very thick in
consistency). If you use a light conditioner you should be fine. If you use a lot of heavy products often (gels, pomades etc.),
this method may not work for your hair. I
don't get product build up because I don't use much of anything
on my hair and when I do it is very little.
- If
I coloured my hair and used lemon juice or baking soda, will that
it will strip the color out? I did a little research and discovered
that baking soda WILL change your hair color over time. Lemon
juice works with the power of the sun. So it would depend how
often you are in the sun (just guessing here). If I colored my
hair, I still would not use lemon juice, I wouldn't want to take
a chance in messing up the color. You can always do a 'modified
no-poo routine' and only shampoo after you color and once every
couple weeks or so or try an ACV mix.
- Are
you on the "no-oil"
routine as well? I guess you can say that, but not on purpose.
Before (without knowing it) my hair was really dry, so I'd compensate
by using oil. Now that my hair is not dry anymore (from not
using shampoo), I don't need oil. :)
- What
do you do about deep conditioning? I usually shampoo first the
deep condition, but I want stop using shampoo. What do you do
and how often? I usually do one or two things. Either
clarify with water and baking soda first then deep condition,
or go product free for a couple days, then deep condition
(after rinsing really well with warm water first). I use to do
a conditioner wash then deep condition. I found that doing that
weakens the benefits of the deep conditioner (since the hair is
already coated with conditioner). Also, it was too much conditioner
for my hair and made my curls limp. Now that I stopped doing that,
my hair is very happy. I clarify then deep condition once a week
in the cooler months (depending on my hairstyle) and every
three weeks in the warmer months. (I really don't need to deep
condition this often, but it keeps my hair VERY moisturized and
happy!)
- Is
all that manipulating the hair while doing conditioner washes
damaging? It's not at all damaging on my hair it's nothing
but beneficial to my hair. In fact, I rarely see hair strands
in my hands or in the shower unless I fingercomb or detangle.
Also I focus on the scalp and when I rinse, I just rinse. You
need to observe your hair to see how it reacts, you may not need
to rinse or condition wash as often as I like to. Everyone's different.
- How
does a clarifying conditioner work and how is it different from
using regular conditioner? There are acidic ingredients in
clarifying conditioners that cleanse the hair. It's like buying
conditioner with lemon juice already in there. (It doesn't dry
the hair out either).
- I
am currently transitioning. Is it okay if I did this even though
most of my hair is relaxed? Sure you can, just be careful
with hair products. If you use heavy items, you may need to shampoo
that out.
- What
are some conditioners I can use for conditioner washes? Here's
a list of conditioners either I have used or have received thumbs
up from other naturals:
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V05
Conditioners*
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Pantene
Pro-v Hydrating Curls*
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Daily
Defense Tender Apple*
-
Physique
Deep Hydrating Conditioner
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Suave
Tropical Coconut
-
Biolage
Detangling Conditioner
-
JessiCurl
Aloeba Daily Conditioner
-
Redken
All Soft
-
Aveda
Curessence Conditioner
*
Conditioners I've used or currently use for conditioner washes.
Alternatives
If
you're not ready to give up the shampoo completely, here's a list of
some alternative things you do or use instead of using traditional
shampoo:
- Try
the "modified no shampoo routine" (also known as Lo-Poo)
by using shampoo less often (like every 3 weeks opposed to every other
day).
- Dilute
your shampoo with water.
- Mix
one part conditioner to one part shampoo.
- Try
using shampoo on your scalp only.
- Use
less harsh cleansing products such as:
If you
use shampoo, lookout for these ingredients in your products:
Ammonium
Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) - very harsh
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALES)- harsh
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - harsh
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - milder, but still harsh
Sodium Myreth Sulfate, TEA Lauryl Sulfate & TEA Laureth Sulfate
- decent choices
Coconut Soap, Olive Oil Soap or Cocamidopropyl Betaine - BEST CHOICE |
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My Hair Routine 
