Well it actually means no shampoo.
Apparently it is picking up steam in the western countries and many are practising it already.
i just stumbled across the no poo movement one fine day last week or so and it intrigued me.
Why no poo?
1. Shampoo contains many harmful ingredients, the key being SLS (sulfates). This causes the shampoo to produce the suds and thus help us to think that our hair is being cleansed. The more suds the better.
However, contrary to believe, this is very harmful to our scalps. It strips off all the natural oils that our scalp produces to protect it. The scalp oils, by itself is a natural dual cleansing and protecting agent.
The more you shampoo and wash your hair, the more you strip the natural oils your scalp is trying to produce, the more oily your scalp will be. And the cycle continues................ you wash off the oil, your scalp is then triggered to produce more oil!
Once shampooed, you may feel your scalp is clean but then your hair shaft is dry so you put in conditioner. Conditioners contain silicones that coat the hairshaft to give it a smooth appearance. It maybe nice to touch and feel, but the end result is even drier hair. This is because the silicones leave a coating that cannot be penetrated and leaves your hair dry after a while. Your hair will feel sticky, dirty and matted faster and you'll feel the need wash your hair again. It causes a lot of hair build up that makes hair dull, lifeless and flat. So you use styling products (which contain more silicones and harmful stuff that dries out and coats hair with build up). These silicones and build up cannot be washed off with anything but a shampoo and so you use a clarifying shampoo to strip off the silicones. Hah! and your scalp is basically being stripped off all natural oils and does not even have a chance to produce even 1 drop.
The end result................ vicious scalp damaging cycle.
2. Shampoo ingredients are usually not biodegradable and harms the environment and all these get flushed into our delicious seafood. Less seafood for us.
Well, that's what i've been experiencing. I have to wash my hair every single day and it'll feel sticky and yucky by the end of the day. It feels very greasy. Once shampoo-ed, it feel light and fluffy but after only a couple of hours, the bounciness goes off and it starts to go limp and lifeless. And again, it feels like i need a shampoo.
I figure this is a vicious cycle and found this no poo to be pretty interesting.
How to no poo or low poo?
1. Very popular method: using only baking soda as the cleansing agent on your scalp and apple cider vinegar rinse as the conditioning agent to keep hair soft and shiny and remove build up. Term used- BS ACV washing.
2. Use biodegradable and sulfate free organic shampoo that is far less gentle on hair without stripping the natural oils; or use a liquid castile soap.
3. Using only conditoner to wash hair and scalp. Make sure it is a no silicones conditioner - term used CO washing.
4. Using only water in the shower with a finger massage to help distribute oils. Term used - WO washing.
5. I dunno, but i think there is using egg and honey, milk , etc DIY natural ingredients to wash hair.
6. Using a rag to distribute oils down the hairshaft, no need to wash at all.
The main thing is this:
1. First you have to remove the last traces of silicones in your hair to start the no poo. Use baking soda and apple cider as your first move.
2. Then you have to start weaning yourself off washing your hair often. For eg, if you wash your hair everyday, try washing it every other day. Then increase the amount of time by going every 3 days, then 4 days.........
Some people can go for 1-2 weeks without a wash and their hair condition is better than ever!
3. Or go for the more extreme, wash with method 1,2 and/or 3 ONCe a week only.
Detox, transition phase:
Obviously, there will be a detox phase. Imagine your everyday washed hair not being washed as often. It'll be oily greasy and i dunno, terrible looking. It also takes time for your hair to adjust to the new "shampoo" you will be using.
This detox phase will be inevitable and you will have to tough it out. It can go from 2 weeks to 8 weeks or even longer as your scalp and hair adjusts to the new routine and becomes more healthy. Eventually, you will have soft manageable hair full of bounce and shine without any styling products!
For those that don't wash their hair often and don't use styling products, i bet the transition phase will be easy peasy and hardly noticeable at all. I think it is just bacon grease pan scalps like mine that may have a tougher time.
Please look up on the internet for "no poo" and you will find tons and tons of information on it.
I'm gonna start no-pooing and see how it goes. As time goes on, the no-pooers report that the method and no-poo proportions used will be adjusted to suit each person's adjustments.
Also, i'm not sure if the humid Asian weather will allow this no poo to work. It seems like those with four seasons have better luck? no? we'll see. If it doesn't work, i will just revert to my usual shampoo .................. no harm trying.
wish me luck!
By the way, the BS ACV should work on pets too! ;-)
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