UPDATE 4 dec 2011: i've actually started no-pooing since nov 18th, i'm into the beginning of my third week now. I also changed my pet dog's shampoo and am very happy with my dog's results.
But my own hair is still a mess, .........sigh a long way more to go.
Update: 30 dec 2011: Aaargh, no pooing is frustrating! During these few weeks, you can't believe how greasy my hair looks. Not only the scalp but the entire length of hair. Mind you, my hair is about 7 inches past shoulder length so it's a pretty horrible sight to behold.
Baking soda, vinegar.
I went experimenting with different concentrations of baking soda solution and also the vinegar rinse solution. I experimented with different ways to dilute or use them, different ways to apply them. I bring in black teas, chamomile teas, rose bud tea, aloe vera gel, honey etc and anything i can muster to wash my scalp with.
Let me tell you, the baking soda burnt my scalp! ouch! i tried using less and less but still it burnt. I had no other choice and had to abandon baking soda. I also did not like the vinegar rinse, it leaves my hair even more greasier and lankier. I never had "normal" looking hair in the days with baking soda/ vinegar :-(
Liquid Castile soap
I was really discouraged. But not wanting to give up i thought i'd go low-poo instead of entirely no-poo. I sought out an SLS-free all natural castile soap to wash my hair. Castile soap only contains oils like jojoba, olive oil and other good oils made into soap without chemicals so its all natural.
I bought Melrose brand castile soap....................Failure once again. It never foamed and left greasy terrible gunk in my hair! the only part that feels and looks "washed" is the front part of my hair!! The crown right up to the back is still a greasy plunk of mess. I tried all sorts of ways to wash my hair, mixing the soap with water in a squeeze bottle, sudsing it in my hands before applying to my hair, applying straight to the scalp......... heck, nothing worked. I even rinsed so well parting and lifting each section of my hair so the water can rinse it well.
Shampoo Bar
Geez, next up i tried shampoo bars. I introduced a bar of JR Ligget's shampoo bar to my scalp hoping and crossing fingers that this will be it, this will work! Wow, my first wash was excellent. The shampoo bar foamed up so nicely it felt great! how i miss the suds when i was using the baking soda solution there were no suds and you just have to scrub your scalp pretending that there was suds.
My hair came up puffy, clean and shiny!! yay! i thought i found it! i thought this is it. JR Liggett's shampoo bar did it! i was going to kiss the shampoo bar and toss all out those bottles and accessories in my bathroom filled with different mixtures and solutions of baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar etc.
To my great horror, the next day after the wash, my crown was oily, greasy and sticky!! yup, it was sticky! sticky with a greasy residue left by the shampoo bar. I thought i'd stick with it another day and the next day, my hair's dry, brittle, sticky with residue. Eeeew!
I quickly washed it with another round of JR Liggett's and the result.............terrible sticky grease residue all over scalp and hair. I was itching away. It's as though i did not clean my hair for a year!.
Darn, i'm ready to give up and reach for my hidden SLS loaded shampoo way in the depths of my wardrobe. I hid it there for the just in case. This is so discouraging.
Anyway, I thought of an idea. Since baking soda can clean better than the castile soap, but the castile soap gives a better foam effect and helps in cleaning the scalp, I'll try mixing these together. I experimented with different proportions of each and at last, finally, came up with a solution that is workable. It's not fantastic, but still workable and helped me to stay on path.
My recipe
I squirt 4-5 squirts of castile soap into an empty squeeze bottle, fill up half way with rose tea, drop in 1 drop tea tree oil, fill up with water and a final pinch of baking soda. Shake up till dissolved and section by section i squeeze the mixture into my scalp till totally covered. The rest of the mixture i squirt onto the lengths of my hair. Then i start massaging my scalp like i'm shampooing. I add more water from my shower and voila! The solution starts to foam and suds on my hair! Magical! At last i have suds from the castile soap!
I finish with a conditioner rinse of diluted lemon juice only at the ends of my hair to avoid greasiness on my scalp.
This is now working for me and my hair looks clean and feels clean after more than 1 month of greasy hair. I'm trying to cut down the days i need to use this "shampoo" to wash to perhaps 2-3 days instead of daily. This is isn't the best but it works to keep my hair clean. I don't get shiny, bouncy, full of live hair, but at least it looks cleaned and i can walk out of the house with confidence.
I will continue to look for other ways to boost my scalp care without all the loaded chemicals.
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