No Shampoo, Three Months Later

I wanted to give you another update on my No Shampoo experience. I have made a few slight changes, and continue to be very happy with the results.

After about six weeks of using my baking soda and vinegar combinations, I realized my hair was getting pretty dry and so was my scalp. So, I went back and re-read some of the information I originally used to make this change.

Before

In this article, "However, baking soda can leave your hair very dry and give your scalp a scaly look, and so you may consider applying a moisturizer on your hair. Baking soda is good for people who have an oily scalp. People who have a dry scalp may need to consider using extra ingredients, and this is where cider vinegar comes in." And then it goes on to say, "Apple cider vinegar is a natural moisturizer. It is ideal for dry hair and scalp. After long periods of using baking soda to clean hair, your hair is likely to become dry. After washing and rinsing with the baking soda solution, pour a mix of apple cider vinegar and water through your hair and then rinse with water again. This cleanses your hair and also leaves it moisturized. Baking soda and cider vinegar is good for people with a normal, dry or even combined scalp."

One week later

So, with this in mind, I changed up my routine a little. I am using two teaspoons of baking soda with two cups of water for shampoo,  and two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in two cups of water for conditioner. I have also changed how I use the vinegar conditioner. Instead of only putting a little on the ends of my hair, which was leaving it pretty dry, I put a liberal amount on all of my hair, from scalp to ends. It does make a difference. Now when I rinse my hair, it feels smooth and silky like it used to with the commercial products. I know that isn't the end goal, but it does feel like it did back then. Originally, I only used the vinegar rinse on the ends of my hair because some of the articles I read led me to believe the hair next to my scalp would look greasy and dirty. Since my hair was getting pretty dry, I figured I was past the stage of adjusting to the change, and tried using the rinse on all of my hair.

One month later

I am also very happy to report that I still do not require any medicated products for the psoriasis on my scalp. I continue to itch a little, but there is no comparison to before when I was using prescription and other medicated products on a regular basis. I usually have an outbreak of psoriasis each spring on my arms and stomach when I get a patch of poison ivy, which makes me blister. This year has been no exception. I wondered if my No Poo routine would be able to withstand this outbreak, and it has. Another plus.

Three months later

My hair actually looks better. Frank says he can't tell the difference, I look like I always have. My hair still feels thicker and fuller. It combs out differently. It doesn't get near as tangled as it use to, and I have a lot of hair. I have been able to change to using only a comb and not using a brush at all. I think my hair breaks off less, because there is much less hair in my comb each day than there ever was before I quit using shampoo and a brush.

I am consistently amazed at all of the things out there to learn that can make us healthier, happier people. I am just grateful that I ran across this one thing. It has really opened my eyes to how dousing our bodies with chemicals everyday affects our health.

Until next time - Fern