Going No Poo: 5 Months (Deep Conditioning Mask & Egg Yolk Wash)

I can't believe it's been 5 months since I took the leap into No Poo, and gave up shampoo! I honestly cannot imagine ever using shampoo again!

I gave WO (water only) washes a try these last few weeks, pretty much out of sheer laziness. In my ideal world, I wouldn't need to do anything to my hair other than wet it. Well, it didn't work out so well. I have hard water, and after a while those minerals left my hair feeling stiff and dry. I could tell that my limp and lifeless hair needed some moisture, so I tried a deep conditioning honey/coconut oil mask. I followed my oil treatment with an egg yolk and honey wash to make sure my hair wasn't left feeling greasy. The results were fabulous!

Definitely one of my Top 3 best hair days
since Going No Poo!

Honey & Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Mask

• 2 Tablespoon Raw Honey
• 1 Tablespoon  Coconut Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Filtered Water

Mix together all three ingredients in a container with a lid (a mason jar or a condiment dispenser, for example). Apply the lid (plugging the opening, if using a condiment dispenser) and shake, shake, shake! The goal is to combine the ingredients as best you can.

Apply the mixture to moistened hair (not dripping wet), making sure to massage into the scalp and pull it through the length of the hair. You'll definitely need something to contain this sticky, oily mess, like a shower cap. I just use an old long-sleeve shirt to wrap up my hair; the long sleeves wrap around my head nicely, and keep it in place. Leave the deep conditioning mask on for at least 30 minutes, or even longer if you like. I usually leave mine in for a few hours.

When you're ready to remove the deep conditioning mask, you'll need something more than water or diluted ACV (apple cider vinegar) to get the coconut oil out. If you use regular shampoo, you can remove the oil with that. However, if you've given up commercial shampoo already, an egg wash works wonders at removing oil! Read on for the egg yolk/honey wash recipe.

Egg Yolk & Honey "Shampoo"

• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 Tablespoon Raw Honey

Mix the egg yolks and honey together thoroughly (use an immersion blender to quicken the job).

Rinse the honey/coconut oil mask from your hair as best you can. Apply the egg yolk/honey mixture to your hair, massaging into the scalp and pulling it through the length of the hair. You may need to double the recipe if you have long hair. Leave the wash in while you finish up your shower routine, or for about 5 minutes, and rinse it thoroughly with lukewarm water (you don't want to cook the egg yolks).

You may follow with a diluted ACV rinse if you wish, but it is not necessary.

Beware:

You can do this deep conditioning treatment without a wash, but be prepared to walk around with oily hair for a day or two. I just recently tried skipping the wash, and it was pretty oily the first day, but my hair eventually absorbed it.

Try not to wash with egg yolks more than once a week, and no more than once a month for the whole egg. They contain a lot of protein, and too much protein can lead to dry, brittle hair that breaks easily. If you suspect protein overload in your hair, moisturizing is the only option.

Bye-Bye BBB

In the last month, I've given up the BBB (boar bristle brush), for the most part. I just can stand how often it needs to be cleaned, and how rough it is on my hair. I just purchased a cheap wooden comb off of eBay (seriously, it was only 80 cents), and so far it's working well. It moves sebum a bit better than a regular old plastic comb, without damaging my hair like the BBB did.

To read about the rest of my journey, click here:

Going No Poo

Going No Poo - Weeks 6 & 7

I've been pretty busy with the 7 Days of Christmas, so I was pretty late getting to Week 6. The week was already almost over by the time I got any free time, so I figured I'd just combine Weeks 6 & 7.

Giving Up Honey

I seriously LOVE honey. I love it! Have I said that enough yet? Despite my love-affair with honey, I actually haven't washed with it since Week 4 (well, maybe a drizzle in my rinses here and there). It doesn't mean that I don't love honey anymore (I swear, I do!), it was just time to switch things up! I felt like my hair was getting too weighted down, and I also felt like I could stretch out the days between washes a bit more. I decided to finally try out an espresso rinse in Week 5, and LOVED it!

Can you see the difference in body? The espresso enhances my curls as well!

I did use a honey mask after a failed experiment left me with some scalp irritation. Read Trial & Error below for more details.

What Am I Using Now?

Since I recently made some homemade yogurt, I had plenty of whey leftover (a byproduct of yogurt). I tried a whey rinse back before I made the switch to No Poo, and I loved it then. I had espresso, I had whey, and somehow they ended up together in my hair. It was awesome, and the smell was delicious! My favorite part was that it was the closest to a lather I've gotten since going No Poo! The whey has a bit of a thickness to it, and that's what sort of feels like it's lathering up. I've also been experimenting with adding a ginger/rosemary tea to the mix (simply ginger and rosemary boiled in water and steeped for about 20 minutes). I usually leave it in for a while, but it works pretty well as a quick rinse too. This is just a personal preference, but I like to apply the espresso/whey mixture over the kitchen sink, then wrap my hair in an old, clean T-shirt and allow it to dry before rinsing it out with water.

Acid rinses (like apple cider vinegar, certain teas, and coffee) are not technically washes; they're considered a conditioner, so you can use them daily if your hair responds well to it.

Since the Switch

Since I've quit using a honey wash every week, and have switched to acid only (AO) rinses (espresso and whey, specifically), my hair has had so much more body! My hair loves espresso! I usually do them every other day, but they are fine to daily as well.

Trial & Error

One thing I sometimes miss about shampoo is the smell. My hair doesn't smell bad at all; it just doesn't have a smell. Sometimes I miss that freshly shampoo'd smell (think flowers or fruit), although not enough to actually use any. I decided to try a little scent experiment with vanilla extract. I don't have any EOs (essential oils, for you EO virgins like me), but I have seen vanilla extract in some DIY recipes (for lotion or soap perhaps). Well for those of you who don't know, most vanilla extracts are made with alcohol and sugar or corn syrup. Although alcohol is found in many commercial shampoos (why?), it's extremely drying. After going this long without commercial shampoo, even 10 drops of vanilla extract was enough to inflame the scalp irritation that going no poo helped get rid of. The irritation was bad enough for me to use a honey mask the next day, which helped immensely. Lesson learned: don't use vanilla extract on my hair.

Some people like to leave their conditioning rinses in, and I though it would be great to try with espresso! Wrong. It left brown marks on my hands anytime I ran my fingers through my hair. It also left my hair feeling a bit stiff... I'm not sure that's the right way to describe it, but I can't think of a better word for how my hair felt. I'm going to stick with rinsing the espresso out. 

Unexpected Benefits of Going No Poo

• Stronger nails - since giving up shampoo I've noticed that my nails have gotten stronger, but especially since using my orange/rosemary herbal tea rinse on my hair; just the act of rubbing it into my scalp was enough to strengthen them. I wish I had a before and after picture to show you. My nails usually break off right above the pink, but in the last few weeks, they've gotten unbelievably strong! Since I don't use the herbal tea rinse anymore, I'd like to incorporate it into a nail care routine. 
• New hair growth - believe it or not, those little hairs I circled below are actually new growth! I attribute it to the rosemary in the rinses I've been using (rosemary is great at strengthening hair and even promoting new growth), along with the fact that I haven't been using any harsh chemicals on my hair or scalp!
  I'm sure these little hairs are new growth and not breakage for a few reasons:
  1) I haven't been doing anything to cause split ends (tying my hair up, using harsh chemicals, brushing too hard and/or too often).
  2) I examined them to make sure there were no frayed or stressed ends. 

For more information on breakage and new growth, check out Hairfinder.com.

The most important thing I've learned from all of this is to experiment! Every wash or rinse you try won't work for you, but when you come across what does work for your hair you'll be over the moon. I thought I had found what worked for me with honey, but if I didn't experiment with new wash methods I wouldn't have found this better working one!

To read about the rest of my journey, click here: 

Going No Poo

Going No Poo - Week 5

This week begins my 2nd month without commercial shampoo! Last week I promised that I would take a picture of my hair everyday, and I actually remembered! I "wash" with honey on Sundays and go the rest of the week with acid rinses (ACV, herbal tea rinses, and now coffee!), about every other day.

This week has had a lot of hair-firsts for me, so let's talk about those instead of the usual day-by-day routine! It's getting a bit repetitive since a routine has developed.

Remember, this is all still pretty new to me, and I'm by no means an expert. Every hair type is unique, so yours may not respond the same way mine has to these treatments.

 

First Haircut Since Going No Poo

I mentioned in Week 3 that I needed a trim, and was curious as to what my hairdresser would say about not shampooing anymore. Well, I finally got that trim, and it was probably one of the highlights of my week! I was very nervous about this appointment, because I was afraid they would think I was weird/dirty/crazy... in fact, I felt like I was going on a date! I had butterflies in my stomach, and I kept wondering, "what will she think?"

When it came time to wash my hair, I politely asked Ashley (we have the same name!) if she could simply wet my hair without shampooing it. She asked why, and I explained that I quit using shampoo a month ago and my reasons for doing so.  She completely surprised me by being awesome and supportive! She listened thoughtfully to what I had to say without judging, and actually told me she thought what I was doing is cool! Her only concern was whether or not honey is actually removing product buildup from my hair. She recommended using a acid such as lemon juice to remove buildup, and I let her know I rinse with apple cider vinegar (ACV). We then had a lovely discussion on how awesome ACV is, and she let me know that she uses it once a month!

A lot of folks in the group I belong to on Facebook have talked about how their hairdressers tell them their hair is severely damaged, or they just don't believe in not using shampoo. Some mentioned their stylist talking them into a shampoo while they were there and they regretted it. I can't advise anybody on what to do in this situation, only offer my own perspective. If my stylist would've insisted on a wash, I would have just left. I'm sure there are plenty of other places that will take my money even if I don't let them wash my hair, and I've worked too hard avoiding "full poo" products (other than some occasional hairspray). After hearing some of these stories, and even how some people feel forced to trim their own hair out of embarrassment, I feel extremely lucky to have found an awesome stylist that is supportive. I will definitely be going back to see Ashley again!

First Event Since Going No Poo

I really wish I had taken this before the party and not after.

Another highlight from this week is that I went to a Christmas party! You may be wondering how this is related to not using shampoo, but I promise it is! It was a big milestone in my no poo journey, because it was the first semi-formal event that I've gone too since giving up shampoo! I felt confident about my hair, and not at all self-conscious. I even took the opportunity to wear a dress!

First Espresso Rinse

Leftover espresso in my hair & used grounds on my face.
Needless to say, I smelled yummy!

I mentioned using coffee as a hair rinse in my post on Herbal Tea Rinses, and I finally got around to trying one! Most use coffee, but I only have an espresso machine. So don't fret if that's all you have as well. My favorite beauty/health treatments are the ones that don't cost any extra money, and this one fits the bill! I always end up with extra espresso in my carafe, and I know a lot of other people have the same problem with their coffee. Pouring it down the drain is such a waste! Why not use that leftover coffee/espresso as a conditioning hair rinse?

My Method/Experience:

I used the espresso while it was still lukewarm, with about a teaspoon of honey and a splash of lemon juice. Please be careful not to use the espresso while hot; it can cause serious burns! I applied it with a squirt bottle (think old, clean ketchup bottle) to dry hair (it's very DARK and messy, so I suggest standing over the tub or shower), massaged it into my scalp and through the length of my hair, and wrapped it in a clean T-shirt. Although you don't have to leave rinses in like a mask, I ended up leaving mine in for about an hour. This is perfectly okay - in fact, some people don't even rinse them out. (I may try it next time!)

I LOVED this rinse! Don't get me wrong, I love my apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse too, but the espresso was a nice change of pace. First of all, OMG the SMELL!!! This might not be normal, but I totally wanted to eat my own hair. The smell faded after my hair dried, just like the ACV, but the smell in the meantime was divine! It also left my hair lustrous (shiny, not oily!), soft, and with more curls! I know that coffee is great for naturally highlighting dark hair, so I can't wait to see how it looks after a few more rinses!

This is my hair after the espresso rinse and air drying.

Look at those curls starting to happen on the sides!

First Time "Plopping"

A lot of girls in the No Poo group on Facebook have been talking about plopping. If you don't know what plopping is (I sure didn't), it's basically flipping your head upside down and wrapping your moist hair in a T-shirt to accentuate your natural curls. If you let your hair dry like that, then you should have nice, bouncy curls. Well, it didn't work so well for me. Maybe I didn't do it right, or maybe my hair is too short. Either way, I think my curls look more defined when I wrap my hair in a T-shirt the same way I do a towel.



Plopping

Just letting it dry wrapped in a T-shirt
(like a towel)

 For more detailed plopping instructions, click here.

 

A few important tips I've learned in the last 5 weeks:

• Boar bristle brush (BBB) my hair before washing
• Pour wash or rinse onto dry hair rather than wet
• BBB dry hair only to avoid breakage and split ends
• BBB hair from all directions (forwards, backwards, away from the part), making sure to flip hair over and BBB underneath as well
• Stretch out washes longer with acid rinses (ACV, tea, coffee)
• Experiment to find what works!

If you're curious about the rest of my journey, you can read about it here:

Going No Poo

Going No Poo - Week 3 (& Hairstyles for Transition!)

Wow, I can't believe I'm actually in my third week without shampoo! For those of you that have been following along on my no poo journey, thank you so much!

For those of you new to my no poo journey, check out Week 1 & Week 2!

Some of you may be wondering about the abbreviations I use sometimes, so I decided to make a short list of the ones I use most often:

• WO = water only
• ACV = apple cider vinegar
• BBB = boar bristle brush
• SMP = scritching (spelled with an "i"), massaging, & preening: very lightly making circular motions with the nails on the scalp, massaging the scalp with the pads of the fingers in a circular motion, and pulling the oil down the hair shaft with your fingers or palms.

It is officially Day 16 (Wednesday) since I've used commercial shampoo. It's been 3 days since my last honey mask/wash (with a dollop of yogurt and a splash of lemon juice), and my hair is still feeling great! It's been pretty consistent about getting oily at the roots around the third day after a wash, but a WO wash (and sometimes and ACV rinse) along with a BBB can help stretch washing another day or two.

Speaking of BBB, guess what I just found out: you have to wash your boar bristle brush! This makes sense to me, because the bristles are actually hair, and hair needs to be cleaned. Mine is recently bought, so thankfully I found out before it got yucky.

According to members in the no poo group that I belong to, how often you wash it is on an as-needed basis. So if you have oily hair (if you're going through transition, for example), you'll need to wash it more often than somebody with dry hair. I suppose it also depends on how often you brush your hair. I only use my BBB every few days, and use my fingers to brush the rest of the time. Some folks suggest once a week cleanings for your BBB, but if you don't brush that often (like me) then you'll be able to stretch out brush cleanings by a lot more.

Apparently they take a very long time to dry because the bristles are packed so closely together, so don't clean your brush if you have to be somewhere (with brushed hair) in 30 minutes.



Boar Bristle Brush
Image Source: Think Before You Buy

I'll go into more detail on how to clean your BBB next week, but here is the gist:

• Remove all of the hair from your brush
• Wet your brush, apply soap (or your old shampoo), and scrub with your hands or an old toothbrush
• lay on a towel to dry, bristle side down
• allow to dry before using (I'm not sure how long this takes yet)

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It's Day 17 (Thursday), and Thanksgiving! Care to guess what I'm thankful for this year (other than the best son in the world)? I'm thankful that my family is so understanding and supportive of my no poo journey! A lot of people who begin this journey get discouraged by family members, so I'm definitely counting myself lucky!

It's been 4 days since my last honey wash/mask, and my hair is pretty greasy! Up until now, I've been washing with honey if my hair gets this oily, but I'm going to try stretching it one more night with an ACV rinse. I'd like to get to the point where I only need to wash once a week, eventually.

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Friday (Day 18): before Oolong/ACV rinse

Today is Day 18 (Friday), and I'm pleasantly surprised by how good my hair is doing this long after a honey wash. As I already mentioned, the last 2 weeks my hair has gotten oily enough for me to wash it around 3 or 4 days after a wash. However, I decided to keep pushing past my usual wash day... basically just to see what happens. At worst, I figured I just wouldn't leave the house (thank goodness for the holiday break, and not having to go anywhere). I planned on doing an ACV rinse last night, but I never got around to it. I definitely couldn't get away with skipping the ACV rinse today, but I tried a few new things:

• I only had a little bit of my ACV rinse left, and I've been wanting to experiment with tea rinses, so I brewed up some oolong tea with mandarin orange peels and rosemary to mix right in with my ACV solution. (I plan on going into more details in a separate post, so keep an eye out!)
• Thanks to a tip from someone from the no poo group I belong to, I decided to try putting the rinse on my hair while it was dry rather than wet. The theory is that dry hair will absorb the conditioner better than wet hair; if your hair follicle is full of water already it won't absorb the conditioner as well. However, I couldn't find any reputable sources for this information or science to back it up. I did notice that I used a lot more of the rinse to saturate my hair than I would normally use on wet hair, so that is something to think about.

After using the oolong/ACV rinse, I immediately noticed that it had a much more pleasant smell than just plain ACV and water - almost minty. It faded as my hair dried, but it was still nice while it lasted. After that, my hair just smelled like clean hair. It was still looking oily at the roots, so I waited for it to air dry to BBB. It still looked just a bit oily at the roots, but a little SMP solved that problem.

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It's now Sunday (Day 20), and I once again didn't get around to rinsing my hair last night. I blame schoolwork, and Thanksgiving. My kitchen is still not fully recovered from all of that cooking! Anyhow, I can't believe it's been 7 days since any kind of wash (other than water or ACV). There is no doubt that my hair looks oily, but I'm honestly surprised that it doesn't look worse. I think my little experiment of seeing how long I can go without washing is over - I have to take my son to school tomorrow, so I'll definitely be doing a honey wash tonight!

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No Poo Week 3 Breakdown:

• Day 15 (Tuesday) - 2 days since my last honey wash/mask, and my hair feels great still.
• Day 16 (Wednesday) - My roots are a bit oily. 3 days since my last wash, so right on time. WO wash tonight.
• Day 17 (Thursday) - Happy Thanksgiving! My hair is pretty greasy today, so I'm going to use an ACV rinse tonight.
• Day 18 (Friday) - Skipped the ACV rinse last night, but tried a new rinse today: ACV and oolong tea. Love the smell! I'm very happy with the results after letting it air dry, BBB, and SMP. I'm probably going to use a honey mask tomorrow, but I'll play it by ear.
• Day 19 (Saturday) - My hair feels wonderful, but looks pretty oily. Pretty good for not washing it with honey in 6 days, though! My dark roots are growing out, so the darkness on top only adds to the oily looks. A haircut that gets rid of my over-dyed ends should help considerably; only one more week until my trim! 
• Day 20 (Sunday) - My hair is visibly oily, but it doesn't feel dirty or greasy. I can easily run my fingers through it, and it feels healthy and soft. I plan on doing a honey wash tonight.

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Tips for dealing with oily hair:

• Try to touch your hair as little as possible. Oil from your hands will only make your hair look greasier.
• Don't forget to BBB! Your boar bristle brush will really help move the oil down the hair shaft, helping your roots look less greasy.
• When the BBB isn't quite cutting it, SMP (scritching, massaging, and preening) helps to loosen up sebum, dead skin cells, and product buildup. Massaging the scalp also provides some lift to your roots, giving your hair some of the body the BBB takes away. Make sure your hands are clean, so you're not just adding to the oil!
• Sometimes you have no choice but to hide it. Read further for ideas!

 

How to hide an oily hair day:

Even though I didn't really go through a transition period (yet!), I realize everybody is not as lucky. That's why I decided to share some ideas for what to do with your hair when it's just too darn greasy to wear down!

The "bump" and the headband are my go-to solutions on greasy days.
What a difference it makes!

 

Short Hair

Unfortunately there aren't that many ways to hide your oily locks if they're short like mine, other than scarves, bandanas, or hats. Seriously Google "scarf hairstyle" or "scarf hairstyle short" and be amazed at all the possibilities! Wide headbands are your friend also.

Long Hair

• French braids, if you're good at it
• The side braid, also known as the Katniss or Elsa braid
• There's always the obvious ponytail or bun
• Scarves, bandanas, or hats if you're in a hurry

 

Double Duty Long Hairstyles

These options are great because they help hide oily hair and look like you spent an hour styling them! Oily hair is actually better for these styles, because dirty hair is just so much easier to work with than clean. Sounds wrong, but that's why people have to put product in their clean hair to hold a style. Here are a few somewhat easy options, that don't involve French braiding (goodness knows that I can't do it):

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/526569381403185703/

Source: http://www.gurl.com/2014/03/25/easy-no-heat-hairstyles-for-dirty-hair-long-short/

Source: http://www.gurl.com/2014/03/25/easy-no-heat-hairstyles-for-dirty-hair-long-short/

What are some of your go-to styles on dirty/oily days?

 

Click here to read about the rest of my journey: 

Going No Poo