Hi, welcome back to my going gray journey, heading now into week 19. I’m one to admit my blunders, especially when they may help teach someone else a lesson. Last week I posted about my trial home spa treatments. In particular the baking soda and apple cider vinegar shampooing session.
Come to find out, the actual term for the technique is “no-pooing” check it out here.
Apparently, it takes quite a while for your hair and scalp to love this technique. In all honesty, I can see why. I am definitely not cut out for enduring the time it takes to get through the transitional look of the method. Frankly, doing one major hair change, aka, going gray, is probably enough for me at this time!
The day I washed with the no-poo method my hair was so incredibly soft. I was so excited. The next day I woke up and it looked like I had dumped water on my head, or maybe I should say a bucket of oil?
It was still really soft, but it looked super greasy. My husband even asked me, “Did you just wash your hair again?” Yikes…he rarely says anything about my hair. I knew something was obviously up!
I was amazed at how quickly the oils in my hair kicked in. And…well…let’s just say…EWE! It was still really soft which I liked, but it was hard to style. The greasy curls just stuck together and emphasized the difference between the colored hair and the gray hair. Plus my scalp was itchy! Not sure why I probably hadn’t rinsed well enough or something like that? It was my first try after all. But then that night, my scalp was so incredibly itchy, I couldn’t stand it.
I was not impressed with how quickly I felt like I needed to run and hide or jump in the shower to wash my hair again!
I know…there are people out there that swear by the no-poo method, that’s why I tried it. The videos about those who love it were very convincing. Like I said, on day one, my hair looked and felt great. After that though, well…not so great looking or feeling. To top it off, (literally), going gray, with the lovely demarcation line, aka eye-catching enough, adding greasy to the look, is just not for me!
It might just be a bit too much of the look called, “What the heck…not only are you going gray but not washing your hair, wow, you’ve really let yourself go down the sh*tter?” (or is it the poo-er?).
What’s a girl to do? As usual, I did a little more YouTube research and came across this great explanation of what happens to your hair with the no-poo method – check it out. Turns out the no-poo method isn’t for everyone!
A healthy balance between how frequently you wash your hair and what pH level your shampoo has in it helps your hair and scalp be healthy. Now we’re talking, that’s exactly what I’m looking for.
I’m still ditching the dye, but saying NO to no-pooing! I’m better off going with a “poo-less-often” method of hair care!
So folks, sorry I recommended it! It turns out my original find of the Joico shampoo (I wrote about it here) was a score and the best way for my hair to be cared for. I’ve been talking about loving the shampoo and how my hair has seemed really healthy. It turns out the pH in Joico is really at a balanced level. I still tend to think the purple version of the shampoo does seem to dry my hair a bit more than the curly version. But with the Joico shampoo and conditioner, my hair definitely doesn’t turn crazy greasy like the no-poo method!
With the Joico shampoo, I can do pretty much the same shampooing frequency as the no-poo method. Only washing once every 5-6 days and my hair and scalp really does seem to respond best. No greasy hair look or itchy scalp either.
Good graycious all this messing with my hair has caused some split ends. So what’s next on my journey? I’m thinking it is time to schedule my first hair appointment in 20 weeks! No worries, I will not break and go back to coloring! But it will seem really weird to just pop in for a trim…or a cut…or new hairstyle…I can’t decide. Come back soon to see!
PS – if you’ve tried either the no-poo or the Joico shampoo, share a comment. I’d love to hear what works or doesn’t work for you and why!
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