The “No-Poo” Method of Hair Cleansing
This term comes from Lorraine Massey’s book “Curly Gurl”, which suggests that shampoo, which usually includes detergents SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) or ALS (Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate)
, can strip hair and scalp of its healthy natural oils, and roughen the cuticle. Thus they are not the best choice for curly heads worldwide. Instead, the author suggests that hair be cleaned with conditioner instead, with vigorous scalp massage & thorough rinsing taking the place of harsh detergents for scalp cleansing.
Trust me. It works.
If you use styling products or have buildup, however, conditioner alone isn’t gonna cut it. Here are two ways to clarify hair w/out shampoo.
Mix a tablespoon or so of Baking Soda into about 1/2 cup of conditioner (perhaps Honey Hemp?). Work through as you would a normal conditioner wash, then rinse. Result = squeaky clean hair & scalp w/out stripping your strands. Follow with a mild rinse of water with just a splash of apple cider vinegar, to return hair to its mildly acidic base state, close the cuticle, and enhance shine.
12 Comment to “The “No-Poo” Method of Hair Cleansing”
Great article–nice alternative with the baking soda suggestion. I’m not too fond of bars, so that may be a great option for me. Thanks!
I have been reading things which warn against the whole baking soda/acv method. Instead they say to use a pH balanced or acidic shampoo that is without toxic ingredients (parabens, SLS, etc), then condition with acidic conditioner.
I also heard from Lisa Akbari that it is important to wash hair weekly to get rid of residue (which will come from anything from sprays to shea butter). She says that shampoo (the good kind). Is needed to clean the hair so that there isn’t too much buildup, because that buildup isn’t healthy for the hair.
thanks for your responses!! the ‘no poo’ term came from lorraine massey’s book which was published ten years ago in 2001 – at a time when there simply were no ‘good kind’ of shampoos on the market – all of them contained harsh, stripping detergents and she used the term ‘shampoo’ to identify these kinds of cleansers. she encouraged using conditioner to cleanse the hair. now that there are so many other, non-detergent cleansers with more mild surfactants on the market, there are many other choices as well.
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and yes, many folks prefer not to take their hair through the alkalinity/acidity changes of the baking soda/ACV cleanse. our honey wash (ph neutral) and HH conditioner (acidic) would be an exellent choice for a more gentle solution.
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@admin:
Thanks! These two products sounds like a great option, I will have to try them out
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I don’t really like conditioner washes.I get buildup really easily, so conditioner doesn’t help. At all. And I don’t like the idea of baking soda because it is very very abrasive, so it’s no better than using sulfates. But I do like ACV rinses, because the acidity closes the cuticle, helps retain moisture, and cleanses.
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I am writing because I wanted to know which cleansing processes of the two, that you mention above, would you recommend if I was swimming in a chlorinated pool daily (or at least 3 times a week). I wear my hair in a natural style most of the time, and wear flat twists, & use a cap. In addition, is it okay to put on some honey hemp conditioner on my (twisted &/or braid extensions) hair, before I put on my cap, and go in to the pool? Or will the conditioner run into the water?
Thanks for your time and help.
I wonder if men have an easeir time because their hair is usually shorter?Penny at Penniless Parenting uses only water… no baking soda or ACV. This is why I’m choosing to use less baking soda. I’m hoping to rely on it less and less as my hair adjusts.My hair is actually easeir to brush through and I’m losing less hair than I was before! If you read through the comments on Penny’s blog post about it, you’ll see that one lady uses only conditioner on her hair, no shampoo.You might try this. I would work into the process slowly. Maybe drop down the amount of shampoo washes per week… making them less and less over time. Using baking soda in between on the days off from shampoo.