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No-Shampoo Hair Update: Two Months Later

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The last time I shampooed my hair was Labor Day Weekend. I’ve always hated having to wash my hair every day or every other day, so I wanted to try something new.

For the first couple of weeks post-shampoo, I washed my hair every few days with baking soda. Then I started washing it only once a week, and I’ve been doing that for six or seven weeks now.

And you know what? It’s been great!

No-shampoo hair

My hair, looking normal

How I Clean My Hair

Once a week I smash a paste of baking soda and water onto my scalp and scrub. I follow it up with a little conditioner on the ends. The rest of the time I put a shower cap on.

I bought a giant bag of baking soda and I keep a small plastic container of it in my shower.

I did try using apple cider vinegar once instead of conditioner, because that’s what a lot of the no-shampoo people recommend. But I was NOT a fan. It left my hair nice and soft, but after three days I swear I could still smell it in my hair. I gave it a good rinse on day three and that seemed to get the smell out, but after that I went back to conditioner.

Dry Shampoo

On days one and two my hair acts like it normally would. By day three it’s getting a little dark at the roots but doesn’t quite look greasy. The texture of the longer parts starts to change, to get thicker and more…compliant? All I know is, it gets easier to style the longer I go without cleaning it or getting it wet.

By day four I usually need dry shampoo (day three if I really want to look good). I’ve tried three so far and while they all worked fine, this one has has been my absolute favorite (and it’s one of the cheapest, too!). 

I noticed that my hair looks much better a few hours after putting the dry shampoo in, so sometimes I put it on at night, especially if I know that I’ll be going somewhere the next morning.

Saving Time

Another big benefit is time. I’m not just saving time in the shower from not washing my hair, I’m saving massive amounts of time not having to blow it dry. I don’t really mind going out with wet hair if it’s hot out, but now that it’s cool, I would be blow drying a lot, and my hair is so thick that that takes a really long time. Instead, I can just get out of the shower and start styling it.

Incidentally, a lot of the no-shampoo people seem to scrub their hair several times a week with water. Since I hate the drying/styling part, that would totally defeat the purpose for me.

Styling

No-shampoo hair

Normally, putting my hair in a headband would highlight an oily scalp

One more benefit is continuing a style. If I curl it, it still looks better two or three days later. If I straighten it, that sticks around too.

I can also put my hair in a ponytail whenever I want. I know that sounds weird, but before I could only put my hair in a ponytail or headband when it was really clean, or it would highlight my greasy scalp. Now, a ponytail looks good whenever, especially after dry shampoo.

Bigger Tests

I did think for the first month that perhaps I wasn’t really testing this out, since the weather had just stopped being in the 80s and 90s when I started this experiment. But then I went to Disney World to run a ten-mile race. Four of the five days were hot and sweaty, not to mention how gross my hair got after the race. But the dry shampoo took care of it! That long weekend in Florida was definitely the biggest test, and I passed with flying colors.

Here’s my hair a few days after the race, six days after a wash:

No-shampoo hair

I’m not sad because my hair is a little flat, I’m sad because we’re leaving Disney World

It looked even better four or five hours later, after the dry shampoo had really had time to work its way in.

The other test I passed was the Sniff Test. I was at a party last week, and I was getting a ton of compliments on my hair (I’d curled it earlier in the day, so it was nice and wavy, with lots of body). Of course I had to tell people about the no shampoo thing. Without warning, my friend Nancy dove into my head nose-first, gave it a huge sniff, and declared that I had passed the sniff test! Yay!

The only downside has been a little dandruff, but I’m not sure that I can pin that on the experiment. I get bad dandruff every winter, and my forehead is totally flaky already, so it might have happened anyway, regardless of how I was cleaning my hair. I’m curious to see what will happen later in the winter.

I’m overdue for a hair cut, but the last hurdle I have to take with this is asking my hairdresser if she’ll cut my hair without washing it. Or just washing it with water. I’m happy to do my baking soda thing the morning of my appointment!

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Nancy

Friday 7th of November 2014

I'd like to think that my sticking my nose in your head and sniffing showed a) Just how close I feel to you an d b) Just how much I trust your experiment Rather than it showing c) Just how ill-brought up I am!! Your hair does look especially good. Amazing, actually. But I still don't think I have the nerve!

Amy Oztan

Friday 7th of November 2014

@Nancy: I thought it showed that we're good friends, since I didn't even flinch!

Vicky

Friday 7th of November 2014

Your hair looks fuller and the color is really standing out. I may want to try it, maybe I can boost the confidence. Has it grown faster since the shampoo expirment began?

Amy Oztan

Friday 7th of November 2014

@Vicky: I'm not about growing faster (I doubt it), but it's definitely fuller! The texture as the week goes on is just different. It's hard to explain, but it's a good thing.

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