When I saw the no poo hashtag on Instagram two years ago, I instantly knew I had found my people. No poo is short for no shampoo. It was interesting for me to see it being celebrated as this hot, new trend in haircare. I spent my childhood summers in Greece with my Dad's family where showering everyday was just not a thing. Swimming in the ocean everyday was a thing. Hosing off outside after swimming in the ocean was a thing. But showering inside everyday with the luxury of hot water was not a thing.
From those summers in Greece I have always held the belief that my hair does not need to be washed everyday and will actually be healthier if I don't wash it everyday. But besides that I didn't know there could be a way to take care of my hair that did not involve traditional shampoo and conditioner. Up until two years ago I was washing and conditioning with either Nature's Gate or Avalon Organics. That is until the no poo posts caught my attention. It didn't take me long at all to happily ditch shampoo and conditioner and make the switch.
First up was a no poo period so the oils in my scalp and hair could rebalance themselves. I can't remember how long I went, but I do remember it was a definite transition period. During this time, I either stayed home, wore my hair up, or wore a hat. I took this photo during that time. I could literally put my hair where I wanted it and it would stay. No products necessary...haha.
From those summers in Greece I have always held the belief that my hair does not need to be washed everyday and will actually be healthier if I don't wash it everyday. But besides that I didn't know there could be a way to take care of my hair that did not involve traditional shampoo and conditioner. Up until two years ago I was washing and conditioning with either Nature's Gate or Avalon Organics. That is until the no poo posts caught my attention. It didn't take me long at all to happily ditch shampoo and conditioner and make the switch.
First up was a no poo period so the oils in my scalp and hair could rebalance themselves. I can't remember how long I went, but I do remember it was a definite transition period. During this time, I either stayed home, wore my hair up, or wore a hat. I took this photo during that time. I could literally put my hair where I wanted it and it would stay. No products necessary...haha.
After this initial transition period, I experimented with a combination of no poo and then washing with baking soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar (ACV) about once every two to three weeks. That routine worked well for quite a while and then I won a box of goodies from Just Grab Bits for picking up litter and one of the gifts was a shampoo bar from Dulse & Rugosa. It was their Ramblin' Man shampoo bar, but in case you haven't noticed, I DGAF about things like that. I used it and it worked well. I continued to use it on the days I washed my hair, which was about every three weeks or so. When that bar ran out, I ordered another and I'm still using that bar! I don't recall which one I ordered, but I love it and while it may seem expensive at $15 a bar, it lasts forever, especially since I only use it about once a month. Well worth the money. Dulse & Rugosa is a mother daughter team and all their products are handmade in Maine featuring seaweed harvested off the coast of Gotts Island.
Shampoo bars are a great way to avoid single use plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles and a nice alternative if you think the baking soda and ACV will not work for you. If both of these options seem too extreme, I've recently noticed a new brand on Instagram, Plaine Products. It's shampoo and conditioner that you purchase and when you need to buy the next round, you ship back the empty bottles for them to be reused. I haven't looked into much further, because I don't plan on buying in, but if it sounds good to you, click the link and check it out! Any step away from single use plastics is a step in the right direction.