No Poo Update

The No Poo regimen is working really well for me. I started it two weeks ago and haven’t run into the dreaded overly oily stage. As I mentioned in my initial post, I think that may be because I don’t wash my hair very often. Usually only once a week unless it needs it. I did have to cheat a bit last week and use some conditioner to tame some of the tangles, but I’m pretty sure, considering the length and fineness of my hair that I may have to continue to occasionally use conditioner.

Most of my hair feels *almost* like it did while I was using shampoo; it’s not quite as soft as it was and it’s extremely staticky, but my ends are very sorry little buggers. Without the shampoo and conditioner to smooth them down, my split ends are going crazy. They’re also stiff enough to stand upright all on their own.

Aaaand… No Poo does not play well with hot oil treatments. At least not with coconut oil. I really should remember to read ALL of the article before just jumping in and doing it. I made up a very lovely hot oil with safflower, sesame, and coconut oils last night then proceeded to treat myself to a mini at-home spa. After an hour and a half of soaking in a hot tub with a good book and a glass of wine, I was ready to wash the oil out and luxuriate in my soft locks. Or not… Nothing I tried would get the oil out. Not the Dr. Bronner’s, not the conditioner, not the baking soda. Nada. I was finally forced to use regular shampoo to get it out.

So, if you’re going to go No Poo and you like homemade hot oil treatments, definitely research which oils work well with No Poo and which ones don’t.

Here’s a picture of me and my hair before the hot oil treatment last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s me and my hair today.

Weekend Update (A Day Late)

I started writing this yesterday and somehow between my ADD brain and some weird time-vortex that stole half my day away I didn’t get a chance to finish it.

Last nightSunday night, after an agonizing nail-biter of a game, the New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl! Yay!

We also received a decent accumulation of snow. Finally! However, it looks like it’s going to warm up and be rainy for several days this week, so all that pretty snow will be gone. I’m not a big fan of the cold, but I love winter. I love snow. And I love everything associated with it all – sledding, snowmen, drinking hot cocoa as I watch the snow fall. Okay, I don’t love shoveling, but it’s a hassle I can live with.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature is apparently going through some sort of hormonal flux because today, on January 24, 2012 at just before 11am, the thermometer on my porch reads at 62 degrees F. My entire yard is now a pond because the snow is melting faster than the frozen ground can absorb it. I really hope it doesn’t freeze again any time soon. That’s not going to be good for all of my plants. Or the sidewalks. Or the roads.

I’m on Day 5 of my No Poo regimen and it’s going well. Yesterday was my second time washing with the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. My hair is a bit more staticky than normal, but that’s the only difference so far. Oh, and it’s making my split-ends stand out quite prominently. I guess that means it’s time for me to get my hair cut.

I read that this method is NOT kind to people who have dyed hair because it strips the dye out. I’m hoping that’s true and that it will get rid of the last of this purple that just won’t go away. For a dye that was supposed to fade within two months, it’s certainly doing a damned fine job of sticking around for almost six months.

Next up on my list of hair care treatments is a Crunchy Betty Hot Oil Treatment.

In writing news… well, there isn’t much new with the writing. There is still writing happening and my brain keeps throwing new story ideas my way. One of them seems to be a non-paranormal romance which is just completely messing with my head because I’ve only written a non-paranormal story ONCE. And that was when I was in high school.

Also, it seems like I’m now being forced to step into the 21st century. Both of our house phones are completely dead. Neither of them will hold a charge, even while on the charger. That means either today or tomorrow we’re going to have to go shopping for a cellphone for me. Do they even make cellphones that just make phonecalls anymore? The one my husband has is almost eight years old. The only options it has are call or text. We’re obviously not big on upgrading to new technology.

No, that’s not true. We’re not big on needlessly upgrading to new technology. If what we have still works and does what we need it to do, why get a new one?

 

No Poo For Me

No, not THAT kind of poo, but shampoo. As an occasional follower of the Crunchy Betty blog, I’ve been meaning to make my life more crunchy for some time. I’ve been trying to put healthier things INTO my body and now it’s time for me to start putting healthier things ON my body. If I’m going to attempt to be a healthy, balanced person that means I need to be healthy in all (or at least most) aspects of my life.

I’m also trying to reduce my ecological footprint and many of the chemicals we slather on our body are bad for the environment. If they’re bad for the environment, what makes us think they’re good for us?

After reading Betty’s post on going No Poo several months ago, I stuck it in the back of my brain as a “nice idea”. Well, it may be a nice idea, but ideas are meant to be implemented. The “breaking in” period sounds like a rough transition, but I’m hoping that because I only wash my hair once a week as it is, it won’t be as bad. That said, if my hair and scalp DO freak out it’s winter which means it’s hat weather. Also, I work from home. I don’t have to impress anybody with wonderful hair unless I want to.

Here’s a picture of me and my limp, split-end riddled hair right before my first No Poo cleaning. I’ll try to remember to post update pictures once a week for the next couple of weeks.