No ‘Poo – Six Months Later

It’s been 6 months since I quit using shampoo for good. I’ve stuck with it – I’ve only used sulfate-free all natural shampoo a small handful of times (3?), and it’s been months since the last time I used even that. When you start on this regime your hair goes through some changes. It takes a couple weeks to get past the uncomfortable transition phase. But that’s actually not the end of it. My hair has continued to change over the last 6 months.  I wouldn’t say it looks any different in general so much as it just behaves differently. So how is it doing now?

-I still have to make occasional changes to the way I wash my hair.  The way I was doing it before isn’t what has continued to work for me, and I’ve sometimes needed to figure out something else and adjust. I no longer need to leave the baking soda solution in my hair for a day or night before washing. But I have needed to change up the ratio a bit and use more baking soda to water. I also decreased the amount of ACV to water I’ve been using, and I’ve been spraying much less onto my hair after I wash it. I’m still using it as a leave-in. I think very soon that will change too.

-My hair never gets greasy, ever. It feels more like I just over-used a fancy deep conditioner. But it’s not like I can stop washing completely. At that point it gets really hard to style.

-I don’t think it looks thicker, but I definitely have to use more hot rollers than I used to.

-I still have absolutely no natural curl. No hint of a wave. Nothing. So many other people get curls, it’s just not fair.

-Because my hair is so moisturized, I’m not afraid of damage. I can afford it. I don’t care anymore about using hot rollers or blonde dye. I don’t use or need heat protectant spray.

-I don’t mind the smell of vinegar anymore.

-Hair spray may have a smell, but my hair does not. It smells like absolutely nothing.

-My face is greasier. Yeah I know, gross. I’m definitely best to carry oil blotting sheets. I can’t explain this, but I know I’m not the only one.

-Unless I’ve diluted the dye too much, my hair color does not fade. Some people have expressed concerns about this, thinking it will fade faster, but it doesn’t at all. When I dye it again it’s only because I have roots, or put too much conditioner in my dye trying to make it last longer, which is a habit I need to get out of. I’m often asked how I keep my hair so bright, even 6 weeks after a dye job. Like I mentioned in another article, baking soda does strip color. But I don’t wash often enough for that to be an issue.

-I haven’t had a hair cut since February, and it still looks great. It’s not like I don’t get split ends, but splitting and breakage is vastly reduced. My hair looks totally healthy, not like I’m overdue for a trim.

-Besides minimal jars of hair dye, I have spent zero money on routine hair care since I picked up all my supplies back in February. Back then, I bought 2 boxes of baking soda and one bottle of ACV. I’m getting towards the end of the first box of baking soda, and have only refilled my ACV-water mix once. It will be more than another 6 months before I have to buy any of this stuff again.

-Going forward one day I’d like to see if I can transition from BS and ACV to water only.

What it all comes down to is that my hair is much healthier than it was, and for better or worse it behaves that way. Overall I feel like I can be a whole lot more hands-off than I used to be. Quitting shampoo hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it, and I feel better that I’m not putting as many chemicals on my head or down the drain. I haven’t been a perfect hippy, but it’s a start.

The bus. Ridin’ dirty.