hey crunchies! today taylor is here to share her no-poo story to help others gather up more motivation to either take the plunge or stick to it!
she’s incredible and incredibly open! 😀
be sure to leave her some love and check out her blog!
—————————
Hey y’all! I’m Taylor, a small town girl born and bred in Oklahoma! I don’t know about you, but I loved gettin down and dirty in the mud (mostly by playing sports) and to compensate, used a TON of “science” to keep myself clean. I had never really thought much about what I was putting into my body(I’m a horrible eater, but I’m trying to fix that) much less what I was putting ON it! Did you know that it takes an average of 27 seconds for a ____________ (fill in the blank here) to enter your bloodstream once it has hit your skin? That’s not even what enters your body through your mouth!
A few quick facts:
- I’m a 20 year old with normal skin.
- My cheeks are way too rosy for my liking, but since following Alex’s blog it’s gotten A LOT better!
- I currently do the BS/ACV rinse for my hair and looooove it!
- I live in Boise, ID and the hard water is BAAAAAD. (NO CASTILE SOAP!)
- My eating habits are awful so I’m working from the outside-in
- If it’s on Alex’s blog, I have or will try it! (No exaggeration, and she didn’t pay me to say that! 😉 )
SO. How did I find out about no ‘poo and how awful factory–made, chemical-laden shampoo and conditioners are? Through Almost Exactly and its amazing author, Alex Raye, of course! The real journey didn’t start out that way though… In June 2013, I made the courageous decision to get a Pixie cut. My hair was long enough to donate to Locks of Love at that point (unfortunately, I couldn’t donate it because it had been un-virginized [is that a thing, un-virginized? Haha!] by the hair salon); however, I had taken the plunge into Emma Watson world and LOVED it! The dead and damaged hair of before was gone and my thirsty hair could start over fresh!
Fast forward a few months… I was sick of the Pixie. I loved it in the summer, but how I missed long flowing locks of hazelnut colored hair. (When I cut my hair, I was living in the mountains of Virginia and it was HOT.) And now I live in Idaho and it’s winter. And FREEZING. Did I say freezing?
Disclaimer: I am HORRIBLE at writing concise anything, so I apologize!
I found Alex’s “Grow it Long, Grow it Strong” post on Pinterest and had to click on it (Have you seen her hair? It’s GORGEOUS!). Thus begins my journey into no ‘poo… My roommate decided to try it with me but ditched a few weeks in. We have really bad hard water here in Boise and I forgot that castile soap and hard water don’t mix. Since I forgot about it, I didn’t tell her, aaaaanddddd yeah. Not pretty!
HOWEVER! I chose to stick with the BS/ACV route and didn’t have a problem! I started October 19, 2013 and my hair has never felt better! Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a journal as suggested but it’s really easy to figure out what your hair needs. Like waaaay easy! My dad (who is a doctor) loves to tell me, “Your body is the best doctor you will ever have. LISTEN TO IT!” So I applied that to my hair. J
A few tips…
- If you use a coconut oil hair mask and you are on the BS/ACV route: You HAVE to use a low poo! I didn’t even try to take it out with BS/ACV, but here is what I DID do.
- I used the Shea Moisture shampoo. For me personally(I have slightly fine hair. Not fine, but not quite as thick as most people’s), I should have diluted it. It took entirely too long for my hair to even itself out after using the Shea Moisture shampoo and it was irritating.
- BE PATIENT. Pleasepleaseplease be patient and don’t give up! It is so so so worth it!
- Find unique ways to style your hair during the transition period. My solution with my growing out pixie was bobby pinning the ends up. The front just suffered and shone in all of its grease ball glory. Luckily, I don’t work a normal job and don’t have a dress code. Well, I have to be modest, but otherwise I can wear sweats to work. J
- People will probably judge you, but that’s okay. They can be jealous of your gorgeous hair that you only have to wash once a week!
Here is what else I have added to my arsenal of crunchiness:
- Homemade lotion – I need to perfect it, it’s a little too greasy for me! It works wonderfully though – once the coconut oil soaks in.
- Dry shampoo – Found here on AE! I use it on the 5th or 6th day and I can go a couple more days without washing it! And my bathroom smells like chocolate when I rinse it out! Yummy!
- Dr. Bronner’s lip balm – I use the peppermint. I am OBSESSED with peppermint EO! If you don’t want to purchase it online(DB’s has a $20 minimum) you can find it at Natural Grocer’s if you have one in your area!
- All – natural household cleaners – found on FrugalFaye.com! It’s AWESOME!
- Eating more fruits and veggies. Down South we LOVE ribs and pretty much any red meat so I’m working on reducing my intake of it.
- I bought stuff for homemade deodorant but haven’t made it yet.
- Water-only-washing – I know, I know, it’s sounds disgusting, but people have actually told me that I smell really good since doing it(I just don’t tell them. It’s my dirty little secret – pun oh so definitely intended. 😉 )
- I’ve also decided to try Cowgirl Dirt makeup – I think it’s extremely appropriate for this Okie girl! They also sell samples which is a MAJOR bonus for a budget conscious gal like me!
- Ladies… This may be weird/awkward for some… BUT. Our feminine hygiene products are also laden with chemicals! Not to mention the risk of TSS (that’s another topic entirely) so that’s another area of my life that has changed and I will never go back to store bought pads and tampons again!
- Totally not a crunchy thing, but I’m also on a Spending Fast where I only buy things that are absolutely necessary so I can get out of debt! It’s only student loans, but the faster I get it paid off the better! 🙂 This month (since it’s almost Christmas) kinda turned into a Spending Diet so I could buy Christmas presents.
I’m not grossed out by much so trying all of this “hippie” stuff didn’t bother me AT ALL. I wasn’t really even concerned about the water only washing. Our bodies are made to cleanse themselves without a ton of chemicals!
This is me with no makeup on and (almost) all natural hair! I put the red in it about 2 weeks before I found Almost Exactly!
I also have a blog! It’s mostly about my day-to-day life at work, but please feel free to stop by! I need to post more often though. 🙂
tayloralexandrahale.wordpress.com
I know that was insanely long, but thank you guys for reading! 🙂
——————————
THANKS, taylor!! your hair is just as fantastic as you are 😉 lol
almostexactlyblog.wordpress.com 
Thanks for sharing your story! How much you dilute your Shea Moisture? I use it to wash the coconut oil masks out of my hair but then 2 days later, my hair is greasy again. I diluted it a little bit, obviously I need to dilute it more. I am just curious what ration of shampoo to water you used. Also do you use the Shea Moisture Conditioner as well after you shampoo? Us fine haired girls need to stick together! Thanks!
Hey Erin! Sorry girl, I’m just now seeing this! I don’t dilute it as much now since my hair has gotten a little bit longer, but I’ll usually squeeze a dime sized dollop in my hands, rub them together, and then just run some water over it and rub my hands together. Then I’ll wash my hair like I would with normal shampoo. And that’s about it! I don’t use the conditioner… Shea Moisture is actually meant for negro hair. Since that ethnicity’s hair is typically quite dry, it’s going to be(most of the time) too moisturizing for Caucasian hair(like mine). I hope that answers your question(even though it’s two months late! 🙂
Does the Shea Moisture lather? And how many times did you wash your hair with it to get out the co? I use the Moroccan Method low ‘poo and it doesn’t lather nor get out the co. Otherwise I like it
Yes, it does! It took about three time before it was back to normal! But the third time I figured out to dilute it!
Thank you for your post! I tried the bs/acv method in october. I clarified about 1 week in because I forgot to start with it. I thought I had gotten through the transition period about 4 weeks into it, but then I decided to try out a homemade coconut milk shampoo then egg washes. After another 4 weeks I got so tired of feeling gross that I switched to low poo (shea moisture) and my hair still doesn’t look/feel right.
I was thinking of clarifying and starting over, but I’ve been reading a lot about ph balance. I know that is what the acv is for, but won’t the constant rising and falling of ph do damage to our hair?
Also, what is you honey shampoo? Just honey?
Hey Jessica! I’ve used the Shea Moisture shampoo after a CO mask, and realized it was waaaay too heavy on my hair, so I diluted it and it was fine. You could always try that!
As far as the pH balances go, I’m not really sure! I’ve taken chemistry classes, but it’s been awhile. I can’t honestly answer your question! I’m sorry! 😦
The honey shampoo is 1tbs raw, unfiltered honey, to 3tbs FILTERED water. If it’s not, it won’t work right. You can also adjust it if you need to!
Also, everyone’s hair is different. I just got lucky and everything I’ve tried has worked for the most part. You just have to find what works for you! Good luck! ❤
-t
Thank you for writing for us that are still trying to figure this out. Seems like I’ve tried everything on the AE site but the hard water where I live is making this seemingly, impossible.
1) Just can’t get my hair clean, even with low poo. I still have a waxy buildup.The same thing never works twice.
2) I can’t find a “conditioner” that dosen’t leave my hair greasy. I’ve tried different ratios of ACV, lemon juice, honey, aloe, coconut oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond, argon and olive oils. Eggs and yogurt (which I used for moisture when the no-poo baking soda/castile soap/hard water issue was at its worst, but my hair still felt dry)
Judging by all the different ideas out there, others must have tried many things too. So if this sounds familiar and you found something I haven’t tried yet, any help would be much appreciated! Thanks and good luck everyone.
I’m sorry to hear that! I just got lucky and everything has worked so far! I just tried a honey shampoo(homemade) yesterday and really liked it! 🙂
1. Did you clarify first? Everytime I see the word “waxy” or “buildup” I ask them! I’ve yet to have someone say that they did. You could be the exception though! 🙂
2. Hmmm… I actually haven’t conditioned in awhile. I just deep condition about every two weeks. However, I have virgin hair(except for the red streak) though and I know that makes a huge difference! I hope this helps and good luck on your journey! 🙂
-t
Thank you for your response. I decided to start from scratch from your comment. I clarified with a cheap shampoo and then deep conditioned with honey and aloe. My hair looked the best it has in a while. The ends were still tangly and I can’t run my fingers through my hair. I’m thinking I’ll try a coconut oil mask to see if that helps. I’m not quite sure how to get it out though because of the troublesome HARD water here. Any chance you have any other tips to avoid soap scum hair? Thanks bunches!
yay, another idahoan! our water here is unbelievably hard. bs/acv didn’t work for me so i use castile soap and double rinse with vinegar and that has made my hair oh so lovely! so if any of you other hard water friends didn’t like baking soda, give castile a try (just make sure you have LOTS of vinegar) !
That’s awesome that you found something that works for you! I actually just moved back to Oklahoma and my hair acted up for a bit, but it finally settled down! 🙂 And as of yesterday(I typed this post up a couple of weeks ago), I switched to making a honey shampoo! I liked the BS/ACV route, but just decided to switch it up! 🙂
-t
Wow your hair looks GREAT> I tried BS/ACV for about 8 weeks but my hair was just awful. It would be great for a week and then go waxy and dusty and just oh so gross. I gave up. I thought it was the hard water in London (UK) but you say this has worked on your hard water… I wonder what I did wrong?? I was really hoping for a hair transformation
Awww! Thanks so much! ❤ I love my hair now, but man was the transition nasty! The first thing I usually ask people is if they clarified first. Alex definitely stressed that point, so I made sure to do it! Also, you may have to change your BS to water ratio. If you have colored or damaged hair, that could affect it too. I had just cut mine so I had pure virgin hair with the exception of the the red in front! 🙂 I hope this helps!
-t
Clarify? Can you clarify please ?? Heh heh 😉