No Poo.

Alright.  I've been thinking about it for awhile now.

You know, that trend.


The trend that's been hitting homesteading blogs like thunderstorms have been hitting Alabama.

I'm talking about the 'No Poo' trend people.  And no, that isn't a trend to cease going.... never mind...

Rather, it's a trend that says 'No!' to commercialized hair products like shampoo and conditioner.

I've been thinking about it for a few reasons:
1.  I've been trying to go longer between washing my hair.  I don't have super thin hair, but my strands are very fine and limp.  Plus, it's dirty blond.  When it's oily and greasy, it is repulsive.  But what I've found is that after the initial greasy period, my hair will stay much cleaner and less greasy between shampoo sessions if I do it less.  Which makes sense, when you think about the fact that shampoo strips the hair of it's oil (because eww, who wants oily hair?!).  To compensate, our scalp produces more oil.

It's a vicious cycle, my friends.

2.  Like I mentioned last week, we've widdled our grocery/cosmetic/cleaners/extra budget down even further than before.  That being said, if there's something more expensive that I can not easily not purchase (ie: shampoo and conditioner) that I can easily replace with cheaper ingredients from the pantry, I'm all for it.

I could also easily jump on the anti-chemical/nasty ingredient/green band wagon of this whole movement, but frankly, it's more of a cost thing for me at the moment.  Because my bottles are almost empty.  And I don't want to spend $15 to replace them.

Phew.  Glad I got that off my chest.

Then, I figured if I'm going to take on the 'No Poo!' challenge, I'd love to do it with a captive audience.  Ahem.  That's you.  You're welcome.

So, here's the game plan.  Beginning today, I will only be using a baking soda/water paste to 'wash' my hair.  I will then be using a vinegar/water mixture to 'condition' and detangle my hair.  That's it, and that's all.

I may add a few drops of lavender, tea tree, or eucalyptus essential oil to the mixture if I'm feeling fancy.  Which normally I'm not, but ya never know.

I'm excited about this!  I love the idea of eliminating chemicals, waste, and costs out of our lives.  Our shower is already pretty empty of beauty bottles, as the only other product we use in the shower is castile soap (this is Georgia's shampoo, too) and this just really helps to keep us where we'd like to head.  

Plus, I'm re-reading the Little House series, and I'll be danged if Ma didn't use any Bumble & Bumble.  

I've decided that for a month or so, I'll give weekly updates to the 'No Poo' challenge.  Hold me accountable.  I tend to blog about what's on my mind and omit any form of structure.  I'm expecting for my hair to be kinda oily the first week as my scalp adjusts to the new routine, but I'm hoping that by the end of the month, it will have regulated itself a little better.

Do you No Poo?  How do you like it?