That time we stopped using shampoo

I know, I know, you’re probably already rolling your eyes. Only barefoot hippies that go live in the woods stop using shampoo! So just to clarify I didn’t stop using shampoo all together, but I did ditch the chemical concoctions and all those single-use plastic bottles they come in.

The verdict?

My hair and my kids hair has never looked and felt better! So how did I do it?

I have curly long hair. It’s not very thick, but I do have a lot of it. So keeping it tangle and frizz free was a huge priority for me. One that I was very sceptical would be achievable with “tree-hugger” products. Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise!

The first thing I did was strip my hair with a mixture of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to get rid of all the chemical residue built up over years of using synthetic shampoos and conditioners on my hair. I used an old ice cream tub and mixed up the bicarb and vinegar in the shower just as I was about to use it. It needs to be fizzing still while you dip your hair in it. Then pour it over the top of your head and comb through. Then rinse with water only. I did this for about a month until my hair had completely adjusted to life as “no-poo” hair. Yes, that is the actual term for ditching conventional hair care products.

It took a while to adjust, especially as I was so used to my hair being overly silky to the point of flyaway from all the slippery artificial coatings year on year from mainstream conditioners and shampoos full of nasty chemicals. Thankfully I had a tangle teazer hair brush which came in handy, and if I combed my hair with it straight out the shower and tied it up periodically while it dried, it was a lot more manageable.

I’d never been a big hair dryer user. Partly because of my tom boy ways as a kid, I had no time to sit around and blow dry my hair and also that I found regular blow drying damaged my hair. So I was used to air drying my hair naturally. Top tip: Open the window while you drive down the road and tilt your head to one side. Instant salon-quality blow dry with none of the heat and electricity. Just keep your eyes on the road folks, especially when the wind changes direction and you suddenly resemble Cousin Itt.

Now that my hair was completely au natruale I brought back some shampoo and conditioner, but this time it was an all natural, organic (NOT Organics! Biggest marketing con of the century!) product and my hair thrived. When I moved to Australia I discovered shampoo and conditioner bars! These were a complete game changer! No more plastic bottles cluttering up my shower caddy and they last ages if you keep them in a sealed soap dish. I was also finding that since converting to “No poo” I needed to wash my hair less frequently, which totally justified the slight increase in price associated with all-natural products that aren’t filled with cheap and nasty junk. In fact, I use so much less these days that it’s even cheaper than the old conventional stuff I used to use AND no more plastic bottles!

I’m a total convert! So if you’ve been considering changing your hair care routine I can highly recommend you read up more about the “No Poo” method and the “Curly girl” method for those of you with curly or thick hair.

Happy showering, your hair will thank me!