No Poo!

I've always been a self-proclaimed quasi-hippie. Yes, I love peace and rock and roll; but to a greater extent, I think it's very important to eat naturally and eliminate as many chemicals from our environment as possible. What is "sodium stearoly lactylate"? I have no idea, but it doesn't sound nearly as delicious as "herb encrusted salmon with a side of grilled asparagus" to me.

Speaking of salmon, the fatty omega-3 oils naturally found in fish are an incredible cure dry skin and hair and brittle nails. Recently, I noticed that my skin and hair had become dryer than it ever has been. No amount of moisturizers, hair and nail products, or conditioner did ANYTHING to remedy this. I did research and talked to my doctor and he gave me flax seed oil capsules and after two weeks my skin changed drastically. I don't need to moisturize any more, I don't get pimples, and my nails don't break after one little bang! In addition, the keratosis pilaris or "chicken skin" completely disappeared!The only problem was that my hair was still incredibly dry. I tried eggs, olive oil, expensive deep conditioners, leaving on regular conditioner for 20 minutes, and NOTHING was working.

Yesterday, I was at a friend's house and being the girly girls that we are, the topics of beauty, hair, and makeup naturally came up. One of the girls mentioned that she had been going "no poo" for weeks now. "No poo"?

I had researched "no poo" before but was always too afraid to try it. I do try to go a few days per week only using conditioner, but this had really weighed my hair down and I saw no improvements in my hair. Soon, two of the other girls there chimed in and admitted to their "crime". Just looking at their beautiful, long, wavy hair convinced me in a heartbeat.

So what exactly is "no poo" and why should I try it?

These days, shampoo is made with a lot of harsh chemicals. Our shampoos contain the same ingredients as dish washing and clothing detergent! Don't believe me? Compare the labels! These sulfates and silicones strip our hair of the natural oils thus triggering the body to create even MORE oil to compensate. This is why our hair gets so greasy after only one or two days without washing it. Removing these chemicals from your daily routine helps to restore the natural levels of oil production leaving your hair moisturized, shiny, and absolutely gorgeous.

Today is day one. I just used a simple solution of baking soda and water to cleanse and apple cider vinegar mixed with rosemary oil, vanilla, and cinnamon to conditon. Although my hair doesn't feel so great, (it was very stiff and straw-like in the shower) my waves are more defined and beautiful and the frizz is much less! I will continue to update

It's time for me to be true to myself and embrace the natural texture of my hair. I don't have straight hair, nor will I ever. I promise to no longer treat my textured hair as straight. I won't use products with alcohol, sulfates, or silicone which dry it out. Let's hear it for curly haired girls!

Are any of you ladies going no poo? Would you consider it? Post below any questions, comments, or tips.

For more information on how to embrace and care for curly hair go to www.naturallycurly.com