On to other matters.
Ok, here's the deal - I have really nice hair. It's the truth.
My whole adult life I've been complimented regularly on my hair: the color, the cut, the style. I put a lot of time and effort into my locks, and it shows. But wanna know a dark secret? My hair, although often awe-inspiring, is awful when left to its own devices. On its off days, my hair is sad, limp, and fried.
If my hair isn't blow-dried, straightened, and kept up, it's a big'ol mess.
Raise your hand if you've seen my hair in its natural state.. I suspect only a few of you. When I was younger, I would actually bring a blow-dryer to pool parties. Yes, I'm telling you the truth. I have colored, treated, and exposed my hair to so much heat that it no longer has a will of its own. What used to be beautiful, moldable hair, is now dry, finicky, and high-maintenance. It also requires washing EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Want to know why? Because day in and day out I've stripped my hair of its natural oils, and then beat it over the head [pun intended] with a hot tool of some kind.
My hair knows how to do one thing: Be straight. Well, mostly.
I've lost the natural curl pattern that you see on bouncy, vibrant toddlers - Those natural waves and curls we'd all sell a limb for. Curling irons don't even curl my hair anymore. I literally have to burn my hair while wrapping it around a STRAIGHTening iron to get the curls to stay. What does this say about my hair?
It shouts at the top of its lungs, "My hair is unhealthy!!"
And not to mention smelling like burnt hair is entirely unbecoming.
I've known this for far too long. I can make my hair look like a million bucks because I take the time and enjoy the outcome. But if you were to catch me on the street without having done my hair [which just wouldn't happen], you'd be like, "Christina? Is that you?" Seriously. The whole thing has taken on a mind of its own, and now I'm enslaved to having to do my hair one particular way, EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
Deliberate repetition for added emphasis. :)
I never really knew what else to do other than get stuck in the awful vortex that is using conventional shampoos and conditioners, blow-drying, and straightening.. Until I came across the "No Poo" movement online. Ok, I don't like to call it that for obvious reasons, so let's just say the Baking Soda/Apple Cider Vinegar movement. [BS/ACV for short]
The concept behind this movement is to rid oneself of exposure to harsh toxins, like Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Phthalates, Formaldehyde - All of which are unnecessary, and shown to cause cancer, hormone disruption, damage to the nervous system, and increased estrogen [which can and does lead to cysts]. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate [SLS] is a KNOWN carcinogen, and is in most conventional baby shampoos. Johnson and Johnson has actually put a plan into effect for 2015 to no longer allow SLS in their baby products because of its nasty [mostly internal] side effects. Props to them.. But hello?! If you know it's harming children, why wait until 2015?
Anyway, that's besides the point.. I think.
In addition to being healthier, baking soda and apple cider vinegar is supposed to be not just not bad for your hair, but actually really good for your hair. Both baking soda and apple cider vinegar are things that you can ingest on a daily basis. Baking soda is used for baking, but is also amazing for cleaning. Apple cider vinegar has so many benefits, especially when ingested, that it's almost unbelievable. The baking soda is used to clean the hair [shampoo], and the apple cider vinegar is used to soften the hair [conditioner]. Apparently vinegar has the exact pH that our body needs, that it does something wonderful to our hair when used as a conditioner. I don't understand the science behind it [chemistry was a veritable nightmare for me], but the research is easily attainable.
These are the logistics of it:
Baking soda diluted in water [2 T. in 2 cups water] applied to the scalp instead of shampoo, apple cider vinegar applied to your ends [and wherever else necessary] for conditioning. Apply the baking soda in water [I use a squeeze bottle], let sit, rinse, spray the apple cider vinegar [I use a spray bottle] to whatever needs conditioning, let sit, rinse. The end. Move on with your life.
I've been doing this for a week and a half now, and this is what I've experienced:
Day 1 - Am I doing this right? This apple cider vinegar reeks. It smells like I'm dyeing an Easter egg in here. Ok, I guess I'm done now - Will I even be able to get a comb through my hair?
Will my hair smell like vinegar all day long?............
Yes, I was able to get a comb through my hair. And no, my hair did not smell like vinegar all day long. If you work much with vinegar [I clean my whole house with it], the smells virtually disappears upon drying. As soon as I blow-dryed my hair, it no longer smelled like dyed Easter eggs. Phew.
It just smelled... clean.
The first thing I noticed as soon as my hair was dry was that it wasn't nearly as frizzy as I'm used to. Can you believe that I didn't need a flat-iron that day? I can honestly say that in 11 days, I've only used the flat-iron twice. TWICE! I've enjoyed curling my hair, but it hasn't been out of necessity.
My fly-aways have gone down by 60%, my hair feels stronger, and it stays put when I tell it to do something. I used to have to put product in my hair and roughly 300 bobbypins just to keep a face-framed braid where I put it. Not no more. Yesterday I [proudly] used one bobbypin for a braid, and it lasted over an hour. Woah. For someone who thought she was doomed with defiant hair, I'm getting excited about the possibilities.
Did you know that it wasn't even until the 1930's that shampoo and conditioner [as we know it] were invented? Want to know how flappers kept those awesome hairdos? And what about Lady Mary's hair on Downton Abbey? [Sorry, I'm a Downton die-hard] The reason women could do tremendous things with their hair was because it was healthy. Curly hair existed before the year 1930, but I don't suspect our curly-haired ancestors on the prairie worried about frizz.
The cycle has become this: Wash your hair with chemicals. Your hair gets sad and defiant. Put more chemicals into it to make it do what you want. Rinse it out, add more chemicals. The maniacal cycle continues.
And that's not even adding all the heat of blowdryers, etc.! Am I saying "Down with hot tools!"? Heck no. I'll be the first to grab my CHI flatiron when the fire alarm in our house goes off.. But what I'm saying is, let's change the pattern. Let's use healthy, natural products in our hair that allow it to do what it wants to do. The BS/ACV movement is known to help curls become less frizzy, straight become less limp, and wavy become more natural.
It's supposed to be the great equalizer.
My hair is certainly stronger. My "hair fall" in the shower went down by 75%, meaning I'm keeping a lot more hair in my head than I used to, and it curls when I tell it to. I'm also not reliant upon the straightener like I used to be, and I feel good knowing I'm not rubbing cancer-causing chemicals right into my BRAIN. Sorry, I felt compelled to type brain in all caps.
I have noticed a waxier feel to my hair, which probably just means that that's how it will be in the absence of chemical-altering shampoos and conditioners. Or maybe that'll change - I'm not sure if I'm still in the probationary stage of my hair adjusting.
I started this BS/ACV journey for two reasons:
1) I've got this benign tumorous cyst I'd like to get rid of [and prevent more of in the future], and 2) I'm doing it in hopes that my hair will one day be so healthy that I can just let it be. Like just shower, and go. I've never, ever, ever done that.
So far I'm seeing success, and I'll continue to do it unless I feel that something else will be a better option. I've been using BS/ACV about 4x a week, but my hope is to get it down to only 2 or 3 times a week. I'd also like to avoid the "grease-bomb stage" that people come up against when they decide to only use BS/ACV once or twice a month, right off the bat. I think it's a slow progression, and that's ok with me.. As long as I'm heading in the right direction.
So, have you tried the "No Poo" technique?
What are your thoughts?
To health, happiness, and good stewardship!