Now, I should give a little bit of a background to my skin
and hair. Starting in junior high I had been washing my hair religiously every
morning and lathering my face up with any type of acne foaming cleanser –
especially those with salicylic acid. Not surprisingly I suffered from
extremely oily and acne-prone skin. And hair that looked like I had dumped a
bucket of grease on it by the time 11:00 am rolled around. My hair is very
blonde, and fine, but of normal thickness. These daily hair washings were not
only causing excessive greasiness but they also caused a lot of friziness and
split ends.
The Oil Cleansing
Method (OCM)
Fast forward 10 years to my 25 year old self watching that fated Mad
Men episode (damn they really are good at advertising Ponds!), and my research
made me wonder if I was doing things the right way. My skin had just started to
act up in a whole new way………by 10:30 every morning my eyes were red, watery,
and painful, and my skin was itchy and red on my cheeks and forhead. I was sick
of people asking me if I had allergies or if I had been crying, and I was
grasping at anything that might help.
So, one day I walked into the drugstore and saw Pond’s on the shelf and I went for it. It made a massive
difference, and I used it for about 8 months. I then started to become
concerned about the ingredients. Enter the next stage of crunchiness, making my own cold cream. I used that and absolutely loved it. My skin was
suddenly no longer shiny and slick by 10:00am…it was a miracle! My skin was now
staying normal and not getting any type of shine until around 4:00 pm. And this
was no longer an oil slick, but that desired "glowiness". My random acne,
sometimes including cystic acne….was clearing up and my redness was lessening. I
had the best skin I'd had since I was a child. I was ecstatic, but also felt a
little duped by the cosmetic industry for leading me down the garden path for
so many years. If you are interested in the science behind the OCM……..here, here and here are the links that I found the most helpful. This skincare discovery led
me to do even more research…….which lead me to………..
No Poo = No Shampoo
This is as easy as it sounds, it means that I have stopped
using commercial shampoos and conditioners to cleanse my hair since November 1, 2013. My reasons for
this were partially because I was sick of having to wash my hair once,
sometimes even twice a day. I had recently had it chemically treated (slapping
my own fingers now) causing it to become dry and straw-like, and it was falling out a
lot due to some extreme stress in my personal life. I had switched to some
natural shampoos, but the very last straw was when my hairdresser asked me if I
always have this much hair fall out at my last hair cut.
So, I did what I always do when
I'm in doubt, I researched it. I stumbled across No Poo here here,
and went on to read a plethora of blogs all touting dramatic changes this method imparted on their hair. I was sold. I started the next day. With my baking soda
(BS) and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in hand, I strode into the shower full of
confidence and hope.
I was well aware of the transition period and how horrible
it might have to be for a month or two before I reached my personal hair
nirvana. So, I wasn’t surprised when my hair dried all gross and oily after my
first wash. I also didn’t question anything until 3 weeks in and the oiliness
had turned to a waxiness and my hair was clumping together. I learned
about how the mineral sediments in hard water can coat the hair follicle and
prevent the BS from doing its cleansing magic and instead dump a bunch of the
BS sediment onto your hair. So I started boiling the water I was using to wash
my hair……still wasn’t working as good as it should.
I found a handy group on Facebook and with their
advice and this site, things changed. I am now using either Rhassoul Clay, Sopnuts, or
Eggs to wash my hair and I am so so so so happy I stuck through it during both
the Transition phase and the hard water debacle.
Remember, that girl in junior high who used
to wash her hair every day….well I'm laughing in pity at her. I now only wash my
hair once a week. I decided to take picture for you guys this week to prove how
not greasy my hair looks during the 7 days between my washes...... here they are!
This was late at night after I had washed my hair with my soapnut shampoo and herbal rinse (recipe to come later), and had let it air dry. As you can see there is still some frizziness, and some split ends....but much improved from 3 months ago.
I curled it in the morning for a coffee date with friends. (Working on finding a no-heat method) I hair-sprayed it with my homemade hairspray (recipe here).
This day I just woke up and went to school with messy 2nd day curls (I forgot to take a face shot), and I brushed it with my BBB before bed and used Macadamia Nut Oil on the ends, then slept with it in a loose bun on top of my head.
I woke up, took my bun out and pinned my bangs back as they were laying funny, but didn't do anything else again, didn't even brush my hair........looking pretty fresh still! Brushed it with a BBB at night again.
I probably could have left it down another day, but was feeling iffy about it, so threw half of it up instead and used some homemade dry shampoo where the part is. I brushed it with a BBB before bed and put Macadamia oil it in again.
It was starting to look a smidgen greasy at the roots and nape of the neck, so I put it back into a low side chignon. I put a small amount of dry shampoo on the crown of my head, and added a hairband to jazz it up.
I was feeling more vintage-y today so I decided to go with a messy bun with a head scarf. It is looking a bit greasy at this point, but nothing compared to what my second-day hair used to look like. I didn't use any dry shampoo today.
Tomorrow is Wash Day!
Pretty good for 7 days in between washes, I think! Here are my other few details on how I handle a week without washing my hair.
1.) I dont brush my hair with a BBB until the 3rd day, when my hair is only slightly less fresh feeling.
2.) I always brush with the BBB at night because of how flat and static-y it makes my hair look. But then I sleep on it, and voila, the next morning it looks tenfolds better.
3.) I leave my hair down for the first four days. The 5th day I always either do a half-up or braided
up- do. And then wear it in some version of a pony-tail or a bun for day 6 or 7.
4.) My friend taught me the tip that the greasier your hair is the less parts you should have in it. So, I
make sure not to do my french braids on day 6 or 7 as I find that they showcase the grease more than a ponytail or bun would
5.) I wash my BBB once a week, but I would suggest washing it more often if you are still in the
transition phase
6.) I try and use dry shampoo very sparingly, the less you use dry shampoo the more the natural scalp
oils will work their magic and your scalp will adjust to producing less grease
7.) My ends are still quite dry from the chemical treatment, and I find Macadamia Oil to be the best for my hair. I find it sinks in quickly and doesn't leave an oily coating around the follicles like I found coconut oil to do. For my fine hair, it seems to be the best, although I know a lot of people have great results with coconut oil.
So that is my story with my initial foray into Crunchy-ville. I am loving the results, and I cant wait to see how much better my hair, skin, and overall health will get!
What are your guys' thoughts on the OCM and the No Poo Method? Have you guys tried either of them? What have your results been?
Erika xo
