By Surabhi Pisal
Hello beautiful ladies! :*
Hope you all are doing good. I am super excited to write my first article ever! 😛 Summer is here and heat is increasing significantly with each passing day. Well, girls with oily skin – I am one of you too. I understand how everything is super greasy and gross! Anyway, let’s come to today’s topic. Oily skin can be tackled through a number of ways, but wait! What about oily hair?
So, girls! Hold your breath while I declare the secret of my oily hair-turned-beautiful and healthy. I don’t use shampoo!! Yes, I just don’t! I have not used shampoo or combed my hair since last 3 years. And, mark my words – my hair never felt so smooth or looked and felt so healthy. I usually tie a bun so as to make my straight hair little wavy.
Let’s start by analysing and understanding the chemicals used in shampoos:
• Carcinogenic Chemicals
Shampoos contain a lot of chemicals which are carcinogenic (trust me on this, I have tested it in the lab as I am a microbiology student! :P). But, that does not mean we all would suffer from cancer, thankfully. It simply means that they could catalyse the risk of cancer.
• Silicones
Commercial shampoos contain silicones that are not as harmful as the other ingredients. Silicones simply coat our hair to make it appear and feel smooth, not natural right? (Check the ingredients list on your shampoo, the ones ending with ‘one’ are silicones).
• SLS
The most dangerous ingredient in shampoos is Sodium Lauryl Sulphate or simply SLS. Yes, I said dangerous, and you would soon know why. SLS is a foaming agent used in commercial shampoos which strips the hair off its natural oils making it dry, and the scalp produces more oil to balance it.
You must have witnessed your hair getting oily or greasy after a day or two of shampooing. My hair used to get oily the very next day of shampooing. *sigh* But, goodbye to the old greasy-hair days, and hello to the all-natural-beautiful-healthy hair! Want to join my no-(sham)poo journey? Here’s a complete guide to going shampoo free, based on my personal experiences:
• The Best Time to Start
Choose the time of the year when you can avoid going outdoors, for example, vacations. The reason? Your hair is going to be at its worst the first few weeks like super oily and flaky. You could simply stay indoors, or tie a high bun or a ponytail if staying indoors is not in the option.
PS : Oily, sleek ponytail looks hawt! Wear a coral lipstick, smoky eyes and you are done!
• How to Start
Different people require different time to transition. The transition phase is nothing but the phase where your confused scalp is trying to adjust to the no-shampoo phase. Your hair might look greasy and gross. But, avoid shampooing as much as you can. Gradually, decrease the frequency of washing your hair with shampoo and you would survive the transition better.
It took me 3 months to transition. There were times I actually felt like giving up with no-poo and using shampoo, but now I feel so proud that I was brave enough to go on with my no-poo experiment.
• Comb Before Each Hair Bath
Use a wide toothed comb to scrub the scalp gently and comb starting from the roots to the tips of your hair before every hair wash. This will help to distribute and spread natural hair oil (sebum) till the ends.
• How to Show Hair Some TLC
Avoid heat treatments like straightening, curling etc. If you have coloured hair, use argan oil or grapeseed oil to keep your hair moisturized.
• If You Have Dandruff
Dandruff problem? You can massage your scalp with tea tree oil before every wash.
So, you must be wondering that if you are not allowed to wash your hair with chemical laden hair products, what’s gonna work. Right? Well, these are some of the alternatives that you can use:
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• White Vinegar
• Lemon Juice
• Baking Soda
While baking soda can be used to wash the hair, the other three products can prove to be really good conditioners. Baking soda will not foam, of course. But then, foaming has got nothing to do with cleansing. So, do not worry about it!
What to Use:
• For Oily Hair
Cleanser : 2 teaspoons of baking soda diluted in 3 cups water
Conditioner : 20% ACV or white vinegar or one lemon’s juice in 2 cups water
• For Dry/Normal Hair
Cleanser : 1 teaspoon of baking soda diluted in 3 cups water
Conditioner : 30% ACV or white vinegar or 1 ½ lemon in 2 cups water
Few More Tips for Hair Washing:
• Massage hair with baking soda solution till hair feels slippery. This could take four to five minutes.
• Make sure you wash out the baking soda properly before rinsing your hair with vinegar or lemon solution! You don’t want to have a volcanic eruption on your head, of course! Remember our school experiments?
• Baking soda disrupts the pH level of the scalp and vinegar or lemon juice helps restore it. Make sure you massage your scalp properly with lemon/vinegar. Keep it on for around five minutes and then wash it properly with water.
And, if you still don’t trust me on how well this method works, take a look at my hair. They look and are healthier and shinier than ever!
So, are you brave enough now to ditch shampoos? Hope it works as well for you as it worked for me. Hope to catch you all soon in my next article. Let me know if you would try it or not and should you have any doubts or question, I would love to answer them. 🙂
Till then, go be beautiful :* :* :*
DIY Homemade Natural Shampoo for Hair
How To Make Hair Grow Faster
How to Make Dry Shampoo at Home
8 Beauty Tips & Tricks Every Woman Needs to Know
My Personal Experience with Keratin Treatment
TCA (Trichloroacetic Acid) Peel Treatment and My Personal Experience
Oil Cleansing Method: DIY
Water-Only Cleansing Method: Yay or Nay?
Image Source: 1, 2
I have been contemplating about this for a long time now. Think it’s about time! Welcome to IMBB Surabhi, you’ve explained everything perfectly. 🙂
yes shikha, u should definitely give no-poo a try 🙂 good luck !
Such an inspiring post.. i used to have curly hair but got them straightened last year and now realising it was my biggest mistake.. can we use shikakai instead of baking soda ?
yes you can 🙂
Welcome to IMBB Surabhi – I love your hair!!
Surabhi, can you tell me colors you have used in your hair?
thnx a lot jomol 🙂 i had done golden and red global highlights 2 years ago.. they still look fresh 😀
I really loved your method of washing your hair…however i m confused as to how baking soda will cleanse my hair if I have oiled them…and also how many hair do you lose after this method of washing….I’m sure baking soda is not harmful for my thin hair.
hello sally, you cannot oil your hair ! but u can use light essential oils as leave on, i have mentioned in my article about argan oil and grapeseed oil
This sounds great as I have got extremely oily and greasy hair.
But do we need to stop using shampoo from the day we start following this regime, or can we use it once in a while until we completely give up on shampoos?
hello bhaswati, when you start using baking soda or any other alternative, do not use shampoo.. because your hair tries to adjust to no-shampooing, so do not confuse it more 🙂
It’s all clear now, thanks a ton, Surabhi. 🙂
you’re welcome sweet 🙂
Co wash didnt work , So I`m gonna try this. 😛 Will save me serious cash if it works. You have really pretty waves ^_^
co wash did not work for me either 🙁 so i dropped the plan ! :p thanks for the comment though :*
compliment*
I am in love with your hair.. :*
awwww *blush* thank you
i have a doubt, how come some of you have display pictures ?
Hi… Go to gravatar.com and create a profile :))
done 😀
She is my friend!! I can proudly say that!!
shelja :* :*
Hi Surabhi thanks for this article… I have been contemplating since a long time now… started also once but gave up after a month… my hair looked so yuck! 🙁 I think i would try it again ! You have really beautiful hair !! :))
hello vidhi, sure u should give it another shot.. might work for you this time having known i have given above few tips ! :p hope it works for you like it worked for me.. n thanks for the compliment :*
Wow your hair looks fabulous! Have you noticed less hairfall after using this method(if you had any)? I have thin hair that falls flat so I shampoo every other day to give it some volume but it’s ruining my hair and I continue to lose hair in clumps :/
hello leez, thanx for the compliment 🙂 i had very mild hairfall problem, but after switching to no-poo i hardly see any hairfall.. i dont comb my hair as i love the natural hair look, maybe that helped too.
Hey cn i use aamla areetha shikakai as an alternative to wash instead of baking soda??? Then follow the rest of the things as it is..
yes deepa…. i too use that in between washes. i will soon post an article on other diy hair shampoo recipes
my hair seriously falls big time, and not growing too,, its gone really thin after having me kids,, pls give me some tips,,
try this method, you will see a difference in ur hairfall and volume 🙂
Hi, I oil my hair everytime before I shampoo it.. Will this work on then? I mean to wash off the oil as well.. If so, then how many times a week do we have to follow tis?
you cannot use oil unfortunately ! but i guess you wont need oil if you switch to no-shampoo
What can be done if the hair becomes very greasy.. And at that time if going outdoors can’t be avoided??
Hi surabhi I waneed to ask if I can use hair oil between hair wash will it work. or should I just use this method and not use hair oil at all.
just use this method, do not use oil 🙂
hi.. If i oil my hair.. Will this method remove oil from my hair?
you cannot oil your hair !
Hey does it help with hairfall ? I’d really like my hair to smell amazing. And thats why im skeptical
yes it reduces hairfall, as per my experience. if you dont use shampoo, your hair would smell like, just hair ! neutral hair ! still if you wish you can apply argan oil, it has a mild sweet smell which is not too over powering.
I hav really confusing hair n scalp. I have to wash my hairs every alternate day else my hairfall increases….. I have never heard of this before… But don’t have courage to try…. It was really nice that it worked on u….. N BTW ur hairs r just WOW…m in lv wid them.currently m super happy wid my homemade reetha cleanser n ACV conditioner….
maharani, thanx for the compliment 😀 by the way, using DIY cleansers is also a part of no poo !
Wow! your hair looks lovely!! Definitely, Ill try this method, thanks Surabhi 😀
sure give it a try 🙂 thank you :))
loved ur hairs..id it to be followed everyday?
hello himami, it is to be followed ever time you wash your hair, just like you use shampoo.
hi…i m also trying no shmpoo method..bt i use reetha awla n shikakai cmbination…bt my hair becums little dry…can sb sggest sth for it…sth natural…n how does this acv helps n where we cn get…
apply little coconut oil on towel dried hair, only at the tips if you have splits or rough hair. argan oil and grapeseed oil can also be used 🙂
Hii surabhi. ..must say u have got gorgeous hair..just had a doubt..I have very dry and frizzy hair..but if I don’t wash for a certain time the scalp gets really itchy and flaky…So preferably how long should u stay without washing your hair?…and seriously no combing at all?
Does this work for curly hair too?
yes !!! it does ! you will have even more defined smooth curls !
on days when u have applied oil and want it washed off ur scalp and hair . you may use a blended concoction of aloevera gel from the plant, lemon juice from two lemons along with peel and a handful of neem leaves along with half cup water. this concoction strained and used as shampoo on wet hair followed by reetha rinse and wash helps remove oil from hair while keeping the scalp clean and no yeah no dandruff problems too.
Yieepe I am gonna try this out ! Thanx a lot sushmita :*