Shampoo, Lo Poo or No Poo

Like many women, my hair has changed drastically since having a baby.

It used to be thick with a barely-there wave, and generally on the drier end.  Very rarely did I have to wash my hair because it was so greasy. 

Then Bear came along. 

I tried to find my beloved Pantene Smooth and Sleek shampoo only to find out that they reformulated it.  I trudged ahead with both the Pantene Frizzy to Smooth  shampoo and conditioner.

It just didn’t work the same.  My hair felt greasy and weighed down.  It was just stringier not smoother and definitely not sleeker.  I unfairly assumed that this was because of the reformulation.

I doubt it.  More likely my new changed hair is the culprit.  My hair is now wavy.  In fact I cut off 17 inches to donate to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program and it was so curly/wavy that I was sad to see it go.  My short hair doesn’t curl or wave until it’s long enough.  Unfortunately, that means I’m at the point of my hair just starting to curl so it sticks out every which way.  It’s also greasy.  I’ve tried washing every day, every other day, every few days, twice a day, and nothing works.  Currently, my routine is washing and condition every other day.  If I wait till the following morning my hair looks like it could stay slicked back because it’s so greasy. 

I’ve tried a bunch of different brands and types and have been so dissatisfied.  In fact, I turned to cheap products.  I paid $0.99 for my last bottle of shampoo and it made no difference in the quality of my hair.

So I researched and Google'd and looked for some sort of alternative.  A frugal alternative.  I can’t afford those $20 bottles of shampoo that are supposed to work amazingly. 

And then I found No Poo.  I don’t think I could literally stop washing my hair.  Bear still throws up a lot (and somehow it always finds my hair) and dust and dirt are all around us living in an agricultural area.  Then I found the Baking Soda (BS) and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) routine.

So tonight I washed my hair with 2 T BS dissolved in 1 cup of HOT water and like 1/4 c of ACV to 2 c HOT water.

And it feels weird.  It feels very smooth and clean in spots (like above my ears) but in the center of my head it feels kind of “not clean”.  Maybe grungy?  The apple cider vinegar doesn’t smell at all once dry (and personally I like the pungent scent it has).  I also added a splash of honey to the ACV, maybe to coat the hair but I’ll probably leave that out next time.  We’ll have to see how it works because it will probably end up as the same price, or cheaper than my $0.99 shampoo and conditioner. I’m going to have to get used to it though.  I’m so used to washing my hair twice, once so that the shampoo can clean and once so that it can do it’s “magic”.  And without any type of lather and the odd taste of baking soda running in my mouth, it was just downright weird.

Has anyone else tried to go Lo Poo or No Poo?