- No Shampoo Routine by risingsun
18 y
20,460 11 Messages Shown
Blog: Make Your Own Shampoo
Lorraine Massey says in her book. "Curly Girl
http://motowngirl.com
"Curlies should not use shampoo. There are a few mild shampoos out there, but most contain sodium laurel sulfate and/or sodium laureth sulfate. These ingredients will dry out your hair. Hair needs moisture - especially curly/coily hair. You can use a conditioner to "wash" your hair and it will get your hair clean. Her theory is that using friction from your fingertips along with water and conditioner gets the hair and scalp clean."
*** The alternative chosen by the author is to use a "Conditioner Wash" but is this the only route to go? I like the list at the end of the article with natural alternatives
*** MotownGirl.com agrees with Lorraine Massey when she says to avoid "blowdrying." I can see how this could damage hair. The suggestion offered is to try;
" towel-scrunching air-drying or wear styles that don't require heat like twists/twist-outs etc."
* The other method offered is "to accept your curls/coils & work with them instead of frying them. 'Nuff said. ;)" This makes sense to me.
*** MotownGirl.com quotes Lorraine Massey again and says,
"You'd never dream of washing a good sweater with detergent. Yet most shampoos contain harsh detergents (sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate) that one finds in dishwashing liquid. They're great for pots and pans because they cut grease so effectively.
You're hair on the other hand, needs to retain some natural oils, which protect your hair and scalp. Stripping them away deprives the hair of necessary moisture and amino acids and makes it look dry and dull."
The truth is that lathers don't cleanse at all - manufacturers put lathering agents into products so you'll buy into the joy-of-suds myth."[***Amen]
*** I think it may be that perhaps shampoo makers damage our hair so they can get repeat business. I once owned a Chevrolet Astro Van that was the first edition. It ran for over 300,000 miles. They changed that engine after they figure out it was so good and then the later editions ran for 150K like other Chevys. Maybe they shampoos make our hair a slave to our hair products by damaging them with sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate and then fix them with their other ingredients?
***The following is straight from the MowtownGirl.com website and has some excellent advice.
Clarifying Treatments
You may need to clarify you hair once in a while to remove build-up. If your hair is starting to look dull or not responding to products, try using anyone of the these hair-clarifying treatments. It will help bring you hair back to life, get it clean and most importantly they are all gentle on the hair.
I always clarify before doing a deep conditioning treatment. Otherwise you will be deep conditioning over product buildup which really won't benefit the hair. These are all great alternatives to those harsh clarifying shampoos:
* Mix about 3 parts conditioner to 1 part lemon juice. I use bottled lemon juice instead of juice from a real lemon. It's much easier and I don't have to deal with pulp and seeds.[***I think fresh lemon juice would be much better]
* Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of warm water (use 1 tbs to 2 cups of warm water). For longer hair, use 2-3 tbs of baking soda with 32 oz of warm water. You can place the mixture in a spray bottle or just pour it over your hair. Massage it in, rinse out well and use a conditioner afterwards. (I mix it in a cup and pour it over my head over the sink and I always deep condition after using this treatment.) It makes my hair feel so clean without that dry, squeaky feeling. The mixture is liquidity - not pasty. (Note - I find this cleanse my hair the best.)
* Mix a little baking soda with your conditioner.[ Super idea ***]
* Use a 'clarifying conditioner', such as VO5 Kiwi & Lime.[***Could it be? I might try this one just to see but I like making my own.]
* Use an Apple Cider Vinegar mix.[*** my personal favorite]
* If you need to exfoliate your scalp or combat itchiness, try a Scalp Scrub: Mix 2 tbs conditioner with 1 tbs brown sugar. It is not harsh or abrasive as it may sound. Don't use regular sugar, it will just dissolve.[***I will have to try this one]
Benefits
There's quite a few women on many hair message boards with kinky hair that tried this method and had success. Some reported the following:
* Softer hair.
* Less dry hair
* Cleaner scalp
* Super moisturized hair
* Having more curls/coils
* No more flakes or itchy scalp
* Less breakage and minimal shedding
* Not having to comb-out as often (since it's softer)
* More elasticity (which leads to less breakage)
* Not having to use as many hair products since it's not as dry or hard as before
This method may not work if:
* You use a lot of oils and/or hair grease
* You don't like to wet your hair often (at least every few days when wearing your hair out)
* You don't like mixing basic ingredients together
* You use chemicals often (hair color, texturizer, relaxer etc.)
* You use lots of products and pile them all on your hair
* If your scalp or hair is oily
* If you have severe dandruff
* If you're concerned with shrinkage because your hair may *appear* to be shorter. My hair has gotten so much more coily/curly since I stopped using harsh shampoos. (Lorraine speaks about this in her book.)
Alternatives
If you're not ready to give up the shampoo completely, here's a list of some alternative things you do or use instead of using traditional shampoo:
* Try the "modified no shampoo routine" (also known as Lo-Poo) by using shampoo less often (like every 3 weeks opposed to every other day).
* Dilute your shampoo with water.
* Mix one part conditioner to one part shampoo.
* Try using shampoo on your scalp only.
* Use less harsh cleansing products such as:
o African Black Soap
o Burt's Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar
o Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap
o Jessicurl's Hair Cleansing Cream
o Gary Null's Heavenly Hair Cleanser
o Shikakai Powder, Amla Powder or Aritha powder
o Kemi-Moyst No-Soap Shampoo
o Aubrey Organic's Rosemary and Sage Hair and Scalp Rinse.
o The author of the book also sells her own No-Poo and Low-Poo cleansing items.
If you use shampoo, lookout for these ingredients in your products:
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) - very harsh
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALES)- harsh
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - harsh
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - milder, but still harsh
Sodium Myreth Sulfate, TEA Lauryl Sulfate & TEA Laureth Sulfate - decent choices
Coconut Soap, Olive Oil Soap or Cocamidopropyl Betaine - BEST CHOICE
*** I edited the original article that went on and on about commercial products. After-all...This is a blog about making your own shampoo...
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risingsun
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- Did you read this article? by SqueakyClean
18 y
3,602
- Re: Did you read this article? by risingsun
18 y
4,131
| How very interesting. I don't know if I would go that far but just conditioning the hair with tiny amounts of essential oils,using lemon or lime, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar are a much cheaper way of keeping hair clean. I think most shampoos are pretty dangerous to hair. ***Especially for men with pattern baldness in their family but for everyone's genreal hair health as well.
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risingsun
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- Re: Did you read this article? by kerminator
18 y
3,617
When & in what ratio would you use the: Essential oils ( Which type), Lemon/ Lime, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar?? How about the limited use of regular face soap on the hair??
Any reply or info would help... Thanks Kermit
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kerminator
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- Re: Did you read this article? by risingsun
18 y
4,177
I am not very scientific about my choice of homemade conditioner and shampoo. I think that I go by intuition. I am trying to keep my hair as long as possible. It seems to be working for me.
Neem Oil is helpful but has a strong smell. When I use neem oil, I use it in the evening and I would suggest blending up some lemon, kiwi, canatlope to add to your three or four drops of neem oil to make the smell tolerable for significant others.
Avacado is wonderful for your hair.
Did you know that you absorb over one third of what you put on your body. You should really consider looking at the ingredients of shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc.. that you use. I see that putting good things can help but I see commercial shampoos as a purposeful attack on the hair. I believe hair product maker put ingredients that damage the hair and combine it with ingredients that do help. It creates a continuing need for more hair products. I would just assume experiment around without shampoo then risk getting caught in the cycle of damaging and saving my hair with commercial product. I would say if you are on this journey, start experimenting with what seems right for you.
As far as a formula goes, we each may have different a pH so what might work for me might not work for you. What might work for me might not even work for me on some other day if my pH is different.
If my hair is getting dry, I rinse with apple cider vinegar and it helps me considerably.
If my hair is getting split ends, kiwi and lime seems to be a good solution.
Baking soda is something new for me. I am just now experimenting with it. A tablespoon or so in my hands and worked into my hair as a final rinse seems right for my hair type.
As far as essential oils go, there are hundreds of choices. I will try to come up with a good list of essential oils for hairtypes soon.
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risingsun
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- Re: Did you read this article? by kerminator
18 y
3,766
Thanks you for your post and reply...
I will be 65 next year and have a full head of wavy hair... I too want to keep it, one of Grand Mother's sisters had beautiful hair when she passed at 96... I should have ask her what she did...
I just got some apple cider vinegar and will start using it ...
I have been reading labels on the shampoos for years and have tried to get more natural ones... I only wash about one or twice a week then only towel dry... I think hair dryers are over rated & dangerous to the sclap...
Thanks again see ya... Kermit
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kerminator
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- what shampoo formula adds volume by bluepastry
18 y
3,789
| what are your thoughts on making hair thicker?
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bluepastry
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- Re: what shampoo formula adds volume by risingsun
18 y
4,888
Coloring your hair saturates the cortex of your hair and makes it swell. This will make your hair thicker. Avoid hair products with sulfates as they may cause thinning. That said, your hair and scalp are absorbers of everything you put on it so if I was going to color my hair to thicken it, I would start out by rinsing with warm water and apple cider vinegar. I would then go with natural dyes such as henna for dark dair.
I have never tried it but rosemary and sage tea is supposed to color hair naturally. Another interesting way to color hair is to rinse with coffee and tea. In either of these two natural coloration of hair the effect takes time. You might make up a gallon in a glass apple cider jug and pour it into a cup to rinse every day for a few weeks to see if is absorbed by your hair.
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risingsun
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- This may seem nasty as all Get up.... R by #60157
17 y
4,471
I have stopped washing my hair all together, kind of. I have noticed that my hair looks and behaves crazy after washing. It seems thinner, fuzzier and more uncontrolable. I admit I was using regular shampoo and not exclusively conditioner.
One day I took my hair down from braids and didn't have the hours that it takes to manage Black hair. I just cleaned my scalp and twisted up my hair. My hair was shiny, and the twists were shewing length longer than I had ever seen it. The twists lasted nearly 3 weeks! And when I did the twist out, that was the best I'd ever had. The twists were all strong and unfuzzy. I noticed a reduction in the amount of hair lost and in the formation of those little balls that form on the end and break off. It looks like the texture and grade of my hair improved. It never smelled bad either. When I finally washed it, it went back to looking all weak and fragile. It reminded me back in 80's, a jherri curl looked horrible when 1st washed but beautiful a month down the road.
My new washing philospy. (1) Keep my scalp clean (2) Monitor my hair for build up up level (3) When the build up is unacceptable, conditioner wash. (4) Rinse on demand
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- me too! by ren
17 y
3,841
| I have crazy biracial hair that goes any way it wants. I don't use conventional poo. Every month I give it a wash with some amazon berry poo and use a good conditioner and generous portions of hair oil.
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ren
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