FAQs

Is your hair dirty? Does your hair stink? Do you wash your body? Do you STINK?

No, no, yes, and no. I wash my hair. Just not with a commercial product with a “shampoo” label. I use natural ingredients that nourish, wash, and moisturize my hair. It does not stink. In fact, I use essential oils in my hair products so it smells like lavender and rosemary. I do wash my body every time I shower (which is daily). I use castile soap for my body wash. I do not stink and neither do other no poo-ers.

For More Info

For more info, be sure to check out my ebook, The No Poo Method.

Can I use the No Poo Method on my child?

Absolutely. The point of these products is that they are safe and nontoxic. In fact, many children start with low poo for the first couple years (a natural baby body wash / shampoo product without sulfates, parabens, etc.). It would be easy to transition them to a no poo method.

No poo gave me dandruff!

Sometimes it’s not dandruff.

• Make sure you are rinsing your hair completely. Many of the products used in no poo are grainy. And if they are left in your hair, they could be mistaken for dandruff.
• Too much baking soda too often can and probably will damage your hair and scalp causing dryness. So try cutting back on the amount and frequency of baking soda.
• You can use a deep conditioner to combat a dry scalp.
• A big part of the transition period (my transition lasted 3 months) is your hair and scalp detoxing. Sometimes this results in products actually and physically being released from your hair. So you may just be detoxing (which is a good thing!).

Sometimes it is dandruff. Dandruff can be treated with anti-fungal products.

• Essential oils – there is a dandruff essential oil recipe here
• Honey – Massage into your scalp and allow to sit for several hours. Rinse. You can do this as often as needed but at least several applications over a 2 week period.
• Apple cider vinegar – Mix with water, about a 50/50 ratio and use as a hair mask letting it sit on your scalp for 20-60 minutes, rinse. Do this up to twice a week, as long as needed.
• Probiotics – Probiotics are the good bacteria. Read all about them here. A kefir or kombucha are both full of probiotics and make an excellent hair mask. I use one of those monthly. Simply massage either kefir or kombucha into your scalp and let sit for 20-60 minutes. Rinse. Repeat as often as needed. Yogurt will also work. Taking a probiotic supplement can also help eliminate dandruff.

My hair is falling out!

It is normal to lose up to 150 strands of hair a day. If you go a week in between rinses and brushing, you will have a week’s worth of fall out at once. Many no poo-ers think they are losing more hair, but really it’s just they aren’t shedding their  hair everyday anymore through daily washes. So when they do wash, it comes out in bigger clumps.

Several things could cause losing hair:

I work out a lot and sweat. Can I no poo?

Of course. Sweat is water soluble, so the water only method would work well. You can always mix different methods so use the water only method most days and then wash it with another method once or twice a week.

What about swimming & chlorine?

Don’t use baking soda to wash your hair after swimming in chlorine. Use other no poo methods. If you are able to, wet your hair with regular water from the shower before you swim. Your hair will be saturated with clean water and unable to soak up as much chlorine.

What about salt water?

Salt water can actually be good for your hair and a lot of people like the effects it has on their hair. But it can be drying. You can wet your hair with clean water before you swim so it is saturated and doesn’t soak up as much salt water. Then rinse it with regular clean water after you swim. If your hair gets dry from the salt, you can do a conditioning rinse like aloe or coconut oil.

My hair is not like yours. I have <enter your hair type here> (curly, thick, African American, blonde, red, short, etc., etc., etc.). Can I no poo?

Yep! But your routine will probably be different than mine. You will have to do some trial and error to find what works for you. There are lots of bloggers and facebook communities that discuss no poo. Find some people with hair like your so you can discuss what works with them. Here are common no poo methods.

Any tips for curly hair?

Curly hair and straight hair have different needs. People with curly hair have a few guidelines (as always, these are generalities and aren’t the rule for everyone):

• Avoid baking soda and castile soap. They are too harsh for your hair.
• Use a deep conditioner often.
• Curly hair usually has low porosity.
• Many people with curly hair prefer not to brush their hair. You can still scritch and preen using your fingers. Curly hair typically responds well to a bamboo comb.
• Aloe vera gel is a good gel and detangler for curly hair. A general dilution is 1 teaspoon aloe to 1 cup of water (but adjust to your preference).
• Curly hair responds well to rhassoul and kaolin clay.

No poo & hair color

You can color your hair and use a no poo method. Here are natural color options. But you can use a chemical dye and still do no poo. A few things to consider:

• Chemical dyes are full of chemicals. If you want to embrace no poo completely, use a natural dye.
• How you wash the dye out of your hair will depend on your hair, your dye, your water, etc. Some people use a commercial shampoo to wash the dye out and then return to their no poo routine. Some people just use a vinegar rinse.
• I do not dye my hair with chemical dyes and cannot give personal testimonials. But I have heard great reviews of egg washes, vinegar rinses, and deep conditioning on dyed hair. In general, I have heard negative reviews of using baking soda on dyed hair.

Can I Blow Dry My Hair / Use a Straightener / Curling Iron / etc.?

Yep, it’s your hair! I have heard from quite a few no poo-ers who use heat styling tools on their hair. For starters, many no poo-ers only wet their hair when they wash it. And they only wash it every 10+ days (in general). When they wash it, they will style it with heat styling tools. So their hair is only exposed to the heat 2-3 times a month. It is of note that the heat can damage, dry out, and/or break your hair. I personally avoid using heat on my hair for the most part. Since I get my hair wet so infrequently, I plan my washes for when I know I have time to let it air dry (mostly at night). I will use heat curling tools on special occasions a couple times a year. I do no heat headband curls 1-2 times a week.

Hard water

Hard water has a lot of minerals (mostly calcium and magnesium) in it. These minerals can cause waxy build up on your hair (an applesauce mask is good to get rid of wax buildup). In general, hard water does not work well for baking soda, castile soap, or water only. See other no poo methods here. Many no poo-ers with hard water have good success collecting and using rain water. You can also install a water filter to your shower head. Here’s a quick test using soap & a water bottle to see if you have hard water. I have heard the most positive testimonials with hard water using (I don’t have hard water and haven’t experienced it. This is based on conversations with people that do have hard water.):

• Soap nuts
• Egg wash
• Clay (rhassoul in particular)
• DIY recipes with honey, aloe, and/or coconut milk

What do you do when you get your hair cut?

I cut my own hair. I started cutting my own hair years ago for budget reasons, not for no poo reasons. And once I saw how easy it is, I decided to keep doing it. But you can still go to a salon if you are no poo.

• You can ask your stylist to rinse your hair only and not use shampoo.
• One shampoo is not going to set you back very much. You will not have to go through transition again. So if you want to get the full salon treatment, you can.

How do you get the vinegar smell out of your hair?

Most people report that the vinegar smell is gone by the time their hair dries. But I have heard some complaints that the smell never goes away. Here are some things you can try if your hair smells like vinegar:

• Dilute your vinegar more. I do about a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. You can go as low as a 20/80 mix.
• Try a different brand of vinegar. I like Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar.
• Add essential oils to your vinegar. You can add 10-15 drops of essential oils to about a cup of vinegar / water mix. See what essential oils are good for your hair here.
• You can spray your hair with an essential oil / water mix after you rinse the vinegar out. Don’t rinse the essential oils out, leave them in your hair. You can add about 10-15 drops of essential oils to about a cup of water in a spray bottle. See what essential oils are good for your hair here.

Curly Hair & No Poo

In general, curly hair and baking soda do not work well together. I have naturally straight hair, so this is from testimonials I have heard & read, not personal experience. I have heard that DIY recipes with honey work well for curly hair. You can continue to brush / comb your hair with your fingers or however you do it now. Curly hair often has low porosity and does well with extra conditioning. Curly hair responds well to rhassoul and kaolin clay. That’s in general, everyone’s hair is different.

Pregnancy and No Poo

When you are pregnant, you go through a lot of hormonal changes and your hair definitely shows it. When I became pregnant, it was like my hair was going through transition all over again. My hair had just…..changed. It took a couple months of trial and error to figure out what my hair needed. And everyone’s hair will react differently while pregnant. I found that what worked best for me was to use my boar bristle brush a lot more often than I had been (everyday instead of just 2-3 times per week) and I needed to go back to washing with baking soda & rinsing with apple cider vinegar. I could go longer between washes (before I was pregnant, I would wash about every 5 days. During pregnancy, I wash about every 7-10 days).

For More Info

For more info, be sure to check out my ebook, The No Poo Method.