Sunday, October 4, 2009

So the first thing that I will let you know about is my shampoo and conditioning routine. To begin with, I must let you know that I used to be a bleachblonde-aholic. I would dye my hair every month, killing and frying my hair, along with completely exposing myself to a long list of chemicals. So right now, I am on the mission to reverse about 4 years of serious damage.

As for hair products, I used to use the normal salon products, until one day it hit me...there are probably a lot of chemicals in these products. And to no surprise, after researching, I found that there were so many irritants and multiple disease causing chemicals added to SO many of my products that I had at home. This feeling is a scary one, especially knowing that I had been using these products all of my life....so I was on a new mission, to become au naturel with my hair.

Sandro and I first started off going with organic hair products, thinking that it was probably a lot better for us than the regular shampoo and conditioner that I already had. But as time past, our hair was still feeling dry, my hair was still breaking we were getting minor irritations on our skin, and it didn't feel like this shampoo and conditioning idea was going well at all. So I started to research....and I found that although these "organic" shampoos and conditioners were labeled "organic"..they were not necessarily any better for you than our old routine.

This left me researching the "No-Poo" option....that is NO SHAMPOO; we decided to leave the chemicals behind. And of course this makes sense...why would we spend all that money on these products, that were just leaking into our skelp, and our skin and into our bodies? And now you may ask how do you not shampoo your hair without it becoming an oily mess?

First off you must know, that like many things, our body over creates the things that we strip away from it. This includes the oil in our hair. The more that we strip away, the more that it will create to try and compensate for this. So, by starting the NO-POO routine, you may find your hair trying to adjust for the first little bit, but no fear...it will soon adjust. And you will have a well balanced natural head of hair, chemical free.

Step ONE: GET RID OF ALL SHAMPOO....and CONDITIONER. easy.

Step TWO: At this point I believe there are two options...go into your kitchen and get some baking soda..which many people are saying works wonders...or get a castile soap like Dr. Bronners.

OPTION ONE. BAKING SODA SHAMPOO
1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup of warm water.
Work this into your wet hair, and simply rinse.

OR

OPTION TWO. MSM SHAMPOO1 tbsp of MSM, 250 ml of Dr Bronners Castile soap and mix that with about a quarter cup of water.Work this into your wet hair, and rinse.

Or you can do what we do, which is get a brand like Dr. Bronners, and make your own shampoo. The great thing that I've learned about Dr. Bronners is that his castile soaps are all natural and made out of pure oils. It is a natural way to cleanse, that does not leave your hair oily. Here are his ingredients in his Lavendar Classic Liquid Soap: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut Oil*, Saponified Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Glycerin, Organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Organic Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lavandula Hybrida (Lavandin) Extract, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vit. E), (* Certified Fair Trade by IMO).

And you might ask why I put MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) into my shampoo..? In the past I have heard that sulfur is the beauty mineral...it helps to form collagen and connective tissues...apparently is plays a big role in our skin, hair and nails. And so I add it because MSM is an organic source of the compound, therefore it is supposed to help repair hair, promote silkiness, and a manageability and a healthy scalp.

STEP THREE: Do an apple cider vinegar rinse. This step is just to add a little shine, and remove any residue buildup.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RINSE
1 part ACV, 1 part water.
Use as little or as much as you want...
Pour over your wet just "No-pooed" hair and rinse out with water. Try not to get your roots, as I heard this may make it a little more oily. although my scalp doesn't mind it.

Now, I recommended washing your hair every couple of days...I like to try every third day. And I do not find my hair getting greasy, and I actually find I have more curls. On top of all of this, I like to add a little bit of coconut oil to coat my hair at night time for a deep conditioning treatment. You can wash it out in the morning, and you will not find any oily residue.


Enjoy :)

No comments:

Post a Comment