Friday, September 30, 2011

Tribal Hair

Are you ready to have some fun, get great hair, lose the chemicals and be free of yet another addiction placed upon us by those that market products to us we don’t actually need? Then read on and learn the basics of shampoo free living!  And as a bonus, you will get healthier, and maybe even shed a pound or two as you detox from the chemicals in your everyday hair products.

So... the starter routine is:
2T BS (baking soda) to 8 oz water for your "shampoo" and then once you have scrubbed your hair and scalp for a couple minutes (focus on your scalp a LOT) rinse it out.
Followed by  
2T ACV (apple cider vinegar) to 8 oz water and do the same. 

Alternate Rinses:
Fresh squeezed lemon juice, you could probably use frozen cubes, or even store bought if it was pure juice. Lemon is known to lighten hair when exposed to sunlight, so do not do this if you have naturally dark hair.
Chamomile tea, the handful of times I have done this I just made myself a cup of tea, drank half and used the other half for rinsing, I did not water it down at all.  Chamomile tea, like lemon can lighten your hair when exposed to sunlight so please only use this if you are willing to risk the consequences! 
I have been told that lemon and chamomile tea can add nice highlights, but I have no experience personally as I have never used them enough to reap the benefits.
Unsweetened cranberry juice, I have not tried this personally as of yet.  But when I do I plan to use it in a similar ratio to the ACV.
Coffee, for brunettes most specifically as it has been known to darken the hair with repeated applications or extended saturation (20-30 minutes). 
I imagine there are many other optional rinses out there, the goal of these rinses it to restore the proper ph to the hair so that it does not get overly dried out.  BS has a higher ph than your natural scalp/hair and these rinses restore that balance and close the pours and follicles.
Additions:
Honey to combat dry hair, especially during the winter months.  1 tsp. to start and then you can adjust to meet your personal needs.  This goes into the BS/water.
TTO (Tea Tree Oil) to combat dandruff.  I have heard 1-2 drops right into your BS.
Essential Oil to add that nice scent you are missing! Just mix in with the rinse of your choice and enjoy the goodness.

Moisturizers/Leave in Conditioners:
Coconut/Almond/Apricot/Walnut Oils are all lovely leave ins, and again a drop of essential oil will likely liven up the scent of these carrier oils and leave your hair feeling great and smelling amazing!
Deep Conditioners:
All Raw - Honey/Eggs/Avocados/Bananas/Yogurt are all lovely and easy to use when alone or combined into your own customized favorites!  Rub in well and rinse 15-30 minutes after application, then follow with your normal no'poo wash.  I think tonight I might try honey/egg/banana to see if it helps my hair look extra nice for my girls day out tomorrow... I'll let you know how that goes!

Also, very important to note is that most will go through a DETOX period. You will likely get worse before you get better. For me this lasted about 2-3 months.  The less you wash the quicker it goes, and it does not last forever.

From there you adjust to meet your needs... and please comment with your experiences!  I will continue to add to this post as I dig up old references and find new ones.

My story of breaking the shampoo addiction… it hurt at first!
I've been no-pooing for almost a year now and LOVE it. I have very thin, flat, greasy  hair and used to wash every day sometimes even twice a day.  I always hated that I couldn't do anything with my hair and was so envious of my best girlfriends beautiful, long, thick and wavy hair.  I tried perms, cuts (the cut makes a big difference too I found) and all the hair products I could find with a VOLUMIZING label.  Then one day on a crunchy mama's group I was a part of I saw these ladies talking about no poo... I had to click on that post!  I was a little nervous wondering what exactly they meant but was very quickly relived and excited.  I was just thrilled that I might be able to make my hair look nicer, regain strength and all for less money!  I tried the routine the next day and have not been back to shampoo since! I did suffer heavily through the detox period, but I had just had a baby and was not leaving to go anywhere so it worked out well enough for me.  It took me much longer than some ladies, I was over producing oils for about 3 months and it took a while to see that it was worth it all.  I almost gave up and washed it on several occasions, but I just couldn't do it.  Hair bands and hats were my best friends through that stage!  If you go through a heavy detox like I did just know it really won't last forever and it does get better!  Play with your amounts and see what your hair responds to best.  I use, 1 T BS to 6-8 oz water and 1 tsp ACV. I also add in 1 tsp. honey to my BS mix every other wash during the summer, and every wash during the winter to help combat the dry weather.  As soon as I can afford to get my hands on some Young Living essential oils I will be adding those into my rinse as well.  My hair is now wonderful, for me anyway!  This is the best it has been and it is very freeing to not be chained to the chemical based shampoo products.

As for the rest of my family, they no'poo too!  My kids have been blessed with their Papa's hair which is VERY thick, curly and coarse (think horse mane, teehee).  The kids hair is still soft for now, but even so hard to tame and gets tangled easily!  I prefer only do BS/ACV (same ratios as I use on myself) on them about once a month OR if they have gotten it actually dirty. And in between I simply do hot water rinses on them and add an oil into their hair about once a week while their hair is damp.  Most often coconut oil, but at times I use another oil I have on hand.  My husband decided on a much stronger mix for his coarse hair.  He uses about 3T BS to 6 oz water, and 2T ACV to 6 oz. water. 


Here are links to some lovely recipes for homemade hair care products:

Multiple recipes for various hair topics: http://www.longlocks.com/hair-care-recipes-cookbook.htm#cond12

Shine Spritz for curly hair: http://www.naturalchica.com/2011/03/maes-homemade-sweet-shine-spritz/ 

More wonderful personal care product recipes and tips can be found over at Nourishing Treasures, be sure to head over and tell Lea I sent you! :-)  

http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/index.php/category/personal-care/

18 comments:

  1. So you use all 6-8 oz. of the BS mix each time? Thanks!

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  2. Yes I do! Some use less, some use more... play with the ratio of BS to water and ACV or your chosen rinse to water. It takes some time to work it out and sometimes you will find the need to re-adjust your amounts again. I can say in my experience that the BS/water mix does not last more than a day. If I save some for the next day it does not clean my hair nicely. Thanks for coming by! ;-) And let me know how you like no'poo! I have found most either LOVE it or HATE it...

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  3. I am so freaking curious about this, but am afraid to take the leap because of the DE-TOX. I'm a wuss. Just talked to my husband, though, and he wants to try it. I'll let you know how it goes!

    PS... Your blog is totally getting bookmarked. :)

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    1. Thank you so much Carolyn! And when it comes to the detox... take it slow. If you are worried just wash every other day instead of trying to get things over with fast. Just be flexible and see what you and your hubby like. :-) And please do let me know how it goes!

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  4. I have been wanting to try this myself. We are trying to find ways to save money and this would add to our list. I know you only have a couple of posts up, and I read your 'about' page. I am not sure what it was, but a spark went off in me. Wayyyyy too long of a story, but let's just say I'm a crunchie wanabe :-) I have definitely made progress, but a lot of what others expected of me kind of held me back. REading your words really put a renewed interest to getting back to who *I* am, and forgetting about what everyone around me thinks I should be.

    Blessings,
    Kerri

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    1. Hello Kerri!

      Thank you for stopping by, and I am excited for you! There is nothing quite like making the decision to move forward and past the judgement of others. I know you said your story is long... if you ever feel like sharing I would love to hear it. :-) I have found that even if only online that having other like minded people to chat with REALLY helps. If you do try the no'poo be sure to stop back by and share any tips and tricks you find useful! I will add them into my post (with a link back to you if you have your own blog). Have a blessed weekend!

      ~Sarah aka Tribe Mommy

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  5. I worked with a woman who said she had NEVER washed her hair but simply used mayonnaise to clean and moisturize. She had the most beautiful head of black hair I've ever seen. Thick, soft, and springy-curly. Rinsed with vinegar-water mix but never gave me the amounts. Love the movement toward no-poo. Big companies don't care,they just want to sell.

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    1. Hi Sharlene!

      Thanks for stopping by! I actually think that mayo would make a great conditioner! Considering the ingredients... it makes perfect sense! I wish I could forgo the "wash" part entirely, but I am just too greasy still to pull off nothing but conditioner. At some point, once my hormones even out I hope to not even need the baking soda. I am truly convinced that more people would want to be rid of the chemicals in their personal care products if they had a clue how horrible they are for you.

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  6. Great post on using homemade shampoo without the harmful chemical cocktail! I'm hosting a linky and would love it if you popped over and linked this post! Seasonal Celebration Linky http://naturalmothersnetwork.com/seasonal-celebration-sunday/seasonal-celebration/ Thank you :-)

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    1. Hello Rebecca!

      I am so sorry I missed the linky! But now I have found you and your facebook page and I will eagerly await the next linky and happily join in on the fun! ;-)

      Thanks for stopping by my meager blog and for commenting!

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  7. Hi I'm Saoirse and I'm 7 years old thanks for following my blog.

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    1. Hello Saoirse!

      Thanks for stopping by! :-) I am excited to see more about your life as you grow and learn. Thank you for sharing your experiences, I am sure that lots of people will enjoy what you have to share! Keep posting!

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  8. hi! (this is one of Kerri's daughters)
    I am so in! I would love to try this, and maybe in a few months you will see an update on how it goes. My hair is hard to "tame". So this will (or Won't) work for me, but I'm gonna try it.:) Thanks for the information!

    -Moira

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    1. Hi there Moira!

      Your enthusiasm makes me smile! Glad to see a young woman of your age willing to try something fun and different! Let me tell you, if I had been able to learn things like this back when I was your age my life would have been so much simpler as a teen... I cannot wait to see your results! Don't be discouraged if it takes some figuring out, no'poo is not a one-size-fits-all thing. I am sure that if you give it some time and try some different things you can make it work for you. My daughter (5 years old) also has tough to tame hair, and we have found that putting coconut or almond oil in her hair before bed and just after a bath leaves her hair looking lovely for a few days. It is a bit greasy for the first day or so but by day number two that oil has soaked in and her hair shines. Also I find that aloe vera works very nicely to tame fly aways. Keep me posted please! :-)

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  9. Hey Sarah,
    I was going to write you, but couldn't find an email. I would love to swap stories...how you got to where you are and such. Like I said, mine's kind of long, at least too long to post in a comment box :-) Don't get me wrong, it;s not a fancy or exciting story at all! You can email me at:
    kerri dot junk at yahoo dot com

    Blessings,
    kerri
    PS, Moira says thank you for the information. She just started using the hair care routine yesterday. We are excited to see how it goes.

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    1. I just sent you an email... so hopefully it went through alright!

      If it did not I can be reached at: tribe.mommy.heals@gmail.com

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  10. I went poo free last fall when I discovered my new 'natural' shampoo had fragrance in it. It was so strong that it made my eyes burn! I have very fragile hair similar in texture to yours so I only use 1tsp baking soda to 16 oz water. I don't use the whole thing just enough to wet my hair. You are right the rubbing of the scalp is key! I just added in the acv rinse this month once I noticed that I was having to wash my hair every day instead of every other. The rinse is now my favorite part of my hair care routine! I love feeling it get soft under my fingers. I'm grateful for all the other tips, especially for my hubby. He just ran out of poo so I'm hoping maybe he'll give this a shot :)

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    1. Thank you for stopping by my blog Alicia!

      The men can be hard to convince at first... even my very natural minded hubby was a bit intimidated at the thought of "quitting poo." ;-) But... he came around and loves it now.

      If you have any other tips you come across I would love to hear them!

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