I thought it might be nice to provide you with an update on the hair situation, since it has been a few days, if not a week, since the last time I mentioned how it was doing. As you may remember, I stopped using shampoo (this is called "no 'poo") almost three weeks ago. It was a little dicey at first while I learned how to adjust, mostly mentally, to the lack of shampoo. I had heard that this "adjustment period" can take anywhere from two to six weeks, and most people are simply referring to your scalp's period of adjustment while it gets used to you not stripping off the oils as frequently and therefore it stops producing as much oil. I'm not sure if I'm just lucky or what, but that adjustment period has already passed, and I believe my hair is now normal.
There are a couple things that I would note about what qualifies as "normal" when you go no 'poo. First of all, your hair never feels "normal" in the way that it did when you were using shampoo. You have to remember that your hair will now not be stripped of oil, then conditioned, then had product added to it, so inevitably it does feel different. This does not mean that it feels greasy, it just feels different. My hair, which is super straight and fine, actually feels a little thicker and healthier. I can also style it and not use any products in it (which of course I would not be able to use now anyhow, as I wouldn't be able to get them out if I did use them). I really enjoy how my hair looks. In my opinion, it has never looked better. I'm not the hugest fan of the way that it feels to touch it, but I think I will likely get used to it with time.
Next, I think that the "adjustment period" no 'pooers go through should also refer to a mental adjustment period as well as the physical adjustment period. I spent A LOT of time thinking about my hair, particularly in the first week. Every day I debated whether I should use baking soda to take some of the oil out (speaking of which, I haven't used baking soda since two weeks ago, either, so it has just been water since then). Every day was a struggle and every day was a debate. I kept thinking I would wake up, or finish with my shower, and my hair would just look like a big grease trap, and I would have to get back in the shower and wash it with shampoo. That never happened. Part of the mental adjustment is just learning to take things slowly. Even when I was at the retreat this past week and was using well water, my hair felt disgusting, but looked normal, so I just left it and told myself that after the retreat (which was five days), if it still felt the same way, I would use some baking soda. It turned out that it was fine after I had a couple showers back at home with normal water. I'm glad I didn't rush into washing it with anything. The more you are able to resist that urge, the quicker and more permanent your scalp's adjustment will be, at least in my experience.
The no 'poo experiment has really been great for me. Today I used a large round brush when I was blow drying my hair, which gave it a little extra body and that super-sleek look. It looks like I just came from a salon. The brush rolled through my hair much more smoothly than it ever did when I was using shampoo, conditioner and products (but not in a greasy way). I have a few flyaways due to the fact that I can't use hairspray, but I am happy to trade those for all the products. If I ever get hard-up, I guess I could acquire a natural, sugar-based hairspray, but to be honest, I'm not really interested because even through the one I am thinking of is completely natural and chemical-free, it is still in a plastic bottle, so still not really what I am looking for. I am very happy with my decision to go no 'poo. If you are considering it yourself, feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I assume that what has worked for me would not necessarily work for you, but you never know, you will really just need to experiment a little until you find what works for you!
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