Category Archives: Going "Natural"

Going "Natural"

Hot Mess

March 9, 2010

So my plan was to wash my hair twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.  So far I’m 1 for 3 in sticking to that.  Ironically, the deviation in the schedule has nothing to do with my hair not behaving properly, but more to do with my very rigorous, um, social schedule.  Due to a little snafu on Sunday night (aka me turning into a hot mess, thus forcing KC to take care of my sad self.  Seriously, that boy deserves a trophy.  I’ll tell you about the incident in person if you’re curious — I don’t think it’s really blog material at this point) my wash got pushed from Tuesday to Monday.  Thrilling, I know.  Anyway, my hair is still doing well.  I have gotten comments (usually in surprise) like “Wow, your hair looks great!”  Yes, it’s surprising that you can have good looking hair after giving up shampoo, I understand.  I think most people are shocked to see that I’m not a homeless, greasy mess since beginning this challenge.  I have to admit, I’m a little surprised myself.

Truth be told, I had hopes that this challenge would change my (hair’s) life; but in reality, I kind of thought that I would give it a whirl for the 30 days and then most likely go back to the ‘poo.  However, being 1/3 through the challenge now, I don’t think I’ll be going to back to shampoo anytime soon.  Since day 1, I feel like my hair is looking and performing better than when I was using shampoo.  As I mentioned before, my hair is naturally somewhat wavy/curly, but because I am not particularly adept at styling my hair, I end up just straightening it.  However, due to my natural wave and the humidity of the Bay Area, my hair tends to not stay as straight as I’d like throughout the day.  Since beginning this challenge, my hair has suddenly stayed straight and styled the way I always wanted.  Why?  I have no idea.  All I can chalk it up to is the condiment party happening in my shower.

Ok, so I apologize for the crappy light in my apartment.  These pictures were taken on Photo Booth after I got home in the evening.  The point of these pictures is this:  this is my hair after being out all day — it’s still straight.  Amazing!  I didn’t even brush it before taking these.  Also, my hair was put up in a ponytail for class at Bar Method for an hour during the day, and look — no dent left from the band.  How is this all possible?  Baking soda and vinegar I tell you!  Look, I’m even taller and thinner too!  Ok, so that’s not true.  But the hair stuff is (I wouldn’t lie to you would I?  Well, maybe.  But not about this.)

Alrighty, onwards and upwards.  One of the questions I got recently was, “How much shampoo do you really use?”  I guess it would make sense that I would start this challenge because I’m lathering up daily with handfuls of perfumed goo; but no, truthfully, I only washed my hair twice a week before this.  Think of it this way though, even washing only twice a week with an ounce of shampoo and an ounce of conditioner adds up to 208 ounces of shampoo and conditioner going down the drain each year.  That’s close to 2 gallons.  Multiply that by the number of years you’ll be showering regularly (let’s hope that’s all or most of them) and you’re looking at, easily, over 100 gallons of shampoo and conditioner over your lifetime.  Not to mention the number of plastic bottles that this represents on top of that.  A bit of impact on the environment, no?  On top of that, if you’re anything like me, you spend a bit more on your shampoo and conditioner (color care?  Yes, please).  On average, I’d spend at least $10/bottle on shampoo and $10/bottle on conditioner.  My new regime?  A bit more cost effective.  Not even buying in bulk (hello Costco…), I got 12 oz of baking soda (which works out to 24 washes, or 12 weeks) for $1.99; 16 oz of apple cider vinegar (which works out to 32 washes, or 16 weeks) for $1.49; and .5 oz of lavender extract (which works out to 300 washes, or 150 weeks — yes, seriously) for $8.99.  Cost per week?  A whopping $0.32.  Yes, I did the math — $0.16 per wash.  And if you bought your baking soda and vinegar in bulk, it would be even cheaper.  Think about what you could do with all that extra cash!  You could get your hair done more often, save the whales, and still have something left to buy your sweetie that flat screen TV he won’t stop talking about!  Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but see if you can do the math and figure out how much you’d save on the natural diet.  (And hey, maybe you can use that extra cash to take your friend Chelsea out to dinner.  Yum.)

Going "Natural"

Washed hair, new post. Life is good.

March 6, 2010

So wash #2 happened this morning.  My plan was to wash my hair on Tuesdays and Fridays (as I generally wash my hair at night); however, given KC’s work party last night…I wasn’t in any shape to be washing my hair once we finally made it home. (By the way, KC and I discovered that we are an awesome karaoke duo last night.  You’re welcome PwCer’s).  Sooo cut to this morning when I finally stumbled into the shower for the baking soda and vinegar party part 2.

As promised (or, alluded to…) previously, I took photos of my hair pre and post-shower this morning so you can see how my hair is faring on this new detox diet. (Don’t worry, I’m fully clothed.  I’m not that desperate for a job.)

Yes, this is what I look like first thing in the morning after a night of merriment (aka boozing it up like college student.  Hey, I’m unemployed, I need to bring joy into my life any way I can; if it happens to come with an olive and a straw, so be it).  I know, those glasses, the un-combed hair, the sexy powder-blue tank…KC is a lucky man indeed.  Anyway, focus more on the fact that this is how my hair looks after not washing it for 3 1/2 days (and after not styling or brushing…whatever, it was a long night).

Here’s another picture…  Yes, clearly I have no shame posting pictures of myself sans makeup or, let’s face it, basic hygiene.  Ok, so maybe I don’t look so fabulous, but you have to admit that (despite the lack of styling) my hair looks fairly decent for day 3 1/2.  Also, that adorable tail on my left belongs to this critter:

Seuss Mackey the Lionhearted (who, even when you catch her looking like an evil beast mid-meow, is still just ridiculously adorable).

I rescued Seuss from the Humane Society in December 2006 and our love affair has continued ever since.

Yes, there’s a story behind Seuss’ unusual name.  Long story short, Alexis (the very same sister who inspired this challenge) had a dream that I had a child out of wedlock (I’m apparently quite promiscuous in Alexis’ subconscious) named Seuss Mackey, whom I hid in a duffel bag so no one would know about him (perhaps because I was embarrassed of his sharpied-on eyebrows…?).  Anyway, this dream (the product of severe jet lag on our trip to Austria) spawned the name for Seuss (who happens to be female, but I think still embodies the spirit of that original duffel-clad illegitimate child of mine).

But I digress, back to the hair (what this post is supposed to be about right?).  So I washed my hair as I did the last time I posted (1 tbsp. baking soda + 1 cup water; 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar + 1 cup water + 1 drop lavender essential oil) and here’s the result in photo form: (Yes, I do generally look like a normal person.  I pull it together quite well when I need to.)

I’ve noticed so far that, though my hair feels much dryer when wet than when I was using shampoo and conditioner, once I blowdry and style it, it feels fairly soft.  I should say though that my hair has a bit of a different texture these days since starting the no ‘poo challenge.  I don’t know how to describe it, other than to say my hair feels less fine.  It’s almost as if my individual strands are thicker somehow.  Strange, but that’s the only way I can really convey it.  Also, my hair seems to be looking smoother and healthier than it did when I was using shampoo and conditioner.  I generally have a fair amount of fly-aways and split ends due to my heat styling routine (my straightener and I are very close, BFF you might say); but my fly-aways seem less noticeable these days.  My split ends are still there (because, let’s face it, it’s not like I can get rid of those without a pair of scissors), so until I get my act (and finances) together and get a trim, I doubt much will be changing on that front.

Ok, so now to answer a few questions (or…one question): yes, my hair is uncolored.  I used to color my hair regularly, but because of my personal employment situation (aka financially-challenged) I decided that was an expense which I could live without for awhile.  So now my hair has been not permanently colored for over a year, and not demi-permanently (wash out) colored for 6 months.  So yes, I’d say it’s pretty safe to say that my hair is back to it’s natural state color-wise.  Because of this, I don’t know how this regimen would affect hair that’s been colored.  Based on my research, some say that the diet strips your color faster than shampoo/conditioner, others claim it’s about the same.  Still, some say that going natural has actually helped them maintain their color longer because they wash their hair less (1-2 times a week, as opposed to 3-7 times).  I only washed my hair twice a week on average when using shampoo and conditioner, so I’m not sure what the change would be, if any.  If I happen to become employed in the near future (fingers crossed!  *Insert shameless self-promotion here: Hire me, please. Seriously.) and go back to my highlight routine, I will let you know how the natural diet affects it.  Until then, the research I’ve seen is inconclusive at best.  Also, a note about the vinegar rinse — if you opt to use the lemon juice version, know that it may lighten your hair (natural highlights anyone?); but you knew that already from your 1998 adventure with the Sun-In bottle right? (Yes, I’m talking about you, Alexis).

If you have other questions about the challenge, please feel free to post it as a comment; or, if you see me everyday (Bar Methoders…) feel free to ask me in person.  Maybe your question will show up on here later (with your name attached?!  OMG.  How famous are you!)  Yes, your very own question might be posted on this blog which is read by literally tens of people every week.  You’re pretty much right up there with J Lo and Celine Dion.  You’ll probably have your own Vegas show by the end of the month.  Sweet!  Just remember who gave you your start and get me some good seats and a comped suite at the Wynn (or The Palms, I’m easy).

Until next time…one more adorable Seuss pic for the road:

Going "Natural"

Day 1 of Going “Natural”

March 4, 2010

So last night the challenge began.   I opted to use a drop of lavender essential oil in the vinegar rinse in the hopes that my hair would not smell like a salad after the shower.  (KC specifically let me know that if my hair smelled bad I couldn’t continue with the challenge.  Vinegar hair or boyfriend — you have to choose.)  I’ve heard, though, that the vinegar smell won’t stay on your hair either way once your hair is dry, so don’t worry too much about those visions of chopped romaine and bleu cheese crumbles you have in your head while you’re showering.  The oil took the edge off the vinegar in the shower, and after my hair dried it had a nice light lavender scent as well.

I had dreams of the beginning of this challenge going one of two ways: One, it’s the worst thing that has ever happened to my hair in the 25+ years it’s been on my head; Two, my hair suddenly is shiny, soft, manageable, and dries naturally into soft curls (as I always imagined my somewhat wavy hair would).  Well, neither of these things happened.  I tried letting my hair air-dry as I felt it was the “natural” way to go (and had heard stories of Shirley Temple-type curls happening to people with hair like mine after going “no ‘poo”).  Unfortunately, my hair behaved as it normally does when I let it air-dry: it got weirdly curly/wavy in all the wrong ways.  Supposedly you can concoct a natural spray from sea salt and water (1 tsp. sea salt + 1 cup water) which will give you “beachy curls” like you’ve always wanted; but given that I’d just lathered up with two kitchen staples, I decided to leave that experiment for another day.  I ended up applying a little heat styler to my hair and blow drying and straightening like normal.

Ok, so I didn’t get the maintenance-free hair I had dreamed of, but on the upside, my hair performed well and looked nice when all was said and done.  My hair is definitely a little on the dryer side than normal, but given that most people only wash 1-2 times a week on this “diet”, I guess that makes sense.  Also, today it rained, which generally means that by the time I make it to the city on BART, my hair is no longer smooth and straight like it was when I left the house; it’s a little frizzy and wavy in spots (thanks, humidity).  However, today my hair stayed beautifully straight and smooth all day.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.  I guess I’ll have to continue with the challenge and see.

Going "Natural"

Go for 30: The “No ‘Poo” Challenge/Going “Natural”

Given that this is my first post, I guess I should explain what it is I’m doing here (on this blog, on this earth…we’ll see what happens).  I started this blog mainly to follow up on a 30 day challenge I recently imposed on myself — no shampoo or conditioner. After the 30 days, we’ll see what happens; maybe the blog will continue, maybe it won’t.  I hope to keep people on the edge of their seats in suspense.  I think it’s working already.

So back to the challenge: yes, I live in the Bay Area; no, I am not becoming a dirty hippie.  This whole thing stemmed from a conversation with my sister, Alexis (ever the tree-hugging environmentalist), who told me about people choosing to go shampoo and conditioner free, or “no ‘poo.”  I didn’t coin the term; and yes, it’s both disgusting and hilarious.  Anyway, after the “no ‘poo” convo with my sister, I did some research and decided to try it for myself.

First of all, the why’s and wherefore’s.  On a larger scale, using shampoo and conditioner is (of course) harmful to the environment — all the chemicals going down the drain every week, all the plastic bottles, and on and on.  I’m attempting to save the planet one shampoo bottle at a time.  On a medium scale, going “natural” is supposedly better for your hair than loading it up with sulfates and product everyday.  We’ll see how this pans out over the 30 days.  And finally, the small scale.  I decided to do this personally for two reasons: A. I have recently decided my hair sucks and doesn’t behave as I would like, so I feel I have little to lose trying to go ‘poo-free for 30 days (I know, it doesn’t get any less funny no matter how you say it) and B. as you may have noticed from the blog’s tagline, I am currently unemployed and want to see if this whole thing pans out for purely economic reasons.

Ok, on to the how’s.  How exactly do you go without shampoo and conditioner?  Rinse with water and hope for the best?  Cross your fingers that your friends will dig your new dreadlocked look?  Well, that’s an option…but, no.  There are a number of natural recipes out there for shampoo and conditioner; I decided to go with the popular choices: baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

To cleanse, I wet my hair thouroughly, then pour a mixture of 1 tbsp. baking soda and 1 cup water over my hair.  I comb this through for about a minute, then rinse well.  To condition, I pour a mixture of 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar and 1 cup water over my hair, comb through, and rinse.  These are the basic recipes.  You can add things to the conditioning mix if you like. According to others, the juice of half a lemon adds shine, a sprig of rosemary and a bag of chamomile tea steeped in the mix helps take away the vinegar smell in the shower.

You can find detailed information on the vinegar rinse and options here.

To begin, I’ll post a picture of my hair pre-challenge to give everybody a jumping off point.  Depending on how on top of things I am, I will hopefully post subsequent pictures of my hair throughout the challenge so you can all see how it’s going (and not just take my word on things).

So here we go, my hair + shampoo + conditioner + product + heat styling (my usual M.O.) + scenery + wine…:

No I don’t generally pose for glamour shots which display my stunning tresses like this; KC happened to take this candid while we were wine tasting in Napa (thus the beautiful scenery behind me and the glass of red in front of me).  And by wine tasting, I mean wine drinking.  Let’s just call a spade a spade shall we?  Anyway, it’s the best shot of my hair I could find, so lay off.