Shampoo Free

Shampoo Free Hair for 3 years – If you can’t eat it, don’t wash with it!

13 April, 2015

Oh, I had a lovely Saturday. I was at an environmental expo with my new workshop Happy Hair / Healthy Planet and basically spent the afternoon with a load of strangers feeling up my head, sticking their noses in my scalp and running their fingers through my locks. Oh yes! Surely if there is anything that can prove going Shampoo Free can give you healthy, shiny tresses it is getting up close and personal! I was pretty stoked that people actually went away and bought my ebook after rubbing my head like a genie – I have been selling stacks of them all weekend. YES!

Whilst cramming for my workshop I went even deeper into the chemicals present in our shampoo bottles and once again I was blown away by the fact that people wash in this unregulated carcinogenic concoction on a regular basis. If only people KNEW! And if only people realised they could stick those nasties in the bin, replace it with something from their kitchen and actually have BETTER, far, far, BETTER hair!

Well, I am on a mission now people>>>

Happy Hair/ Healthy Planet- on tour in the UK, NZ and USA!
I love writing, but I also love communicating face to face. Since finishing up my campaigning job with Oxfam, one of the things I have missed is the stream of workshops and presentations. I love meeting people and talking about stuff I am passionate about. So, why not start doing this with Happy Hair? My presentation involves looking inside the average shampoo bottle, all the alternatives, and the place of the No Poo movement within the wider, global environmental movement.

Happy Hair/ Healthy Planet will be on tour around NZ, the UK (in July, hoorah!) and San Francisco over the summer months.

Do you run an environmental centre or are you part of a group (such as W.I) that wants to host a workshop like this? I would love to work with you! Alternatively, please pass this on to any connections you have in those worlds! Get in touch through lulasticblog@gmail.comNoPoo hair
My Six Weekly Hair Cycle
I have been No-Poo for THREE years now- can you believe it? And I think I’ve just entered a new stage of lovely locks. (When I say “lovely” I mean “recently hacked at by  a massive pair of sewing scissors and unbrushed”)

I’ve begun doing a regular avocado or hot oil treatment and I think it has given my hair the gloss and softness that I realise I have been missing for a while. I realise I am in a sort of six weekly rhythm. I’ve come to believe that hair thrives when we mix it up and use a variety of ingredients.

Week 1 – Henna. Henna gives my hair a good old nourish and deep clean. I pack it on, stick a plastic bag on my head, followed by a scarf and then wander around for the afternoon acting as if I don’t look absolutely bonkers. I wash it out four hours later with cold water.

Ten days later….

1 tsp of baking soda in a cup of water, rinsed out with 1 tsp of ACV in a cup of water.

Ten days later….

I squish an avocado on my head and leave it for an hour. Then I rinse that out and slather an egg yolk on my head for 3 minutes- the only thing really effective at getting the avo oils out. Hair after this session is shiny-glorious-gloss-balls.

Ten days later….

A tsp of bentonite clay in a cup of water sloshed on and rinsed off, followed by a herb (lemonbalm or rosemary) rinse.

Ten days later…

We are back to the Henna and my six weekly rhythm pings on again.

NoPoo on Hippyshake TV
I thought I’d do a little Youtube about our family’s motto “If you can’t eat it, don’t wash with it!” but it sort of ended up as a bit of a farce when Juno started putting herbs in her ears. Anyway, here it is. You’ll probably die, crunching out to that wee lass and her determination with that lemonbalm.

PS I got this comment from a hairdresser about my ebook, how cool is that?! “Iā€™m a hairdresser and I have tried everything to make my hair grow and be shiny and healthy, every product under the sun! Iā€™m on holiday at the moment and my hair was duller and more brittle than ever! The only things from the book I had to hand was lemon juice and eggs, tried it and can’t believe how shiny and soft it feels from one wash and got rid of the grease build up! I am definitely going shampoo and conditioner free and will tell all my clients with the same problem about your book!”

Join the people discovering beautiful hair and lessening their environmental impact with help from Happy Hair – the definitive guide to giving up shampoo.

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  • Vicki 13 April, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    I too have not used shampoo in almost 3 years and have used the baking soda/apple cider vinegar for the whole time. I only wash my hair every 3rd or so day and unlike before in my shampoo days it would get oily-ish way quicker than it does now. It is not dry, it is just not oily or gross. I have read the gazillion bloggers and commenters out there who use this method and find such a cross section of opinions about whether it works. There are definite naysayers. For me I will say it does work, I will often use a coconut oil condition every couple of weeks and my hair feels awesome. The environmental factors and the not testing on animals are a huge factor as is the cost factor which is low compared to any “decent” shampoo on the market. The biggest part of this method of hair washing for me is the non-attachment to a brand of shampoo or corporate marketing…baking soda is baking soda and ACV ( with the mother) is just that. Congrats on your achievements in highlighting an alternative way to wash hair and good luck with the touring šŸ™‚

  • Jill 13 April, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Cracking up!! If you can’t eat it, don’t wash with it. If you can eat it, then bloody well stick it in your ears!!!

  • Jo 13 April, 2015 at 9:35 pm

    Best. Video. Ever.

  • Rachel 14 April, 2015 at 1:40 am

    I love this idea and have tried it a bit for myself, but need some help. My daughter has a TON of fine curly hair that dreads after a few days. Do you have any suggestions for doing this with hair that can only be brushed with a ton of conditioner and snarls so much?

    • ThaliaKR 14 April, 2015 at 10:28 pm

      Sorry, I meant to reply to your question, Rachel, but I misjudged the angle and it’s down below under Cecelia’s comment…

    • Anemone 15 April, 2015 at 12:23 am

      I haven’t used shampoo in 10+ years, though I do use conditioner without silicone. I’ve got curly hair, and have since I was a child. I have yet to find a non-commercial product that will keep my curls in anything remotely reasonable shape. It seems that conditioner is harder to replace? Avocado, honey, etc just don’t cut it and are very expensive in my area.

      When my brothers had lice as children the whole family did soaks with mayonnaise and that actually was really good for my hair but not practical long-term. I don’t get oily for weeks, but it’ll go dry and frizzy in a heartbeat.

  • Cecelia 14 April, 2015 at 1:52 am

    I’ve not used anything on my little girl’s hair either – now for 4 and 1/2 years.
    Never deliberately set out that way…just never got to the point where I felt she really needed it. Apart from a water wash sometimes.
    I do notice that her hair gets greasier if she’s ill, or not had enough sleep, but then a good night’s sleep…and it’s back to all shiny and soft. Just by itself. Seems to self regulate and do it’s own thing.

  • Pam 14 April, 2015 at 5:29 am

    Hi Lucy, who do you dye your hair with henna? I want to use it on mine too, but I wish it would look more like cooper and not so much of a bright red, how can one achieve that result, can you give me some tips please? Thanks a lot!

  • Karen 14 April, 2015 at 6:56 am

    Hello Lucy!
    What type of henna do you use?
    Thanks!

  • ThaliaKR 14 April, 2015 at 10:24 pm

    JUNO! You are such a winner!

  • Anemone 15 April, 2015 at 12:25 am

    I think Juno needs her own channel…lemonbalm in the ears was brilliant. I also noticed that I would have instinctively told her not to do that, since I was definitely not brought up with notions of child autonomy. Now I am sitting wondering why I would tell my child not to put herbs in his/her ears…and what could it really hurt? The only thing I can think is if a little bit stayed in her ears, since I was also told ENDLESSLY as a child not to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. This blog may be very good for my future children’s independence!

    • Lucy 15 April, 2015 at 9:31 am

      *high fives*

  • Mammasaurus 16 April, 2015 at 10:37 am

    Juno – LEGEND!
    Would LOVE to come along and see you in the UK, I’m stuck in a real shampoo and conditioner cycle of washing with both every other day and I realise that the products are causing the ‘problems’ that make me want to wash my hair more and yet feel stuck in a rut and unconfident to make the move to not using anything!

  • Silvia 8 May, 2015 at 8:57 am

    Hi Lucy!!I have your NoPoo guide and I’m in mi 21 day,yeah!! I have a question, after the firsts 50 days, which is the frequency to use bicarbonate for wash my hair?
    thanks for share!!
    Silvia.

    • Lucy 8 May, 2015 at 10:27 am

      As you know, every head of hair is different…. but after about 50 days I would hope to be doing an alternative wash every 5-7 days…. but if you have thick/ curly hair you could be going much longer! DO try some of the alternatives in the book though – you might find your hair takes to it very well! xx

  • julia 10 June, 2015 at 11:14 am

    Hi Lucy! what kind of bentonite do you use? I’ve just started this journey – day 6 but are anxious to see the results šŸ™‚

    also, what do you mix your henna with? I’ve read that for red it might be better to use aceto/lemon juice or yoghurt. do you prefer any of these? do you use something else?

    thanks!

  • Anine 17 January, 2018 at 10:29 pm

    Hi Lucy.
    First I want to thank you for your blog. It has some very inspiering reading.
    I have now been nopoo for a year and want to start hennaing my hair. So I wonder; Do you wash your hair eg. with yolk before dying it with henna?

    • Lucy 23 January, 2018 at 1:05 pm

      Nope, I just go straight in with the henna, I treat it as a wash šŸ˜€

  • Brenda Voeller 29 April, 2019 at 11:51 am

    Hi, Lucy. What would you suggest for someone swimming in a chlorinated pool? And the ocean. Thanks! Brenda in San Juan, Puerto Rico