45 Day Experiment with No-Shampoo results ; With Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar - PART 1

Hello everyone! 

If you do follow me on my Instagram, you would know that I chose to quit using shampoo and conditioner around 45 days back. Read on to see what I feel about this experiment.. And what I do instead to keep my scalp and hair clean. It's not been a considerable amount of time - and thus I am flexible with whatever my scalp asks for - so there is no sure shot conclusion here yet. 

If you want to give this method a shot - please please do remember, everybody's body, skin, scalp is different and different things may work for different people. This is only me documenting my own experience and figuring what is working for me. I would suggest you listen carefully to your body and how it reacts to the different methods used to clean the scalp.

How the idea came about.. 

Sometime last month while having a general conversation with my brother, I laughingly pointed out that considering we came out of the same gene set, it was crazy how he has such beautiful thick and shiny hair, while mine looked more like a dry hay stack - while I evidently took more care of them - using various shampoos & conditioners, switching brands, oiling my hair once a week, rinsing them with cold water - all that fancy stuff. And I vividly remember him saying 'Maybe that's just what the difference is..' . Maybe I was doing just too much. While he was letting his scalp do what it had to and is meant to.. 

Why I chose to quit using shampoo..

The last 6-7 years I have had a massive hair fall problem. My mum would know when I visited their place in their absence seeing my fallen hair everywhere. The floor at my place was full! Sometimes I would look at the quantity of hair being swept away and wonder how I even still had hair on my head. Not an exaggeration, I swear. The washroom drain, the hair brush, areas under furniture, my bedside, the dustbins, my clothes - I was leaving behind more hair than my dog, Donut, leaving behind his fur. I sure write about this and speak about it with a hint of humor, but it ached to see so much hair fall.

Also, I happened to read up on the ingredients present in shampoos - and what surprised me was how 95% of the top brands - whether they claim to be gentle on the hair / herbal / for damaged hair or not - they all contained sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. You can do your share of reading up to see how these chemicals dry out the scalp and hair. 

I even got frustrated and got my hair chopped off a few years back. 

Throwback to 2015, my hair was short, I loved them that way.. But I really missed my long tresses. 

So here is when the 'No-Poo' experiment began. 

Mid August 2019. I did my bit of research and dove right in. With the number of hair falling and just how dry my hair was.. It didn't hurt to try going fully natural and quitting all forms of chemicals, I thought.. 

 

1 week into the 'No-Poo Method'

I completely quit shampoo and conditioner overnight. I started on getting them used to going without hair wash - extended it from every two-three days to slowly one wash a week. In between I did rinse them with just plain warm water though. 

First and most important change - within 7 days my hair fall completely STOPPED!

I used gram flour / besan to clean my scalp  - but this didn't work for me unfortunately - it made my scalp very oily. Though I do know some people who it has worked for. 

When we quit using products - simply put, lets just say the scalp gets confused. And the scalp begins to go into an over drive mode of producing Sebum. Sebum is the natural oil our scalp and skin produces. This leads to the scalp feeling all greasy and waxy, while the hair gets dry and unruly - along with all the product build up on the scalp - for me this lasted well into week 5 of this experiment. For some others this transition period went on for 2-3 months. 

By now the crown of my head especially was just so full of waxy product build up, I could do anything to get past this stage. 

A little word of caution - try this out only if you are super patient and can manage for a few weeks looking like an attacked, ostracized crow. Lol. Here I am through that transitional phase.

About a ten days into it, I badly craved a nice shampoo, my scalp got really very waxy - i was desperate! 

I finally used baking soda and apple cider vinegar. And felt like my sins had been washed away that day I swear! Squeaky clean with smooth shiny hair.

I noticed the new 'uncolored' hair on the top of my head was so shiny and healthy. I hadn't seen them this way in a decade at least. 

3 weeks in,. With a slight blow dry on cool mode.

Next I added essential oil into my routine as I missed smelling nice. 

When I stopped shampooing - what surprised me was that the hair on it's own doesn't have any smell. So there is no bad odor as one may imagine. It's just very neutral. It smells like hair. I had never even noticed all my life that hair has a distinct smell of its own. 

This experiment began feeling worthwhile about 3-4 weeks in... I got my hands on an amazingly soothing cedar oil. After my hair wash. 

I apply just 1-2 drops of essential oil (without any carrier oil - carrier oil was making my hair feel heavy and oily) only mainly to the bottom part of my hair. 

I chose this one to start with, I already know I am trying lemongrass and lavender next! 

I will soon be 7 weeks into this experiment - and what I do notice is that the quantity, the volume of my hair has increased, my plait has gotten thicker, my scalp never gets dirty and oily like it would when I did shampoo. I can easily go a week without cleaning my hair - and they remain clean, without turning dry. 

6 weeks into it... 

So my conclusion up until now is: 

Cons: 

1. You are going to have to be veryy patient through the transitional phase. Chances are you will perpetually have messed up-unruly-wild hair for 1-3 weeks - so either plait them up, make a bun, or wear a monkey cap, or just embrace this change. 

2.  You will will will have withdrawals - I would stare at the shampoo bottle and want to quit the idea initially. Lol.. Smelling perfumey is addictive. And you will miss smelling like flowers and fruits - the typical freshness and the aroma right after you walk out of a thorough shampoo. 

3.  The PH level of your scalp will go into a mode of shock and there will be extra production of sebum, and that may make you feel like a wax factory. Only time will sort this out. For everyone it's going to be different. 

Pros: 

1. This has to be #1. I HAVE SOLVED MY HAIR FALL ISSUE. And DAMN! I am happyyy!! No hair fall whatsoever!! I have 3-7 hair fall daily. I was too excited, so I actually counted. Call me weird. Lol.

2. Saves time!  Lesser planning and time required around 'hair wash days'. Most of us girls spend some amount of time planning our shampoos around dates / meetings / holidays. All that has stopped for me. If they feel sweaty, I just rinse them under warm water and blow dry them + apply a drop of essential oil and I am good to go.

3. Saves money!  - Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar are very basic and reasonable kitchen items - even if you don't already have them - you can purchase them for a very reasonable amount and they will last you weeks if not months. 

4. Hair remains cleaner much much longer - sometimes even 10 days in the Delhi humid weather!! My hair and pillow doesn't need to be washed as frequently - they don't develop that waxy residue - I just wash them because I am mentally attuned to that routine. 

5. It's all natural! - There's no stress on which treatment and which hair spa and which hair products suit me or not. This process is all natural - and gives a chance to your head to do what's best for it. Sebum and water is really all that your hair needs to be it's best version. I like how life is uncomplicated this way. 

6. Essential oils are fun! I liked experimenting with the various essential oils and am excited to smell citrussy / fruits / floral / minty / like the mountains and alternate these - plus they relax the mind and body. And leave me smelling so natural and refreshing. 

7. Hair texture and rate of growth - I sense a major change in the last 6 weeks - the quality and quantity of my hair has improved hugely. They are never very oily or very dry. 

8. No weekly oiling routine - The sebum does the job. There are no shampoos leaching out the natural oils, and thus, I have left the weekly oiling my hair routine - apart from something applying a drop or two of coconut oil on my hair tips. This does feel very heavy sometimes though - and I am planning to try Argan Oil as an alternative. 

9. Great for the environment - no plastic bottles and extra fancy ass packaging! 

How I use Baking Soda and ACV to wash my hair :

I use 1-2 tsp of baking soda (not baking powder, a friend confused these two, so I am just mentioning to be sure! ;) .. ) in about 350-400ml of water. This will work to cleanse your scalp. Pour onto your scalp - gently massage, not too much since Baking Soda is abrasive - Rinse out well with warm water. 

Next... the conditioning part. 

I mix a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with water. Keeping the ACV : Water ratio about 1 : 4. Pour over your head. Let it seep through your strands. Keep it on for 2-3minutes and then rinse out thoroughly with cold water. 

Don't worry, you won't be smelling of vinegar - it will evaporate soon after your shower! 

Sometimes in place of baking soda I use Shikakai & Amla powder. Seems gentler on the scalp. 

I use this process once a week and plan to increase the gap further, while rinsing my hair with only water after my jogs. 

Thanks for reading! Do tell me by commenting below if you do try this method and let me know how it worked for you.