The First of My Ongoing Topics...

Hey,
I've started a couple of different projects, that I plan to be ongoing throughout the rest of the posts as long as I do them. I don't plan on dedicating another full post to this, but it will be more like updating you at the end of random posts on how I am doing.
The first is that I have started doing the "no-poo" method for my hair. The theory behind it is that by simply using baking soda as your shampoo and vinegar as your conditioner, you can completely get rid of what we consider "normal" shampoo and conditioner. Now this isn't one of my Pinterest pins, but I had seen a few similar pins about this method. I looked at them and thought that it was just for those truly odd people who needed to live off the land and blah blah blah. Then my mom was telling me her hairdresser has started doing this "no poo" method and was loving it. I figured that if a person who deals with hair on a daily basis thought it was a great idea, then maybe I should look a little more into it. So I started googling it and a few of the sites that I found were pretty vague on how this method is suppose to work and various questions that a person needs the answers to. Then I found a gold mine. This lady (http://coderedhat.com/no-poo-method/ ) has done a wonderful job explaining exactly how this works, and different ways of doing it and ways to make it work for you so you don't get discouraged by it and quit. She is truly a hair guru. I highly suggest you go check out her site because she does such a good job with it. I just want to share with you what I have tried, what I liked,  what I didn't like and keep you posted on how my hair looks ( all part of getting me to take more pictures, especially of myself).
I love my hair and everything about. It's thick and healthy and I love my natural colour ( for the most part, until those darn grey hair started popping up. But ssshh don't tell, its our lil secret). So if I have found something that will continue to keep my hair healthy and possibly even make it that much better, I'm going to give it an honest go. I will inform you that my hair colour in the pictures isn't natural, (what can I say, I'm not ready to age gracefully yet) but I think it is as close as I probably can get with a box colour. Now the hair guru I found describes two different methods of how to use the baking soda (bs). One method is to mix up a tablespoon of bs in a cup of water and pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle. From there you squirt the mixture onto your scalp and rub it in with a circular motion. You are suppose to get a slippery feeling and if you don't, then you need to add more bs. You need to make sure that you only use it on your roots and not your ends and make sure to rinse your head very well! The second method is the one I used the first time I tried this. All you do is put some bs into a small container for in the shower and when ready, scoop up about a tablespoon of bs into your hand and add just enough water to make a paste. Dump that on your head and rub in a circular pattern, let it sit for a minute or so and then wash out very very well. It was definitely an odd experience in the shower that morning. First I didn't get that wonderful sudsy feeling that I normally would get with shampoo and it felt like it took me forever ( OK  maybe an extra minute or two more then normal) to make sure all the bs was rinsed out of my hair ( every time I type bs it makes me giggle). Once it felt like I had all the bs washed out of my hair, it was time for me to move on to the "conditioning" phase. This is the part that really had me leery  Normally I use a lot of conditioner to keep my hair tangle free so how could using vinegar do the same thing? Well folks, I am a believer! You can use vinegar as conditioner and it works amazing!!! Plus it makes your hair extra shiny. Now I can hear some of you wondering what kind of drugs I am on to even think that vinegar can be used as a  conditioner, but trust me you have to try it! Don't worry though about the vinegar smell because after its rinsed out, there is zero smell! It's so simple, it's brilliant! You mix a 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a cup of water into a spray bottle and shake it like a Polaroid picture ( you must sing that like Outkast). Spray the mixture on your hair, avoiding your roots as much as possible and concentrating on your ends. Let that sit for a few minutes, and since it's getting warm out I used those minutes to shave off my insulating blanket, then rinse super good again. My hair felt really weird at this point and not even close to what I was use to, but I was still slightly optimistic that it was all going to work out. I grabbed my wide tooth comb ( very important to not use a brush when your hair is wet because it will cause even more breakage) and with my eyes shut tight against the pain I knew was coming, I started to slide my comb through my hair. I was prepared for resistance and to be hollering ouch ouch ouch but to my surprise and delight, my comb continued to slide through my hair just like it would if I had used conditioner. I am a believer!!!!!! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that she recommends using apple cider vinegar for dry/normal hair and white vinegar for oily/ normal hair. I started off using apple cider vinegar because it was in my pantry and I didn't have to go downstairs to get it.

These are my before pictures, just before i washed with no shampoo. I wanted to make sure that I kept photos so that I know for sure there is a difference. 

I am now on Day 3 of doing this method and the first two days I found my hair to be itchy and oilier then normal. I had read that you can use a combination of cornstarch and cocoa powder as a dry shampoo to help get rid of the excess oil, but I wanted to see how long I could go without using anything and without shampooing, so I didn't try it this time. I lasted two days without having to wash my hair and these are my photos before I washed my hair and afterwards. 

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I used the bs paste method again, except instead of trying to make a paste in my hand, I got another small container that I used to make the paste. It gave me a lot more control over where I put the paste. I did notice this time that while my hair was still wet, it had a waxy feeling to it, but when it dried I haven't noticed it. From what I read that seems to be pretty normal. I also didn't use any hair product this time, and it still feels weird to not use any. I asked some questions and the general consensus is that once your hair has reached " hair nirvana", you don't need to use any product. Also that it is all the silicone that is in the shampoo that makes your hair feel extra silky, therefore needing the product to help your hair hold its style. So for now I am going to resist all temptation of washing my hair with shampoos and using hair products, and hope that the end result is worth it.

I highly suggest for everyone to check it out and I will keep you posted as to how my hair journey is going.

Now its time for this tired mom to head to bed. Sweet dreams everyone!