Children Teaching Mama Is Going Poo-Free (Shampoo, That Is!)

When I first started blogging over 2 years ago now, I read a post about going poo-free and was absolutely amazed. I'd thought about doing it, but got side-tracked. Now, I think, is the time! What exactly does this mean? Well, shampoos are not necessary for cleaning your hair thoroughly and they often include ingredients that damage your hair each time you wash, which really just defeats the purpose.

Why Go Poo-Free?

• You wouldn't think to use detergent to wash your hair, but they are basically the same thing and often contain similar ingredients. They can be harsh, especially those containing sulphates.
• Shampoos often contain SLS and SLFS (sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate). These are skin and eye irrantants, so why would we want to willingly put these on our body? Not only can SLS and SLFS strip your hair of the natural oils and damage it beyond repair, these ingredients have been suggested to harm children's eye-sight. 
• Better for the environment! You buy less and less waste is created. Plus, less toxins are released.
• You can save so much money.

My Thoughts

Mama Chocolate recently blogged about going Poo-Free and I've decided to tag along. Since last year, I have decreased washing my hair to only 2x a week to help save money and water. I haven't noticed anything different accept that my hair is shinier, healthier. We've made our own soaps before with castille soap and even tried this as shampoo, but our hair was left tangled and rough feeling. So, this time we are going all out. I may try some shampoo recipes I've found, but here's how you go poo-free...

How To Wash Hair Without Shampoo

The easiest way to go no-poo is to use baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The baking soda is great for oily hair and helps get out the dirt and grime as well. It also works as a deodorizer and polisher. Mix it with 1-2 cups of water. Some people just put a bit of baking soda in their hand and mix with water while in the shower before applying to hair. Just try a few different methods and see which works for you. Afterwards, use the apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon per cup of water). You don't have to use the vinegar after every wash. Again, it's personal preference! Apple cider vinegar has many great properties from being an antiseptic to helping increase circulation. I've even used it for heartburn. We always have apple cider vinegar around.

You may think the apple cider smells so strongly that your hair will stink after this, but it really doesn't! Instead,  your hair just comes out smelling clean. I love the smell of clean, like when using Charlie's Soap to clean clothes. It's a wonderful, natural scent.

Other alternatives:
There are also other herbs and ingredients you can add to your own poo recipe for different types of hair, including honey, lemon, rosemary leaves, etc. We'll be experimenting with several of these, including trying to make our own "Shampoothies". Those posts will be coming soon!!

Are you poo-free? Have you considered going poo-free?