No 'Poo Part 4: Update

Want to start at the beginning?
No 'Poo Part 1: The Journey
No 'Poo Part 2: The Experiment
No 'Poo Part 3: Switching to Low Poo

Someone commented on my hair today and it reminded me that I hadn't done an update in a while. Let's see, when we left off I was doing a low 'poo method of baking soda, water, and castille soap.

In September of 2013 (4 months into the experiment) my hair was acting funky again. I was using the same concoction but I never knew if it was going to be a good hair day or a bad hair day. It varied so much and I couldn't figure it out. The uncertainty was really frustrating. I was getting ready to leave for a 6-day work trip and started panicking about what to do. I am an event planner who would be hosting our big, annual conference. I needed awesome hair every day, no exceptions.

At this point, I purchased a sulfate, phthalates and paraban-free shampoo. We were already using this brand for my daughter so I felt comfortable with using it myself. I used a quarter-sized amount to wash my hair every other day during the show. Once home, I attempted to return to my old low 'poo method but became frustrated with the uncertainly again.

At this point, I finally got brave enough to try what I've wanted to do from the beginning... water only. With this method, you don't use anything on your hair other than plan ole H2O. I hear that it takes about 2 weeks for your hair to normalize especially if you have already been doing no 'poo or low 'poo regimens. Four weeks later, my hair was still wasn't adjusted even to the point where my hubby made a comment about it. That's the day that I threw in the towel. 

Here is my current regimen. Basically, I take an old shampoo bottle and fill it up with water (about 10 ounces). Then, I put in a quick squirt of the Alba Botanicals shampoo. I shake that up and use that mixture to wash my hair. Each fill of the bottle lasts me about a week (3 washes).  It's pretty much super-diluted, natural shampoo. I use about a dime-sized drop of Alba Botanicals conditioner on the ends of my hair and rinse out at the end of each wash.

Technically, what I'm doing now is still considered low 'poo. I've been on this regimen since December (about 3 months) and haven't had a single issue. Plus, it's just as inexpensive as the baking soda/vinegar method, or maybe even less. I'm still using the very 1st bottle I bought 5 months ago. Considering that I got a compliment on my hair today, I'd say it's working out pretty good. Ideally, I'd like to find the minimum amount of shampoo my hair really needs and/or be able to push back my wash days to every 4th day.

I really wanted no 'poo to work for me. Heck, I still REALLY want the water-only method to work for me. How convenient and easy would that be? But, alas, neither has worked out so far. At this point, I think I've tried every natural hair washing technique aside from CO (conditioner only). Maybe I'll give that a go next time. ;)