No 'poo: Who's with me? I can't hear yooou...

[ImNotAnsweringIt]

anyone want to try it with me? Read about it on here, did a bit of googling and am going to try it, unless anyone wants to talk me out of it. Please? Just 'washed' hair in baking soda, 'conditioned' with apple cider vinegar. I smell like a chip shop on day 1!

Anyone want to share experiences of trying this?

I invested in some no-sulphate, no-silicone shampoo and conditioner last week. Bad move. My hair was like straw afterwards. So I'm considering no 'poo instead.
Apart from the delicious scent , how does your hair feel?

I do the CG no-poo/low-poo method but have never used baking soda or vinegar!

I wash with Original Source mint conditioner (scrub really well into roots) or, if especially grubby, one of the Body Shop rainforest range shampoos then condition with Original Source white pear conditioner. Boots pink curl creme, let dry naturally wherever possible, gently diffuse otherwise.

Feels a bit dirty actually. And a bit too short to actually sniff so just a dubious smell I am not sure how strong to others! All the stuff I have read says baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Can you wash with conditioner then? That sounds preferable. I have never found a shampoo which makes my hair nice so keen to try going without. Will see how it dries though, before comitting!

Toboldlygo, how long did it take to make a difference? And how much difference does it make? Presumably you are a curly girl?

I noticed a difference from the first wash to be honest, hair was softer and more manageable/less flyaway. My scalp did feel a bit greasy until I realised that you have to really rub at the roots if co-washing, it needs the mechanical action to shift the dirt and grease.

Yes you can wash with any silicone-free conditioner, Original Source works for me and is cheap (often available in pound shops), again the Body Shop range is good too. I like the minty one for 'washing' as it feels very cleansing and tingly.

My hair is quite fine but lots of it, straight from crown to about ear level and then very mixed waves to corkscrew curls at the ends, an odd mix and long too, about bra strap level when dry. Standard shampoo and especially any attempt to brush or comb it leaves me looking like an early Hermione Granger.

Ooh, that sounds promising, will try it.
I just googled it and discovered that the person who invented the method did suggest using baking soda,and the vinegar is needed to neutralise it.

Also discovered that Creme of Nature shampoo was sulphate-free. I used that in the past but haven't seen it for years and now they've changed the formula.

No 'poo doesn't need to mean ACV and baking soda. I do conditioner washing with a silicone-free conditioner, Garnier Fructis strength and shine. Make sure you leave it on for 10 minutes, as the surfacants in conditioner clean the hair nicely but it does take a bit longer :) Dilute it too to make it easier to work into your roots. Make sure you use a conditioner that is silicone and mineral oil-free.

I clarify with a SLS-free diluted shampoo every 4th or 5th wash or so. Using shampoo, my hair was really greasy the next day. With the conditioner-only method my hair is not noticeably greasy until about day 4 after washing. Love this method!

Oooohhh. This sounds interesting!!

I have very fine bra strap length hair but struggle with reactions to sls. I read about the baking soda version but decided I wasn't brave enough.

Need to know more about this conditioner version please.

So I can use any silicon free conditioner? What else do I need to know??

I do no-poo (well actually low-poo, as I have fine hair) every so often and quite like it. Gives me much better curls but as I have fine hair, it does make it feel oily even with finger scrubbing and the occasional deep clean :( So I give up and go back to normal shampoo and conditioner only to have dry, limp curls. I can't win! But I definitely recommend giving it a go anyone who is interested.

Remember to check ALL hair products for silicones as they can build up without sulfates to remove them.

Oh - I'm game but need to know more. Had thick, wavy/curly hair pre-DS but is now totally unpredictable! Where do I start/read up more?

I stuggled with SLS allergy for years before realising it was my shampoo! Now I have ditched it I have nicer hair and happy skin :)

I found out about it here: forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=18

I learned everything I needed to know about CO in this thread: forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898

Aaah. Thank you both!

I am going to give this a try. Bit nervous but am hoping for beautiful hair.

Well, hair looks, err, ok today. I am off out to get some OS mint conditioner as mentioned above and will wash with that. I don't see it as giving up, more adapting original plan. Do I need to wash my hair in a clarifying shampoo before trying this, or will all the silicones and crap come out over time by no longer using them?

Brilliant! Shall read the links and make the necessary purchases on Monday.. Bet you my hair suddenly starts looking fabulous tomorrow.

There are amazing before-and-after photos here. The whole site is dedicated to curlies who have gone no- or low 'poo, I think.
Bad news is that it can take months to take full effect.

That CO thread has made me change my mind lots of times! So many different experiences and POV's. I'd like to try CO, think I'll start by washing with cond then doing a weekly/fortnightly wash with shampoo. Will see how that goes...

What are others planning?

the thing with conditioner wasshing is it's not an exact science, and more work than the traditional shampoo-and-condish routine. Lots of faff, lots experimenting with many different conditioners, with loads a few bad hair days until you get it right! But then you hit on the perfect conditioner, your hair is soft, shiny and clean, and it has paid off :)

I used to have to wash my hair every day and straighten it to within an inch of its life, and try every product going to try and get some shine. Now, with no 'poo and no blow drying, my hair has the most magnificent shine, waviness and softness and only needs washed every 4 days, with no oil slicks. All the faff is SO worth it!

Okay! Just finished reading this and now itching to go. Going to try the original conditioners mentioned and the boots curl stuff. Any suggestions for a shampoo to kick start the process?

So....yesterday afternoon I used a no-silicone, no-sulphate shampoo and conditioner (L'Oreal EverSleek).
Then mixed Fructis no-silicone conditioner with gel, finger-combed it through my hair and plopped for about 20 mins. Used a lot of conditioner because I had no idea how much I needed but suspected my hair was dying for moisture. (Plopping is the awful word for turning your head upside down and then wrapping it in an old T-shirt or microfibre cloth to get the water pout, instead of using a normal towel.)
When I took off the T-shirt I already had very defined curls. Left it to air-dry and it came out great, lots of corkscrew curls and very little frizz.
Then I pineappled for the night! That is, put hair in a v loose ponytail right on the top of my head so I wouldn't be sleeping on the curls.
Still looks brilliant, lots of bouncy curls this morning and even a bit of shine, which I never have.
Still a work in progress, but I am now a low 'poo/curly girls convert!

I did a wash last night. Waiting to get some no silicone conditioner so I made use of what I had. Hair is thick, dry and curly. Now feels soft and v bouncy curls rather than limp
What is best to use conditioner wise if I am going to Tesco this week to get some?

I started this yesterday after doing a lot of reading about the curly girl no-poo method, both on here and on the British curlies website.

I've had shortish highlighted hair most of my life. As a teenager it was very short and spiky. I grew it to shoulder length once or twice but it was always very frizzy and I mostly tied it up. A few yrs ago I discovered ghds and have been straightening it ever since. It's now shoulder length again and I'd like to grow it longer but the washing (daily mostly) and straightening is taking ages and wrecking the condition.

I always knew it was capable of curling as it's quite thick and malleable so thought I'd give this a try. Previously if I left it to dry naturally it would go curly-ish but very frizzy.

So I gave it a final wash in a sulphate shampoo yesterday (recommended to clear out any silicones that have built up) and then conditioned with Original Source mint conditioner (no more silicones from now on) I then put some l'Oreal Elvive intense conditioner on for 5 mins -, the one in the big pink round tub. I washed it out but left a little bit in on the ends. With wet hair I then worked in some Umberto Gianni Flirty curls scrunching jelly (bright pink tube) and then plopped the whole lot inside an old pillow case and tied it up like a turban for half an hr. A normal towel will make it frizz so you need a pillow case or old tshirt.

I took that off and then literally just left it to dry. And I has the MOST amazing curls I've ever seen! I couldn't actually believe what I was seeing, I can't stop looking at them And this is after just one wash and I haven't even stopped using shampoo yet so I can't wait to see what it looks like in a few weeks! The difference is truly amazing. If anything it's a bit too big but I can see that the frizz is massively reduced already and can work on the bigness.

I wish I'd known all this years ago as I think I may have been hiding lovely curls all my life.

Just to check bigfatgypsy - was it a non-sulphate shampoo? Planning to buy all the necessaries tomorrow. Have high hopes!

Sorry no my final wash was with a sulphate shampoo but that's the last time I'm using a shampoo at all now. You need the final sulphate wash to clean out any silicones or other nasties that have built up from your previous conditioners so you start with a clean slate.

I then used a non-silicone conditioner to 'condition' this time but from now on will use that same conditioner to 'wash' the hair. No shampoo at all. So there will be no silicone build-up from the conditioner and therefore no need to use any harsh sulphate shampoos to get it out (get me? )

brighthair, you need to use shampoo and/or conditioner that doesn't contain silicone or sulphates. If in doubt check the list of ingredients and don't buy one that contains anything ending in -cone or sodium laureth sulphate.
I think the Herbal Essences and Suave conditioners qualify and Tresemme as well, but you can google it, there are some complete lists online.

Now am confused! I read this and it says the first cleanse should be with a non-sulphate shampoo (which it turns out mine is, by complete and utter coincidence..). Hmmm [hconfused]