The No Poo Movement

It isn't what you think. It's not what I thought when I first heard it. Being a naturalist, hearing the word 'poo' I immediately think about scat, guano, droppings, pellets and other colorful expletives. But this 'poo' is a short version of shampoo. Not exactly the best name for a movement but the concept is intriguing. People who participate in the 'No Poo Movement' choose to no longer use shampoo for a variety of reasons including these:

1. HEALTH: Putting products on our scalp that contain a stew of chemicals that seep into our skin and into our bodies bothers a lot of people. Even if they have been tested, you don't always know what the long term effect is.
   
2. HAIR QUALITY: The other issue is that our scalp naturally creates oils for our hair that keep it clean and healthy and conditioned without having to dump product on it. The amount of oil produced is not a lot when it is working normally but when you stop using shampoo it takes a while for your hair follicles to return to normal. Until it gets the message that you won't be stripping all the natural oils away every day, it makes lots and lots of oils. When your hair has been 'natural' for a while your follicles stop producing the oils in mass quantities. Therefore your hair is more healthy and natural. I've read that folks think their hair is thicker, softer, grows faster, and there are less split ends when they stop using shampoo.
   
3. MONEY: If you wash your hair every day, or even three times a week, you are using a lot of a product that just gets washed down a drain. Chances are if you are thinking about doing this you might already be using something "environmentally friendly", "green" or "organic" which means you are probably spending lots more money than someone buying the budget versions of shampoo and conditioner.
   
4. ENVIRONMENT: Using less shampoo means less crap going into our water sources. Less resources being used including the plant extracts, water, and chemicals in the ingredients list. Less plastic being used and discarded to a landfill. And if enough people do this, potentially less fossil fuel being used to make and transport the product all over the country.
   

I think I am going to try this for the environmental reasons first and the money second. I want to use less stuff in my daily life. There are so many things we think we just have to have and/or use in order to live a good life and I'd like to prove the marketers wrong. Along the way I will be saving money but not really too much. I already only wash my hair about 3 times a week so a bottle of shampoo and conditioner lasts me a good while. I also haven't fallen for that "rinse and repeat" slogan.
 
So to get started I will just start using an alternative conditioner: apple cider vinegar. Rather than using traditional conditioner, I'll rinse my clean hair with watered down apple cider vinegar. I can leave it in and let it dry or rinse it with water. The smell of vinegar will only linger for about 20 minutes. If that works well, and I feel brave, I might go ahead and change my shampoo to a baking soda/water mix. Just put enough water into a couple teaspoons of baking soda until it is a paste and then massage it into your scalp. I'm on board for the vinegar rinse but not so sure about the poo alternative. I'll keep you all posted!