So by now, you've probably heard about "no-poo." Or perhaps you haven't. No, "no-poo" isn't about abstaining from taking a crap. "No-poo"is a collective term for methods of washing hair with no commercial shampoo, according to Wikipedia. I guess I'm kind of on a track to being a "crunchy granola" hippy, although I'm sure there are many that would disagree with my definition of hippy.
In college, I had an amazing Women's Studies professor who told us all about how every time you shampoo your hair, or put on deodorant, or lather up shave gel, you are putting chemicals in contact with your skin. Your skin is the largest organ you have and will transfer chemicals into your body.
Then I went to a "Arbonne Party," A.K.A. a gathering where someone tries to sell you a bunch of natural makeup and skin care products, and they were talking about the ingredients in skin care products and how most are petroleum based or have other chemicals in them. Then I read the following paragraphs from in "What's in this stuff?" :
Many of us rely on the fact that the chemicals we use every day have been fully tested and found to be safe for humans. But the reality is that there are about 70,000 chemicals currently in use, with 1,000 new chemicals coming on the market each year. There are no basic safety data for over 43% of all chemicals in use today, and full safety information is available for only 7%. Among the compounds commonly used in household products [shampoo, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, etc.], there are full safety data for only a quarter of them.
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Nowadays, we ingest dozens of harmful and largely unevaluated chemicals when we eat conventionally grown produce; fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides all combine to make so-called fresh food a significant source of poisons. When we eat conventionally reared meats, we are ingesting growth hormones and a myriad of just-in-case medications given to conventionally farmed animals -- not to mention the pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and fungicides contained in their feed.
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In addition, when manufacturers try to reassure us that potentially harmful chemicals are used only in small amounts in their products, they are glossing over some relevant facts. Each day, we are exposed to many different chemicals. For example, we don't just use a shampoo once in our lives; we use it regularly sometimes daily, and we use it in hot showers and baths, so that the chemicals become vaporized and are absorbed in greater quantities into our bloodstream.
Then I spoke with a couple people at an "Eco-Judaism" retreat about no-poo. They said it was really easy. You just don't use shampoo. You can use apple cider vinegar to condition your hair. You can use a mix of water and baking soda, if your hair becomes greasy. Everyone has their own way of doing it. So I figured I'd give it a whirl.
I have greasy hair, but I also have TERRIBLE psoriasis on my scalp. So I started out by using a mix of water and baking soda to wash my hair and then conditioning it with apple cider vinegar -- every day. Through the last few years I've been on again, off again of the no-poo thing, but recently, I've been on it. Instead of washing it every day like before, I'll shower but just rinse my hair with only water. Then a few days a week I'll drizzle my wet hair with apple cider vinegar, then rinse it out with water.
I love the way my hair feels. I love that I'm not adding additional chemicals to my body. I love that it is very inexpensive. I love that my psoriasis is much less prevalent.
If you're interested, here are some more websites with info on "no-poo."
"No-Poo" Livejournal Board
Green Upgrader
MSNBC
Naturally Curly: The Curly Girl Method
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