Alrighty, it’s been about a month since I started this no ‘poo thing and it’s time for an update.  First off, this week I went rogue.  We had some family pictures done and since I’ve been feeling pretty haggard (and subsequently look the way I feel), I decided to get a haircut because my hairdresser can do things with a brush and a blow dryer that I can only dream of doing.  Anyhoo, she used regular ol’ shampoo and conditioner and I didn’t stop her.  We discussed the merits of no ‘poo and she wasn’t really all that familiar with it but agreed that there really was no downside to no ‘poo UNLESS I used a lot of hair products to style my hair.  If this was the case, she thought that something stronger than baking soda should be used.

I also went to my cousin’s wedding reception and his sister’s baby shower.  Because my hair dresser had used some product to give my hair some lift, I wanted to make sure it was all washed out of my hair so I used shampoo and conditioner again.

Having gone no ‘poo and then back again, I’ve realized that I kind of like the no ‘poo thing.  I’ve noticed that my hair flattens out faster and with far less heat when I use a flat iron than it did when I was using shampoo.  It looks a lot better straightened, too.  Also like that I now know what my natural wave is like with no product in it at all.  I can actually get a decent looking head of hair when I let it air dry now.  Not perfect, but good enough that I don’t feel like I need to put it up in a ponytail.  It feels clean, too, which surprised me.  Also, I think this might be due to using shampoo for two days – my head has been itchier than it’s been in a LONG time.  Kind of miserable, actually.  I’m hoping those two shampoos didn’t cause my head to reset and now I’m starting from scratch.  I do kind of miss the simplicity of shampoo though.  Just a squirt in my palm, work up a nice lather, and rinse.  With the baking soda, I’m always wondering if I got everything as clean as I want.  Not as easy.  I’m sticking with it, though, for now.  I do want to do some more research on what to use for a conditioner.  I seems to me that the acidity in the vinegar would strip my hair more than condition it.  We’ll see.  Will keep you posted!