Ditching Shampoo for the “No Poo” Lifestyle: Less Chemicals, Less Trash, Healthier Hair

For many, the idea of ditching shampoo sounds disgusting, a recipe for greasy hair full of gunk and perhaps a funky smell to go along with it. To others, however, the “no poo” lifestyle has become a real deal thing. And, the latter group might have some ideas worth considering.

Even those who still use shampoo and have no intention of ditching are aware that many have chemicals we are better off avoiding and the environmental costs that come with shampoo. Some folks have even gone far enough to buy special, cleaner, greener shampoos or to make shampoo at home.

Then, there’s using no shampoo at all, and all sorts of questions and thoughts spring to mind. How does your hair get clean? Are we using shampoo for a reason? Does your hair stink? What about removing my styling products? It seems questionable at best.

But, many of these questions have answers, and those who are going “no poo” have their reasons.

Source: The Doctors/YouTube

Getting Your Hair Clean

In reality, using a bunch of products in our hair, including shampoo, doesn’t get it clean. It douses it in chemicals. We have just been conditioned (no pun intended) to think that a particular smell and feel is clean, much like using toxic chemicals to clean our homes.

While there is a transition period when hair can get a bit oily, this goes away as the body rediscovers the balance it needs. Using styling products and shampoos makes our bodies produce more oil than is necessary because these products strip them of their natural oil. It takes a couple of weeks to a month to find the natural balance.

After that, your hair will begin to feel and look better and better. In the meantime, rinse it often, even using a bit of apple cider vinegar to help condition it. Ditching all those styling products is probably a good idea, too.

Will Your Hair Smell?

Again, this is a relative term. “No poo” hair does have a natural odor, which is not necessarily bad but also not perfumed. The perfumed aroma shampoos provide often arise from artificial fragrances that have their own smell.

Essentially, “no poo” hair has no strong smell, which might translate to some as not smelling great. If having some sort of scent in your hair seems important, it’s possible to choose an essential oil like lavender or mint and diluted it with some water before applying it.

And, in reality, that bit of water will be all that’s necessary for styling. Our hair naturally gets into pleasing positions when we don’t abuse it. So, we don’t need to rely on other smelly products to make it look nice. Work with what you’ve got!

Some Other Big Reasons

If personal health is enough reason for ditching shampoo, there is more logic behind it. Shampoo isn’t a great thing for the environment, and it’s a constant drain on the pocketbook.

In addition to creating a bunch of plastic trash with every bottle sold, shampoo means we are putting a lot of chemicals into the water and on our bodies. many shampoos have known carcinogens and neurotoxins on the ingredient list. How wants to massage that into their scalp?

If a person uses a bottle of shampoo a month, and they go for quality shampoo, the cost of that can easily get up to hundreds of dollars a year. And, of course, cheaper shampoo likely means more chemicals. All that cash and we don’t need it. The shampoo is causing our hair to be out of whack, not making it healthier.

Source: Johnny Harris/YouTube

Making the Choice

Maybe shampoo is something important to you. Folks with curly hair or thin hair sometimes need a bit of assistance. In that case, maybe it’s worth looking into natural, DIY alternatives that are less expensive, more environmentally friendly, and better for your hair.

We make choices like these— using shampoo— daily, and sometimes they are so engrained doing otherwise seems absurd. But, as we shake off the fog of blind consumerism and planetary abuse, we must question things a little.

“No poo” living was the standard before 1930. Imagine how much less waste we create if we stepped back in time a little and did things more naturally.

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• How to Make Shampoo Out of Avocado Seeds

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