Twelve days ago, I said I was going to ditch all the toxins and go "No Poo"

If you are interested in that post, you can read about my intentions to start the "No Poo" experience in this post. Initially, I wanted to cut off some more centimeters of my hair before starting this, as I hate the greasy hair whenever I skip a few days of washing it with shampoo. But then the hairdresser didn't have time while I already skipped several days of washing my hair. This was the actual kick-off marking my journey to lose all the toxins for my hair.

I decided that I should not only take better care of my hair (in terms of using natural products), but also slowly should seek other products to wash my body and clothes for example. Looking for another product for my laundry and body made me bump into an article about Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 soap. After reading the article, I went ahead and did some own research including watching a few review videos about Dr.Bronner's and I was convinced that my No-Poo journey would be supported by this product to (hopefully) at least give me the idea that I can clean my hair properly during the transitioning phase. I was horrified thinking about these greasy hair weeks, so the idea of having something in the house that was the closest thing to shampoo was comforting.

I ordered two bottles: baby-mild and peppermint. Peppermint, because it sounded nice and the reviews were great, the baby-mild in case I was actually going to use it for laundry, this seemed like the best option. One week of waiting before the arrival of my package, five days ago it arrived and my real journey could start.

Above you can see Dr. Bronner's bottles and one small bottle diluted (peppermint) with water, I only used a few drops in there. I use this diluted one for my face and also for my body. Let's see how these five days have been since Dr.Bronner's came into my life.

Day 1: I washed my hair with Dr.Bronner's

I started counting on the day the package with Dr.Bronners arrived, but in reality, I hadn't washed my hair in several days and I should count these as well as the transitioning phase. When my package came, I decided to use peppermint Dr.Bronner's first.

I used just a few drops on my hand (pure) and started applying it on my (very greasy) hair and itchy scalp. Honestly, this package came right in time, I couldn't have survived (lol) another day with the itching ugh. Immediately there was quite a lot of foam, and I had the idea that these drops were enough for my hair. But after not too long I noticed it felt as if the shampoo was fully absorbed by my hair (I don't know how else to describe that) and it felt super dry. I kept on massaging my scalp because I really loved the tingly feeling I got from the peppermint as my scalp had been itching for days. I seriously could have stood there for a full day enjoying the massaging of my scalp haha.

I rinsed the soap out for quite a while as it didn't really feel anything like your hair normally feels like when you rinse out the shampoo, I had no idea if it was all rinsed out. My hair felt as if I would never be able to brush through. This wasn't correct btw, although it really felt as if my hair was filled with knots, I could brush through quite easily. I made the mistake to blowdry my hair later, and after this, my hair looked as if someone had used glue in it. It also started to itch again, I assume the heat in combination with the soap (and probably the hardness of the water) was causing this. The best thing to ignore that feeling of itchiness was putting my hair in a ponytail and don't touch it. So I did, until the next evening.

Day 2: Washed it again but with some more Dr.Bronner's (probably not the best move)

I wanted to know if I should have used more soap the previous day and when I used a few more drops, I had an enormous amount of foam on my head, and the foam kept on coming while massaging it. It felt like using normal shampoo, and I actually enjoyed it. It didn't seem to be absorbed by my hair and I thought this was a good sign. Then I started rinsing it out and had the same hair as the day before.

Credit

I had cleaned my brush before getting in the shower because yesterday I was wondering if my hair started to itch because of product residue in my brush (which I should have checked before day 1, but I didn't). This time I only brushed it with my hairbrush, and then let it dry in the air instead of using the fohn.

Day 3: Only rinsed my hair thoroughly with water

When I woke up with dry hair, and brushed it, I noticed that my brush was filled with product residue and then I knew I was overusing the soap yesterday. This was not going to look pretty probably. Today was a no soap day, and I would defo stick to rinsing with water only. The funny thing is, that even though there was a lot of product residue and I overused the product, my hair felt a lot better than a week ago when I didn't wash it with anything. And also, my scalp wasn't as itchy as I expected it to get when there would be too much leftover product in my hair. I mean, looking at my brush already caused me to get itchy, but that was actually the worst part of it. Funny, right?

Day 4: Rinse, rinse, rinse! And do I see curls???

Brushing my hair still went well, it looked a bit funky and I noticed curls!!! I have straight hair, and I see some waves in my hair, could this really be happening? I read about girls having straight hair suddenly getting curls when they go no poo. I also remember people telling me (as a child) that I didn't have straight hair, while it looked straight to me. Maybe there's a curly girl inside here!!

Credit
I wish I had these curls above!

I found out at this point, that there's another product advised to use after using the soap from Dr.Bronner's. I totally missed that part, damn. A quick online search taught me that I wasn't going to find it without having to pay high shipping costs, so this made me decide that this was the time I needed to learn more about the DIY natural options to help my hair through the transitioning phase. Let's check out the options below:

Deep Conditioning

When I went to Dr. Bronner's website wondering if my hair was reacting the way it supposed to be after starting to use the Castille soap, I found a lot of great information about how to help my hair during the transitioning phase. I decided to go for (one or more) DIY method as there are quite a few guidelines and tips to try out. Every hair is different, so I have to try these options and find the best fit for my hair (which can be different in a few weeks as well).

I have bought a bunch of avocados yesterday and I think I will go for a mixture of egg yolks, avocado, and apple cider vinegar. The idea of putting this mixture in my hair is not really appealing as you can imagine, but I'm going to give it a try this weekend. My avocados aren't ripe yet, not even sure if this is needed, but in case I decide to start eating it instead, it's best to use a ripe avocado. :) (just kidding!)

DIY baking soda shampoo

Before I discovered the Dr.Bronner's product line, I thought my only go-to during the No-poo experience was going to be either baking soda and/or apple cider vinegar. I didn't look up the exact amounts I was going to need as I have both products in the house anyway, and also read that it's best to prepare fresh mixes that you use instantly rather than making in advance.

As I was now looking for the best way to help my hair (and myself haha) get through this phase, I also came back to the baking soda shampoo and it's really easy:

Mix together 1 part of baking soda with 3 to 4 parts of water. It will become a paste while mixing it and it's up to you to find the mixture and consistency you like best for your hair. This may change from time to time as well.

Scrub the paste into your hair and scalp, then leave it in there for about two minutes before rinsing it out. Now use an apple cider vinegar rinse to restore the pH balance of your hair and scalp. It will also add a nice shine to your hair!

Day 5: Another rinse-only day

Although I had planned on doing the deep conditioning today, I'm happy to say (and surprised) that my hair feels quite nice and I don't feel the urge or need to do anything about it today. I may or may not do a water rinse later when I'm heading in the shower anyway. Although I still don't have the soft wanted hair that is expected after the transitioning phase, I'm really happy with the results so far, and I'm even happier that I decided to order these products rather than only using water/baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

I will update in some days again, and also review my experiences with the deep conditioning method and baking soda shampoo.

Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave a comment :)