A Review of No 'Poo, Day Three

Today was the second time I've washed my hair using the "no 'poo" method of cleaning and de-greasing my hair.  The baking soda "wash" really does seem to work as far as cleaning, and the vinegar rinse is a very good de-tangler --- fantastic, actually -- but I've got to say the texture and feel of my hair is not nice right now.  It's kind of stiff and clumpy.  I'm honestly afraid if I keep going this way I will end up with dreadlocks, which look cute on young adults half my age, but definitely not on me.

Some of these hair problems I owe to, believe it or not, my Scots DNA.  My hair would be right at home out in the Hebrides somewhere; it's a bit thick and bushy, with lots of body and a fair amount of frizz. This is not an uncommon hair type to find in the British Isles. But all DNA aside, since giving up a store-bought conditioner, the frizz looks worse than ever, and my hair has absolutely no shine at all.  Which might be fine on the set of "Braveheart," but not here.  I'm sure its healthy, but let's face it -- healthy ain't necessarily attractive, as anyone who has stood next to someone who doesn't believe in deodorants can tell you.  So it's a dilemma.

I am going to attempt to concoct a rinse using coconut milk and maybe a little olive oil and see what it does for my hair, but if these things do not work then I'm not sure what my next step will be.  

But while I've been doing this experiment, I've read some more about the ingredients in commercial shampoos, and am even more convinced now that sulfates, salt and formaldehyde have no place whatsoever on my scalp.  I will not be going back to commercially prepared shampoo and conditioners, no matter what. So its just going to be a case of experimenting around until I find what works.  I'll keep you updated.

**Update**  Tried some pure coconut milk for a rinse this afternoon.  As a de-tangler it sucks, but as a conditioner it works very well.  Once I got the tangles out, my hair felt much better than it did when I was just using the vinegar rinse.  It's not all clumpy like it was before. Now I just need to find a homemade shampoo I like.  And finish the marmalade I started yesterday, of course.**

No 'poo here

Every homesteader eventually gets hit with the "I'm not using shampoo anymore," bug, and it's been hitting me these last few days, especially since I've decided to stop using hair color.  Why not stop with the chemical-laden shampoo as well?

So after a long day working in the orchard, late this afternoon I jumped into the shower with the aim of washing my hair without using shampoo.  I used a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of warm water, worked into my scalp well to "wash," followed by a tablespoon of cider vinegar in another cup of water to rinse.  Dried it as usual, and as of right now everything seems fine.  Smells clean, looks clean, feels clean.

I am hoping I can switch over to this 'poo-less method of cleaning my hair, but the test is going to be my scalp in a week or two.  

That's because scalp smell is not attractive, except when it's the smell of a baby's head, and then it is intoxicating, maternal Heaven.  Even when it's not your baby.  Allow a mother to get a whiff of almost any baby's head and they get this rapturous look on their faces, like they've seen a vision of Nirvana (place, not band).  But it's probably just their estrogen levels heading off the charts and into the stratosphere.  A brand new baby's scalp.  Holy moly, it is the smell of human perfection.

But I passed a woman in the supermarket the other day and could smell her scalp or hair from about two feet away, and friends let me tell you, when its an adult's head you smell, and from that far away, it's about as far from Heaven as you can get.  

And I never, never want to be that woman.  Ever. So we shall see how shampoo-less living goes.  I'll let you know.

Miss Clariol? Meet Miss Reality.

I was checking out a friend's photos on her Facebook page this morning when I saw something that hit a chord with me.  It was a photo of her and her husband.  He, the silver fox, with mostly gray-to-white hair,  and her....with the same light brown hair she's always had, ever since we met in high school.  Different color hair, yet they are both in their 50's.  

It caught my attention because of another, similar couple I saw yesterday.  It was these two:

Yes, it's our Vice President and the lovely Second Lady.  Same deal though.  Him, completely white on top.  Her, the blonde hair of a 20 year-old.  They are both in their 60's (but no matter what her hair color, she still looks seriously fabulous for a women in her 60's though, don't you think?).

I notice this more now because, after 20 years of first highlighting, then outright dying my graying hair, I'm in the process of growing it out.  The idea of slathering my head in carcinogenic hair color for the rest of my life lost its appeal a few years ago.  I eat homegrown organic food, I make my own soap and laundry detergent to avoid the unknown (or sometimes, known) chemicals put into the potions they sell in the stores....but I was still hanging on to commercial hair dye and slapping that on every 6 weeks?  Didn't make any sense.

So I've begun the process of growing it out -- with help, mind you. I went to a colorist a couple of weeks ago to get some super light blonde highlights put in front, so I didn't end up looking like a skunk (ever-widining white stripe down the middle of my head) for the next 18 months.  

It's not easy, I will tell you that.  Even with some color blending, it still looks a little funky, with roots showing just a bit, especially in the back, where it's darker.  When I am done, my hair will be about 75 percent white -- completely white in the front, with about a 50/50 blend in the back.  It is a scary, but still powerful thing, to let go of the one thing so many women do to keep looking young.  Not everyone can afford cosmetic surgery, chic clothes, or monthly facials (I know I can't, nor would I want to).  But there are very few among us who can't pop for an eight dollar bottle of Miss Clairol.  And so, it seems everyone does.

Goodbye, Miss Clairol

Or almost everyone.  As I go about my erranding some days, I look around at the other women I see.  And I have to say, I see some fabulous-looking gray heads of hair out there.  I predict, with the aging of our population, we will see even more of American women allowing themselves to gray naturally over the next decade or two.  Hair color is a burden not every woman wants to pick up and carry with her for 40+ years.  I know I don't.  But once you start, it's very difficult to change back.  

But I'm determined to do this, if just so Big Ag and I don't look like yet another silver fox/high school blonde couple.  So stay tuned, while I take this journey back to the reality of what my hair really looks like.

 

Grey, Part Two

Today I'm dealing with a completely different kind of grey than the one I spoke about yesterday, yet it's no less frustrating.  It's the grey in my hair.  I'm 50 now, and one of the things I have to show for it is a mane of hair that would, if left to its own devices, look like the first light snowfall of the season -- half white, half slushy mud -- that is, if I let my natural color show.


Yes, I am a homesteader, and yes, I'm all about eco-friendly back-to-basics.  But the one area where I am most definitely not green is in the hair department.  If you could strip off the color and see my real hair color right now, you would see almost completely white hair on the right side of my head, while the left side still is mainly the light brown color it's always been.  Let it all grow out and not only would I not have the white or even the salt-and-pepper coloring I think really does look good on a woman my age, but I would (gasp!) start to look a lot like my mother, who had the exact same greying pattern.  So at this point I have two options:


1.  Use harsh chemicals to restore my hair to what looks like the normal color of my youth.


2.  Become Mom.

The bane of my existence

The thing is, I remember looking at my mother when she was in her early 50's and wishing she'd do something about her hair.  Coloring her hair would have taken ten years off her apparent age, improved her skin tone and made her look healthier and more vibrant, and, frankly, added a little more pep to her look.  (Did I just totally date myself by saying the word, "pep?")


So it was one of those things I told myself I would do:  If my hair needed some color to perk me up a bit once I got to middle age, I'd go for it.  And now I'm here, having to put goop on my hair about once every month or so, and sometimes I consider just stopping.  But then my inner 12 year-old cocks her head and snarks, "but you SAID you wouldn't do that."  And she's right.  I said I'd never let my hair get like my mom's. 


So as much as I'd love to go all Earth Mother and let my hair change color naturally, I just can't bring myself to adopt a look which I know won't make me feel good when I look in the mirror. So nasty-smelling, chemical-ridden hair color it is, for now.


My friend Hal has told me that even the greenest among us has at least one area where they are decidedly un-green.  And this is mine.  Sign me up for the 12-step program. My name is Diane, and my current hair color is Loreal 8.  Help me.