I Didn't Fall Off the Wagon...

... I jumped.

I just couldn't take it anymore! My hair still felt so waxy, tough, stiff and just plain gross! I am going on a search for an organic, toxic-chemical-free shampoo starting tomorrow, but for today, I wanted my good hair back!

So I caved.

My shampoo is still better than the average, so I don't feel horrible, but I am very disappointed.

Oh well. I tried. You live and learn. I'll post my Quest For the Perfect Organic Shampoo as I go!

Stage 2

So I finally got my dryness issue sorted out, by using Dr. Bronner's liquid soap, but now we are on to the Waxy Stage.  My hair looks clean and dry after a washing, but when you run your fingers through it it feels like... well... candle wax. Especially in the back, but in the rest if it as well.

It is still getting pretty oily on the second day, but I have been trying to only wash it 2 or 3 times a week.

I don't hate this yet, but it is definitely frustrating. The good thing is that I live in Florida and it's the summertime, so I've just been keeping my hair up most of the time so I don't frighten passers by, or my friends.

Update complete.

Trying to be more like The Buddha.

No, but seriously...

I am trying to connect with my inner Universe and work out some "alignment" issues with the broader Universe.

I am enjoying this book, although I will admit I'm not getting very far, very fast. It really feels like, as much as I feel the draw and desire to learn and work on my Chakra System, I keep finding myself getting distracted and coming up with other things to do (like write this blog, for instance).

I really think there is a part of my consciousness that is resisting what it knows will be the end of its control over my life. I'm determined to overcome it.

So back to work I go!

I quit!

Kind of...

It's been 2 weeks since I started the baking soda no 'poo method.  I started out using 2.5 tablespoons for 20 ounces of water, then went up to 1:3 baking soda to water.  I tried cutting out the apple cider vinegar.  My hair has just gotten drier and drier by the day.  I could feed it to horses.  I could make a broom out of it.  Ugh.  I ain't havin' it!

To condition it, I tried a coconut oil product and I tried vitamin E oil and all that did was make my hair oily all over. No es bueno.

So I am trying Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Liquid Soap starting today.  I almost bought it to begin with when I went looking for an oil to put inside the baking soda.  So I guess we'll see how that goes.  I'm very disappointed, actually.  I hope this works!

It's So Fluffy I'm Gonna Die!

Okay, not really, but here I am a week after my last 'poo and my hair is so dry! Yeah, my roots are oily, but not as bad as I was expecting. I haven't been washing it every day, either, trying to speed up the transitional phase.

Geesh! I'm going to have to find something to condition my hair with, because the ACV doesn't do anything. Jessica recommended Coconut Oil, so I'm going to try that first. I'll keep ya posted...

Day 3 of No 'Poo

So I have washed my hair with my baking soda and vinegar solutions twice now. So far my hair isn't too oily, but this might be because I put a little too much organic soap in to offset the essential oil. I am going to split the remaining liquid into two bottles today and add more baking soda and water. I am also thinking about not washing it for a day and seeing what happens.

And here is my hair... it is feeling a little dry at the ends right now, at least to me - other opinions differ, but it is definitely floofier than normal.

Thinking Outside the Bottle

I've decided to get myself back on a path toward living a greener life.  For starters, I'm transitioning back to natural cleaners, and away from the commercial convenience of chemicals.  Oooh.  Alliteration!  But my biggest change is coming in the way of 'poo.  That's shampoo.  I'm using baking soda and water to wash my hair, and vinegar to condition it.  I first heard of this method from a girl I met in an Archaeological Field Methods class at UNF.  She has lovely hair, so of course I was curious. She directed me to this website and I found another good one here.  This is really the most outside of the box I've ever been and I'm excited to see how this turns out!

Here is my hair brushed and air-dried after my last 'poo before the experiment:

And here is my baking soda solution (on the left) and apple cider vinegar solution (on the right).  The baking soda also has one and a half droppers full of a willow bark essential oil called Goddess Diana that I bought from Earth Gifts and a sliver of a naturally made soap I bought from the Jacksonville Farmer's Market today.

So, this is it! I've told my friends to bear with me during the "transition" phase of my hair when it's supposed to get super oily before my scalp's oil production finds its new normal. Updates to come as the experiment progresses.