by Mary Cardona-Foster
One of the recent emerging hair trends in the beauty industry has been the ‘no poo’ movement, a shower regimen that may help to achieve thicker, shinier, longer hair.
The ‘no poo’ movement has appeared across news headlines and Google searches everywhere. From outlets like Elle magazine and the Huffington Post, to just about every single beauty blog currently circulating the Internet. Does it actually work though or is your hair left in a greasier, dirtier mess than you started with? And how does one join the ‘no poo’ regime.
Shampoos and conditioners are branded, marketed and sold by the shampoo and conditioner brands that want you to purchase their product. Televisions, magazines and the Internet are constantly flooded with the latest advertisements of products that are aimed to improve the quality of hair and give the user luscious locks that are so often sought after.
After years of feeding into the market, people have begun to look elsewhere for the latest and most natural and organic way to score the best, natural hair. That is where ‘no poo’ comes in to play. The emergence of ‘no poo’ is new even to hairdressers who’ve been in the hair industry for years.
Kayla Walazek, a hairstylist who works out of her home and has a group of clients whom count on her to care for their locks, has recently joined the movement.
“It would only make sense to switch to ‘no poo’. Our body and hair knows a lot more about the nutrients it needs than shampoo companies” said Walazek as she effortlessly ran her fingers through her hair.
Walazek notes that there are a few different variations of ‘no poo’ out there, but the most common method involves switching out chemically filled shampoo and conditioners for “raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and pure baking soda”. Reinforcing hair works best when choosing the cleanest, purest options. The apple cider vinegar and baking soda aim to rebalance the natural oils found in the hair, which have been altered due to years of chemicals input directly into the roots from common shampoos. Over time, store brand shampoos have slowly stripped away the natural oils, replacing them with fake oils which make the hair look shiny and feel good, but only temporarily.
The baking soda takes the role as the shampoo and restores oils near the roots so that they can work in order to keep the hair fresh for longer periods of time with looking and feeling greasy. So instead of washing hair every day, it would only be necessary to wash hair about once a week. The apple cider vinegar works in place of conditioner and restores shine and softness to the length of the hair.
Since everyone has different hair textures and types, the ‘no poo’ method is subject to change for every individual. The frequency of washes depends entirely on the individual’s hair type, length and thickness.
Walazek says that “alternating between the baking soda and water depending on what exactly your hair feels it needs on a day-by-day basis” and “paying attention to what your own hair needs” are the keys to adjusting this method for personal needs. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar are the cores of the ‘no poo’ method but many people choose to incorporate other natural remedies such as hair masks constructed from either coconut oil or avocado. Transitioning hair from being used to chemically infused shampoos to a natural organic method will take time so the scalp can begin to produce the natural oils on its own again without becoming too oily too quickly. The transition can take anywhere from four weeks to three months depending on the condition of the hair when beginning. Walazek suggest the best way to figure out what works best is simply through a trial and error process to cater to an individuals hair needs.
Like Walazek, many people have taken pride in the ‘no poo’ movement, and have moved away from the stigma of unwashed hair being dirty and gross. “Clearly it works. Have you ever seen hair this shiny and vibrant?” Walazek says as she flips her hair over her shoulder with a laugh.