Water Only Hair

Hello dear readers,

I have made the decision to start a Water Only journey after my success over the last 6 months going No Poo which you can read about here. I love my no poo hair and the ease it has brought me, I only have to wash my hair every 10 days with Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar, but I'm after something even easier!

So it's been 15 days since my last wash (bs and acv) and I have water rinsed my hair twice since then. The good news with WO is that you can do it as often as you like, everyday if you want! I'm aiming for eventually once a week.

Here is how it looks today:

It's so big and bouncy, my hair has never been this big and bouncy in all my life. It feels slightly oily which is to be expected for a while, but I like it!

I will keep updating throughout this journey and let you all know how it's getting on!

Are you a no pooer? Water only? Thinking about it? I would love to hear from you in the comments.

No poo Water Only

I caved in today!  After 4 days of no washing and humidity I couldn't go on, my hair genuinely looked wet and gross.  Now I didn't want to set myself back by washing so early on with shampoo so I thought, fuck it. Why not just jump in, and go WO!

WO is a method used by some extreme no pooers where instead of using BS and acv you use just water. JUST. WATER.

Here are the results, as you see from the photos close up it does look slightly greasy. It certainly feels greasy and much heavier than my hair normally feels. It is however much shinier (duh) and more manageable. It took less than 10 minutes to blow dry and quickly whizz with the straighteners. I have also added a front facing picture, what do you think?

What is your story? Let me know in the Comments :)

4 days without washing

OK so it's now been 4 days since I washed my hair, let me clarify. I have showered, just wore a shower cap and kept my hair up in a top knot while sleeping. On the day I washed my hair (Day 1) I blowdried and straightened. Day 2 I went swimming, day 3 I went to my mums and pretty much did nothing and day 4 I have been baking. The weather here is horrible and humid at the moment and averaging around 20 degrees so it's not ideal weather to not be washing hair... But nevertheless I am a stubborn one.
So... What you are waiting for... Pictures.

So while my hair is down it does look greasy and feels not too good, this is without dry shampoo however. I think with a bit of dry shampoo and a bit of sorting out in terms of styling it would be go-out-able. R

While up though it looks fine and feels fine. Again, no dry shampoo or any product.

So I am hoping to go another 2 days without washing my hair. This is the 4th week of trying this and it's definitely improving. With the help of the boar bristle brush, dry shampoo which I will probably use tomorrow and lots of willpower!

What is your no wash story? Comment below!

No Poo, Do You?

I have recently been in awe of the ladies out there who call themselves No Poo'ers. Have you heard of them? It is a trend that is gaining many followers out there where it is simple, you no longer wash your hair. By no longer wash it means you don't use Shampoo (hence, no poo) or any harmful chemicals on your hair and the results are all seemingly spectacular! Many of the followers opt for a Baking Soda mixture on their hair as the shampoo and use an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse which acts as the conditioner. I am trying to pluck up the courage myself to use a more extreme version of this trend called WO, which is simply Water Only washing. Just as it says on the tin (or lack of) you just rinse your hair with water. Why on earth would someone do this, I hear you ask. Well it's simple. The chemicals in the Shampoos and Conditioners most of us use everyday are crazy harmful to your hair and skin and the lack of rules and regulations in the cosmetic industry make it extremely easy for these companies to get away with it, not to mention those who use animals for testing.

Now here is the difficult part of the movement: Transitioning. Because your hair and scalp are so used to you using these harsh chemicals to strip away the oils, they go into a crazy supply and demand cycle. You wash away, they replace with more. So not only do you have greasy hair all over again the next day but its just going to be replaced the next time you wash it out! So, transitioning can take anything from a few weeks, to a few months of greasy and dull hair, which can also accompany a flaky scalp while the scalp tries to unclog the sebum producing glands in the first place.

I am really dying to jump in, and seeings as I wash my hair only once a week these days I am hoping for a quick transitioning period. So what I want to know is, what is your experience with No Poo? Have you tried it? Would you try it? Comments below folks!

My Quest To Healthier Hair

Ok folks so my hair has finally had enough. I guess the years of ironing (yes, ironing, with an actual IRON) straightening, dying, perming, bleaching etc on my hair have finally given up the ghost. Not only is my hair now dry and brittle but its prone to tangling... and hair loss. Lets not forget the hair loss. So that is why I pledged around 3 weeks ago to find healthier aleternatives in hair management. Since then I have officially stopped washing my hair everyday and have managed at this point to wash it ONCE A WEEK. Yuck, ew, gross, I hear you. But my hair really does feel clean(ish) and at the end of the 6 day stint between washing you would swear it was second day hair.The only product I use on it in between is Batiste dry shampoo, if you haven't yet discovered this product you really need to because it is a God send.

 My hair since making the pledge is far healthier (and this is week 3) and much more manageable. Not to mention that the oiliness of my hair has definately depleted over the weeks and now doesn't feel greasy until day 3 (in the beginning it was day 2.)

So, I hear you ask, what is my new routine? Simple.

I now wash my hair once a week, around the 6-7 day mark with shampoo and conditioner, then I blowdry and straighten as normal (it really helps to get your hair looking the best it possibly can on day 1 as the better it starts out the easier it is to not wash) and thats it. At night I brush my hair up into a very high twisted top knot and then in the morning brush again. As my hair starts to get greasy I use a technique called Scritching and Preening favoured by those No Poo'ers we are all quite jealous of (post about that to follow) where you gently scratch and rub your scalp to loosen any clogged pore etc then you gently pull the oils down your hair shaft with your fingers. This helps your hair not look as greasy as it normally would and is an amazing natural conditioner. Another method favoured by the No Poo community is using a Boar Bristle Brush, mine is on order so I will review that when it comes. This type of brush helps to brush dirt away from the scalps and also distribute Sebum (the natural oil) straight down the hair shaft with ease leaving hair feeling healthier and less greasy.

I will keep my journey up to do with you guys but yes, its as easy as that. It starts off hard but get through it and you will be so much happier, as a stay at home Mum I am so greatful for not having to wash my hair every day!