No shampoo for my ’do?

(Photo by Chance Agrella/FreeRangeStock.com)

For one of my first posts, I wrote about changing how I washed my hair, ditching the store-bought shampoo for baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

Recently, I decided to go one step further. What if all I used was water? The hope was that doing so would be healthier for my scalp and possibly reduce the amount of hair I shed on any given day. (Seriously, it comes out in tuff sometimes when I just run my fingers through it. I am often amazed I have any hair left.) The added benefit for the planet would be less trash going into the landfill.

So I rinsed my hair every day, going through all of the motions of washing it. For a few days, it felt fine. After that, it started to feel a little greasy to the touch at the top of my head.

Figuring I hadn't been the only person to try going water-only on her hair, I googled for tips. I came across an article, "The Ultimate Water-Only Hair Washing Routine," written by a woman who had been washing her hair with water only for 13 months.

I followed her tips and noticed an improvement right after the first wash. It really made a difference, though I could tell that my hair still had more oil on the top of my head than I'd like. After a week of trying her pre-washing tips and three weeks of going water-only, I washed my hair the regular way on Monday night. And I have to say, I'm disappointed in myself for giving in. My hair really did seem to have more elasticity by the time I caved.

So starting tomorrow, I'm going to give the water-only method another try, this time experimenting more with water temperature as she suggests when you're starting out and getting some dry shampoo to help me get through the initial extra-oily phase.

I'll update with how Water-Only 2.0 goes for me in a future post.


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