The Water Only Method

© remind / sxc.hu

Many people raise their eyebrows when they hear about people not using shampoo in their hair and only use conditioner or put baking soda and vinegar in their hair. But I must admit that even I was a bit sceptical of the water-only, or WO-method. Not using anything in your hair whatsoever? Only water? That sounds … odd, to say the least. I first read about it on the Long hair community where people, inspired by an article about a woman who hadn’t washed her hair for 11 years, experimented with cutting down on everything and only washing their hair with water. This was years ago, and it wasn’t until a few months back that I actually started toying with the prospect of trying it out myself, inspired by a few success stories from the swedish no ‘poo facebook group.

But does it work? First, let’s have a look at the theory behind WO, and then I will share how this worked for me.  Continue reading “The Water Only Method”

End of Story – Conclusions From The Big Hair Washing Test

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

Well, here we are then. My hair washing test has come to an end. Five months and no less than nine different methods later, I am now all the wiser. I hope.

Two weeks per method is not very much. For some methods, it will not have been enough to see the proper results. Also, most of the time I was the only test person, and so the results will be based on how my hair has reacted to the specific method (just ask my friend Ami. She will give you a whole different side of some stories).

But, bearing all this in mind, I hope I have provided you with some information about these hair washing methods and maybe given you some new ideas to try out. If nothing else, at least I can say I’ve had a whole lot of different stuff in my hair. And I have spent a whole lot of money.

Anyway, here’s my two cents. Read more about the methods by clicking the links to the original posts. Continue reading “End of Story – Conclusions From The Big Hair Washing Test”

Last, but definitely not least – Eliah Sahil Shampoo powder

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

Well, here we are then. Time for my last review of a hair washing method. As some of you may know, the egg shampoo test was supposed to be the last one. But then I by chance saw this powder shampoo that was sold in an organic shop here (Ekolo in Hakaniemi, if you’re interested), and figured it could be worth a try.

Eliah Sahil’s Shampoo Natural is a mixture of mainly indian herbs that will wash and condition your hair. You can read more about the specific herbs on the link I mentioned. If you want to experiment with making your own mixtures of herbs, read through this guide on longhaircommunity. Continue reading “Last, but definitely not least – Eliah Sahil Shampoo powder”

Last, but definitely not least

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

Well, here we are then. Time for my last review of a hair washing method. As some of you may know, the egg shampoo test was supposed to be the last one. But then I by chance saw this powder shampoo that was sold in an organic shop here (Ekolo in Hakaniemi, if you’re interested), and figured it could be worth a try.

Eliah Sahil’s Shampoo Natural is a mixture of mainly indian herbs that will wash and condition your hair. You can read more about the specific herbs on the link I mentioned. If you want to experiment with making your own mixtures of herbs, read through this guide on longhaircommunity. Continue reading “Last, but definitely not least”

Egg shampoo

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

This time, I have tried out using eggs as the active ingredient when washing my hair. Egg is supposed to genrly wash the hair, and add shine, make it fluffy and deeply nourish damaged hair. It was commonly used as shampoo in many countries for a very long time, and here in Finland you can still find egg shampoo in the cheap stores (how much egg they contain I don’t know).

I have used a recipe that I found on oldenbuzz site. It also contains quite a lot of olive oil, and also lemon juice and vinegar, so it should be a good mixture of most stuff that the hair needs.

Continue reading “Egg shampoo”

Clay and condish

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

This time, I have done something else in the hair washing test. This is actually the first time that I am using a method that I have come up with myself.
Before, I have done both a conditioner only wash and washed my hair with rhassoul clay. I really like both methods, but they have their downsides. The conditioner needs to work for at least 20 minutes and I found that it was too long when I was in a hurry, and the clay is kind of messy and can be difficult to apply. So I figured I should combine these two methods and make a rhassoul conditioner wash. Continue reading “Clay and condish”

Going nuts!

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

soap nuts

And once again I have been lazy with my updating! This time I’ve been traveling back and forth between Copenhagen and Helsinki, with not much time for blogging.

Still, I have washed my hair, and that I have done with soap nuts. Some of you might already use them for washing your clothes or even your dishes, but soap nuts can also be used for washing hair or body. Soap nuts come from India, and they contain saponins, which works just as soap. Get your soap nuts from an organic shop or from the internet.

Continue reading “Going nuts!”

Shampoo bars

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

A shampoo bar is exactly what it sounds like – shampoo in the form of a soap bar. I have added shampoo bars to my list of alternative hair washing methods, because it is generally milder to your hair than many other shampoos. The fact that the shampoo is a bar means that it doesn’t need to contain all the harsh ingredients that liquid shampoo would need to contain (like preservatives). It’s still a good idea to skim through the ingredient list before buying a shampoo bar – some of them (like Lush’s) contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is drying and irritating for the scalp. Remember I’d be happy to look through an ingredient list for you if you need help 🙂
Continue reading “Shampoo bars”

Shampoo in the shampoo-free test

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

For this hair washing test, we have been doing something more traditional – trying out ecological shampoos and conditioners. But it has also been a kind of two-in-one test; at the same time I have been trying out a washing method called CWC (Condition-wash-condition), which basically means that one should apply conditioner to the hair before applying the shampoo, so as to spare the hair from the harsh ingredients found in shampoos.
But most ecological shampoos are very gentle on your hair, not containing any of the ingredients that should be avoided. We tried two pairs of eco shampoos and conditioners: Urtekram’s Aloe vera shampoo and Ole hyvä vanilla-apple-cinnamon shampoo + vanilla-chocolate conditioner. I chose these two because they are produced relatively close and they are also quite cheap compared to many other organic shampoos on the market. These two both use Sodium coco sulfate as their foaming agent, which is said to be gentler on the hair and skin than for sodium laureth sulfate (though they are both coconut derivatives – roughly said coco sulfate is just a much more diluted version of SLS). Continue reading “Shampoo in the shampoo-free test”

Washing with clay

Click here to see all posts in the hair washing serial

Rhassoul is a clay that is dug in the Atlas mountains in Morocco. It has many other names, including Ghassoul clay, red Moroccan clay or African clay. Rhassoul is, like other cosmetic clays, rich in minerals like silica, potassium and magnesium. But Rhassoul differs from other cosmetic clays in the sense that it has an amazing power of absorption and can thus also be used as for cleansing and detoxing. As part of my hair washing test, I have tried rhassoul as shampoo. Continue reading “Washing with clay”