If you are researching how to go no poo, then why not read a no poo book?
Giving up shampoo sounds simple. But trust me when I say that it gets a lot more confusing after the cold turkey period ends.
Plus, if you intend to become a real natural hair care diva. Then, apart from the shampoo, you will have to give up on a lot more other hair care products too.
To name a few, conditioners, serums, mousses, gels, hair spas, and hair sprays.
You can create handmade alternatives for these from scratch. Or you can jump the line by gaining from the experience of those who have done it before you.
I am someone who likes to immerse in the craft by grabbing up all that I can on a subject. So, if you can relate to me, then you need to read further.
Know How to Have Better Hair With No Poo Book
First things first——>
Why You Need A No Poo Book
I started my no poo journey with baking soda and vinegar rinses. The initial results were fabulous.
My hair had a lively bounce, they had luster, and my pestering dandruff was gone for good.
Before going no poo, I would avoid touching my scalp. My scalp had flakes of dandruff and buildup which was horrific and gross.
The alkaline soda rinse washed off every trace of dead skin that was lurking on my scalp. The layers of silicone from shampoo and conditioner stuck on my hair also vanished.
But the good hair days did not last long. That was because I got comfortable with the good results from the initial days of no poo.
Since the baking soda gave such good hair, I thought it was fine to use it every week. That was much like the way I was using the regular shampoos before going no poo.
And that is when I woke up to the horrors of going shampoo free. The routine of baking soda and apple cider vinegar rinses damaged the hair cuticles. Thus, they ended opening up and then a lot of hair problems followed.
Some of them were as below:
No Poo Hair Problems
1. The Hair Begins to Fall
This is the most common problem that no poo beginners get to face. If you falter on the proportions of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Then, you can end up hurting the hair at the follicles level.
The switch from a strong basic solution to a strong acidic one pushes the hair to a state of shock.
Over time, the hair begins to weaken causing it to break, hence the hair fall.
That is why you need proper guidance on how much of the baking soda/ ACV rinse to use.
Most of the information on free websites do not mention that you cannot use baking soda on a regular basis. You should always use it in small quantities (not more than a teaspoon), and that too once in months.
Also, an acidic rinse is a must after the baking soda shampoo. Most of my no poo issues started because I skipped the ACV rinses. Had I invested in the complete information on how to do no poo the correct way, my hair would not have suffered.
2. The Scalp Gets Super Itchy
An itchy scalp is the sign of your pH balance gone wrong. By default, the human scalp stays in proper shape at a ph between 4.5 – 5.5.
But a dirty scalp needs an alkaline environment to get rid of the oil and dirt. The basic substances stick to unwanted stuff like oils and dirt and get washed off along with water.
But then, the cleaning act has to follow up with an acidic substance to bring back the pH levels.
But when they do not reach the optimum levels. The issues of an irritated scalp and along with that other numerous issues emerge.
You can avoid all that unwanted drama by knowing what exactly to use and not to use by reading a good no poo book.
3. Hair Splits Into 2-3 Strands
As mentioned in the above point, a disrupted pH of scalp and hair leads to problems.
A major one is the split ends. This one is a common hair problem across the globe.
The hair could split due to many reasons like malnutrition, underlying diseases. But in the context of no poo gone wrong, the reason is high pH.
The hair is most comfortable in a little low pH environment. Therefore, in a situation of high pH, it gets into a confused state. That then leads to the loosening of individual hair strands in a single hair unit. Thus, the pandemic known as split ends.
To avoid this mishap, you need to listen to the people who have got it right and can offer the solutions.
4. The Hair Color Fades
An acidic rinse follows the alkaline baking soda to avoid the mishaps. But an overdo of the acidic rinse can also be fatal.
I have been guilty of lightening my hair color with 2 of the popular no poo products.
As you could guess, the first culprit was the ACV rinse.
After my heart and hair breakage due to baking soda, I started getting regular with my ACV rinses. But since it is an acid, it began bleaching my hair. So, over time the color of my hair lightened.
So, I gave up on the entire baking soda and ACV combination and switched to honey rinses.
I was naive into thinking that since honey is a natural product, it would be good. But I had not factored in the data that baking soda and ACV were also natural, much like honey. Hence, the honey also damaged my hair, much like soda and vinegar.
Honey did not wash off the oil from my hair. Plus, it also gave me blonde hair. So, I put it off my no poo shampoo list as well.
I wish I had known about such cons beforehand.
5. The Hair Becomes Sticky and Dirty
This problem is not exactly because of the preliminary no poo shampoo methods of baking soda. But due to the kind of tap water you get where you live.
Since water is an important factor to wash off the hair. That is why it is of utmost importance to use soft and clean water. Else, the hard and contaminated water makes the no poo methods redundant. Thus, the hair becomes sticky and messy. Hard water is the reason why regular shampoos have SLS.
But you can avoid all that drama by getting to know what no poo products to use that perform even with hard water.
After checking the quality of my water, I got to know why my no poo attempts were a failure.
Since then I installed a water softener and also use a filtering bottle during my travels. (I can afford to spoil my no poo life because of my travels)
Now I am confident to use all the no poo methods.
So, to avoid all the guesswork and time-consuming trials and errors, you need a good no poo resource. Being a no poo devout since 2015, I put my trust in 2 resources on this subject. They are as below:
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1. The No Poo Method Book
I stumbled upon this resource after 2 years into my natural hair care journey.
If I had known about this book earlier. Then, I would not have wasted my time experimenting with various no poo resources.
There is a dedicated chapter in this book on understanding the Hair Porosity. This particular topic was an eye-opener for me.
The extent of the porosity of the hair strands creates the frizz. Then, as per the porosity, you get to decide what pH shampoo will suit you.
This no poo book made me understand the porosity and pH relation. So, now I look for the pH of the shampoo to determine its effectiveness on my porous hair.
Plus, this book has a bonus resource. It has a 6-page guide to help you determine the probable no poo method that will best suit your hair type. This guide is a quick help to put aside all the assumptions in choosing a non-lathering shampoo.
It is a no poo book for those who have some experience of natural hair products and would love to advance further.
2. Happy Hair: The No Poo Book
It was then that I got to know about Lucy AitkenRead and her Happy Hair Guide.
Lucy was my go-to resource for getting the strength to continue the no poo journey.
She talks about the issues that a newbie no poo person goes through. For instance, she guides in dealing with no poo hair smell that builds up in the initial days.
Also, she has a video course on the subject as well. That is super helpful for those who got no idea how to use no poo products. The course also has a bonus content on styling and coloring the hair.
Conclusion
It is good to have a reading material by your side when you start your journey of abandoning shampoo.
After all, it is not easy to deal with the various no poo options.
The shampoo and its pH has a strong bearing on the porosity levels of your hair. So, if you end up with a wrong cleaning product, you might hamper your hair. That way your quest to achieve beautiful hair might go kaput.
Furthermore, it is good to learn from those who are ahead of you. That is one of the good ways to lower the learning curve.
Both the no poo books in this article provide hair care tips through alternative methods. They will be good resources to be by your side when you take the bold decision to go shampoo free.
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