A No Poo Newbie Trying to Transition from Co-Washing
Hi!
I am trying to transition to No Poo from Co-washing, and I'm having trouble with waxy buildup in my hair. I read through various posts about this problem, and I didn't find any solutions that helped me. (Maybe I missed the one that would help me?) Any help would be appreciated :)
To give a background on my hair, my hair is naturally a dark blond (aka "dirty" blond), usually straight, and very fine. My hair is past my shoulders but not quite to the middle of my back. Up until this past May, I had been regularly dyeing my hair a very light blonde with at home hair coloring kits. So, I have about three inches of growth at the roots. This growth is where all of my waxiness is. I do not use curling irons, straighteners, etc. on my hair, but I do blow dry my hair after almost every time I wash my hair.
July 2010 was when I switched over to using Wen Cleansing Conditioners, and then in February 2011 switched to Co-washing (so much cheaper!). However, I didn't like the ingredients in the conditioners that I was using, so I decided about a month and a half ago to stop using conditioners as well.
When I shampooed, then used Wen, and also when I first started with Co-washing, I washed my hair daily. Within the past two-three months though, I started only cleansing my hair every other day.
For the past month and a half, I've been mostly using either green tea (infused for a minimum of 10 minutes) sometimes with a spoonful of honey, or dry milk mixed in water normally with a spoonful of honey. (I once tried less than 1/2 cup of organic regular milk mixed with water-my hair smelled terrible for hours even though I rinsed for minutes :(
What I do is I pour the rinse onto my hair a little at a time, and then massage my hair and scalp. I've tried then letting it set on my hair for about 2-5 minutes, or just rinsing it out right after. Neither seem to get rid of the waxiness.
To get rid of the waxy buildup, I have tried applesauce twice. The first time it seemed to get rid of it fairly well, although it appeared that I needed to use it again to get rid of it completely. So, I did. My scalp got so dry after this time and I started to get flakes (although it didn't itch) and it did nothing for the waxiness. So, I haven't tried it again since.
I did also try Dr. Bronner's Castile soap twice on my hair- it only made my hair look greasy (I used a lemon juice rinse after).
I do have hard water.
I haven't tried using the BS/ACV method. This just did not really appeal to me (can't stand the smell of vinegar even long enough to rinse with it). Also, since I've started the No Poo Method, I'm worried that the baking soda would end up making my scalp even drier.
I haven't used shampoo in a year and a half, so I haven't had a problem with oiliness since then.
Also, I've never had trouble with my scalp before trying to go No Poo. However, since trying No Poo, I notice that I have some dry patches on my scalp, especially on the few days I tried WO. Sometimes when I use the green tea rinse, I have this problem too. If I use the dry milk rinse though, I do not have this problem. Also, the dry milk rinse also seems to moisturize my ends a lot better too than the green tea rinse. (Using dry milk leaves my hair without the terrible smell of regular milk :)
It's just been so frustrating to not be able to get rid of this waxy buildup around my roots (and I mean the roots all over my head)! It is where my natural hair color is that I'm having the trouble with buildup. My ends are looking even better and healthier now than they did with Co-washing though :) (so, at least I have that ;)
So, my overall questions are: How do I get rid of this waxy buildup and make all of my hair look as good as my ends? Is this buildup left over from all the silicones in my hair products and so I then may be forced to use a clarifying shampoo? Would beer work, or some other natural remedy I haven't heard of? (I don't like the smell of beer, but I'd be able to tolerate that, especially compared to ACV). I really don't want to use any more commercial products on my hair if I can help it.
TIA :)
I am trying to transition to No Poo from Co-washing, and I'm having trouble with waxy buildup in my hair. I read through various posts about this problem, and I didn't find any solutions that helped me. (Maybe I missed the one that would help me?) Any help would be appreciated :)
To give a background on my hair, my hair is naturally a dark blond (aka "dirty" blond), usually straight, and very fine. My hair is past my shoulders but not quite to the middle of my back. Up until this past May, I had been regularly dyeing my hair a very light blonde with at home hair coloring kits. So, I have about three inches of growth at the roots. This growth is where all of my waxiness is. I do not use curling irons, straighteners, etc. on my hair, but I do blow dry my hair after almost every time I wash my hair.
July 2010 was when I switched over to using Wen Cleansing Conditioners, and then in February 2011 switched to Co-washing (so much cheaper!). However, I didn't like the ingredients in the conditioners that I was using, so I decided about a month and a half ago to stop using conditioners as well.
When I shampooed, then used Wen, and also when I first started with Co-washing, I washed my hair daily. Within the past two-three months though, I started only cleansing my hair every other day.
For the past month and a half, I've been mostly using either green tea (infused for a minimum of 10 minutes) sometimes with a spoonful of honey, or dry milk mixed in water normally with a spoonful of honey. (I once tried less than 1/2 cup of organic regular milk mixed with water-my hair smelled terrible for hours even though I rinsed for minutes :(
What I do is I pour the rinse onto my hair a little at a time, and then massage my hair and scalp. I've tried then letting it set on my hair for about 2-5 minutes, or just rinsing it out right after. Neither seem to get rid of the waxiness.
To get rid of the waxy buildup, I have tried applesauce twice. The first time it seemed to get rid of it fairly well, although it appeared that I needed to use it again to get rid of it completely. So, I did. My scalp got so dry after this time and I started to get flakes (although it didn't itch) and it did nothing for the waxiness. So, I haven't tried it again since.
I did also try Dr. Bronner's Castile soap twice on my hair- it only made my hair look greasy (I used a lemon juice rinse after).
I do have hard water.
I haven't tried using the BS/ACV method. This just did not really appeal to me (can't stand the smell of vinegar even long enough to rinse with it). Also, since I've started the No Poo Method, I'm worried that the baking soda would end up making my scalp even drier.
I haven't used shampoo in a year and a half, so I haven't had a problem with oiliness since then.
Also, I've never had trouble with my scalp before trying to go No Poo. However, since trying No Poo, I notice that I have some dry patches on my scalp, especially on the few days I tried WO. Sometimes when I use the green tea rinse, I have this problem too. If I use the dry milk rinse though, I do not have this problem. Also, the dry milk rinse also seems to moisturize my ends a lot better too than the green tea rinse. (Using dry milk leaves my hair without the terrible smell of regular milk :)
It's just been so frustrating to not be able to get rid of this waxy buildup around my roots (and I mean the roots all over my head)! It is where my natural hair color is that I'm having the trouble with buildup. My ends are looking even better and healthier now than they did with Co-washing though :) (so, at least I have that ;)
So, my overall questions are: How do I get rid of this waxy buildup and make all of my hair look as good as my ends? Is this buildup left over from all the silicones in my hair products and so I then may be forced to use a clarifying shampoo? Would beer work, or some other natural remedy I haven't heard of? (I don't like the smell of beer, but I'd be able to tolerate that, especially compared to ACV). I really don't want to use any more commercial products on my hair if I can help it.
TIA :)