Does anyone no-poo with long curly hair?

[Aleesha Sattva]

Is anyone in the no-poo club with long curly hair? My man is going no-poo but his hair is getting frizzy. I was wondering what I should do to manage his mane? Conditioner or something else?

He was losing so much hair in the shower - then I suggested he wash it less (well I wash it less since I wash his hair and give him a scalp massage every day in the shower) and guess what happened. His hair loss decreased about 90%!!!!! Then we started washing his hair again (since it wasn't looking very nice only being washed once a week) and his hair loss returned. So now he wants to go 100% no-poo like me. But his long curly hair is getting so knotted and frizz - I'm hoping someone here has some info for us.

thanks,
Aleesha
ps I've been no-poo for four years now and LOVE it!!

[GoodCat]

I have long curly-ish hair and I only shampoo about 2 times a week and I only use about a dime size amount of a natural shampoo when I do. I do use a natural conditioner daily though. My hair tends to want to be very dry and frizzy. I use a little almond oil on my hair once I'm out of the shower, to manage the dry/frizziness. It seems to help alot. I don't use alot, just a little rubbed into my hands and then scrunched up on my hair.

Cathy :heart

[Aleesha Sattva]

I wonder if coconut oil would work as well?

I'd love to not use conditioner on his hair at all.

[NaturallyFrugalicious]

Hi there,

I happened onto your community and your question while researching no-poo for my own curly hair.

While I am just getting started, what I have found on other sites is that using ACV in conjunction with the BS will help soften and "condition" the hair. Few tablespoons to a cup of water, I believe is the standard starting measurement.

They also say if your hair is oily, use less ACV or just use it on the ends.

Also, you asked about coconut oil. On another site, when someone asked about oil treatments, the gal who authored the post shared this link - http://feelgoodstyle.com/2008/08/12/beauty-secrets-from-india-oiling-your-hair/

I hope that helps. Like I said, I am just getting started. Few days into the no-poo but didn't have any ACV in the house. When I am out today, I will grab some and try it next wash/rinse :) Good luck with your honey's tresses!

[Aleesha Sattva]

thanks. His hair is doing really well. I add a tiny tiny bit of conditioner to the ends of his locks after I massage his scalp. His hair is shiny and already looking gorgeous!

[Tea]

My 11 year daughter has been doing the no-poo for about half a year now, and she has curly hair. She does conditioner it though. That might help the firzz- I'm not sure. Good luck! No-poo definitely makes a lot of sense.

[LexieW]

Ooh! I have curly hair! Try to get a copy of "Curly Girl" from your library (if not there, amazon retails it). Whether the person is male or female, it'll teach you all the secrets and tricks of no-poo for curls. It'll be easier for you to learn and apply if you are washing your husband's hair for him.

Mostly, the technique boils down to these basics:

-No shampoo.
-Co-wash (washing the hair with conditioner)
- no combs or brushes - use fingers to unravel knots and snarls.
- air-dry or use a diffuser attachment on a hair dryer.

For the record, I have extremely curly, very fine hair. So curly, that my Deva-trained stylist (a special school for curly hair cutting and styling) takes photos of my hair and uses them on her website to advertise her skills.

[streetsurfer]

Hi all, and thanks for this info.

I have begun the process but didn't read much on it at first. I stopped by to learn it right and will look for curly girl, reading it as though it were titled Wavy Balding Guy (lol).

This was how my first and second attempts went - I dry brushed bakind soda through my hair. Then showered and worked in and rinsed some acv mixed equally with aloe vera juice- I also added a tad of witch hazel (I will add an equal or greater amount of water to it from here on out). After my hair dried, I applied a small bit of coconut oil to which I had added some orange peel, heated that slightly and let sit for hours, then removed the peels. Next day I rinsed only with water, dried, applied coconut/orange oil. I was told it did not smell dirty but looked oily. Will cut back on the coconut oil amount. I guess it feels nice to me, but mostly does not look like I'm wearing a calabash on my head.

Nor does what I gather are broken ends at differing lengths cause such a frizzy look now (don't think it is split ends, but just broken from the wear and tear and wind entanglement). I have to work on reducing damage during combing/brushing. Fingers may be the order of the day as suggested, if I can get away with this.

I loved Renee's sister locks shown in a previous thread, and even looked at brother locks but the top of my head being near bare, and with not much to show off here, the locks would be overkill in my estimation. Then too, not affordable for me now. I'm basically just looking for healthier hair, that I can manage at longer lengths than I am used to, and that doesn't make me look like Bozo with fly away hair.
So now I am going to try mixing another batch of acv wash/rinse and wondered If it works best to combine the acv and bs together with water. Is the foaming that it would cause helpful or required? Is the dry application an acceptable method. I think I've heard corn starch works too?

I want to get some red clover tea and begin drinking that daily. I hear it is good for rejuvenating hair growth or something like that. Any input on that?

Thanks for the tips, the inspiration, and letting me go on and on. Speaking of tips, sadly my highlights from the Florida sun are about all gone. Fortunately it's that time again to start spending more time outside....yahoo! See you in the sun.

[LexieW]

Streetsurfer, what is your hair texture like? If you feel comfortable sharing, what is your ethnicity? Knowing these details may help us give better advice :)

I'll share a bit of my own story...I am mixed-race, African-Amerian and white (very white...dad's from Poland). My hair is very fine, and very curly, medium textured. I've done every possible thing to it: I've had it chemically straightened, straightened it with hairdryer/straighting iron, etc.

Only in the last 2 years have I learned the techniques and tricks to actually bring out and enjoy the curl. My hair is now long, healthy, and I get compliments all the time! You can see a photo of me here (http://thelunahairstudio.com/Before_and_After.html)...5th photo down, on the left. It's only an "after shot."

The techniques and tips in Curly Girl will definitely help, no matter what type of hair you have.

Also, an accupressure practitioner once told me that rubbing your fingernails together stimulates the scalp, thereby promoting hair growth - worth a shot, no?

[streetsurfer]

Thank's Lexie. Your hair is very pretty.

I could use a shaping/trim but here are a couple pics. Fine textured, wavy. It doesn't show the dryness that I have after a standard shampoo, since I haven't used traditional shampoo for the week. Seems what I've done so far is helping.
not brushed, post wash
http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo346/pasomoto/photo-20.jpg
sort of brushed out
http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo346/pasomoto/photo-17.jpg


I read a blog that suggested the baking soda is not something to do daily-it will dry it too much. I could smell some residual vinegar from yesterday when I applied the baking soda today. Is that normal? I thought I'd rinsed well. Scalps not dry. I rotate the oils I use to condition. I think this will work well if I do it right.
Thanks much for the assistance.

[LexieW]

Looks very shiney and healthy! Keep doing what you're doing, I'd say.

[streetsurfer]

Thank you. I think it feels much better and I haven't conditioned but a couple drops of argan over a few days. The only thing bothering me is a slight vinegar smell but I should dilute more I suppose.

[snapdragon1010]

You all should all look at www.naturallycurly.com even if you don't have curly hair. It is packed with information that I think is useful to all!

My hair is absolutely BEAUTIFUL since finding this site! Seriously! I will forever be a no poo curly girl! I believe everyone should go no poo! Your hair will thank you!!

[Conscious Midwife]

Dr Bonners (Tea Tree Flavor or Peppermint) once a week for clarifying and clean
EVOO scalp massage before wash
Cocconut Oil massage before daily rinse
Cool, not hot and not warm water, for daily rinses
Comb to detangle only while under direct stream of water
Towel blot or just air dry...not other product
Satin/Silk pillow case at night to avoid friction with cotton cases

[phak-i-tu]

Aleesha, I did a double-take when I saw this thread title! I thought you were talking about a bowel problem that quite made your hair curl! I don't wash my hair too often either, at least in winter, because it's too cold to get my hair wet for so long and I'm out in the boonies and still hauling every drop of my water. I know that most shampoos are not safe to use but I still wash if I have to go into town. I wanted to ask you if you've heard of yerba de la negrita. It's a famous hair tonic. Almost all of it being sold comes from New Mexico. It's in the same family as desert mallow, the orange flowers - and they smell amazingly sweet but you have to get down on your knees and put your nose right by them to find that out because the smell doesn't stay on dry, windy air. The yerba de la negrita grows more in a vine than a bush but the flower is the same. Here's what it looks like, thanks to google:
http://www.riograndeherbs.com/images/RGH11_pic_negrita.jpg
And a place in Taos selling it:
http://www.taosherb.com/store/negrita.html

[chaseLSU]

Well I have long hair that's somewhat curly and I've been no-pooing for 3 months now. Getting a super, SUPER short haircut is the way to go IMO when starting out. It makes the transition so much easier. That's what I did and I never looked back. I don't deal with ACV or vinegar or lemon or any of that, tap water pH these days is so low (assuming your have decent water pressure)... it's more than enough to clean your head/face to a level that our society deems appropriate.