I'm going to wash my hair with flax

[VeggieMel]

A friend told me that Victoria Boutenko recommends washing your hair with flax seeds. You soak the seeds in water overnight. In the morning, add water and blend in the blender. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!

[queenfluff]

You might be interested in the "no poo" method.

I have not shampooed my hair in 4 months. I use the water only method with an occasional sea salt rinse but others use methods like BakingSoda and ACV or some have tried the flax shampoo ( i heard mixed reviews on that).

Here are some links you might be interested in:

http://community.livejournal.com/no_poo/

http://www.goneraw.com/forums/6/topics/565

Let me know how the flax shampooing works for you . I didn't try it. Water only is much cheaper! :)

[Alba]

I'm no pooing as well - have been doing it since around July 1st.
I'm loving it - my curls are coming back and hair is soft, manegeable and shiny - I've been getting tons of compliments on my hair lately!
Love alba

[codajess]

I've thought about No 'Pooing, and if I was someone who left their hair natural to style on its own, I would. But I'm a blow dry & flat ironer.

[Judy]

I don't use anything as well, since a year or so. No fuss.
Never having to buy anything again. And it works fine,
it seems the same as when I was using organic shampoo (without soap).
Do share your experiences however.
If it gives you últra amazing hair, shining and sparkling like a beacon of light, I'd love to know :).

[VeggieMel]

queen, thanks for the links.
coda, can you not use a flat iron if you're a no-pooer? I did today. I hope I didn't damage my hair. The whole experience was interesting, I suppose. I blended the flax seed up pretty well, I thought, and then I "shampooed" with it. It took a long time to rinse out. I kept looking at the rinse water and seeing little brown bits of flax. After that, I did an apple cider vinegar rinse. Then I used my regular conditioner. My hair is okay. I'm not claiming spectacular results. Maybe over time, it would look better, but even after my hair was dry, I noticed little brown flecks of flax coming out of my hair!!! It's hard to get it all out! So I'm not sure if I'm going to do it again.

[Stina]

I"m thinking about trying the flax method but grinding it up to avoid that mess. It's hard enough to clean up soaked flax from a bowl but my hair?

[VeggieMel]

I did grind them up!! I put them through my vitamix and blended thoroughly. That's why I'm thinking I won't do it again. There were still so many little specks of it to get out of my hair.

[SmilingRawDancer]

I'm assuming that the benefits of the flax are solely in it's oils and lignans, so just use flaxseed oil mixed with something else :-\

I mean, the THOUGHT of putting oil in my hair freaks me out, but other people do stuff like olive oil all the time with great results.

I dunno if I could stand not 'Pooing...*giggles*...I like "'pooing" too much....*giggles and runs away..*

hahaha I might try a vinegar rinse sometime. I like the "clean" feeling of my hair, but without the "dry breaky" feeling blended with it. I've been using suave color-care shampoo...but I'm looking for a cheap natural alternative. Jason products are like, 7 bucks a can. Nooooo wayyyyy

[Judy]

Yeah, well, the flax seeds sounded like a lot of fuss beforehand...
I've heard of people who use honey or something, but that seems like such a fuss also (besides the fact how some of us look at the use of honey).
Years ago, I tried different herbs, I mean, you just make a strong tea out of it, let it cool down and rinse your hair with it, massage it in like a normal shampoo. But I found it a fuss also, to have to make the tea etc, the moment I felt like taking a shower. However, nettle tea worked great on my hair (and if you use bags instead of loose herbs, it's easier). Rosemary/thyme was a disaster though, my hair looked like rope after that.
As far as the no pooing goes, it's ok, however, sometimes I do miss the scent and feel of massaging a good organic shampoo into my hair.
Has to do with relaxation and some kind of a spa feeling I connect to it I guess. Maybe I should just imagine this wonderful feeling the next time I massage my scalp with nothing on it while under the shower :).

[tanawana]

Rinsing or spritzing with Distilled Water is probably the best thing I have ever done for my hair. I currently use Baking Soda and water every 2-3 days. I also use ACV as a rinse afterwards or as the shampoo substitute. Go easy on the BS till you find what is enough and not too much. I'm a guy with waist long hair and I think I have tried everything and there is a lot of everything to try

A great forum with some good info if you really wanna look into things:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/index.php?

[Noone]

or add a few dropps of lavender oil to te acv or baking soda....


LL

[Strawberry Smoothie]

My hair is naturally curly and I haven't used shampoo for at least 6 months. I scrub my scalp using water ONLY. I do have to condition, otherwise I look homeless. I use Aubrey Organics Island Naturals conditioner. It's the most natural one I can afford. I leave a little in when I rinse too, and it kind of keeps my hair somewhat under control. I stopped shampooing, not because of the vegan thing, but simply because my hair was coarse and wiry and someone suggested the Curly Girl book. And despite my hesitation, it has worked wonders for my hair.

[codajess]

queen, thanks for the links.
coda, can you not use a flat iron if you're a no-pooer? I did today. I hope I didn't damage my hair. The whole experience was interesting, I suppose. I blended the flax seed up pretty well, I thought, and then I "shampooed" with it. It took a long time to rinse out. I kept looking at the rinse water and seeing little brown bits of flax. After that, I did an apple cider vinegar rinse. Then I used my regular conditioner. My hair is okay. I'm not claiming spectacular results. Maybe over time, it would look better, but even after my hair was dry, I noticed little brown flecks of flax coming out of my hair!!! It's hard to get it all out! So I'm not sure if I'm going to do it again.

I didn't realize you were still using conditioner. Most No 'Pooers don't use either. That's why I mentioned that I blow dry & flat iron because I need the extra conditioning of shampoo & conditioner. That's all I meant by it. Sure you can use a blow dryer & flat iron if you want. I just wouldn't be comfortable myself since my hair is long and it wouldn't have any kind of extra protection except it's natural oils.

[ChaiLife]

You mean to tell me that you ONLY use water to clean your hair? Really? And that gets it clean? My hair is usually oily. I would think that using water alone would let the oil build up. heck I'll try it though!