I'm going to wash my hair with flax

[queenfluff]

I've been reading a lot about this lately and have tried for about aweek to not use shampoo and my hair was so flat and greasy. My hair is very fine and straight. I tried the baking soda and vinegar. I have seriously hard water.18 grains/gallon.....does anyone know anything about how to make this work w/ hard water short of getting a water softner.(not an option) I do have awater filter on my shower head from aquasana.

People say to rinse your hair with distilled water. I am sure filtered or purified water might worke too.

[luckitri]

Has anybody considered washing their hair with soap nuts?

[GlimR]

luckitri~
I am so glad you asked that.I found them some time ago and then never ordered...I forgot about them! They are used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat skin and hair issues as well as for other things.I copyed this from their website...AND ordered some finally!!! Have you ever used them??

"The Soapberry is among the most important trees for beautification in
tropical Asia, aesthetics being an important factor in Ayurveda.
Used topically, Soap Nuts are used to eliminate freckles, fine lines,
chemical stains and cracks in the skin. They are also used
traditionally to treat mild to moderate skin complaints such as eczema
and psoriasis. Soap Nuts are safe for people with sensitive skin, even
people who suffer allergic reactions to store bought "sensitive skin"
cleansers.

Soap Nuts are even safe enough to use as toothpaste and as a fruit
and vegetable wash. A ten-minute soak in a solution of Soap Nuts
removes 95% of the surface pesticides and chemical residues on fresh
produce. Soap Nuts are also useful in the kitchen as a food-safe
cleaner for countertops, appliances, and sinks."
~Maggies' SoapNuts

queenfluff~
I read that too, thanks...wondrring if I could wash w/ reg water from the shower and then rinse w/a gallon or so of "clean" softer water.guess I will have to try it and see~:)

[VeggieMel]

I use soap nuts for laundry, and I love them. I'm going to try them on my hair. I found the recipe below on longhaircommunity.com which uses soap nuts in a different form (reetha powder). I'm going to try it!!

"You can buy packets of shikakai, amla and reetha powder in Indian stores and boil them in water and use the thickened paste to wash your hair. Reetha is also called soapnut, because it lathers."

[Bobbie]

Huh?

What kind of salt is it? Sea Salt? Rinsing with water should take it right out.

You could also try washing your hair with Baking Soda followed by a diluted ACV rinse. Or a diluted white vinegar rinse will remove buildup.

Using a clay mask (I tried benotite once) on your hair will remove toxins - sort of like soaking in a detox bath. It is VERY drying though - do not put it on your ends.

Ooh I never thought of using clay on hair!! I'll have to try that.

When I shampooed regularly I used to put olive oil on my hair but had huge difficulty getting it out. Even after several washes my hair would still be oily. It didnt seem to do any good anyway. Indian women use sesame oil and swear by it.

The salt is epsom salts from a float tank or sea salt from a salt bath. I'll try the vinegar, thanks! Is it possible to damage hair if you use too much vinegar. My hair's weak and I'd be a bit scared of the acid.

[luckitri]

Actually the ACV should soothe the cuticle and help it to lay down and be less tangly. Should help get your hair to the proper pH.

[Leeeeeeena]

I'm a no 'poo-er too!!!

Just the other day I tried the whole baking soda thing, and it is just one HUGE deal! It is amazing, it rocks. I didn't know that just one teaspoon could clean your whole scalp! It's awesome and I have just been bragging about it. I'm not sure about the 'long-term' effects of it though? Or how often I'm 'allowed' to be using it. I might stick to just once a week for now. Hope the flax stuff goes well!

[queenfluff]

Ooh I never thought of using clay on hair!! I'll have to try that.

When I shampooed regularly I used to put olive oil on my hair but had huge difficulty getting it out. Even after several washes my hair would still be oily. It didnt seem to do any good anyway. Indian women use sesame oil and swear by it.

The salt is epsom salts from a float tank or sea salt from a salt bath. I'll try the vinegar, thanks! Is it possible to damage hair if you use too much vinegar. My hair's weak and I'd be a bit scared of the acid.

Well, the white vinegar can be very drying. Try using a low concentration first (1 tablespoon to 2 cups water) and rinse out immediately or leave on about 30 seconds to a minute. If you still feel you have salt in your hair after that, try a higher concentratation or leave in longer.

ACV is more of a conditioning vinegar - to remove buildup the white vinegar is better. Just don't use it too often.

The clay is VERY drying - I did it once and left it on 15 minutes and it really dried out my hair - too dry! I would recommened doing it only for 5 minutes and avoid your ends.

You might want to try using a sea salt water rinse too. It removes oilyness so maybe it remove the epsom salt. (try 1 or 2 tablespoons to 2 cups warm water).

[Stina]

Hi. It's been more than a week since I've gone no 'Poo and it's not bad. My hair occasionally looks a little....flat but every other day I get in the shower, rinse it well, and massage it well. I got some baking soda today to experiment with. But I feel liberated from shampoo chemicals. I trust it will self-regulate soon. It doesn't look too bad but feels like petting a dog....:)

[codajess]

My dog's soft & fluffy. :)

[juliebove]

Ooh I never thought of using clay on hair!! I'll have to try that.

When I shampooed regularly I used to put olive oil on my hair but had huge difficulty getting it out. Even after several washes my hair would still be oily. It didnt seem to do any good anyway. Indian women use sesame oil and swear by it.

The salt is epsom salts from a float tank or sea salt from a salt bath. I'll try the vinegar, thanks! Is it possible to damage hair if you use too much vinegar. My hair's weak and I'd be a bit scared of the acid.

Salt is actually good for your hair and will give it added body. I use a sea salt rinse as a final rinse.

If your hair is dry, try coconut oil on it. You might want to put it just on the ends and not on the roots.

[Green Life]

I tried this for a month and my hair looked SO greasy and stringy. I have naturally light blonde, fine hair. By the end of that month, my hair was dark blonde at best, and was flat and stuck together on my scalp, it was just horrible.

I use Aubrey Organics poo and condish now. My natral color is back and so is the fluff and shine.

I tried washing with honey and that was horrible. The stuff just wouldn' wash out for like 15 minutes. I have also tried avacado. Bad idea. Little pieces getting stuck in the hair is horrible. Even shampooing, I had to shampoo three times to get all the avacodo out. I say yuck. Flaxseeds? No way. I can't imagine how I would wash ThAT out of my hair, given that we have very low water pressure living off an underground spring. It would take me ALL day long to rinse that gunnkk out, LOL>

i Use coconut oil on damp hair after a shampoo/condish. A little goes along way. Usually, I stick with just the ends. Since my hair is very long, the ends really need that extra moisture since they are so old.

[Indie]

I recently cut my hair short (aiming for Kelly Clarkson's new rock chick look, but ending up just looking boyish! Oh well!) so it really is the ideal time to get rid of the 'poo! Like Stina said, even if you use "healthy" shampoos, the ingredients lists are still endless and full of things you can't even pronounce, so you've got to question how natural it is!

Anyway, I only ever used to wash my hair about twice a week anyway, so I'm hoping getting back to natural shouldn't take too long. I'm going to a wedding at the end of September, and I'll probably look like a right troll for the hen weekend! Anyway, I've got a spray bottle filled with distilled water and some drops of rosemary essential oil, and I've also got some jojoba oil in case my hair should get really dry. I want to use water only, as my instinct is telling my steer clear of ACV and BS as well.

Oh and Queenfluff, thanks so much for the links - I spent most of yesterday reading through it all! Will check back for you picture soon! :)

[queenfluff]

Salt is actually good for your hair and will give it added body. I use a sea salt rinse as a final rinse.

If your hair is dry, try coconut oil on it. You might want to put it just on the ends and not on the roots.

Yes, but only sea salt is food for your hair- not epson salt as Bobby has in her hair.

[queenfluff]

I recently cut my hair short (aiming for Kelly Clarkson's new rock chick look, but ending up just looking boyish! Oh well!) so it really is the ideal time to get rid of the 'poo! Like Stina said, even if you use "healthy" shampoos, the ingredients lists are still endless and full of things you can't even pronounce, so you've got to question how natural it is!

Anyway, I only ever used to wash my hair about twice a week anyway, so I'm hoping getting back to natural shouldn't take too long. I'm going to a wedding at the end of September, and I'll probably look like a right troll for the hen weekend! Anyway, I've got a spray bottle filled with distilled water and some drops of rosemary essential oil, and I've also got some jojoba oil in case my hair should get really dry. I want to use water only, as my instinct is telling my steer clear of ACV and BS as well.

Oh and Queenfluff, thanks so much for the links - I spent most of yesterday reading through it all! Will check back for you picture soon! :)

Your welcome! Glad you are trying it out. Most people end up giving up too early because they don't understand how it works. It takes longer than a month for your hair to balance out. Hopefully you will stick with it! :)

I am almost at six months now. Believe me it is alot different at six months than it is at the first month - the first month is the worst. With the short hair and the fact that you didn't shampoo your hair that much should help you out.

Sea salt rinse will give you cleaner hair and some body for your wedding. I had to go to a wedding too in the middle of my transitiion and I did a sea salt rinse and used a sea salt "Hair spray" for body and my hair looked OK. :)

Yeah, I'll try to get a picture - my digital camara isn't working right now. My hair basically looks like I used products but haven't . It has body and it is thick. Nothing like it was on shampoo. :)