Comment by Marcie:

I heard about not using shampoo and I tried it. Then I gave up. My hair is short and fine and it has never been oily but you wouldn’t believe how disgusting it got when I started using the baking soda. I won’t be trying this again. Viva la shampoo!

Comment by Sara:

I had a bad injury to my head and I couldn’t get my head or hair wet for over 2 months while it was healing. My hair is oily anyway and for the first few weeks my hair was *awful*. What is really wierd is that at the end of 7 weeks all the oil was gone and my hair looked great. I hadn’t done a thing to it practically not even combed it. I don’t want to give up shampoo but you said you know this works and I do too. Great post and great blog. I love it.

Comment by LizBeth:

I like the baking soda/vinegar rinse routine. New to me, but it works well and saves money. But what I don’t understand about the no-poo routine is, do these people also give up washing their bodies? The rest of you needs to stay clean. I certainly wouldn’t give up washing my hands or my face. Seems like there is more to the story.

Comment by Wretha:

LizBeth, I don’t believe anyone who is doing the NoPoo method are giving up bathing… they are just changing what they USE on their skin and hair, the point is to stop using chemical laden, hair stripping shampoos, this isn’t an anti-cleanliness movement, just a movement in a more natural cleaning method.

It takes both a change in what you are using on your body and a mindset change, you do not need to wash your hair every day to be clean, this is coming from a former hairdresser too! :)

Comment by LizBeth:

Wretha, a hairdresser! I wanted to hear from an expert. I know about the chemical problem. That’s the other reason I’m eliminating many commercial products myself, especially deodorant — I went to baking soda/cornstarch and it works very well. I know that many people bathe too often and actually irritate their skin actually forcing it to make too much oil. But I raised boys. They hated baths and hair washing. With a passion!! And sneaking past mom without washing their hair resulted in scale on their scalps. Is there a natural way to deal with it? All the nurse would say is, use hydro-cortisone. The doctor gave me Nizoral. I would LOVE to use water- only, but is this really for all people or just for some? For now, I have to wash mine twice a week. I had very oily hair as a child – if that indicates anything. Thanks. Liz

Comment by Jill:

I went No ‘Poo about a year ago. I scrub my scalp about once or twice a week with baking soda, rinse well, do a cider vinegar rinse, and then finally a cold rinse. It takes a total of about 2 gallons of water if I use the sink rather than the shower (I have hair down to the middle of my back). My hair is shinier, easier to comb, wavier, and has acquired new length (I gave up cutting and trimming my hair 2 decades ago…nothing bad happened).

Yes, I bathe! Everyday. With soap. Organic gentle oatmeal soap.

I am not planning on quitting the baking soda and vinegar routine as it seems to work well for me.

Comment by Karen:

I’ve cut back on using shampoo for the past few months. I’m wearing my hair curly now, and I read and was told by the stylist that it’s best not to use shampoo every time. I use it maybe 3 times per week and then just rinse the other times. The style never holds up overnight so that I need some form of washing each day. I’m going to try the no shampoo method, using the baking soda paste, and see what happens. I have to go to work each day, so I really can’t go through a prolonged greasy period, but I’ll see what happens. Won’t tell my husband though – he showers and shampoos at least twice a day and would be creeped out if he even heard of this. :-)

Comment by Becky:

Last year I went to Namibia to volunteer. I wasn’t sure what the shower facilities would be like so I decided to do a bit of a preemptive strike and get my hair and scalp used to fewer washes. I stopped using shampoo and conditioner completely and started rinsing my hair with baking soda and water, followed by a vinegar or lemon juice rinse, once a week. It was gross at first but after a few weeks it was completely fine. I didn’t use shampoo for over 10 months. I now use a mild, organic, chemical free shampoo once a week and my hair is healthier and easier to manage than it’s ever been.

Comment by Liz:

I have been using a natural soap shampoo bar. It is very gentle and I find my hair is much more managable. It also stays clean longer.

Comment by Alexandra:

I’ve never been a big bather. When I was little, my mom warned me, “when you get to be a teenager, you’ll need to bathe every day.” It didn’t happen. On average, I bathe twice a week. Unless it’s extremely hot and sticky out (like it is currently), the trigger for me to wash is usually when my hair gets oily. I recently switched to an SLS and paraben free shampoo. Jill, that’s interesting that your hair got longer after you changed your hair washing regimen. I go years between haircuts but my hair never grows longer than the bottom of my shoulder blades. I wonder if I could coax it longer with your techniques.

Comment by Frances:

My concern about shampoo actually started after my gyno suggested I was sensitive to it. Then I learned about the chemicals in shampoo and found people talking about “self-cleaning” hair. I tried just rinsing for about a week but my hair was so greasy I felt very unprofessional at work. When I started washing my hair again my scalp got flaky and it took a month for it to go away. Maybe I will try again later with baking soda or something but a friend introduced me to 365 fragrance free shampoo and that’s been working great. Like you said, I feel like my exposure is minimal now.

Comment by Teri:

I’ve always had curly/frizzy, dry hair and I’ve always fought the curl. After trashing my hair’s condition with some harsh shampoo (Trader Joe’s Citrus Shampoo), I conditioned it with olive oil and egg, which worked great, and checked out the no-poo websites. I began using baking soda and apple cider vinegar water to rinse but found that it left my hair very dry and I smelled like salad dressing. Then I just started rinsing my hair thoroughly with very warm water and found that it left my hair clean and encouraged curl in a good, non-frizzy way. It’s been about 3 months and I love what mere rinsing has done for my hair! It’s curly, has lots more body and is in great condition. And it passed hubby’s sniff test too. Last week we went camping and it didn’t get greasy at all, although I was happy to get a hot shower after that. I don’t think I’ll ever use shampoo or conditioner again, and I’ve converted to Dr. Bronner’s castile soap for bathing too, just to be even more chemical-free.

Comment by CH:

And I thought I was the only wierdo in the country that washed my hair with bar soap. Several years ago I was having problems with dandruff and dry flakey skin on my forehead, so I sent off for some bar shampoo. It looked just like a bar of soap so when I used it up I started washing my hair with (cheaper) bar Ivory. Most bar “soap” and (as far as I know) ALL liquid “soap” is actually detergent (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate). It cuts grease nicely, but it is hard on skin and I don’t believe that it is as good at killing germs as soap. Real soap is better at stopping underarm odor. My skin improved, esp. when I started taking vitamin E, but that’s another story. Vinegar (half white vinegar and half water, in a washed out ketchup squeeze bottle) washes out the soap scum caused by our hard water and makes my long hair easy to brush. I wash it in the sink once or twice a week, oftener if my allergies kick up, less often if I am real busy.