What's it like to stop shampooing postpartum, week 1
I tried going no-shampoo (or no 'poo, as it's called) once before. Several weeks before my second baby, I was put off work due to complications. I thought this would be a good time to try the no 'poo method. A co-worker of mine who was a no 'pooer said it takes a while to break the cycle and your hair gets funky for a week or two. So, I thought it would be best to try this when I would only be seen by my family.
I tried different washing methods I read about online. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar dryed out my hair terribly. I made a paset of rye flour and water that worked well at cleaning my hair, but it left little flakes that were nearly impossible to get out. And after I had my baby, my hormones changed my hair chemistry, so I just gave up and started using my husband's shampoo. Untill recently when I decided to give the no shampoo method another try.
Days 1 - 3 It's late October, the air is dry, and I usually only wash my hair every 2 or 3 days anyway. I'm almost 5 months postpartum now, and my hair is continuing to change. At 3 months it started falling out at an alarming rate--little hairs on my shirt, clumps in the shower, sink, and brushes. The falling out has slowed down and my hair feels soft and light.
Day 4 I woke up this morning and really didn't feel like showering. The air in the house was cold and dry. My hair felt soft, not greasy. Maybe it's a combination of the weather and my hair chemestry changing postpartum. This was the day I decied to try no 'poo again. No plan, no thinking about it. I dove right in. I brushed my hair with my boar's brisle bursh and pulled it back with bobby pins.
Day 5 I washed my hair with water only, scrubbing as I would if I were shampooing. I pined my hair to the side and went about my day. My hair felt a little stiff once it dried, but other than that it was fine all day.
Day 6 This was the greasiest day, yet. I had a dream last night about snooty people judging my nasty hair. I used by boars bristle brush to smooth my hair and I pined it to the side with a bobby pin. My hair felt greasy and heavy. This is the point where I felt like giving up. Brushing didn't help. So, on the fly, I created a homemade dry shampoo with stuff I happened to have around the house. I mixed equal parts rye flour and baking cocoa with a few drops essential oil, adapted from a recipie I found on wellness mama.​ I didn't have the arrowroot flour or corn starch she suggests, but I remembered that rye flour did well cleaning my hair as a paste, so I figgured I'd try it dry. I added the cocoa for a colorant because I have dark hair. The essential oil made the whole thing smell great. I applied my homemade dry shampoo with a make up brush then combed it through with a wide-toothed comb. That did the trick.
Day 7 I woke with my hair feeling a little stiff and slightly sticky like I'd left in hairspray. I can definately feel the sebum oils building at my scalp. I washed my hair with water. When it dried, my scalp felt a little dry and itchy. I scriched my scalp and preened with a boars bristle brush. We'll see what next week brings.
Leave a comment. Have you tried "no 'poo"? Do you have any advice?
