Losing my hair made me do it
About 3 years ago, when I was living in Sydney, I used this specific shampoo and conditioner called “Organic Care” that was sold in the supermarket. Sounds pretty straight-forward, right? I mean it’s “organic” and it makes my hair shiny and it’s the bee’s knees. I’m fabulous. Little did I know it was the worst decision I’d ever make for my locks.
About six months into the routine of washing my hair with the Organic Care line I noticed that my hair was thinning. True, some hairfall is normal. Some. But I was shedding to the point where my bangs were starting to resemble one of those beaded doorway curtains. I had no idea what was happening and why. Yes, the by-default-reason “cancer” did appear in front of my eyes but all jokes aside I was dumbfounded. What in the world was happening?
I joined several online groups for zero waste beauty and found that a plethora of people had had the same problems with this brand. I discovered that there was nothing organic or natural about that line. It was a marketing trick made to attract naive people and it worked. I decided then and there that I’m gonna stop using conventional products and go No Poo (kudos to whoever thought of this name).
The No Poo Method
Now, lemmetellya, during that first year I tried all the zero waste hair cleansers under the sun as long as they were in the vegan spectrum. Baking soda, tea infusions, clays, flours, beer, kombucha, bread, Indian herbal powders; aritha, neem, tulsi, shikakai and many more concoctions. I was so committed that at one point I drove an hour outside of Atlanta, to an Indian grocers. And my patience never wore thin (unlike my hair, sic) because I was starting to see results and was determined to try everything and find my perfect solution.
So, I finally settled on soap nuts, or Indian soap berries. I liked how they cleansed my scalp and this method gave me the most days between washes. I went from washing every day to every 4 days.
I’d used the soap nuts for a few months when I started noticing some strong waves occurring in my hair. As I’d always had straight hair I was astounded at what was going on. So I turned to the groups again and was told to follow the Curly Girl Method.
Why use natural hair care?
What happens with conventional, or chemical-based products, is that they strip your hair from its natural oils and cover the strands with silicone or silicone-like adhesives. This makes your hair shiny and “healthy” when it’s actually far from it. Using chemicals on your hair means you never let your hair breathe and consequently hair can’t get itself balanced.
Hair is actually not meant to be washed with products at all. It’s just marketing that’s persuaded us to start using shampoos, conditioners and other toxins after our toddler years. Using natural hair care substances like Ayurvedic powders or soap berries can help restart your hair. Plus, they’ll more than likely help relieve any scalp issues like eczema, dandruff, or dry skin.
It can take a year for your hair to reach that natural state again after using chemical-based solutions. And that year would be filled with lots of bad hair days but the end result will totally be worth it!
Zero waste shampoo recipes
BAKING SODA
- 1-2 tbsp baking soda*
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
*Start with 1 tablespoon and see how you go.
Heat the BS and water in a sauce pan. Stir until solved.
Let cool and transfer to a nozzled bottle for easy appliance.
NB! It’s important that you apply the mixture to DRY hair, to roots only. Massage a little with your fingers and rinse.
PS – the baking soda wash requires an acidic rinse because BS is abrasive.
SOAP NUTS
- about 10 nuts
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
There are two ways of making soap nut shampoo:
- Boil the nuts in water until it resembles tea in colour. Let cool, drain liquid and transfer to a nozzled bottle for easy appliance.
- Leave the nuts (in filtered) water overnight, drain the liquid and transfer to a bottle.
NB! It’s important that you apply the mixture to DRY hair, to roots only. Massage a little with your fingers and rinse.
PROTEIN WASH (occasional)
- Rye flour + water. Same method of appliance.
- Rice water method — instead of pouring your drained rice water down the drain, let it ferment for a few days and apply to hair.
HERBAL WASH
Use any of the following Ayurvedic herbs:
- Aritha
- Shikakai
- Hibiscus
- Amla
- Neem
You’ve got to test and try to see what works for your hair. Boil 2 tbsp in water and use the forementioned application method.
Zero waste conditioner recipes
ACID RINSE
- Apple cider vinegar (ACV)
- Lemon
- Tea
- Coffee
OTHER MOISTURISERS
- Beer
- Amla powder
- Neem powder
- Tulsi powder
- Coconut water
- Oat milk
You’d need to boil the powders with water but others you could dilute or not. Again, all hair is different, so it’s about testing what suits for you.
Now, everyone to the shops for some natural hair care, pip-pip!
You can find more DIY beauty recipes here.