My Dirty Little Secret

My Dirty Little Secret

I’m just going to come right out with it. I’ve only washed my hair four times in the last month. Yep, you heard right, I’m becoming a legitimate dirty hippie, but the best part is you couldn’t tell by looking at me (at least most days). I’ve read a lot of stuff lately about the “no ‘poo” method and was intrigued by the stories of women’s lack luster locks becoming shiny and radiant when they kicked their shampoo habits. I haven’t eschewed shampoo completely (at least not yet πŸ˜‰ ), but I’m loving the results of my once a week regime. I’ve always had pretty good hair (I attribute this to good genetics, zero processing, and the fact that I rarely use a blow dryer), so I haven’t noticed a dramatic change in my hair’s quality. However, I love the greenness of the method, but even more than that, I love how it’s revolutionized my life as a stay-at-home mom. Seriously though, allow me to explain.

I like to look nice, but my hair takes a long time to dry and style and I have a kid that likes to whine at me when I do pretty much anything. Most of the time I would just throw my wet hair into a messy bun and feel pretty frumptacular and be embarrassed if anyone dropped by unexpected. Now, I put forth a lot of effort on day one (Sunday, which is the day I usually did my hair anyway) and only a little bit of effort all the rest of the week with fantastic results. Also, because I don’t wash my hair most of the time when I shower my showers are SUPER quick which is a big bonus when you have kids that could start screaming at any given second. (Yes, I still shower regularly since I workout and am not yet hippie enough to stop shaving my legs.) The shorter shower and hairstyling times also give me more time to spend on things like sewing, gardening, or sleeping and the improved hairdos help me feel more confident. Who knew not washing my hair would be such a lifesaver?

I cut back on shampoo after Ellen was born. At first it was kind of difficult as my scalp adjusted. I had some days those first couple of weeks where my hair was greasy and I’m pretty sure it looked awful. (I’ve read that baby powder can help this, but didn’t have any.) I even cracked a few times and washed my hair midway through the week. Two and a half months later my hair has fully adjusted and oddly enough I often dislike my hair on day one because it seems too . . . clean πŸ™‚Β  I love that this is one of those things that feeds both my green soul and my vanity.

I realize a lot of you are probably thinking I’m crazy and feel like you’re going to die if you go more than a day without washing your hair (Ahem, Noel). It’s hard to go cold-turkey, but maybe try going just one extra day for awhile and work up. Maybe not washing your hair could change your life too πŸ™‚

And here’s some proof that I don’t look like a crazy hippie. I do my hair straight one week and let it be curly the next so I thought I’d show you the whole experience. Please note that I still have bad hair days. (See Saturday of week two. Thank goodness we just did housework that day.)

Week One

Week Two

PS You notice funny things when you take pictures of yourself everyday, like how I apparently wore only blue for a week. Was that a subconscious manifestation of how much I was thinking of my Alma Mater that week? Maybe, that’s all I can guess.

5 thoughts on “My Dirty Little Secret

  1. Your hairstyles are so pretty and your hair looks so healthy! I think you won the hair lottery. I need to learn how to braid my own hair like that.

    My sister-in-law does hair and she also recommended cutting back to every other day, if not longer in between, to let the natural oils work their magic. She also uses olive oil to smooth frizzies and make her hair have a healthy glow. I usually go 2 days with my hair, sometimes 3 if it’s straightened, because it’s so frizzy naturally and I’m lazy. Shower caps are lovely πŸ™‚

  2. You know, Audrey, it’s too bad we don’t live closer to each other, because it seems like we have so much in common and it would be fun to spend more time together! I have been fortunate to have somewhat dry hair, and I have never washed it daily. It used to be every other day, then I gradually went to every three days, and for the last several months, it has been Saturday and Wednesday (also enjoying the benefits you mentioned as a mom–less time spent showering/styling hair). And last week, I was off schedule, so I washed it Monday and then not again till Saturday–and my hair did fine. I am not quite to once a week, but I am leaning that way. I am not sure if I would ever go no-poo completely, but I’ve been using the same bottle of shampoo since Christmas, so I love not having to buy it very often. I’m impressed that you actually DO something with your hair–mine is still just either down or in a pony tail. Caleb is reading this and wants me to add a smile πŸ™‚

  3. I’ve read a lot about no-poo for awhile now but I haven’t tried it yet. Have you tried the oil cleansing method for your face? I want to try that too… I go 2, 3 and often 4 days (occasionally 5) without washing my hair, but once a week would be so great! Although I don’t know if I can do so many cute hairstyles like you – even with how-to demos from the internet πŸ™‚

    1. I haven’t tried the oil cleansing method. I’ve found that for my skin, just doing mostly nothing to my face (rinse with plain water most days and occasionally wash with mild soap)works best. Maybe I’m just relying on my natural oils and getting a similar effect?

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