(No So) Dirty Little Secret

So, if you know me, you know that a few months ago, I came to find out I have a gluten intolerance. (It's a real fun story- it involves pasta and hives, remind me to tell you sometime.) Whelp, one of those fun side effects of eating gluten when you shouldn't be is undernourishment- because you are causing damage to the inside of your intestines, the villi can't absorb nutrients, blah blah blah. And you know what a fun side effect of that is? Hair loss.

My lovely thick hair isn't anymore. Thinking back, I can see that my hair has been gradually thinning for a few years. I don't know if that's all thanks to gluten or if other life stresses or hormones have a play in there somewhere as well. Either way. Not the point.

I had also done some reading on the whole "No-poo" movement and how it's better for your hair, especially if you have curly hair- which I do. Well, better for my curls and less stress for my hair? I'll give it a whirl.

And not having to buy shampoo ever again? Yeah, I can go for that.

I stopped washing my hair probably around March. And no one knows unless I choose to tell them. Including the ladies at the hair salon.

Now, in the six months I've gone without washing my hair, I have gone to the beach, the pool, the gym, and I live in the South. It's hot. I sweat. It's part of life. My hair does not smell. It's not greasy. (Sidenote- there is a week or two when you're first starting that your hair does look a little greasy. It's your scalp trying to compensate and acclimating itself to not having all the goodness stripped out of it.) I condition my hair every day (or at least every 24 hours. If I know I'm going to the gym later in the day, I'll just wet my hair in my first shower. But it's curly hair. You can't just skip getting it wet. Sigh.) I use whatever conditioner strikes my fancy- at the moment, I use Dove intense hair therapy or something like that. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive.

I do "clean" my hair every couple of days. I put product in my hair to help with my curls and to keep the frizzies at bay, and that tends to build up. I clean my hair with a super complicated combination of baking soda and water. You can find a giant box of baking soda for less than $3 at the grocery store. Way cheaper than shampoo. I've seen lots of differing opinions on ratios of baking soda to water. I've used both a "paste" consistency and a much more watery consistency. I actually prefer the watery consistency, but I've been doing this for awhile. I also add a few drops of lavender oil to the mixture to make it smell nice and to stimulate hair growth. I keep said mixture in a jar in the shower in the paste consistency and mix enough for my hair cleaning in a travel bottle when I'm going to use it. Also, said paste can be used on your face. You know. Should you ever have the desire to rub it on your face. I've also used it to shave my legs. I'm convinced there's nothing baking soda can't do.

So there you have it. I don't wash my hair! And I don't intend to!