2.23.2011

Dirty Hippie Hair Experiment: Update

So week one of my Dirty Hippie Hair Experiment has ended, with mixed results.  My hair doesn't look terrible, yet it doesn't feel great either.  I actually cheated over the weekend and rubbed a bit of shampoo into my lower locks, because they just felt so blah.  I figured that it wouldn't much affect the oils in my scalp, but might just clear out some of the gunk that's moved down my hair.
Today, before my doctor's appointment, I'd had enough. Call it the emotions, but I was just sick of thinking about my hair, (and secretly worrying that the doctor would notice it!). Really, when I was on the shampoo routine, I barely gave a second thought to my hair, after showering and letting it air dry.  But today it was just feeling so knotty and gnarly, and gritty, (though surprisingly not oily) after dumping too much baking soda on it yesterday in the shower.  Despite a mighty-dousing of vinegar, I just couldn't get it all out.  I'm convinced that my hair is just not meant for baking soda--it's just too thick and hard to rinse out.  It was always super-easy to comb when wet, but as it dried it just got tangled and difficult to manage.  It's like my hair wanted to turn into dreadlocks.

Honestly, my hair never really looked bad, as you can see from the photos, but it just always felt weird, which made me worry about how it looked to others.
So I did the inevitable this morning and washed it a bit with some castile soap.  Yikes! I thought it would end this mess, but no.  My hair still feels gunky, not from grease but from weird build-up.  If I had gone another week without shampoo, I think my hair would have settled out fine, since it was feeling soft on some days, then rough on others.  Call me a wimp, but I just didn't have the resolve to continue, at least now. 
All in all, I'm glad I did this, and I really see myself washing my hair less with shampoo, and maybe doing a weekly vinegar/baking soda washing.  I'm hoping that this experiment was a detox for my head, and that maybe after a few more days of regular shampooing, that my hair will return back to normal, well at least MY normal.  Right now, it's just feeling a little like someone smeared frosting on the back of my head.  Ugh. I'm ready to not think about hair for a while.


9 comments:

•´.¸¸.•¨¯`♥.Mrs. Cox.♥´¯¨•.¸¸.´• said...

May I ask how you're "applying" the baking soda? If you said before, I apologize. What I do is add maybe a TB max of soda to a very tall glass {think martini shaker size} of water. I pour that on, rub around, and repeat twice if not three times. Then I do the same with the apple cider vinegar rinse - a TB or so with water - once or twice to get all the baking soda out.

I'm sorry it's given you so much trouble! I completely can relate though, when I feel like my hair is not its normal self, I feel majorly insecure and aware of it. Ugh.

Bella said...

HAHA,,, I totally know what you mean. I never did the baking soda thing, but I have been living without shampoo, and regular soap for about 6 months now. I've been using Dr. Bronners castile soap only since then. My hair still feels gunky sometimes, BUT, I hardly ever use conditioner, (or brush it for that matter, lol) and somehow I've been able to get through.

At first oh man, I also was very unsure how long I could resist the detox process, as my hair was constantly a tangled gooey mess, but things have really settled into place.

I don't think I will ever go back to regular shampoo again.

Bella :)

Muthering Heights said...

Hey, if you weren't comfortable, then there's no reason to continue. But now you know...nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? :)

Sky said...

You've given me the confidence to at least try the shampoo detox. It sounds like fun, but I know I'm going to stress the same way you are.

I have one question though, do you use apple cider vinegar or just plain. Does your hair have that vinegary smell? I'm just not keen on vinegar. KWIM?

Naomi said...

Wow, your hair is getting so long! I love the curls, although I know they annoy you. Kudos for holding out this long- I can only go about three days before I'm clamoring for shampoo and conditioner.

Ammie said...

Aw, what lovely curly locks you have!

You know, you gave this an honest effort, and you can try it again if you want to--when pregnancy hormones aren't at play! (This pregnancy I've been "blessed" with all sorts of non-baby related anxiety and depression. Boo!)

Flying Giggles and Lollipops said...

Your hair does not look bad, but I might end up with the same feeling. I have naturally curly hair. Does the vinegar strip out the color as well or does it just clean off the build up?

Bonnie said...

That's great that you were able to stick with it for as long as you did. I don't have a desire to give up my rosemary mint shampoo, but I can understand why someone would want to try...I think.

Danielle said...

Your hair looks lovely. I shampoo once or twice weekly. You scalp and hair will produce less oils as you wait longer between washings. You'll notice if you wait 5 days again this week and then wash it, that it won't seem near as oily on the 5th day this time as it did last.

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