Hey, guys! I have yet another post to answer one of your commonly heard No Poo questions!
Today I'm targeting your concerns about smell. More specifically, the smell of your hair while using the No Poo method. I especially want to address this for anyone who is hesitant to venture into No Poo because of these particular uncertainties. Trust me, I understand the hesitation. When I used to purchase traditional shampoo and conditioners, I would often choose what I bought based on how it smelled. Seems trivial, I know. But that's how I did it. When you aren't using those traditional products on your hair anymore though, how does that effect it's smell?
I have a lot of people ask me if using vinegar will leave a smell on your hair. My answer to that is easy: no. I have incredibly thick hair; it really catches smells and holds on to them. Even so, my hair has never even had a tinge of vinegar smell to it. As long as you apply it correctly and rinse it thoroughly, you will have no smell whatsoever. Question #1 squared away.
Question #2 is how can you put a smell back into it? Now, even though smell was what attracted me to shampoos previously, it really isn't much of a factor for me now with No Poo. I wear lotions and perfumes daily; they overpower any smell my hair might have so I never worry much about putting one in it. That isn't to say that it can't be done though. It's actually really easy!
Ingredients:
- your preference of essential oil such as lemon, rosemary, lavender, etc.
- water
- spray bottle
- baking soda (optional: see below on how to use it)
Instructions:
1. Fill your spray bottle with water. Measure how much water you are using to determine how much oil you will need.
2. Add your oils to the water. You will need 5-10 drops of oil per 1 ounce of water. The amount of drops will depend on how strong you want your to smell to be.
3. (optional: see below on how to use it) Use a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 ounce of water ratio and add it into your oil/water mixture.
4. Spray onto your dry hair and work through the length of your hair with your fingers or a wide tooth comb. How much of this you apply will also depend on how strong you want your smell to be.
Spraying this after your wash should last you through to the next one, if you're only doing your regularly scheduled washes with no variances in between. However, you can always add more as needed. For me though, I choose to wet my hair between washes in my daily shower. If you do this as well, you will probably need to spritz more frequently.
Using baking soda:
If you choose to add baking soda to your mix, how and when you use it alters a little bit. The baking soda can be an added boost because it will neutralize and deodorize your hair as well. Think: adding baking soda to your fridge to remove smells. It does the same thing. It can also double as a "dry" shampoo because the baking soda will absorb any excess oils. Because of this though, spraying it too frequently or on anywhere other than your roots, can potentially result in your hair drying out. Baking soda can be a great asset to this spray but you have to use it with caution. So that is something to think about when deciding if you want to add it in. Personally I don't so I can apply it as liberally as I like but it's entirely up to you.
Adding these oils will give your hair a lovely scent but choosing your oil could mean more than what smell you prefer. Each oil can give different added benefits to your hair. Here are a few top choices:
- Almond oil soothes and moisturizes the scalp.
- Cedarwood oil stimulates the scalp and promotes hair growth
- Chamomile oil adds shine and softness to hair, and soothes the scalp
- Clary sage oil promotes hair growth and stimulates the scalp
- Geranium oil strengthens hair
- Jojoba oil moisturizes the hair, adds nutrients, and stimulates the scalp
- Lavender oil deep conditions the hair, keeps it shiny, and helps control dandruff
- Moroccan argan oil moisturizes, nourishes, and provides antioxidants to hair
- Rosemary oil stimulates the roots, improves hair growth, and increases circulation in the scalp
- Sandalwood oil helps with dry ends, and adds fragrance to the hair
I hope this was helpful and answered your questions about smells and No Poo. If it didn't and you still have some, leave me a comment below. I am always happy to help! :)
Check out my other No Poo posts for more answers to your most-asked questions:
How often do you shower and wet your hair? I shower every day, mostly just to wake myself up and feel fresh and clean, but should I be wetting my hair every time I take a shower or wear a showercap for maybe about half the time in between? Thanks for your help! Btw your hair is lovely ^^
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lea! That picture was about 6 months ago and my hair has improved SO much more since then! No Poo is great about continuing to repair your hair even months...even YEARS....into it! I get my hair wet in about 60% of my daily showers. I feel the water helps to just evenly distribute the oils throughout the hair. The only reason I don't do it every single shower is just because I'm too lazy to deal with a mess of wet hair everyday (ya feel me? haha) So, if you wanted to get it wet everyday, I think that could only be a good thing for your hair but if you didn't, that's ok too. It just amounts to personal preference :) Hope this helped, Lea! And feel free to ask if you have any more questions!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your help! ^^
ReplyDeleteStaticy hair is actually a sign of over moisturizing so maybe you should try a little bit more baking soda. I live in utah and i know if i do a coconut oil hair mask or use another heavy conditioning mask during the winter it gets staticy.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I are really interested in doing this, but she is 13. Any concerns for her age in doing this?
ReplyDeleteHello, Grace! I love that you and your daughter want to start this together! How fun! :) This method is completely safe for your daughter's hair. The best thing about baking soda is that it's so much more gentle on your hair than any shampoo is; healthier as well! Generally when you are younger, hair tends to be finer and she would probably need less vinegar but that is really just dependent on what type of hair she has and I think that would be her only difference. I think starting this so young will be great for her because she won't have years of damage to repair on her hair like the rest of us do. It's completely safe, she'll just have to fine tune it to her hair type like anyone else. Let me know if I can answer any more questions and I would love to know how it turns out for you guys! Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your help! My daughter really wants to grow her hair out, and because she uses heat often, she tends to have split ends, even with regular trims. She's been trying several other methods, and hopes that this will be the one! I will keep you up to date on how it turns out! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteYou said when my hair dries it won't smell like vinegar, but if it gets wet again will it? Say i went swimming or got stuck in the rain? Will the smell come back out?
ReplyDeleteActually, you should not be wetting your hair everyday, but that's just because your hair needs like at least 24h to be completely dry. It won't change how your hair feels or looks, but it will prevent you from having any skin problem in your head. So let it be wet every 2 or 3 days, so not your hair but also your skin will be healthier ;)
ReplyDelete