In addition to switching to using a safety razor, the change I made which probably had the biggest impact on my ecological footprint was ditching shampoo, as known as going “no ‘poo”.

Usually when I tell people about going no poo, I get two reactions, either a polite, “Oh wow,” or a less reserved, “Ew.” I can definitely relate to these reactions because the thought of having dirty hair is honestly pretty gross.

But the truth is, shampoo isn’t the only way to keep your hair clean. And I can honestly say that making this change is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My hair is happier, my scalp is happier, and I get more compliments on my hair than I’ve ever gotten before in my life.

(I should also disclose/humblebrag that I’ve started cutting it myself as well, and with only a few “oopsies” moments, I’m also overall much much happier with how my hair looks.)

All for tons less time, and even better, tons less money than my old hair care routines.

I’ve been wanting to make this post for a while, and Plastic Free July has inspired me to share what I’ve learned as I’ve made this transition, in the hopes that it will help others make the transition as well.

My Hair

I think it’s important to disclose my hair type for two reasons. First, because what I’ve found works for me, but it may not work for everyone. Second, because personally I think my hair is particularly difficult to manage, so my attitude, for better or worse, is basically, if I can figure it out, so can you!

My hair is blonde, very fine, curly, and incredibly, impressively greasy.

For about the first 25 years of my life, if I wasn’t shampooing it every day, it looked greasy and dirty. And of course, with shampoo also comes conditioner – if I didn’t condition it, too, it would be dry and brittle, and tangled, and even frizzier. I remember trying every different brand imaginable, and every different curly hair product imaginable, from leave in conditioner to mousse to gel to sprays, trying to find something that would make my hair look like the beautiful hair you see in the movies and on the models.

Nothing worked, and I’d inevitably end up either straightening it or throwing it up in a bun. Straightening it was time consuming, and would only last a day before it would become too greasy again, and I’d have to start all over again. And I hated putting it up in a bun, because if it’s just up, why bother having hair at all, right?

Okay, so enough of my tale of woe… I think I’ve painted a good enough picture.

My 3 No Shampoo Secrets

1. Corn Starch
2. A Good, Clean Bristle Brush
3. Homemade “Sea” Salt Spray

Corn Starch

The truth is, I’m really a liar, and I haven’t given up shampoo at all…. I’ve just switched from modern comes-in-a-plastic-bottle-full-of-chemicals-and-detergents shampoo to dry shampoo.

I can buy this 16 oz. box of Argo Corn Starch for $0.79, and it will last me at least a year. I would rather buy organic, but I haven’t been able to find organic in a cardboard box without a plastic window. So in the tradeoff between organic and plastic free, plastic free won out.

So you can see the magic for yourself, I took some pictures this morning. I’m not a professional photographer, I was using my cell phone, and it’s hard to take pictures of your own hair. I hope they are good enough to show you why corn starch is so amazing!

Here’s my hair this morning – I haven’t used corn starch in about a week, but it’s been washed with plain water a couple times, and I’ve been doing sea salt spray (which I discuss later). I washed it in just water yesterday, threw it up in a tiny bun all day, and let it down at bedtime. It’s pretty grimy feeling, and it’s definitely time (overdue) for some corn starch.

It’s a little hard to see, but I do have some pink left in my hair from using a red “washes out in 10 washes” color about a month ago. It’s slowly fading.

Step 1

I use an old makeup brush to brush the corn starch onto my hair, focusing on the roots, and getting to all the under layers.

Step 2

Next I massage the corn starch in with my fingers, shaking it a little, and just giving it a nice good rub. At this point, you can still see it in my hair, but I’m not done.

Step 3

Finally, I brush all the excess corn starch out with a nice, clean bristle brush, which I talk a little more about next. I brush and brush and brush until all the extra corn starch is gone. It ends up in the brush, on the sink, and on me. Usually I do this before I get dressed, but for the sake of pictures I was dressed today.

Here’s my brush:

Ta da! Clean hair again! From start to finish it took about 15 minutes, and that includes the time I wasted struggling to take pictures. Usually it’s more of a 5 minute process.

As sort of a side note, when I put the red highlights in my hair, I worried that the corn starch wouldn’t be a good dry shampoo. That the only reason I was getting away with using it was my hair was light, so even if there was corn starch residue after I brushed it out, it would blend in. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the corn starch still worked, even on the bright red.

As a back up, however, I have read elsewhere online that unsweetened cocoa powder works well as a dry shampoo for dark hair, and cinnamon mixed with corn starch works well as a dry shampoo for red hair. I haven’t given these a shot, though, since the corn starch has worked well for me.

A Good Clean Bristle Brush

I read lots of advice on the internet about how to take care of curly hair, and a common theme is not to brush it unless it’s wet, as it will “ruin” the curls. In my case, I’ve been able to toss that advice out the window. Brushing out the corn starch leaves me with nice round wavy curls that some people pay a lot of money for.

Lots of “no poo” advice I read also recommended using a natural boars bristle brush. I tried one or two, I don’t remember which brand, but I had problems with the bristles coming out and getting tangled in my hair, and also finding that the bristles weren’t strong enough to get through all of my hair all the way to my scalp.

As you can see in the picture above, I’ve stuck with a basic nylon bristle brush. And I know plastic is bad, but it felt less wasteful continuing to use a brush I already had than to continue buying boar bristle brushes in the hopes of finding one that worked, and just throwing away the plastic one. If you wanted to buy one new, I’d recommend at least looking for one with a wooden handle, like this one.

The most important part of this brush, though, is cleaning it after every use. When I’m lazy and don’t, the next time I go to use it I end up brushing nasty gunk into my hair and it does not look clean. It takes a few second of running water and pulling the hair out, making sure to get deep down in the bristles, and then it’s ready for the next day. Every now and again I’ll give it a nice long soak in hot water and soap and really clean it.

Washing Schedule

I’ve found that the longer I can keep my hair dry, the longer it stays clean looking. Even when it’s hot out or when I’ve been exercising and it gets a little sweaty. When it was shorter, that meant using a shower cap, but now that it’s longer I can get away with pinning it back.

I aim to wash it with just water once or twice a week. I’ve found it’s important to really massage my scalp as I wash it, and gently brush it. I try to wash it at night so it can dry overnight and be ready for corn starch in the morning.

If I wash it in the morning and need to be presentable during the day, I’ll spray it down with homemade “sea” salt spray. I don’t know why, but it really helps cut down on the grease between corn starches, and it gives my hair a little body.

My sea salt spray recipe is neither complicated nor scientific. I pour a few teaspoons-tablespoons of epsom salt into an old spray bottle, with hot water, and shake vigorously before each use. I’ve never really measured how much salt I actually use.

My trouble recently has been finding plastic free epsom salt. I used to buy it in a cardboard container that looked a bit like a milk container, and one carton lasted a very long time. Unfortunately, even that container is plastic lined, but it doesn’t matter, because I can’t even find it any more. The best alternative I’ve found so far is this $10ish/lb Pure Organic Ingredients Epsom Salt, and on Amazon they claim “At Pure Organic Ingredients we strive to be a proactive, integral, and responsible member of our environment and community. We try to make all our packaging from natural materials like recycled, virgin or dye-free paper. Our Natural Kraft Paper Bags are an Earth-Conscious alternative that present a lesser burden on the environment than our competitor’s plastic bags.” So, not entirely plastic free, unfortunately, but hopefully less of an impact. I haven’t tried it yet, but when I run out of my current stock, that’s what I intend to try next.

Complications and Solutions

Dry Scalp

Corn starch and epsom salt were my simple routine that worked very well by themselves for a long time. Then I moved from Hawaii back to the east coast and winter really threw me a curve ball. The cold air really dried my scalp out, although somehow my hair continued to remain fairly greasy. I was getting flakes, which the corn starch made worse, and my hair just didn’t feel clean.

I did some searching online and found that shampoo bars are becoming a bit of a thing. As far as I can tell they are basically shampoo minus the water, or specially formulated soaps that are supposed to work better on hair. I headed to my local organic store to pick one up and give it a try. I don’t remember what brand I picked, but I wasn’t impressed. It would get my hair clean, but leave it feeling brittle, so I felt like I was falling back into old problems.

Somewhat by chance when I was traveling around the holidays and I had forgotten my shampoo bar, I found that a locally made goat’s milk soap doubled fantastically as a shampoo bar. It got my hair clean enough, without feeling dried out. I could use less corn starch in between washes, so my scalp wasn’t getting as flaky, and it got me through winter.

I don’t know if it’s true of all goat’s milk soaps, but the brand I got is Tasha’s Own, and you can order it online. It’s a really great company that I feel good buying from. I don’t know how the soap is packaged when you order online, but when I buy it at the farmer’s market, it’s just paper and fabric, and most importantly, no plastic!

Build Up

I’ve noticed that over time I’ll start to get some build up on my scalp that regularly washing with just water doesn’t seem to wash away. Then I know it’s time for a baking soda rinse.

I stir a couple tablespoons of baking soda into a cup of warm water. I slowly pour it onto my thoroughly wet hair when I shower, working it into my scalp with my fingers. It feels a little slippery as it works at the grease. I don’t leave it on long (a minute maybe?) and rinse it out completely.

Again, unfortunately, this isn’t a very scientific process, either. Too much baking soda and my hair is dry and frizzy for a couple days. Too little and it doesn’t get the job done. It just takes a little bit of experimenting to get it right, as everyone’s hair is going to be a little different.

Since the baking soda rinse makes my hair really poofy, I try to do it as infrequently as possible, maybe once or twice a month.

Conclusions

Making the switch has saved me hundreds and hundred of dollars over the past 4 years or so, and saved hours and hours of my life spent agonizing over my hair in front of a mirror. I’m happier and more self confident, too, because I can spend so much less time thinking about how I look.

I’m also happier knowing I’ve lowered my consumption. All the bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and product I haven’t had to throw away. All the useless product I haven’t had to throw away. All the detergents and chemicals I haven’t washed into the water system. All the fuel costs I’ve saved not buying heavy water based products. All the space I save on my bathroom shelves!

I wish someone had told me these tips when I first started my no shampoo journey. I tried all kinds of alternatives, including apple cider vinegar, exclusively using baking soda, even shampooing with lemon and raw egg (talk about eww!). It was rough going for a while, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to experiment and get it right.

I hope these techniques work as well for other people as they do for me!