(Part 4) Top products from r/NoPoo

1. Try an all natural pomade. Badger Balm is nice. It smells amazing and works well. Had a bearded friend back home who used it on his head and in his beard (lightly in the beard) and it smelled fantastic. Mmmm... bergamot.
   
   
   
2. You do have to be somewhat serious about it. It takes time for your hair and scalp to reset. The first few weeks you will be a little oily. Frequent brushing with a good brush helps. So does just rinsing with warm water in the shower (and brushing with the water running on your head). Don't overdo it though. After a few weeks you should balance out.
   
   
3. Yes you can use conditioner. BUT... nothing with silicone or sulfates in it. Try to stay as natural as possible. There's a short list about half way down this page. Suave naturals is cheap and has neither in it. Personally I use Dr Bronners. The lavender smell will put you to sleep.
   
   edit: wrong link
   
   
   
   It is just something you have to stick with for a little while. People get discouraged in the beginning because it "feels gross". That goes away. If you MUST clean it, Dr. Bronners Castile Soap can take the edge off. It's best to rinse with it though, if that makes sense. It actually is great for your skin, so draw a nice warm bath, add a couple tablespoons to the water, then lay down and swish your hair around, then rinse. Adding any kind of clenser (or conditioner for that matter) directly to your head can overpower your own natural oils. Always dilute it in something and rinse your hair with it. Like with conditioners, keep a cup in the shower, add a bit to the cup and mix it, then pour it over your hair. This is why it used to be called a cream rinse.

Hello! Dont worry! It may take a little time untill you figured out what works best for your hair but it is worth it. Could you tell me what hair type you are?

The thing you mentioned in your post is Water only. I wouldnt recomend to start with it. You used comercial shampoos and conditioner untill now, right? You might wanna get rid of the product build up that the silicones and all the other nasty ingredients caused. I suggest to use rhassoul or "Logona color plus" (which is a mask to get rid of build ups) to clarify your hair and scalp. https://www.amazon.de/Logona-LOGONA-Color-plus-Vorbehandlung/dp/B00139YIAK (sorry European page, but it is only to show you what the product looks like). Then, I would suggest that you try one method and observe your hair and how it reacts. I for instance, began by using natural products for one year and then I switched to rhassoul (which is a mineral clay) to wash my hair and apple cider viniger deluted in water as a rinse. Now I wash them with water only and from time to time with rhassoul.

Do you need a boar bristle brush and a wooden comb? No pooers use those to distibute the natural oil (sebum) from the scalp to the ends. Sebum is kinda the natural conditioner your body produces to protect and nourish your hair.

Maybe tell me what hair type you are, so I can give you some more advice. I hope this helps for the start.

:-)

After a brief relief from honey this has saved me: Stopitt Medicated Anti-Dandruff Hair & Scalp Treatment 4 oz . Apparently some people can apply that to their roots only and not look like they dipped their hair in a bowl of oil. They're probably smarter than I am. I've been doing as an Amazon commenter mentioned with great success: wet hair in shower, apply liberally, do the rest of my business, rinse off. After 4 days of that my dandruff that has been plaguing me for years was gone. 2 weeks later it started coming back a bit, i did that again 3 days, then it was gone again. I have been dandruff free for close to 2 months now.

I'm pretty new to this, so I'm probably not explaining what you want to be explained properly haha.

Anyways, I just started off only washing with water and using a conditioner every 3 days (sulfate free, mainly for a smoother feeling and the bonus smell).

Here's the conditioner if anyone is interested. I may be breaking the nopoo rules by using the conditioner (I think), but I'm essentially experimenting at the moment.

edit: If you mean my routine before nopoo, it was shampooing every two days (but not a full shampoo, mainly using it on the scalp with the tip of my fingers and barely touching the overall hair), and conditioner. The shampoo is the same brand as the conditioner linked above, even when I've used it fully, it's a pretty good shampoo in terms of retaining your oil to a degree.

What sulfate free shampoo did you use? Seriously, I went through everything that you are describing. I gave up being no-poo and settled for being low-poo. I use Shea Moisture products, I think they're awesome. My curls have really come back to life and my dandruff/itchiness has really settled down. I wouldn't say it's completely gone, but it is definitely way better. Shea Moisture has a line specifically for dandruffy/itchy scalp but I only use the shampoo and the purifying hair masque. For conditioner, I use the restorative condtioner and just make sure to keep it off of my scalp. It can be kind of pricey, so at the very least I would suggest trying the masque, it feels so good when you rub it into your scalp and it rinses out fine with just water.

Oh wow.... I don't know a whole lot about water only washing but I wanted to jump in and say that I'm sorry to hear what you're going through :-(

I looked through your comment history to see if you're male or female (hope you don't mind). I assume that since you're a guy, you have short hair already... perhaps pick up a decent [dry shampoo] (http://www.amazon.com/Batiste-Dry-Shampoo-Original-5-05/dp/B000N5S0KE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3N9M1H7H3FTEK&coliid=I1AFWCYIFDDRB4) and only wash once a week? The dry shampoo should keep it smelling fresh and not looking greasy in between washes. Also, if your hair seems dried out from shampoo only, perhaps look into the apple cider vinegar/baking soda method? Should be a little easier on your hair.

In any case, I hope things improve for you and your family very soon.

The essential oils sold with diffusers are often diluted - These oils are only meant to make a home smell nice.

I purchased my original essential oils at a health and wellness store (the type that sells whey powder and meal replacement mixes), though you can often find them online for lower prices. I know the brand I use isn't the "best," but for adding a little scent to my hair soap and ACV rinse it works great!

There are the two I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Rosemary-Oil-1-Ounce/dp/B000MGOYZE

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Lavender-Oil-1-Ounce/dp/B0009RSP38/

I use about 10 drops per cup of water.

It’s prob easy to do at home but I have this one on hand. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00401PYJM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j1KBDbEABY7T2

Completely normal... Coconut oil is very thick and super hard to get off. In my past comment I forgot to mention that there are few ways to remove coconut oil. OP did so with egg yolks and it worked for her, I never tried this method so I cannot recommend it - but it's worth a try next time you do this. Usually, when I do the coconut oil treatment in my hair I follow by using a vegan, sulfate/parabens/silicone/residue free shampoo... (I use this one) and even when using a real shampoo, I have to wash 2 sometimes 3 times to get ALL the oil off of my hair! Sorry I completely forgot to mention this stinky bit :/

why don't you want to use hair gel(other than disliking the shiny and hard feel of it)? most hair gel is water based so it should wash out completely when you rinse with water.

i use crew forming cream. by feel alone, i think it washes out with just water. i give a good scrub in the shower though. paste/fiber definitely will not wash out completely with just water from my experience. the forming cream is medium hold and gives a slight shine. i think it's good for longer hair.

If any one is curious I'm water only and I use a little bit of paste every morning.

I started the Boar hair brush the other day as well.

It's worked out great the times I didn't use the oil in the mix. When I do add the oil it takes about two weeks to get back to normal. I color my hair every other month and it looks and feels great after I do it. It's very messy and time consuming, but the pros outweigh the cons for me.

I went to this site to learn hours to do it, and i got this henna powder and used a mix from the henna for hair site.

You could try squalane or something as the carrier if you want to definitely not feed the Malassezia.

Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Store-Rosewater-Glycerin-Ounce/dp/B001U2BUJW

I got mine via the link I put in my previous comment, but if you want amazon, this is a similar brush by the same brand (they never seem to put the name, but I recognise it as being from the same manufacturer).

https://www.amazon.com/OGX-Leave-Nourishing-Milk-Coconut/dp/B000X2FPUU
I use this one. You can get it at Walgreens, rite-aid all those shops as well.

I use this - https://www.amazon.com/TIGI-Clean-Peppermint-Conditioner-25-36/dp/B001XUHFJU?th=1

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, I found this conditioner to be decent for co-washing: http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Conditioner-Peppermint-Eucalyptus/dp/B002LMNJDA

(It's much cheaper, $3.99 at the store).

I live in Southern California so it's definitely not as hot as AZ but I think it's doable. With no poo I think a lot of people don't really wash their hair that much (2 times a week maybe?) but for you that number just might be 3 or 4. For the hard water, what I do is boil the water, let it cool a bit, and then put the baking soda in. I have an old Thayer's witch hazel toner bottle that I pour the mixture in so I don't have to boil water ALL THE TIME and a full bottle of the mixture lasts me about a month.

EDIT: You could even try a squirt bottle like this: 12 oz squirt bottle I just checked and the Thayer's witch hazel bottles contain 12 oz! I just squirt the mixture at my roots.

Sorry, it took so long to get back to you. I recently moved and it has been a hectic process.

I use 3 different brushes.

• Conair Styling Essentials Mixed Boar Bristle Brush Twice a day to distribute oils
  
• Bass Wod Bristle Brush Twice a day to detangle
  
• Conair All Purpose Styling Brush Not the exact one i have, but similar. Twice a week for a throughough scalp "cleaning" (sloughing off all the dead skin from my scalp) before washing my hair.