But let’s get back to style. The Web is filled with wavy-haired folks who live by the no-’poo technique. No surprise, since the curlier your hair, the more sensitive it is to drying out.
There’s no shortage of no-’poo believers among those with straight hair, too, since the system can help give a little body to your locks once they aren’t weighed down by conditioner. Yes, there are people who report no ’poo doesn’t work for them. But whatever causes these failures, it’s not linked to a specific hair type.
As to step-by-step directions of how to go no ’poo, you should do your own research on the techniques. See what you’re most comfortable with. If your hair begins to feel dirty without shampoo, then wash with a gentle conditioner like Suave or use a little baking soda mixed with water on the hair near the scalp. If your ends get frizzy, brush your wet hair more often with a washcloth, or soak the ends in water-diluted lime juice or apple vinegar.
You might go through some ugly transition days (I had a lot of ugly days), but the more gradually you start weaning yourself off shampoo, the more subtle those days are going to be.
Think how much cash you spend on shampoo and conditioner, hair gel, and the like. Think of all that — your money and those chemicals — washed literally down the drain. None of it is good for your health, those fish downstream, or your hair.
Audrey Schulman is a freelance writer living in Cambridge. She can be reached ataudrey@audreyschulman.com
On the Web
Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey and Deborah Chiel: http://www.naturallycurly.com/
Some straight-hair proponents of No-poo:
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/go/index.php/389/why-you-should-go-no-poo/
http://msbunburyist.vox.com/library/post/taking-the-hippy-dippy-plunge.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=394226&in_page_id=1879
