4 TIPS WHEN THE NO-POO METHOD DOESN'T WORK

In my mid-20s, I began to experiment with the no-poo method. Ever heard of it? It's basically where you ditch shampoo for a healthier alternative like baking soda and apple cider vinegar (ACV). Some people even just choose to wash with water only! The idea is to stop over-washing your hair and to remove harmful chemicals from your routine. Although it sounds a little crazy, I followed tons of blogs and read countless stories of how people were having major success and how it was changing their hair for the better. I was sold!

I got started and chose to go with the baking soda wash and ACV rinse, only because water-only washing never worked for me. I also began to wash my hair less often, skipping a day, then two days, then three days and so on. The longest I got was 9 days. It a lot of ways, my hair did improve. It was shinier, had a bit of a wave that was never there before and was easier to manage. I was really happy with it!

However, as time passed, my hair got gooky. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It was tangling, getting dry and breaking off a lot each time I washed it. It also got to the point that the back of my head was sticky and didn't get clean, almost like I had a ton of build up. After much agonizing, and researching, I finally threw in the towel.

It was disappointing for sure, especially because I still read about people having amazing experiences with the no-poo method! Ugh. Maybe if I lived someone without humidity, I could try the water-only washing, but until then, I've had to go back to shampoo. It wasn't a total loss though, because I did learn a lot about my hair and have been able to make some small adjustments that have stuck.

So, if the no-poo method doesn't work for you either, but you'd still like to make some improvements, here are my suggestions:

1. Wash your hair less. Even if you still use traditional shampoo, you can train your hair to not produce as much oil by washing it less and less over time and giving it time to adjust. It will depend a lot on whether you live in a humid environment and if you often work up a sweat.

2. Ditch the conditioner. Conditioner weighs my hair down and makes it more greasy. Instead, I wash only with shampoo and rub essential oils like Young Living Cedarwood through the very tips of my hair to keep them hydrated and healthy. When my hair really needs some moisture, like in the winter, I use a conditioner to do a deep moisture treatment.

3. Try the Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo by Maple Holistics. I was super excited when Hayley from Maple Holistics sent me a bottle to try out. It cleans and moisturizes my hair without the stripping and tangling that I experienced with the no-poo method and using straight ACV. Plus, the shampoo doesn't have a strong scent like ACV, so it's a win-win!

4. Pay attention to your hair. As the seasons change and as the years go by, you may find your hair changing too! Just like our skincare, it's smart to re-evaluate our hair care every now and then to make sure we are still using the right products for right now!

Remember not to beat yourself up if what works for someone else doesn't work for you. We are all unique and that's why it's great to have so many good companies out there with safe products for us to choose from. Just do your research. Give it a try. Stick with it if you love it. Move on if you don't! Don't forget to have fun in the process.

FIVE FRIDAY FAVORITES

It's FriYAY and I want to share five things that I'm loving today!

Sneakers.  As soon as I got pregnant, I began to have back pain and although we lost our baby, the pain has continued.  I used to wear Tom's wedges almost daily, but now I can't wear anything that has a heel within my back acting up.  Luckily I have a great pair of Birkenstocks that I wear when it's warm out and recently found a pair of sneakers at TJMaxx that I enjoy wearing on cold days.  They keep both my feet and back comfortable so that I can go about my days as normal.  Do you have a brand of sneakers you love?

Celery Juice.  Have you seen the celery juice craze?  Nick and I have been juicing for years.  Actually he was already juicing when I met him.  Recently, though, we've gotten into juicing celery for breakfast.  It's a great way to start the day, digestion wise.  And I've noticed that when I start the day off well, I tend to make better decisions throughout the rest of the day!  Have you tried celery juice?

Silk18 Shampoo.  Hayley, from Maple Holistics, contacted me a few weeks back and asked if they could send me a free bottle of this shampoo.  I've collaborated with them in the past, so I was thrilled for the opportunity to do so again.  Silk18 is thick and creamy and has a sweet vanilla scent, which makes it the perfect shampoo for the winter months!  I don't use conditioner and was happy to find that this shampoo alone gave me just the right balance of moisture and volume.  I've really enjoyed my bottle over the last few weeks - thank you Hayley!

Ethiopian Gifts.  Nick just returned from Ethiopia and brought me back a Gabi (basically an Ethiopian blanket) and gold bangles.  I love receiving gifts because it reminds me now, and each time I use that gift, that Nick was missing me while he was gone.  Plus, Ethiopia holds a special place in my heart since I lived there in elementary school!  Although I wasn't able to go on this trip, I was excited for Nick to see Ethiopia and fully understand what I'm talking about when I share childhood memories.  Where did you go on your last trip?

Thrift Store Books.  For years I've been into minimalism and reading books on my Kindle.  But, lately I've enjoyed going to our local Thieves Market and finding books for cheap.  I've bought novels for as little as 25cents!  The downside is that it takes a lot of hunting through dust to find the good books.  But, the upside is that it's made for fun Saturday afternoon dates.  What do you prefer, a "real" book or a digital one?