No 'poo update: Week 2

Yes, I actually schlepped baking soda and apple cider vinegar to Bali.
No, I didn't cheat.
I did not fall off of the No 'Poo Wagon...although I have to say, I no longer enjoy washing my hair.

Having my hair washed has always been my favorite part of getting a haircut. Even washing at home, I enjoy how refreshed and clean I feel afterwards, how nice and soft my hair looks and feels. NOT RIGHT NOW. I didn't even want to use the pool in Bali because it would mean I'd have to wash my hair, and I just don't enjoy it with the whole baking soda business. My hair is not enjoying it either. I might not be following the program correctly or maybe I'm just in the throes of the adjustment period, but if my hair stays as it is now, I will definitely not be a convert. They say the low point is week 2-3, so maybe that's where I am. That's why I'll stick it out for the month, to see if we (my hair and I) get beyond the weirdness.

So, what is my hair like these days?
When it's wet, it is extremely heavy around my head from all the natural oils. When dry, you can feel oil on my hair (enough to see a slight shine on your fingers after just touching my hair), even though it doesn't look greasy per se (no lingering grooves from the brush). That's around the scalp. The ends of my hair are straw-like dry and a bit frizzy. This part is apparently not unusual for people with long hair, even after being poo-free for a long time. I really need to get on the coconut oil bandwagon, but I didn't schlep that to Bali and it didn't occur to me to buy some there (though I probably could have, now that I think about it).


Sorry for the dark photo. I keep forgetting to have someone take one for me during the day, so I just used my computer to do it now.

The good news is I am more inspired to style my hair to keep the world from noticing how crap it looks. I did a fun twisty-twirly thing with bobby pins today that was raw-ther impressive, given the fact that I don't have an extra mirror to see what I'm doing behind my own head. Maybe this no-poo foray will have the added benefit of motivating me to style my hair more often. For now, it's on to Week 3...