- First, sulfates which are in shampoos and are what gives them lather. Repeat after me: Sulfates are evil. Sulfates will suck every drop of moisture out of your hair. Who wants that?
- Second, silicones which are in basically almost everything else (conditioners and styling products) and are fake shine. Silicones can only be removed from the hair with sulfates–it’s a complicated chemistry thing involving positive and negatively charged ions and blah blah blah. So if you stop using “cones” you can stop using sulfates. Silicones can also be very drying–not to everyone perhaps, but I know they were drying my hair out big time.
A super easy way to go no-poo would to be to switch to a product line that already follows the philosophy. I use DevaCurl products, thee Curly Girl Lorraine’s line of products, and I swear by them. They are available online or at a few very special salons (wink wink). I know everything in these products is safe and fantastic for my hair and I don’t have to read labels.
I googled “cone free hair products” and found a few lists, like this one. I would still read the labels, just to be sure, and put it down and back away if you find anything ending in -cone, -conol, or -xane. Another awesome resource is the forum at NaturallyCurly.com. Those people there are obsessed with their hair, and they are a wealth of product knowledge.
- Cleanse your hair with a light conditioner. Lost of people call this the co-wash (conditioner wash). I have used Suave Naturals Coconut for this step, currently I use DevaCare No Poo. Use a good healthy amount and massage your scalp well with your fingertips. Rinse. Yes, you can get your hair and scalp clean with this step. You don’t ever again want to feel that squeaky clean feeling in your hair. That squeak? It’s dryness. It’s your hair crying and begging for a drink.
- Condition your hair with a richer conditioner. Use a good healthy amount this time too and detangle your hair with your fingers or a very wide tooth comb. Rinse as well as you think you need to. I have found that my hair looks best when I leave most of my conditioner in, so I do kind of a flash rinse where I stick my head under the shower for about 3 seconds and call it good. (A good video with step by step is also found here.) Now you can carry on with your styling. Just be sure to read all those labels too and avoid “cones” like the plague.
This is the part where I commonly hear about an oily scalp. Even if you think you have an oily scalp, if your ends are dry as can be (and I’d say that at least 80% of my clients have dry hair) give this a try. Your scalp produces oil on demand so as you are stripping it of moisture with all that dang shampoo it is producing oil to compensate. When it’s not being robbed of all its oil your scalp should produce less and adjust accordingly.
P.S. Even if after this ultra-convincing post about no-pooing you don’t think it’s for you, at least make the switch to sulfate-free shampoo. There are lots of those available and your hair will thank you.
~ Kate P.
This is sweet info. I have been doing a straight do for a long time, but recently decided to set my curls free for the summer…this is very helpful, thanks!
Woohoo, someone else who gets that sulfates are evil! This is why we started making a 100% natural shampoo, that’s sulfate and paraben free.
I’ve noticed my hair color even stays longer with it!
Is it still ok to color/highlight you hair? And what about get? If I don’t use VAVOOM firming gel, I look like I have a fro.
I’m definitely gonna have to try this! When I let my curls flow freely I just get frizz no matter what product I use!
I love this information. I am so excited! I have been in such a “hair rut,” and I think this will help me a lot! I actually found a “drugstore list,” of the cone-free conditioners that could be helpful for people on a tight budget (I’ll still be checking labels, but this points me in the right direction). Here’s the link.
http://healthycurls.awardspace.com/cone-free.html#Anchor-Drugstore-47857
I have curly hair, but it’s currently on the fritz due to a short hair-do. I really need to start no-pooing though. But I’m frightened Auntie Em. Frightened of what? I’m not sure. Maybe going against the tradition of shampoo. Who knows. But thanks for the encouragement. I’d be interested to know product you use to keep your curls tamed. I hate the feeling of gel or mousse. But if I don’t use something the curls are just frizzy balls of mess.
What about those of us “blessed” with thin or fine hair? Do we need to adjust any of this? I’m really interested in doing this because I find the days I don’t wash my hair are the days when my hair is the “thickest”.
Thanks!
I love my curls and occasionally try to do the no-poo thing. Now that I know how and are armed with your insightful info, I can give it another go!
THANK YOU! I have really curly hair and have tried for years to figure out what to do with them. I’m definitely going to try the products you suggested!
Thanks for the love everyone! If you have a question leave me your email address or make sure it’s linked to your blogger profile so I can respond. 🙂
I haven’t shampooed for 8 years! I’m glad to find a fellow curly girl!
For anyone starting this, you should know that if you’ve been shampooing for a long time, you’re head is in oil overproduction mode. You’ve been stripping your hair of oils with sulfates and it’s just trying to catch up. The first 2 weeks I was off shampoo, I was miserable. My whole head was super oily. Around the two week period it calmed down and now I LOVE my hair!
So, if you’re just starting out, just know that things won’t be perfect at first, but to hang in there and it will be worth it.!
Oh, and now that I read everyone else’s comments, that book is $10 and addresses all these issues and more. You could probably get it online cheaper. It’s worth the investment.
Oh…I have wanted to try this for a long time…but I am so scared! I have that evil wavy-straight combo and I have not had good luck with with it. Plus, how do I go to get my hair done at the salon and say “oh wait, don’t poo my hair!” What is your suggestion for bringing up with with the stylist who already piles on the product at the end? I am nervously excited to see if I can join the no-poo revolution!
I’ve been using a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner (not only because it dries my hair out but because I’m allergic to them), however they are for colored hair…which I don’t ever do. I can’t seem to find a sulfate free for regular hair unless it’s organic and pricey.
Where do I find it?
I am sooooo excited to try this! I just spent the last hour checking out the Devacurl site and NEED a new diffuser anyway, so I’m going to try these products. I can’t wait to get started. Thank you, Kate!
This is a great post – really interesting. I thought no-poo was only using baking soda to wash your hair. (Which I have considered doing.) I am wondering how it works for fine thin hair with no body and no curl? If I “washed” my hair with conditioner, my hair would be slathered to my face and head all day long.
I’ve bought this book and have been doing the no-pooing for over a year and slowly working on perfecting the rest. My nieces (their in their teens) thought I was crazy when I told them that their curls would look better if they stopped shampooing!
I just realized the conditioner I am using is a no no. You mentioned to “condition your hair with a richer conditioner.” What is a richer conditioner? Suave conditioners seem to leave my hair really tangled. Do you have a suggestion for a store brand that would work well?
Also, my scalp still gets pretty dry (or at least really itchy and flaky – but it doesn’t seem dry – I just don’t know what else to call it). Will changing my conditioner improve this?
Thank you so much for the great tips!
What about for kids’ hair? They use no products, and does this work for straight hair? We all have very straigth hair in our family. Thanks for the post!
I’ve “flirted” with no-pooing, but end up with the problems you describe from the -cones. Can’t wait to try cone free. But … is there anything I should watch out for in the other hair products–gel, etc.?
Also, I have had some of the same questions as “Dime Lady” above: do you have a suggestion for a budget-friendly rich conditioner? Also, I have the itchy scalp problem after a while of no-pooing. Suggestions? Thanks for the help!!
Curly Girl changed my hair life! Though now I need to double check all of my hair products for cones. Grrr, hope there aren’t any!
What about straight fine hair? Can you still “no-poo” if your hair isn’t curly?
Very interesting. I printed out the list of the drugstore items and am going to give this a try. I watched the video on Deva and its interesting. So my question is about the same as some others, light condition, heavier condition and…what styling product are you using? The gel?I need to hit the store tomorrow…and check out my good conditioner in the shower LOL
Kate, you could be the answer to my hair issues. I hope so. So, I’m all ready to go no-poo, and I’ve looked on the supplied list for no-poo friendly products, but I don’t see anything about styling products. My hair doesn’t do much without some sort of product, so what do you recommend as far as mousse, gel, hairspray, etc.? I have fine hair, and it’s only wavy sometimes. Can you help me? Thanks! Kristi
earlkristib at gmail dot com
I’ve been trying this and tweaking it ever since it was originally posted. I have very straight, very fine, but also thick hair. I’ve always had soft, shiny, amazing hair that my girlfriends were totally jealous of…until I had a baby. Frizz galore! The ends were freaking out and totally thrashed from overusing straightners to calm them down, while the roots and my scalp were extremely oily. So I tried this. And I didn’t love it. And then I found Kiss My Face shampoo with no -cones or -ates or any of that stuff. Every other wash I use Kiss My Face shampoo with a new silicone-free Tresemme conditioner, and then either suave or Fructis Garnier conditioner with the Tresemme conditioner. It’s been working GREAT for me! Thanks for the post. Maybe my ideas can help others of you having difficulty making this work for you!
It is swim season. What about chlorine from the pool. Do I need to do things different?
I’m excited to try this but I do have some of the same questions that have been asked. Do I do anything different for straight hair? What is a richer conditioner to use? What about styling products?
Thanks, Sherion
[email protected]
I just read your “Questions Answered” blog and got all of my questions answered. 🙂 thanks
I don’t no-poo, but I do use only my own homemade all natural soap. If I need extra conditioning, i.e. the winter, I use coconut oil. It works wonders. My hair is more manageable than it has been in years. I think that it wonderful that you are spreading the word about sulfates. Since I don’t use any commercial hair products, I don’t need to remove silicone. I am actually getting all of the herbs together to make an herbal shampoo bar.
cabinofbows.blogspot.com
I’ve been no-poo for 2 years now, my ‘mane’ problem with it is the extremely hard water. The baking soda and apple vinegar regimen (after 9 months I decided) was too harsh; the pH shock caused some breakage. I’m too poor to afford expensive sulfate free shampoos (or a water softener/filter), so I really like your idea of using Suave Naturals conditioner for washing; I’ll have to try it. I’ve been using plain Dove White bar soap on my hair every few days; surprisingly sulfate, paraben, and silicone free. It really doesn’t strip and rinses super clean. It’s not easy with long thick hair to work a bar to your scalp but… It works, my hair is happy. Also you have to be extremely careful making your own concoctions because it can be a breeding ground for unseen yeast, molds, fungi and bacteria if you don’t add a preservative it’s CRUCIAL when you mix water based and oil based ingredients. Don’t end up with the “Pinterest rash”!!! There are perfectly natural preservatives out there, use them.