Turns out a lot of people have taken their lockdown haircare as an invitation to try giving up shampoo! My book Happy Hair – the definitive guide to giving up shampoo has shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller chances! Thanks to all of you who have bought Happy Hair – it is the BEST step you can take in your no poo journey; check the reviews to witness all the glossy shampoo free locks being swished around!
For those of you keen to use quarantine to give up shampoo here are my THREE FAVES currently sitting in your pantry!
WASH YOUR HAIR WITH BAKING SODA or BICARBONATE OF SODA
This is *ideal* for people at the start of their journey as it help strip out the horrible ‘cones all over your hair as a result of traditional shampoo. Add a desert spoon of baking soda into a warm cup of water and pour on to head mid shower. Massage it in and leave it in for a couple of minutes. Don’t let it get in your eyes! And wash out well. As soon as you can move on to a shampoo alternative that’s far more nourishing. And make sure to follow this one up with a beautiful homemade conditioner from your kitchen because this one can be very drying!
WASH YOUR HAIR WITH RYE FLOUR
I am a HUGE fan of rye flour! Using this for a few months will totally rid your hair of dandruff. Sieve a tablespoon into a cup, make into a paste and rub into hair. Leave for two minutes and wash off. you may have a little stuck on your hair after but it will brush out easily.
WASH YOUR HAIR WITH AN EGG
Obviously this recipe is not for the vegans. But if you have a good ethical source of eggs, especially fresh ones, this is SUCH a winner for lockdown haircare. Keep it real simple and simply whiz the egg in a cup and pour it over your head mid shower- once your head has cooled from the shower water. It needs to be placed on a cool bonce and washed off with cool water otherwise it will scramble! leave it on, massaging it in for a couple of minutes and then wash well. I give a little more detail about whose hair egg will work best for, and how an egg works as a shampoo free alternative.
And finally if you are needing some sweet lockdown relief with some plant based haircare products, can i recommend these? I work with Iherb to bring you the best natural ingredients out there.
No Poo Ingredients from further afield
Henna! I’ve used it for nine years as a monthly wash! So nourishing.
Clays make an excellent alternative shampoo.
There is a general powdered clay that you make as a paste and use just as you would shampoo. And Moroccan clay which can be hard to find but is second to none as an alternative shampoo – and yo can squish it all over your face and body for nurturing your skin too!
This Ayurvedic deep nourishing skin mask for an incredible iso-spa day!
I’ve written a bunch more tips in my post called the ultimate guide to washing your hair without shampoo right here but if you are serious about this and want to be empowered with the science of no poo, it’s my book you need!
Good luck, quarantine queens!
