It’s been almost 3 years since I started my no-poo hair journey. In these years, I have tried almost anything and everything natural on my hair to keep it in its top condition especially during the transition period. And yes, my hair looks really healthy, thanks to the natural products that I use, obviously after a lot of trial and error method! Some products might work for you while it won’t work for somebody else. So after a lot of research I started using natural stuffs, some worked some didn’t! Here is a list of the best no-poo hair care stuffs including natural products and other miscellaneous things (based on my own experience):
ARGAN OIL –
Argan oil is known for its hair benefits! It moisturizes your hair and make them soft and shiny. You can apply argan oil to damp hair so lock in the moisture and keep them frizz free. But make sure you apple only few drops or you might make your hair a bit greasy.
COCONUT OIL –
Coconut oil is actually not suitable for no-pooers as it makes hair greasy! wondering how I use it? Well, I sometimes apply few drops only on the ends of my wet-washed-hair and they look healthy after they naturally dry up. No greasiness at all- BINGO!
TEA TREE OIL –
What would happen if you don’t wash your hair for 2-3 weeks straight?? They would get oily, dirty and a bit flaky. Well, it might happen within 1 week for those who use commercial shampoos! There are days I don’t wash my hair for weeks. Reason? They don’t look dirty or oily at all but, the scalp does feel a bit flaky. So, I found a solution to it- don’t feel like washing your hair? Fine, but massage your scalp with tea tree oil! Believe me, your scalp would feel clean and fresh!
HERBAL POWDERS –
Who said no-pooers cannot use hair mask? We can make our natural DIYs work 😀 I have some herbal powders at home that I get from patanjali. I mix them up in equal proportions in bottle gourd juice and apply the paste on scalp and hair. Here are the names- neem, bringraj, brahmi, aamla, reetha, shikakai and tulsi powders. I also have my own aloe vera leaves that I have dehydrated under the sun and use it as and when required. You can apply the mask and wash after 3-4 hours. Just plain water wash and nothing more than that.
BAKING SODA- ACV (THE BASICS) AND OTHER ALTERNATIVES –
If you type- how to no-poo on the google search bar, you would find that baking soda and ACV is the most common shampoo and conditioner substitute. You can read more about it here >>
SCRUBBING BRUSH AND A WIDE TOOTHED BRUSH –
These brushes are MOST-MOST-MOST important in a no-poo hair regime! The scrubbing brush is used prior hair wash to scrub the entire scalp and remove all the dirt and dead skin cells. This way, you clean the scalp effectively! The wide toothed brush is used after you apply ACV- all I do is just comb the hair gently to make sure ACV reaches the nook and corners and to coat the entire hair with sebum from top to bottom (you obviously don’t strip the hair off its natural oils with no-pooing which usually happens when you use commercial shampoos). These brushes also do a brilliant job in preventing the formation of baking soda residue on scalp.
HAIR BUTTER –
This is my new love <3 we all are aware of hair benefits of shea butter- it moisturizes hair and keep it shiny and frizz free. I apply it on towel dried hair and massage it a bit to make sure it properly spreads all over. After your hair dries, viola! Smooth and shiny hair! you can apply other oils on top of it as shea butter completely disappears with no greasy feeling at all. DIY SHEA HAIR BUTTER >>
If you are planning to go no-poo, make sure you get hold of these important things!