Just saying...

.....i miss chemicals.....

Shikakai Update

Well haven’t I just been the slacker of all slackers re the updates!

I bet you’ve all been hanging on the edge of your seats waiting for my latest update.... J

Anywho...So after doing the patch test and discovering that it was the cinnamon that I was allergic to and not the Shikakai as originally suspected, I washed my hair with just the Shikakai alone on Sunday night.

And it was fine. No reactions, no burning, no tingling, nothing. It was great.

It certainly did stink a lot worse without the cinnamon....So that’s a bit of a downer....And I found that it must’ve been the cinnamon that made it more pastey last time, and also granuley.
I found that it mixes better but is a bit more watery without the cinnamon.

I am yet to purchase some soapnut online, as that was also what called for the original mixture but before I use it on my hair, I will do a patch test to check that I’m not allergic to that.

I am also going to do a patch test on my skin with regular cinnamon (from woollies) to see if I react to that.
It’s extremely intriguing that I had an allergic reaction to cinnamon when I’ve eaten it my entire life. The cinnamon I used though was purchased at the Indian grocer along with the Shikakai and I can’t help but wonder if perhaps there may have been something else in this particular cinnamon that caused a reaction to my skin. Stay tuned for the update on that one.

I’m still doing the bicarb soda and apple cider vinegar wash but I’m starting to wonder if maybe I might stop doing that. I have run out of the ACV and I can’t help but wonder if the bicarb may be drying out my hair or maybe I’m doing it too often. I think I might stick to just the Shikakai and honey wash, twice a week and see how my hair goes with that.

I’m sure I had more to update but my brain has gone blank and I can’t remember. J

The Prick/Patch Test: Video Footage

Here is the video footage of the allergy test I performed on myself last night.

NEW VIDEO

Josh is also going to let me do a patch test on him just to see if he also has a reaction to the Shikakamon or not....I figure it could be useful information depending on the results.

I will be doing another hair wash with the Shikakai as well, but Josh has asked that I wait till a night where he is home ... that makes sense haha so probably Friday night or over the weekend.

Stay Tuned...

The Prick/Patch Test

Patch Test

OK so according to a website I googled, the patch test goes a little something like this…

Skin testing is the oldest and most reliable form of allergy testing. This form of testing has been performed for 100 years and continues to be the testing of choice for the diagnosis of allergic disease. Testing begins with a prick, puncture or scratch method, which involves the placing a drop of the allergen in question (usually a commercially available extract of pollens, molds, foods, pet dander, etc) on the skin and abrading the skin with a needle. This testing is not painful, and generally there is no bleeding involved since the needle only scratches the surface of the skin.

After the skin is scratched, the tests takes about 15 minutes to develop. There may be many skin tests performed, depending on the person’s age, symptoms and other factors. A positive skin test appears as a raised, red itchy bump, similar to a mosquito bite.

Rightio….prick patch test done.

The results are in!

So I pricked my skin with a needle in three different spots on my arm.

I mixed up, in three separate bowls, Shikakai & water, cinnamon & water and Shikakai and cinnamon in water.

After blobbing a bit of each mixture on the punctures in my skin, I could instantly feel that familiar burning/tingling sensation but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

I waited a few minutes and could see which ones were causing a reaction.

From the photographs and video, you can see that the only two that caused a reaction was the cinnamon alone and the Shikakamon. The Shikakai had NO ill effects on my skin whatsoever.

Shikakamon - Strongest Reaction

Cinnamon - Strong Reaction

Shikakai - No Reaction!

Also, judging by the reaction that is clearly visible on my skin, it turns out that I probably didn’t need to stab myself at all haha oh well!!

So as the results show, according to my testings, I am allergic to the cinnamon. Which means I am going to try and wash my hair with the Shikakai on its own one night. I hope it doesn’t stink too bad!! The cinnamon was a nice smell.

What puzzles me is that I eat cinnamon all the time and never have an allergic reaction to it….so why now??

(Am currently editing my video footage now and will hopefully upload the finished copy before bed but its late and nay take too long so it may be tomorrow)

To Shikakai or Not to Shikakai...

Alrighty peeps, time for an update.

So I am going to do the patch test tonight - I got lazy over the weekend and didn’t do it haha. BUT a fellow NO-POOer has informed me that she too had a bit of a reaction with the Shikakamon mix but when using the Shikakai without the Cinnamon, she had 0 reaction, so I’ll do a patch test and see what happens…And yes - I’ll be filming it.

I’ve been given a link to a website with another home made shampoo & condition recipe and am doing some research into further methods I can use for my hair.
If the patch test tonight has a negative result, I am going to have to try something because my hair is getting too oily too soon and I feel that doing the bicarb/ACV too often is drying it out. Even with the honey treatment I did the other day, it didn’t make too much difference…

Alright that’s it for now - will go and film the patch test and then report back with footage…

Stupid allergies...

Ok so I'm fresh out of the shower…still in my towel actually haha and thought I'd do another quick update.

I’ve decided tonight that I wont put any coconut oil in the ends of my hair because this time I want to see how it fares without it….I find that the first day its all good but then after I've brushed my hair a few times, the coconut oil from the ends has sort of spread all over my hair from the brushing so I want to see how it goes this time without it.

So now of course my hair smells pretty vinegary…I'm thinking I probably need to try to apply the “Less is more” tactic to the apple cider vinegar as well, especially if I don’t always add the coconut oil straight after, but it’s ok, I think tomorrow I might do a bit of a honey treatment…Normally the honey would be used as the ‘conditioner’ after the Shikakamon wash, but I think I like the idea of letting my hair soak in honey for a bit…I love honey J mmm crumpets…

I also can’t help but feel that I’m a fair bit disadvantaged by the fact that I'm allergic to that stupid Shikakai stuff! Someone suggested mixing it up again but instead of pouring on my head, just sort of treating the ends of my hair with it…Not sure I wanna take the risk of getting near that stuff again though so I think I’m going to have to really pull my finger out and start researching what I can use as a substitute! Still so bummed about the Shikakai though…it really did make my hair so nice afterwards and I think this challenge will be much more successful to those who are using it…but for me, I'm open for any and all suggestions of a substitute J

….crap! I had thought of one other thing I wanted to update with but got distracted and now I’ve completely forgotten…Oh well some other time hehe

Less is More

So after my last update, I have learnt that I am yet to master the art of “less is more” especially when it comes to the coconut oil. Even though I used less than the first time, I still used way too much.

Still it was fine for that night but by Sunday/Monday, it was getting pretty greasy. I probably should’ve done another wash on Monday but as I had swimming on Wednesday with my daughter and I knew I'd be washing it that night, I didn’t want to over do it.

Plus I think its all part of the “pushing through the gross phase” and not washing your hair all the time.

In the end, I never ended up going to swimming because my daughter is a bit sick and I didn’t want to be “that mum” with the snotty nosed child coughing and sneezing in the pool on all the other bubs.

But I also couldn’t be bothered to have a shower on Wednesday night so it’s now Thursday and I haven’t done my hair since Saturday haha it’s pretty gross.

Still no dirty hippie dreads though. Each morning I’ve been brushing it in the shower in the water, just rinsing it and letting the natural oils do what they’re designed to do….

I'm in a bit of a ‘flat’ mood tonight and in all honesty, have toyed with the idea of giving up on this challenge…the thought of having to mix up the bicarb again before I jump in the shower just seems too much like hard work tonight…I am missing the ease of just jumping in the shower and having product there and readily available….but I don’t, so the harsh reality would be going to the shops to buy some product which is much more hard work then mixing some bicarb and water in a bottle lol

Plus, my daughter is in bed asleep so I'm not exactly able to leave. And I'm not a quitter! I have committed myself to 2-3 months to see the outcome/results before deciding if I want to continue with this and to make up my own mind as to whether or not it actually works.

So in the spirit of not giving up, I’m going to stop procrastinating, get undressed, and get my ass back in that shower to clean my hair ‘cause it is so disgusting it’s driving me crazy!

Another update: Bicarb/ACV

It’s been 2 days since the Shikakamon “incident” and I was planning on doing the next bicarb/acv wash tomorrow (Sunday) after doing a coconut oil treatment tonight.

However, I am going out for a cocktail (or two) and a bit of a dance with a friend and my hair was looking particularly oily and I want to wear my hair out tonight, so I skipped the coconut oil and just did another bicarb/acv wash.

Fresh out of the shower, my first piece of advice for anyone following, don’t shave your legs right before doing this. The apple cider vinegar kind of stings a little on freshly shaved legs!!!

I also tried to use a little extra bicarb in my mix in the hope to make it a little thicker and perhaps more ‘paste-like’ but of course, that didn’t happen. I did however pour the mix into a bottle first for easier application.

My hair is towel drying now but as I am going out and it’s cold, I don’t wish to venture out with wet hair, so I will put a small amount of coconut oil in my hair when I get off here and give my hair a quick blow dry.

Will be interested to see if that makes any difference to the effects of the challenge…it may, it may not. I may or may not be able to accurately report the results given that, as the challenge progresses, my hair should get better and better and it is not meant to be perfect in the early stages so the results may vary with each wash/treatment.

Still, will report my findings upon finding them J

New Video: Tomato Wash + Shikakamon & Honey Disaster

Oook so I already wrote this entry out but my stupid lappy died something and it cleared it before I had the chance to publish it, so NOW, I gotta type the whole thing out again and remember what I actually wrote!! How annoying!

But anyhow, enough of the winge....finally, I have finished editing and uploading the video with all of last nights excitment!! I am 99% sure I cut out all the accidental boob shots, so if you see nudity, PLEASE TELL ME!!!! lol

Here it is :)

And here are some photos from last night, as well as an "after" shot taken this morning before work.

< < < Before the treatments - kind of oily from the night before > > > 







   



< < < After the treatments - Shiny, soft and smooth! > > >







The products





The Rash







Peace Out



Tomato Juice + "Shikakamon" & Honey Treatment

Well . . .

I am updating on last night’s progress now because it was a rather eventful evening, to say the least and it left me feeling a bit more exhausted than usual.

Because I had swimming lessons yesterday afternoon with my daughter, I wanted to use something in my hair that would be a good treatment for working against the chlorine. I have been told that tomato juice is good for that.

So, I started off with a tomato juice wash. I’m thinking next Wednesday, I may mix some tomato paste to it, or blend up some tomatoes with something to make a paste so that it’s a thicker texture. Last night I just poured juice straight from the bottle onto my hair haha! It worked but it was extremely running (and cold!) and very messy.

Still, it was a fun experience and I will continue to use it each week after swimming to help fight any chlorine build up that may occur.

Once the tomato juice was all rinsed out and my hair was brushed, I proceeded to try the Shikakai and Cinnamon paste (or Shikakamon as it will now be known as).

All of this is on film, by the way and I will be editing and uploading the video some time tonight once the munchkin is asleep.

So I rubbed the “Shikakamon” paste into my hair, being very careful not to get any on my face or in my eyes or mouth and spread it all around and just let it sit for a while. It probably stayed in my hair/on my scalp for a few minutes – the length of time it took to rinse out the bottle I used to mix it in.

Just as I was about to wash it out, I could feel my skin starting to tingle...Then it started to burn.

I called for Josh to come in and turn the camera on and film it.

I could tell just by his reaction that my skin was burning for a reason. I was having some kind of allergic reaction to the Shikakai. I sent Josh out to google the Poisons Hotline number while I rinsed the remaining Shikakamon out of my hair.

When I was out of the shower, I gave the Poisons hotline a call and they referred me on to Health Direct. While I was on the phone to the lady, a whole bunch of symptoms started appearing.

There was (in no particular order):

·         The rash

·         Burning skin

·         Increased heart rate

·         Nausea

·         Headache

·         Dizziness

·         Stuttering

·         Dry mouth

·         Numbness in mouth/tongue

·         Shakes

·         Difficulty swallowing

Health Direct thought it best to send an ambulance to give me an assessment so I went and put some underwear on and sat on the couch while Josh began to frantically clean a bit while we waited.

When they arrived they asked me some routine questions, took note of my symptoms, checked my bloods, sugar levels, temp etc, everything checked out and everything seemed fine. No anaphylactic reactions here.

It was just a mild reaction and they said the symptoms should dissipate over the night.

By the time they left and all paperwork was finalised, the rash had pretty much cleared up and the symptoms were starting to ease.

The male ambo was a nice fella, friendly and polite. The woman ambo was a bit of a bitch! When Josh gave her the Shikakai box so they could see what it was she was like “so what is it?” I said “some kind of Indian spice...” she’s like “well did you at least google it before you put it all over your head?!” (Keeping in mind I’m sitting there in a fair amount of shock as I didn’t know what was happening to me) and I was like “well no, it was recommended by a few other people who have been using it and had no issues”. And she was like “oh well maybe next time you should do more research on new products before you use them like this!” pfft bitch!

And then she was like “so did you wash it all out of your hair?” and I said “well I was rinsing for a while so I think so...At least, I hope so” and she’s like “well you either did or you didn’t, none of this “hope so” business!”

WHAT THE EFF LADY? It’s a grainy product, I’m pretty sure I washed it all out but there may have been traces of it still in my hair but I am allowed to HOPE that I got it all! Stupid woman.

Anyway so once they all left and the rash had cleared and the nausea etc passed, I jumped back in the shower to finish what I’d started J

The last part of this treatment was to finish with Honey.

It was a bit gooey at first but then as I started to massage it into my hair and it warmed up it became easier to use.

I don’t think I had enough honey for my hair so next time I will use a lot more but it felt nice, in a sticky kind of way.

After my hair started to dry, I decided not to use coconut oil as I wanted to see the effects of the Shikakamon & Honey treatment.

This morning, my hair feels fantastic! It is so soft and clean and has a bit of a shine to it.

(will add before & after photos of the Shikakamon Treatment when I'm at home)

Alergic Reaction

SO tonight was a bit of an adventure....half way through, I had an allergic reaction, with some fairly bad symptoms and a visit from the ambulance.

I'm pretty sure the reaction was to the Shikakai...I've used/eaten all the other products before and never had any reactions so I'm guessing that's what did it.

But don't worry you can laugh at my expense....We did!!!!

But I am soo exhausted, that whole reaction/ambo experience has tuckered me out, plus I do still have the shakes a little bit (probably shouldn't be drinking kahula right now......) and I can't even be bothered to type out my blog entry, let alone make the video.

I can't do an uncut one like I did with last nights cuz majority of it is in-shower filming and a few times throughout, Josh goes "OOPS! Got your boobs!" LOL so I have to actually edit this one before I plaster it all over the internet....Not quite ready for Pornographic Hairdressing 101 lol

I've converted all the vids to correct format so will edit and compile tomorrow night.

Peace Out

The rash about 10 minutes after it first appeared....I was on the phone to the ambo's

Shikakai. Reminds me of...

Whenever I think about the Shikakai product that we'll be using for this challenge, it reminds me of Jim Carey's Ace Ventura......



SHIKAKA

Lol makes me laugh.

The Morning After

Good morning all.

So just thought I’d jump in and update on my hair after last night’s BACV wash.

I let my hair dry naturally and left it out when I went to bed.

I think if I didn’t add the coconut oil, my hair would probably be pretty normal in terms of “not dirty” but because I added the coconut oil, it seems to be acting as a leave in treatment would.

My hair is obviously a bit greasy to touch but it’s not scary gross like you might be thinking and not in a dirty way, because my hair is actually clean.
It just feels as though I’ve put a treatment in it – in fact, it feels a lot less gross then when you do use a treatment because it’s not heavy and ick.

This morning, I tied my hair up to shower. I contemplated getting it wet with the water, but my time is limited in the mornings as I like to get as much sleep as possible before work so I figured to just save the experimenting until later. I was also going to take a photo after I brushed it to show how not scary it looks with the coconut oil, but I forgot, so you’ll just have to take my word for it J

Today for work, I brushed it back and tied it up then just curled it in a bun and wrapped a nice big white ribbon around it – 'cause I’m cute like that – and in all honesty, it doesn’t look that bad.

Compared to most Wednesdays pre NPC when I was using product, even tied up with NO oil, my hair used to look and feel revolting and didn’t smell all that great either. But today, it doesn’t feel dirty or gross or oily at all, it doesn’t smell and it just looks like it may have been wet this morning.

So I think it’s safe to say that so far, the NPC is successful.

Tonight I will be trying the tomato juice treatment....Not too sure how on earth I’m going to do that one lol....I’ll have to find a way to film it as well as I sense it may be kinda funny.

Oh and just a tip with the bicarb/acv wash. I’m thinking it might be best to use a pump bottle for application as you will be able to squirt the mixture on your hair much less awkwardly then the way I poured a bowl full of it all over myself last night haha

Bicarb & ACV - The Video

Here is the video I made for this

CLICK HERE

Tomorrow night, I will be trialling the tomato juice treatment...Might make some bloody mary's afterwards ;-)

Bicarb & Apple Cider Vinegar Wash

Alrighty…My NO POO Challenge has officially started.

I am fresh out of the shower and I did the Bicarb/Apple Cider Vinegar wash.

Before - hair slicked back

It wasn’t as scary as I first thought it might be.

And from what I can gather, I still have hair - it’s still in a towel…Will film the unveiling momentarily.

I don’t know if I mixed it right or not, I guess only time will tell and practise will make perfect.

Before - hair out (obviously)

It was rather awkward though…Either I didn’t make the bicarb/water mix pastey enough or I’m just a bit unco but it was a rather tricky task trying to pour this liquid over my head, making sure to get my entire scalp as well as the ends of the hair, with my eyes shut so tight to avoid losing an eye ball and my mouth shut to avoid drinking it and accidentally forgetting to breathe….

BUT I think I managed to get the majority of my head, rubbed my hands all over it in an attempt to “lather” lol and then rinsed thoroughly. I brushed it while I was rinsing as well and it was surprisingly easy.

**TIP** Mix it with warm water… lol

Then when I felt it was all thoroughly rinsed out, I did the same awkward move with the ACV, and brushed it through my hair before rinsing. And brushed again during and after rinsing.

While my hair did not feel instantly clean as you expect from using shampoo + conditioner, it also didn’t feel dirty and disgusting, as some of you may think it would.

I can definitely feel the natural oils of my scalp working through the hair which is a good thing and sitting here right now, I can’t smell the vinegar, so also a good sign.

So far, no ill side effects, my scalp isn’t on fire, my eyeballs didn’t fall out, I think I still have hair…..Will go and take the towel off now and give it a brush and see how we went.

Ok so: Success J

I am very pleased with the results.

My hair feels lovely, and smells lovely and even my hands are nice and soft after the coconut oil….Oh yeah, I decided to rub a bit of coconut oil into my hair as well - that’s on the video. Definitely watch that part….what a fascinating product that coconut oil is! Not at all what I was expecting, but still good.

Alright well if I’ve left off any info regarding this first step of the challenge, I’ll come back and update and if you have any questions about it, let me know J

Off to upload the video.

Peace Out.



The Shopping List

Ok here is my shopping list so far in pictures and with prices for the NO POO Challenge:

• Bicarb Soda - Purchased from coles for $3.65

 

• Apple Cider Vinegar - Purchased from Healthzone for $6.65

• Shikakai - Purchased from Milan Bazaar for $1.99

• Cinnamon Powder - Purchased from Milan Bazaar for $3.49

• Coconut Oil (extra virgin) - Purchased from Healthzone for $10.75 

• Tomato Juice (optional) - Purchased from Coles for $2.49

So all up, with the ingredients I purchased yesterday, I spent a total of $29.04. Much, much cheaper than the Moo Goo (which was around $36 and made my hair need to be washed every second day, hence not lasting very long) and depending on which brand of salon or supermarket shampoo & condition + detangler or de frizz/anti static serum or leave in treatments, add in the length of your hair and averaging a wash of every 2nd or 3rd day, I think it's so far a clear savings in terms of $$. Also, judging by the small amounts you would mix together for each use, and noting that you would probably only do it once or twice a week, my inexperienced assumption would be that these products would last quite a lot longer than your average bottle of shampoo et al.

Further updates will be advised during the progress of this challenge.

Before we begin

So yesterday I went shopping and purchased all the products needed as per the shopping list in my last entry.

I was planning on kick-starting my NO POO Challenge last night with a Bicarb/ACV wash, however, I fluffed around on the internet too long doing other things and got too sleep.

The last time I washed my hair, with Moo Goo, was on Sunday and by yesterday it was already starting to feel oily on top and in need of a wash. I also have swimming lessons with my daughter tomorrow so wont be bothering to wash my hair with anything until afterwards.

I *may* possibly do a Bicarb/ACV wash tonight once the little one’s in bed asleep but if I do, I will be wary as I was given a tip today to be careful of the bicarb as it could act as a bleach and I could end up with patchy coloured hair……..Not overly worried about it as my hair is often an array of different colours, but I will still be wary and wanted to pass on the warning to any of you reading and possibly doing this.

Today I just tied my hair up for work but have since taken it out and brushed it quite a few times. I don’t yet have a boar bristle brush but will be aiming to get one other tomorrow or Thursday.

While brushing my hair this afternoon, it is starting to feel rather oily on top but it isn’t grossing me out…as I brush from root to tip, the ends of my hair are feeling really soft and silky as opposed to the oily feeling on top.

I have also since been advised that it is best that the ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) and the honey are both organic products. MY ACV is organic but I figured I could just use my regular jar of Capilano honey from the breakfast cupboard haha Will go and get some organic stuff either tomorrow or Thursday when I go shopping for the Boar Bristle Brush/

If I get impatient and want to try the honey out before I get around to purchasing the organic, don’t worry - I will be sure to update on that experiment and let you know if I end up looking like breakfast.

I'm also yet to be told of a good recommended onlien store to purchase Soapnut Powder, but when I have it, I will upload the link (and make my purchase).
When I can have time on here uninterrupted I will update the costs involved of the NO POO Challenge.

Peace Out

The "NO POO" Challenge

What's the point of this challenge?

The point of this challenge is to eliminate the use of product in ones hair. According to other NO-POOER's and other sources, it is a fantastic way of bringing your hair back to its most natural, chemical free condition and it is apparently very, very beneficial for your hair.

Why am I doing this challenge?

Well to be frank, at first I thought it sounded rather disgusting and kind of ick. But the more I think about it, I find it rather fascinating and, if it actually works, will be very impressed. SO before I turn my nose up at it and 'dis' it, I'm willing to give it a try.

What are the benefits of the NO POO challenge?

• • If successful, you wont need to wash your hair as often as you would when using regular shampoo + conditioners, therefore saving you time
  • You will save a massive amount of money (will post facts and figures at a later stage when I'm at home and have all my info in front of me)
  • It should be better for the environment (this is just an assumption, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)
  • Naturally healthy hair

What are the costs involved?

(Will update this section when I'm at home and have all info readily available)

What you will need and where to buy:

• Bicarb Soda (can be purchased from your local supermarket)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (can be purchased from your local supermarket or health food store)
• Shikakai (can be purchased from your local Indian Grocer/Spice Shop)
• Cinnamon Powder (can be purchased from your local supermark or spice shop)
• Soapnut Powder (can be purchased online...am waiting on link for best recommended online store)
• Coconut Oil (extra virgin) (can be purchased at your local health food store)
• Honey (can be purchased almost everywhere)
• Boar Bristle Brush (not necessary but highly recommended) (can be purchased at most outlets that sell hair brushes....I think)
• Tomato Juice (optional) (can be purchased at your local supermarket)

What to do with your NO POO products
(**all recipes and measurements are approximations based on another NO-POOER's experience. Feel free to modify to suit your needs**)

BASIC BICARB AND APPLE CIDER WASH


Mix a few tablespoons of bicarb with about 3/4 - 1 cup of water
Pour it on your head and rub it in to the scalp
Rinse thoroughly
Follow up with apple cider vinegar
Rinse thoroughly


**TIP** The Bicarp/ACV treatment works the same as shampoo/conditioner. The bicarb opens the cells/pores/glands and the ACV closes them and makes your hair nice and soft and it wont make your hair smell vinegary either, just make sure your give it a good rinse!




SHIKAMON & HONEY WASH


Mix a few teaspoons of Shikakai, Soapnut Powder and Cinnamon Powder together with some hot water to make a paste
Once in the shower, rub the paste in your hair and wait a few minutes before thoroughly washing it out
Use the Honey just as you would a conditioner. Again, leaving fore a few minutes before washing out
When you're hair is half dry, rub a small amount of coconut oil in for extra softness


**TIP** The night before doing the Shikaki Cinnamon wash, moisturise some coconut oil into your scalp and sleep on it.
*Don't be scared of the honey conditioner - it's not as stick as you would think because when your hair is warm and wet, the honey will just glide through it.

NO POO Extra Tips and Tricks

• If you have redish hair, you can add a little paprika to your Shikakai mix to enhance that colour
• Soapnut powder can be used if you or your kids have lice, or are trying to avoid lice
• Honey has some mild peroxide properties, so for a naturally lighter look to your hair, combine some honey and straight chamomile tea and apply to your hair, wrap in gladwrap and sit in the sun for a while. It should bring out your natural highlights without causing damage to your hair
• Coconut oil also works as a fantastic moisteriser to the skin. Can be used on your face and lips to avoid chapping. Used on your scalp, it can also help to pevent dandruff
• When using Soapnut Powder, the hot water from your shower helps release the saponin in Soapnut to make it feel nice and soapy without any soapy nastiness
• ALWAYS BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH!! This is one of the most important tips. Brushing from roots to tip helps your natural oils moisturise your hair to enhance its full potential. The use of a Boar Bristle Brush will aide this process
• A great natural treatment is apparently tomato juice. I have very limited info on this so until I try it myself and update, I guess you're going to have to attempt this with a bit of trial and error. I will be trialling this tomorrow night however, after swimming lessons with my daughter. Will update when I can.

OOOK So I think that is all the information I have at this time to put forward to you. But, I think it is more than enough to help you make an informed decision as to whether or not you wish to participate in this challenge.


I am setting myself up for a 2-3 month trial commitment as they say it can take up to 6-8 weeks for your hair to fully regulate and get back to a nice natural state after years and years of product useage.


I will be updating my progress as I go so if you participate, please update yours as well. It will be great to see the effects with different people with different hair types.


And please, feel free to add your own recipes/remedies for the NO POO challenge.


Good lucky, happy NO POOing