Friday, September 27, 2013

Hair Care


How long has it been since my last post?....4 months!?! Oops.
I can only blame the sunniest and bluest sky of Portugal. I spent an amazing summer playing in the water with my family and voluntarily turned off all electronic devices!

What best to talk about but HAIR after a well spent summer at the beach!

I am proud to let everyone know that I have been "poo free" for almost a year now. The term "poo free" is short for "shampoo free". It is as simple as that! 

The cost to be "poo free" is close to nothing and the results are amazing. In the past year, I have been looking for ways to live a more natural life style for the health of my hair and skin. In a previous post, I introduced you to my face essential oils routine for the aging skin and now, I will tell you how to use some of these oils on your hair.


Most of the Shampoos available at the stores are packed with harsh chemicals that harm your hair and strip it from its natural oils. Your hair may need to be washed more frequently because it is producing more oil etc...
If you find that no shampoo has been able to give you the clean healthy looking hair you've always wanted, consider this alternative. The process is easy but it may take up to 8 weeks to get the results you want. The reason for this, is because your hair follicles need time to figure out its new production of oil over a period of time (it took me 6 weeks). As you skip the shampoo and only use baking soda (which has great cleaning agents) and water, your hair will produce less and less oil until you notice you can go several days between washes.

In short: 
Store bought Shampoo = chemicals = strip off natural oils = higher production of oils = greasy hair = more washing. 
Poo free = chemicals free = less washing = healthy natural hair


Poo free recipe
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 cup of warm water
Mix the baking soda and the warm water together in a skirt bottle and shake until the baking soda is dissolved.
You may reduce the amount of baking soda or add more water to this mixture. Everyone's hair is different and this is what works for me.
Use this mixture by pouring a generous amount over wet hair and massage through scalp like you would with shampoo. NOTE: there is no lathering effect since there is no soap in this solution and it may take you a while to get used to it but it is worth it.
After massaging, rinse very well so there is no baking soda residue left on your hair.
This mixture typically lasts me about 4 to 5 washes and I have below the shoulder length hair.

Rinse and conditioning for poo free wash
4 cups (preferably filtered) warm water
8 drops lavender essential oils
8 drops rosemary essential oils
1 teaspoon borax (optional)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Mix all ingredients in a half gallons jar (I use a very large ball glass jar) and shake well.
Pour some of the mixture in a squirt bottle and use as your last rinse after poo free routine described above. Do not rinse your hair with water afterwards. Just wring the excess water off your hair and let it air dry or blow dry.

*Rosemary essential oil has nourishing, strengthening, cleansing and hair growth properties. Lavender essential oil is beneficial to the Rosemary oil and dandruff. Apple Cider Vinegar cuts through water build up and balances the pH of scalp and hair. Borax is used to soften the hair and will not harm your hair since it is not a chemical but a mineral.
Let me know if you give it a try.