Day 13

so here i sit with egg in my hair. two yolks to be exact wrapped up in a plastic bag. soon to be washed out with nettle tea. stay tuned for results.

results... my hair is super clean! i havent washed it with baking soda for a couple days, so it was due for a good scrub. i spent the day in the pool and surprisingly enough the chlorine didnt really degrease my hair that much. the egg though, it got kind of foamy and really left my hair super soft and clean. grandma says the nettle tea is to make it shiny. i think im going to need to buy a chicken.

Day 9

I woke up today and my hair was so oily that I actually checked my pillow for grease stains. I don't know what happened overnight. Baking soda took care of it no problem though. I got some in my mouth and it's pretty gross tasting.
I went for a run today and it was sooo hot and humid I was sweating so badly. I could actually smell the vinegar coming off my scalp. Thankfully once it dried, the smell went away. I did however have some fish n chips at Heart and Crown tonight which had cider vinegar on it. It was kind of weird to be eating what I have been putting on my hair every day. I couldn't decide how I felt about it but I ate the fish anyway as it was pretty delicious.

Lately I have been taking inconspicuous pictures at work, here is an evening one (lookin' pretty fresh eh?) -

How my head feels - Like I need a haircut. I'll get one after my vacation, right after week 3. I loooove having my hair washed at the salon. I don't even care if it's like having a piece of cake when you're on the Atkins diet, I'm doin' it.

Day 8

I’m back on the silicones. Because my hair has been super dry, I skipped baking soda yesterday, and tried leaving in the vinegar. After my shower I blow-dried my hair and it was being difficult. It wanted to curl into all these little curls rather than the big curls I usually have. I gave in, re-wet it and put some mousse in. It looked back to normal after that.

Today I baking soda’d my bangs again, then put conditioner in the ends. Once I rinsed it out I gave a spritz of vinegar to the roots. Again, I used mousse and blow-dried my hair upside down and it looks normal. I threw on a headband and called it a day. 

How my head feels – I am heading into the dreaded week 2 and 3. Apparently this is where it gets super oily. My hair isn’t really that bad right now, it’s not greasy but it doesn’t curl like it used to. I can’t wait until it adjusts. I’m going to give this a month. If I don’t find a routine that works for me and my hair, I am going to have to give in and shampoo.   

Day 6

I talked to my grandma today and asked her what she used to use to wash her hair when she was younger. She said that once a month she would wash it with one egg yolk. I asked her what the condition of her hair was and she told me it was like silk.
My hair is not like silk. While I am keeping the oils away with the baking soda, it has become very dry in the ends. I don't think I am getting enough of my vinegar conditioner in the ends, I have been focusing mostly on getting it to the roots. I rubbed a little olive oil into my hands and lightly rubbed some into the ends of my hair and tied it up for the night. I didn't really put in a lot but my hair seemed to soak it right up, it doesn't even feel oily it just feels a lot softer now. I need an empty spray bottle so I can use a little on the ends of my hair before I take a shower.
I think I will eventually get the hang of this.
Here is the good news though - 6 days of no shampoo and I may smell a little like a salad but at least it looks clean!!

How my head feels - Confused.

Day 5

I went to a BBQ last night, and there were a bunch of people smoking. When I got home I realized my hair smelled like cigarette smoke and thought - great, this smell is never giong to come out without shampoo. I did a pretty good baking soda wash this morning, massaged it all over my head. Used the vinegar/chamomile mix afterward. The deoderizing powers of BS worked because my hair right now just smells like hair, amaznig!

I hit a little snag brushing my hair this morning and instinctively reached for the Infusium, but before I sprayed it I turned it around to check the ingredients and... Amodimethicone!! Dimethicone!! Oh noes! Silicones coat the hair, making it all shiny and easy to brush, but can't be removed without harsh shampoo ingredients, eventually the buildup makes hair look dull. It also doesn't let moisture into your hair shaft, leaving it drier and more unhealthy and more in need of hair product. It's a vicious cycle.
I already had to stop using my beloved curling mousse because of this, but I didn't think Infusium would contain silicones (anything ending with cone, conol or sometimes xane). Mom, you can have my infusium too.

How my head feels - It was itchy again last night, today it feels fine. I have been running my fingers through my hair and the problem areas on my scalp feel like they are almost completely healed. My mom just told my the back of my head is super greasy. I should probably make sure I get the baking soda that far back next time I shower. 

Day 4

My friends and family think I’m kind of crazy. My mom, the one who told me I shampoo too much in the first place, is betting I will go back to shampoo any day now. I gave her all the shampoo I had stashed in my bathroom cupboards to prevent a relapse. She thinks I’m going to have dreadlocks or something. I reminded her that I did not give up washing my hair or brushing it, just shampoo. I accused her of buying into the hype of shampoo. I mean really, what did people do before shampoo? I hardly think my grandparents had gross matted smelly hair.

Speaking of smelly, Dario asked me if my hair smelled like vinegar. I had been paranoid about that at first, I spent a couple minutes yesterday morning at my desk deeply inhaling my hair to see if there was a vinegar smell. After a couple of blind smell tests, no one said my hair smelled like vinegar. Just like hair.

How my head feels - I have an important meeting this afternoon, so I used a little baking soda mix on my bang area. It looked fine this morning but I was worried about looking like a grease ball by the afternoon. It's not very humid out today so my hair is kind of flat. I think I may need a haircut soon. 

Day 3

When I woke up this morning, my hair surprisingly didn’t look that oily. I brushed it a bunch last night to distribute some of the oils through it. I almost just went with another hot water wash this morning, but I didn’t want to risk any midday surprises. I also had a pretty sweaty workout yesterday and didn’t want to smell. I used my 50/50 water to baking soda mix and massaged it all over my scalp. I added some extra to the bang area. I then follow up with a couple spritzes of a homemade conditioner mix – half apple cider vinegar, half chamomile tea and a squirt of lemon juice. My kitchen sort of looked like a science experiment was happening the other day. I was also a little nervous that my head would end up like one of those science fair volcanoes when the baking soda and vinegar mixed, but I had rinsed out the BS well enough that I didn’t even get a fizzle…slightly disappointing. I think I’m pretty much ready to ditch my Infusium too, my hair was so soft and easy to brush today I don’t think I am going to need it anymore.

 How my head feels – Great! I don’t have that squeaky clean feeling after a shampoo but it doesn’t feel heavy or gross or anything. It was extremely itchy last night, I think it was detoxing, but today it’s fine.