I used to dye my hair red for a couple of years, and then blonde. I would do it at home, and the problem with blonde is that you generally get blonder and blonder, until you are pure platinum blonde.
In December 2007, I decided to stop dying my hair, which took a big adjustment period for me. Having dark roots for a while was not fun, but I wore my hair up a lot.
In August 2008, I discovered "No Poo". It's a really simple concept - Stop using traditional shampoo and conditioner, and instead use natural ingredients, herbs, oils and every day kitchen ingredients.
There is an adjustment period of greasy hair, but your hair generally adjusts. Your hair is just as clean as with conventional shampoo but without the chemicals, wastage of plastic bottles, or the air miles of the products being shipped all over the world. Very cheap too.
I went through a stage a couple of months ago of just trying water, but my hair never adjusted, so I've been experimenting with different concoctions.
Here's my current regime. It seems to be working quite well, although my hair sometimes looks a little dry so I'll try some other stuff for shininess. Another symptom has been a lot of hair growth, especially around my temples so my hair is a bit wild sometimes!
"Shampoo" or "Not-Poo"
In one plastic jug, put a tablespoon of baking soda
A squirt of honey
One camomile teabag
A bit of boiling water from the kettle and then leave to cool
Take the plastic jug into the shower, and top up the jug so it's a good temperature.. Wet your hair and then pour bits into your scalp and rub gently. Give yourself a gentle head massage, and make sure you get all parts of your head, especially around your ears and the crown of your head.
Rinse out of your hair and rinse out the jug.
"Conditioner"
Put two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into the rinsed out jug, and fill with water. Pour it over your ends only, and then rinse again.
The baking soda cleans, and the honey and camomile are for soothing my scalp, because sometimes it gets really itchy. It also makes it smell nice, and camomile is a natural lightening agent.
So, if you see me with dirty hair, it's just because I'm lazy, not because I'm doing no poo - I'm also going to challenge myself to wear my hair out more often too.
Try it and let me know your tips......
By the way, here are some of the phrases that have led people to my site in the last week:
poo cheese texel
Are raw foodists a bunch of wankers?
Twlight cast smoking
As of May 2009, I get about 30 visits a day, mostly for 30 or 100 day raw food challenges,
but it's funny to see how other people find me!