Over the past couple of years, Will and I have been getting more and more “crunchy”. Eschewing commercial cleaning and self-care products, and instead making our own, or sometimes just foregoing them altogether :)

The time that I didn’t wash my hair for 3 months…

I tried that foregoing thing with shampoo for awhile – I was determined to make my hair self-cleaning. I stuck it out for about 3 months, which I thought would surely be enough to let it adapt. Some days it looked ok, but mostly I looked like a drowned rat and felt pretty darn un-sexy.

The classic no-poo method

Previously to that I tried the no-poo method, which is baking soda mixed with some water and poured onto the scalp to cleanse, (rinse out), followed by some apple cider vinegar mixed with water and poured over the hair as a conditioner to balance the pH.

I didn’t mind this, but felt that after awhile it made my hair kind of dry and brittle. This is a common review if you google around a little bit.

Effective DIY natural no-poo alternatives; aka washing your hair with breakfast

Most blogs I’ve read lately have shared the most success with occasional baking soda/ACV washes, alternating with various natural food-based rinses and cleanses in between.

You could basically walk into a diner and rob some unsuspecting person of their breakfast, smoodge it all over your head, and walk out with clean hair.

You can wash your hair with:

• kefir
• rye flour
• egg
• coffee
• honey

And any number of other items. Personally I’ve had great success with both rye flour, and an egg-honey mixture.

How to make DIY non-toxic egg & honey shampoo with essential oils

This is such a quick and easy process, just grab a bowl and get mixing.

1. crack a free range egg, grab the yolk with your fingers and put it in your bowl. (keep the white for something else if you like)
2. whip it up a bit with a fork, then mix in a heaping teaspoon of raw honey (if your honey is creamed, you may want to dilute it first with some warm water to soften it)
3. drop in 2-3 drops each of rosemary and lavender essential oil.
4. use comfortably warm (rather than hot) water in the shower so the egg doesn’t cook on your head

You will find your hair is silky and infused with protein to make it stronger. The honey is a good gentle cleanser, and the essential oils add strength, cleansing power and a nice scent as well.

My no-poo routine

Lately my routine looks something like this:

• baking soda/ACV wash once a month
• egg wash once every 1-2 weeks
• rye flour wash 1-2 times per week

In between I just rinse my hair with water, or preen it using my natural boar-bristle brush, or use a little dry shampoo (I just use baby powder).

Pretty easy, non-toxic, and it keeps your hair healthy with a variety of different nourishing, natural cleansers and conditioners.

One last tip: coconut oil for hair

If you find the ends of your hair get dry, try this:

• Wet your hair in the shower
• Scoop out a little bit of coconut oil and rub just through the ends of your wet hair
• Continue with your chosen no-poo cleansing method and rinse well

Your ends should be just conditioned and moisturized enough, without getting a greasy ratbag head from too much coconut oil. The key is to put it on the ends only!

How is no-poo shampoo working for you?

Have you been experimenting with any DIY non-toxic natural shampoo alternatives? What’s working for your hair type? Are you finding balance in your routine? Please share so we can all help each other out!