A new movement is slowly taking over the beauty brigade of the world. It’s the era of the ‘No poo‘. The latest fad in the lives of natural product apologists, it’s all about ditching the shampoo and going au-naturel. Yes, they do wash their hair, not with store bought formulations, packed deceptively in shiny bottles, but with stuff picked up from the food aisle of grocery stores. The thought behind it being – if it’s good enough to eat, it will definitely be safe for your precious locks.
Incidentally, the word shampoo is derived from the Hindi word ‘champu’, which means ‘to press and knead’.The earliest known hair wash ingredients were not sulfate laden solutions, but plants and herbs picked from the nature’s lap. But the dawn of the 20th century brought with itself a society which promoted rampant consumerism and created a culture of luxury and consumption. Shampoos are said to contain chemical additives such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, fragrances, parabens, 1,4-dioxane, amongst others, which are known to be skin irritants. By stripping the natural oils (sebum) off the scalp, they cause the scalp to produce more oil to compensate for the loss. Thus creating a vicious cycle of shampoo-rinse-repeat.
The ‘no poo’ method uses baking soda instead of shampoo, and apple cider vinegar rinse as a conditioner. Baking soda removes grease and dirt, and the vinegar conditions and adds a shine. This inexpensive method is getting rave reviews as more and more people are waking up to the fact that their shampoos are doing more harm than good. There is also the ‘low poo method’, which is a fairly less adventurous method, for those who do not wish to give up on shampoos completely. ‘The low poo method involves the use of gentler shampoo bars, which are made from vegan ingredients and are sulfate free. These bars are prepared from an old-fashioned formulae, which makes these all-natural bath products safe to use. Some prominent shampoo bars are by the English companies – Lush and JR Liggett’s and the American ‘Chagrin Valley’.
Proponents of the method have also formed support groups on social networking sites to help old followers and guide new converts. One such group is the ‘No poo and low poo haircare group‘ on Facebook. With over 12,000+ members, this community has people from all over the world, sharing problems, exchanging solutions and more. With tons of success stories being posted everyday, one can see that the no-poo family just keeps growing. If this is the beginning of a new era or just a passing fad, only time will tell. Till then, do try out and decide for yourself which side are you on. Poo or No Poo?