Honey Is The New Shampoo: Week 2

In a few days I’ll hit the 2-week mark since I began this no-commercial-shampoo, honey-washing journey. I must say, it has been quite the adventure thus far. I’ve never before wanted to reach for a bottle of shampoo so badly, but I’m sticking this out! Once again, I want to thank you all so so so much for all of your advice and support. I’ve been going over every one of your comments, and there is no way I’d be able to do this without you! 

Without further ado, here’s a look at my second week of honey washing.

Day 6: I took a break from washing my hair today, to let the oil build up and hopefully speed up the transition period. Just threw my hair in a bun on top of my head and went about my day!

Honey washing, week 2

Day 7: After washing with honey today, I did an apple cider vinegar rinse. My hair had gotten pretty greasy over the past few days, so I figured this would help clear some of it away. Wrong. I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but it seems like the grease just keeps coming! I was feeling pretty gross… and then I remembered that one of you had commented about using a homemade dry shampoo — we actually have a couple recipes for that here! I did some further research for fun and found that you can also use arrowroot flour (best for light hair), so that’s just what I did. It WORKED. I’m so excited. Sorry for the selfie.

Honey washing, week 2

Day 8: The arrowroot flour worked so well that I decided to go another day without washing. You wouldn’t even be able to tell, right?! So happy.

Honey washing, week 2

Day 9: A few of you had left comments about washing with clay, so I figured I’d give that a try! I mixed some bentonite clay powder with a little warm water, honey, and a couple drops of jasmine essential oil. It was really fun mixing it all together, and an interesting experience applying it in the shower, but… after drying my hair, I realize I really don’t like how it feels! It definitely sucked out a lot of oil — which is certainly welcome — but it feels so, so dry. It has kind of a gritty consistency. I almost feel like maybe some of the clay is still on my hair, although I tried my best to get it all out! Any thoughts, here? Let me know. :)

Honey washing, week 2

Day 10: I woke up with my hair still feeling incredibly dry and gritty. It doesn’t look dry, but it surely feels that way. Definitely not washing today — I don’t even need to use arrowroot flour. I’m still not liking this consistency. Hopefully this will dissipate as my head produces some oil!

Honey washing, week 2

Day 11: I went back to the normal honey/water shampoo today, and then added a little tea tree oil to my scalp and hair for some added moisture. My hair certainly feels less dry and gritty today. Maybe a bit oily on top, but I can only blame myself for that after using tea tree oil, haha!

Honey washing, week 2

Now, I have a question for you seasoned experts. I’ve been heat styling my hair almost every day. I know this is quite a damaging thing to do. Is there any natural way of protecting my hair from heat damage? Please share your secrets! :)

See my diary from week 1.

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10 years ago

Your hair looks amazing! i had someone on here msg my store to give me conditioner advice,
very cool ppl on here. I was wondering if anyone know about natural dyes for making your hair?

Roxy xox
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartJewelryAlways

10 years ago

I admire your perseverance! I’m scratching my head as I read this lol. I would never be able to do it, my hair is way too oily!! I love reading your experience though.. Thanks for sharing!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BruggenSchuchart

10 years ago

I have been using soap nuts on my hair for the past month… it is amazing! I wash it every 2 to 3 days. You can get it from ethnic grocery stores in powder form. Just add a little water (very little) and make a paste. Leave it on your hair for about 5 minutes. Rinse. I have tried other things, and this is the one that works for me! SOAP NUTS!

Chloe
10 years ago

Grapeseed oil is a great heat protectant. So is argan oil and avocado oil. You could mix them together to make your own heat protectant.

Garifalia
10 years ago

So you sparked my interest in your honey hair wash trial. I tried doing the baking soda rinse as well as the apple cider. Let’s say my hair hated me and was dry and crunchy. So I gave up on that, but I think I will try the honey approach. I have read some info on different types of oils to use in hair as natural heat styling protectants. The two that stood out to me was Shea Butter & Refined Avacado Oil. Shea Butter mimics silicone that is mainly in commercial products. I’m guessing good for using with flat iron and high heat. As for Refined Avacado oil the thing that caught my atten is that it naturally protects hair from the sun. Hope this helps! Good luck with your lovely locks!
XOs~Garifalia

Beka
10 years ago

Brigette darling, you’re not listening to your body. You say that your hair feels both greasy and dry, & even gritty from the clay. This means that even though your hair doesn’t seem that way, it is both dirty & slightly damaged from this “shamphree” trend. The vinegar rinse trend is especially damaging to hair because vinegar is an acid strong enough to clean house with.As for the clay method, dirt cannot remove dirt, but it will absorb all the oils your hair needs to stay supple. If you feel like you need to reach for shampoo, then why are you sticking it out? For what purpose? Listen to your instincts & let them guide your health. You don’t need to go through all this stress.

Jessica
10 years ago

Roxy, to answer your question:
In my book of herbal body recipes, there is a hair “rinse” that you apply after you shampoo, or can mix 50/50 with your shampoo to bring out your hair color.
For brown hair: use sage, rosemary, & nettle leaf or quassia chips,
For black hair: use crushed walnut hulls or black walnut powder & black tea
For blonde hair: chamomile or crushed rhubarb root
For red hair: calendula (pot marigold)
Bring 3 cups of distilled water to a boil, add 3 tbsp. of the herb of your choice, stir, cover and steep for 30 minutes.

Katie
10 years ago

Dr. Bronners Castile soap works great by itself as a shampoo! the lavender scent is amazing! If it feels too dry try adding a tiny bit of coconut milk and/or coconut oil to the bottle and shake it up. Also, about once a week I do a coconut oil/vitamin e/tea tree oil hair mask. Just apply the mixture to dry ends and leave overnight, then wash it out in the morning. Baby powder works GREAT to soak up grease on days you don’t shampoo, especially for lighter hair colors.

Tanja
10 years ago

When your hair looks greasy try baking soda. Before you wash your hair massage about 2 tsp in your roots. Only your roots otherwise your hair gets really dry. Leave it in there for 1 minute and wash out. Then use your honey ore cider shampoo. Good luck!

Bree
10 years ago

Roxy you can use henna dyes for a natural hair dye. They are sold at lush and health food stores like sprouts and whole foods.

Andrea
10 years ago

You have beautiful hair! So jealous of your color! I had been feeling the build up of commercial shampoos and was looking for an alternative like you. I found a shampoo bar soap and absolutely LOVE it! It got rid of the build up and I have so much volume. Before, I was having to wash my hair daily because it would get so greasy, and show more cuz I’m a blonde. But since I’ve started using this bar soap I can go two full days before it even appears greasy. Sorry, I sound like an infomercial. But seriously. My hair feels super healthy. It takes getting used to because at first your hair feels stripped when its wet.. Hard to run your fingers thru it, but that passes quickly. Its JR Liggett shampoo bars. they have a bunch of diff scents with diff oils in them but the original is my fave as far as scents go. Here’s the link http://secure.jrliggett.com/proddetail.php?prod=1020 I actually had been buying it for half price at west elm but last I looked it wasn’t there anymore. Hope you find something that works for you that you really love! I won’t ever go back to commercial shampoo I don’t think :)

Sophia Castano
10 years ago

Try one of these hair tutorials! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkWcJN05vZg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FV-YO46E8Y
Much better than appliances :)

Jordan
10 years ago

I have to say I agree with Becca. I’m a professional hair stylist and you really do have to be careful with the natural alternatives. I totally understand the need to use clean lines or find natural alternatives to all the chemicals, but just because it is natural does not mean that it is better or less harmful to your scalp and strands. tea tree oil specifically can actually be quite drying to your scalp and its a quick way to unbalance the natural oil production. If you are looking for clean shampoo lines Kevyn Murphy is sulfate and paraben free, pureology is vegan, the shampoo bars from Lush are great, even Dr. Bronner’s would be a better alternative. Definitely listen to what your hair is telling you. As far as heat styling goes always make sure your hair is completely dry (not cool to the touch) before you set anything hot to it. Be sure to figure out what temperature is absolutely necessary to achieve the look you want based on your hair texture and density. For the most part heat styling removes a ton of moisture from the hair so just be sure to add it back.

10 years ago

try doing NO heat curling methods. Sleeping and curling your hair.. so easy. and also DEVA CURL.. mmmm solo delicious and great for your hair

Jessica
10 years ago

I agree with Jordan, I wouldn’t advise to use tea tree oil on your hair and scalp. I would think it’d have the opposite effects of “moisturizing” because it is antiseptic, germicidal, and an astringent. Better to use it in DIY cleaning products or facial toners.

Holly
10 years ago

Before using hot tools spread a little coconut oil between your finger-tips and lightly work that through the bottom half of your hair, this will help better than using nothing at all, also giving a shine and a little moisture. You can do this when your hair is feeling dry generally but, the tiniest amount! Just listen to your hair, the dry/oily stages aren’t damaging, your hair is simply adjusting, i’d say over all your hair is in need of a good deep condition (straight honey/coconut oil/olive oil/yogurt/banana/oats) . Also a boar bristle brush will pull the oils down from your roots and disperse them throughout the hair, this will help a lot, and generally tame any frizz. Keep going!

Anna
10 years ago

I have a friend who uses egg yolks to wash her hair… I never tried it properly but it seems to work quite well for her. Egg yolks are known for containing lecithin which is a natural cleanser plus it’s full of great protein for your hair! Maybe this could help to moisturize your hair without making it look greasy!!?! Aah and by the way don’t forget to use lukewarm water to wash it out, otherwise you will literaly have scrambled eggs in your hair!!!
I’m sure you will find the perfect method to wash your hair whether it’s going to be with shampoo or not…
just don’t let it go and keep on

Hayli
10 years ago

I have been having the same “no poo” experience… wanting nothing more than to wash with some normal shampoo. I tried the baking soda…. it dried my hair out too much. I recently made the coconut shampoo with castille soap… and my hair is disgustingly greasy! I’m thinking of giving honey a try and maybe some dry shampoo but my hair is just so greasy I feel so ugly with it! I really want to stick it out though and get to the point where my hair oil production is balanced. The no poo struggle continues.

10 years ago

Like Chloe said, Argon oil works really well for protecting your hair from heat. It makes the grease worse so don’t put it on your roots. Agadir argan oil hair treatment works pretty well!

ACV does wonders for your tips but not so much for your scalp and probably won’t help with grease. Stick to using the arrowroot powder, baking soda, or cocoa. Apply and rub into your roots before you shower.

Unlike some of the other comments about abandoning this method, I think it’s important to just stick with one routine and let your scalp adjust. The transition period is variable from person to person but shouldn’t last more than a month. Your scalp has to adjust and if you’ve used chemicals a lot in the past it may take it some time to get back to normal oil production. I have long hair like you and think it’s particularly more difficult than short hair but will be worth it in the long run! Don’t give up! French braids and other braids disguise the grease on those bad days and you can always wear a cute hat!

Elia
10 years ago

So, I have a question?! I just started going “no poo” & In the past 8 days I’ve washed my hair three times.
Is that is that a pretty good ratio or should I try to wash less?

Thanks!

CeciliaZav
10 years ago

I could never this to my hair! I am though very cautious of what I put on my hair and for more than a year now I only use vegan shampoo and conditioner. And let me tell you my hair is so soft and long! I also use home made products a long with it to style my hair. (Thank you go blog) nevertheless I wish the best in your journey Bridget! ♡

priyanka
10 years ago

i dont want to shampoo too often as it dries up the hair so mid week i apply aloe vera gel and then after a few hours wash it off with water..Really useful

Michelle
10 years ago

I have a question. What would happen if, instead of transitioning from regular shampoo and conditioner, to making soda/ACV, to just rinsing your hair with water, I just quit shampoo and conditioner cold turkey and started to only rinse with water? I’d imagine there would also be a gnarly transition period as there is with baking soda/ACV, but if that’s what I ultimately want to achieve could the transition period really be any worse?

Milka
10 years ago

I quit shampoo years ago and wont go back. I can understand why stylist or hairdressers are pro-shampoo, because it works. But the truth is you don’t need them. There are 100’s of natural alternatives you can try. But it’s a process of trial and error until you find the method that is right for YOU. For dryness you can try masks there are tons, all very good, but after years of trying different things what works for me, and this is for very dry hair, is mayonnaise (yes, like what you put on burgers) and olive oil or any other oil you like, like avocado, almond, argan, etc. leave 5-15 min and wash in whatever way you’re washing, baking soda, honey, whatever you’re doing, but I’ll recommend Castile soap after doing this. Try it twice a week until your scalp adjust to your new washing routine. Also, try a homemade leave in conditioner after washing. It’ll get better. It took about 6 weeks for me to reach hair nirvana and even so, years after I quite shampoo, I keep tweaking my routine. For ex. I just moved to the desert so that prompted a change in my hair routine due to lack of humidity in the air. I agree you need to listen to your body it’ll tell you what you need, just don’t reach for the shampoo just yet.

10 years ago

Will you do a hair tutorial with the new hair yarn rollers!? They look so cute and I’d like to see different uses for them!