As women, we’re often quite particular about our hair: curly-haired women dream of sleek, straight locks, while those with straight hair wish for curls. Despite these differences, we all share a common goal: to have gorgeous, healthy hair, ideally through natural means.
Some people who prefer natural approaches suggest trying the “no poo” method, but is it really the best choice for your hair? In case you haven’t heard of it, “no poo” doesn’t refer to anything unpleasant; it’s actually about skipping shampoo. Instead, supporters of this method use baking soda to clean their hair. The typical routine involves washing hair with a mixture of diluted baking soda, followed by a rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar.
It seems like a great idea: it’s natural and affordable. However, if you’ve tried it, you may have hit a few snags along the way. Baking soda might seem like an ideal cleanser because of its cleaning power—I even use it for my homemade cleaning products all the time. But if you use it on your hair for a long stretch, you’ll realize why it’s not suitable for maintaining healthy hair.
Initially, many people love the no poo method because it makes their hair seem clean, manageable, and full of volume. But soon enough, you might notice your hair becoming dry, hard to manage, and even prone to breakage. You might find yourself considering a return to conventional hair care products just to bring your hair back to good health.
Here’s why things might go wrong: Hair and skin naturally have a pH level between 4.5 and 5.5, which means they are slightly acidic. Baking soda, however, has a pH of 9, making it much more alkaline. Washing slightly acidic hair with a strongly alkaline solution causes your hair to significantly alter its natural state, resulting in dryness and frizziness, as well as increased breakage.
While using apple cider vinegar after the baking soda wash aims to restore your hair’s acidity, it’s tricky to get these two steps perfectly balanced in terms of dilution and application. Plus, it’s challenging to ensure every strand gets evenly covered with each solution.
Baking soda works wonders for scrubbing surfaces like grout and bathtubs due to its abrasiveness, but it’s not great for your hair because it’s too harsh. Its microscopic crystalline structure can create jagged edges that scrub filth away, but those same edges can damage delicate hair. This abrasiveness can lead to dry, brittle hair and split ends. Some no poo users have even reported losing clumps of hair.
Because baking soda is too abrasive and alkaline, it can strip away the natural oils that protect your scalp and hair. These natural oils are essential for maintaining healthy, manageable hair. The amount of natural oil varies from person to person, which is why some of us can go longer between washes, while others must wash more frequently.
Switching to natural hair care made my hair more balanced—not too oily or too dry—and now I can go longer between washes. It’s common for hair to go through a “detox” phase where it becomes either oilier or drier as it adjusts to natural hair care products, since conventional shampoos can strip away natural oils as well.
However, don’t confuse your hair’s adverse reaction to the no poo method as detoxification. Continuing to scrub your hair with baking soda, hoping it will eventually adjust, could actually be damaging your hair. Although I’m not a big fan of most conventional shampoos, they are formulated to match the right pH for hair.
If you want to maintain healthy, natural hair without using the no poo method, there are plenty of other natural alternatives available. Whether your hair is curly or straight, thick or thin, oily or dry, most of us will find that the no poo approach isn’t the best fit. We all have different hair needs depending on our unique chemistry. Experiment with different natural hair care suggestions until you find what works best for you. Have you ever tried the no poo method? Did you experience any of the issues mentioned above? Share your experience!
