Giving the poo-poo to shampoo

Recently I read this article about women who have ditched shampooing, and never want to go back. It's a secret that has been passed on selectively in this country in our recent past that shampoo is not necessarily required to keep your scalp flake-free and your locks shiny and voluminous. In fact, the women in this article attest to the fact that their hair has never been healthier than when they stopped shampooing. The writer of the article notes that one of the most popular forms of going "no poo" is to add one teaspoon of baking soda (that wonder substance that seems to be able to do all) to a cup of water, mix it well, and pour over your scalp and let sit for one minute before rinsing out. Seems almost more like a recipe than a cleansing ritual, but from the pictures, it seems to get the job done.

I suppose it is in some ways acceptable and sanitary since shampoo was never used for thousands of years, but it still seems odd to me. I like it as an idea to save a little cash, but I love the smell of my hair after I get out of the shower where I just slathered on a good helping of my favorite Aveda formula. After reading this article and seeing the photos of the women who haven't shampooed their hair in upwards of 7 months, I am curious to see how my hair would take it and, more importantly, look like if I got rid of shampooing all together. Part of me really wants to try it out, but another, probably stronger, part of me thinks it's best not to toy around with this sort of thing. The article does give fair warning of the 4- to 6-week period that results are minimal since your scalp will be trying to re-learn the levels of oil it should be producing...and I am thinking that might be just too long for me to take.

So, I suppose I'll stick with the shampoo. But I don't regret knowing that if there were ever a day when I couldn't afford to fork up the $9 a bottle I pay for my products (hair products and make-up are the two things I do not skimp out on) I could resort to my $0.59 a box solution.