No Poo and Styling

A lot of people wonder when they first decide to go no poo how they will need to change their styling habits. I know I did. Heat styling and the use of styling products are usually the two biggest questions.

In terms of styling with product, it's not necessary to stop using styling product - I would just say don't use anything you can't get out with whatever alternate method you're using to wash your hair. Baking soda can most certainly get out just about anything, but based on my own personal experience, using baking soda daily is probably just as bad as shampooing daily; at the very least, it's every bit as drying. If you're doing WO washes exclusively, it's probably best to steer clear of product altogether, because getting product out with just water is going to be difficult to borderline impossible, depending on what you're using; you're certainly going to have an issue with buildup. One of the great things I've found with CO is that you can get most things out with it. I still CO on a daily basis, and my hair is loving it. So, after I wash my hair, I use a little spritz of a detangler called Repair Me by Lamas, and I also usually dab a bit of coconut oil on my ends. Both of these come out fine with my daily CO. Most things, including hairspray and mousse I've found come out quite easily with CO; my only recommendation would be try to avoid things with silicone, as these can be more stubborn to get out and can build up over time, making your hair look limp and oily.

Now for heat styling. This is really just a matter of personal choice. I decided to go no poo because my hair was trashed from shampooing and heat styling. After going for over a year without shampooing, I've found that my hair is healthy enough that I no longer need to do much heat styling to make it look good. But in reality, if you just don't think you can give up heat styling, don't let that deter you from going no poo. Think about it: both heat styling and shampoo are damaging to your hair, so if you choose to cut out shampooing but continue heat styling, you're still reducing the amount of damage you're doing to your hair by quite a bit. In any case, regardless of your styling choices, your hair will probably ultimately thank you for skipping on the harsh detergents.