Why I ditched shampoo & conditioner

Its been over a month now since I used shampoo or conditioner! Never did I think this would be possible for someone with my hair. Frizzy, greasy and well, all falling out. But surprisingly it's been the best thing I've done for my hair in a really long time.

Don't worry I'm not walking around with hair that hasn't been cleaned for over a month, I think I would be itching pretty bad by now... But I've switched how I clean my hair and scalp.

I was reacting to something not only in hair care but in skincare too. That ingredient would be coconut and all its derivatives. I've blogged a little about switching my make up to coconut free you can have a read here.

So how do I clean my hair? Clay, apple cider vinegar and marshmallow root. I googled for hours upon hours searching for the best way to clean my hair without using too many ingredients etc. I couldn't find ANY coconut free shampoo's and was worried that I would have to delve into conventional hair care. Then a few people mentioned washing hair with Rhassoul or 'Ghassoul' clay. So I bought some, tried it and bloody disliked it if I'm honest. The first encounter was weird. No foaming, of course, no smell of course, and my hair felt weird after. But once it had dried I was like, this isn't so bad, my hair felt good, very hydrated and not weighed down and best of all it looked good. My scalp wasn't irritated like it normally would and I went an entire 4 days without washing it before it got greasy! Unheard of for me, usually I wash my hair every other day or daily if I am leaving the house two days in a row! the more I washed my hair with clay the better it started to look and feel. I was then informed by a lovely someone on my Instagram that its good to rinse with ACV to help get hard water builds up off the scalp and hair so this I did. Doesn't smell great mind you. But my hair looked so shiny after using it. Marshmallow root was introduced about 2-3 weeks after using these methods of cleaning my hair. The marshmallow is great for curly hair, frizzy hair or hair that gets tangled easily, aka my hair! I never dare brush my hair whilst wet unless slathered in conditioner because its a recipe for breakage as my hair is usually a ball of knots after washing. But after using the marshmallow root to rinse my hair I basically brushed my hair with my fingers after washing it and omg it was tangle free! I was shaking, I kept doing it and telling my OH how awesome this was and showing off to him like he actually cared...

I have had so many of you message me about how I use these things to clean my hair so I figured I would just write about it so its easy for you all to access and achieve yourself.

I wash my hair with clay in two different ways, one being that I wet my hair and make a clay mask and slather it all over my scalp and ends and leave it for a bit whilst I shower then rinse. The most common way I use it is basically the same as shampoo I have my mixture at the ready rinse my hair with water and then rub the clay into my scalp using massage. I then rinse and repeat. 

Step 1:

Clay shampoo:
Mix 2 tablespoons of clay with water, ad the water gradually I find this way I always get the best texture. You want a yogurt type consistency. Never use metal with clay so use a makeup brush or wooden spatula to stir the lumps out alternative use your fingers like me haha! It's a total mess to make to I usually make it over the bath so I can easily wash away the mess.

Step 2:

Conditioner:
Brew 2 teaspoons of marshmallow root to 2 cups of water like you would a cup of tea. Strain the mallow root out into a separate bowl/cup/jug so you're left with just the mallow water it's a bit slimy, use this as a conditioner but rinse well because it can weigh your hair down if not washed out well. Do not use on your scalp if your hair is very oily. I don't use this every time because my hair is very fine and also I don't have a lot of it at the moment and my scalp is very oily so it's too intense but if your hair is dry, frizzy, thick, curly or afro hair this would work really well at adding hydration, shine and keep tangles at bay.

Step 3:

ACV rinse:

2-4 tablespoons of ACV to 3 cups of water. Add some essential oils for scent if you wish or brew a herbal tea and use instead of water in this recipe. Use this at the end of washing as a final rinse!