No poo for you: Anti-shampoo movement

Some people are turning from their standard shampoo rituals for something healthier.

The basis for the “no poo movement” is a fight against unnecessary chemicals in shampoo in favor of a more natural approach. It is believed that shampooing daily strips hair of its natural oils and causes a number of problems that can be resolved by washing less or using alternatives to unnatural shampoo.

According to nopoomethod.com, for many who start their no poo journey, this could begin as shampooing less often, or possibly not at all. Going from daily shampooing to every other day, or from every other day to every few days could help, but will leave the scalp feeling more oily until it normalizes after a period of a few weeks.

For others, it means replacing shampoo with something believed to be less harmful, like baking soda and apple cider vinegar, or other ingredients like clays or special oils.

However, some doctors and healthcare professionals are unconvinced whether or not the no poo movement is really healthier for your hair or not.

Mark Junkerman, WSU graduate in mechanical engineering, has been using alternative shampoo methods for a year and a half.

“I was frustrated with synthetic shampoo because it was causing more problems than it was fixing, like my dandruff,” Junkerman said. “With synthetic shampoo, I would use anti-dandruff shampoo. It would work for one day and then dandruff would come back with a vengeance. The initial method I used was baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The dandruff was being kept at bay better.”