How the "No-Poo" Method Ruined My Hair

If you haven't heard of the "no-poo" method, it's basically where you cut out hair products that contain chemicals.
Typically, you use a baking soda and water solution in place of shampoo, and an apple cider vinegar and water solution in place of conditioner.
This seems like a great option for health nuts on a budget, and it probably is for specific hair types - a lot of people have had great success with the no-poo method.

My problem: My hair was already incredibly damaged from years of chemical treatments. I'm 23 years old, and I've been dying my hair since I was in the 4th grade. There have been a couple times where my hair -melted- because of coloring.
From my experience, I believe the no-poo method is not suitable for chemically-damaged hair.

I started the no-poo method on August 4th.
It's often noted that there is a transitional period where you may have excess oil, as your scalp needs to get used to the change.
My hair felt -waxy-. It literally felt like candle wax on my hair. I shrugged it off for the first three weeks, then decided to cut out the ACV rinse to see if it would make a difference.
The waxyness was instantly eliminated.
However, my hair became so dry and brittle so quickly that it started breaking off in massive amounts, but only the part that had been colored (I have about two inches of uncolored regrowth, as I've stopped dying my hair).

I'm not at a point in my life where I would be comfortable being bald.

So, I decided it was time to develop my own "kinda-poo" recipe.
I bought a pack of Kirk's Castille Soap (All natural, vegan friendly. Ingredients: Coconut soap, water, vegetable glycerin, coconut oil, natural fragrance). I grated about 1/4 of a bar, and dissolved it in about 4 cups of water. I used that as my shampoo.
For conditioner, I diluted a few tablespoons of coconut oil in about 6 cups of warm water. I left that in for about 10 minutes in the shower before rinsing, then also applied some to my ends as a leave-in treatment.

I'm pretty sure there is no hope left for the very bottom of my hair (there is literally no way to repair damaged hair), but the rest of it feels quite a lot better after just one use.
I'm satisfied with these concoctions as there are no harmful chemicals, and they are still pretty freaking cheap (a 3-pack of the bar soap was $4 at Kroger).

In conclusion, if you have chemically damaged hair and were considering doing the no-poo method, I strongly urge against it - unless you fancy looking like Sinead O'Connor. If you do, more power to you. But I would never be able to pull that look off.



As for the meal plan and budget lists I promised, they're coming soon! I apologize for how long it's taking.

The Goal

"Raw Veganism is too expensive!"

I agree... but that's no reason to give up entirely, and dive into some steak and potato chips.

I have chosen to transition to Raw Veganism (or as close to it as possible) because of health reasons.

My health issues include:
Fibromyalgia

PTSD
Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Major Depression
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
and I've dealt with EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) in the past.

I have a food budget of $200 a month. This is EXTREMELY low for a balanced raw food diet, but I'm determined to make it work.

My gadgets: 

I do not have a Vitamix, or an omega juicer - and honestly... I despise cleaning juicers. I love fresh juice, but I RARELY make it.

-Hamilton Beach Blender and Food Processor (about $50 at Sears, but I recommend buying it somewhere else. Sears gave me a huge hassle over it, charged me twice, and it took them three months and numerous phone calls to give me a refund. But I do love the blender and food processor.)
-90's juicer (I honestly don't know what brand it is, but I got it from a garage sale for $3. I don't plan on using it much.)

-Tabletop mandolin, with slicing and julienne attachments (It's from the 70's, and was given to me for free.)
-Coffee Grinder (I bought this from Krogers for $20, for grinding spices, and things like Flaxseed.)

-Yonanas Ice Cream Maker ($50, from Bed Bath and Beyond. This was a birthday present, so I didn't actually pay for it. But after using it and adoring it, I definitely would have spent the money on it. If you have a masticating juicer, you can make raw ice creams with that - and some high speed blenders will also work, but my blender just couldn't do it haha.)

-Old Dehydrator (Again, not sure what brand it is. My mom gave it to me, and I think she got it from a garage sale for $5. It doesn't have a temperature gauge, but I don't use it often, and since I'm aiming for NEARLY raw, as opposed to fully raw, I'm not terribly worried about it.)

-Cheap knife set ($5 at a garage sale. I would love to opt for the crazy expensive ceramic knives, but what I have gets the job done.)

-Mason jars (about $8 for 12 at Dollar General. I use them for sprouting.)

-Something similar to cheese cloth (I actually use fabric that was left over at an auction. Mesh for sprouting, and what I'm pretty sure is used for making clothes patterns for draining nut milk and nut cheeses.)

That's it. Nothing too terribly fancy. 

When I say nearly raw, I mean that I will be consuming as much raw food as I can afford, while also meeting all of my daily nutritional and caloric needs. Having dealt with EDNOS in the past, this part is very important to me.

I will be supplementing my diet with beans, and various grains - but nothing canned.

I make my daily meal plans using caloriecount.about.org, to ensure I'm meeting all my nutritional goals.

I will be posting the weekly meal plans, as well as my shopping list and how much everything costs (I try to go shopping twice a week, so I actually have room for all the produce.)
I generally shop at Krogers Marketplace, and Meijers. Occasionally, I will go to Aldi's.
I'm also lucky enough to have a local produce shop nearby called Wayne's, where I can usually get bananas for .29 to.39 cents a pound.

I highly recommend searching for places like this in your area. Bananas at the chain stores in this area are usually around .54 cents a pound. I consume quite a lot of bananas (generally between 15 and 25 lbs a week), so that price gap makes a HUGE difference to me.

Anyway, that's it for now.

If you have questions, feel free to ask!

I'll be posting my first weekly meal plan and shopping list soon :)

-Styna Lane