Hot Oil and No Poo: It Works.

Now Playing: Withdraw by Kimbra (I can't keep your loving from my mind, it's worth more than gold, crystals and pride)

I may have mentioned that I grew up with rich kids.

One of those rich kids was telling us (extremely confused) immigrant kids how her mother washes her hair with kiwi fruit and egg yolks.

We were all like WTF? Why? Why would you put food in your hair?

You forget that I was brought up by a woman who often had to skip lunch at school because she couldn't afford it, and spent her uni years living on pot noodles.

But that's another story.

I've been kind of semi no pooing for a little while now - I'm just a little more than halfway through my Shampoo Bar from Corrynne's which is AMAZING. For conditioner I spray neat rosemary-infused ACV onto wet hair, let it sit, then rinse it out.

I've also been oil cleansing.

The theory of oil cleansing is that like attracts like - that nothing is better to remove oil than, well, oil. The problem with this is that if you refuse to use (carcinogenic, birth defect related) surfactants on your hair, like attracts like and then REFUSES to fuck off. Seriously.

but hot oil and no poo work. Trust me.

My oil of choice is coconut oil. It has been used in Asia for centuries to encourage hair growth and to nourish hair, skin and nails. The coconut is an amazing thing - coconut water can be used as emergency blood transfusions (as it was during the war) because it is so similar to blood plasma, and coconut milk is the most similar to breast milk (much more so than cow's milk). Coconut oil is GOOD for you.

It is also, however, virtually bulletproof. I buy it in bottles and it's completely solid (this doesn't make a lot of sense. I have to melt it and pour it into containers. Why would you put solid oil into a bottle?) and even the tiniest smidge is almost impossible to wash out completely, which is why I gave up on it for a little while. But it's so softening and nourishing.

Hot Oil Recipe:

1tbsp coconut oil
1tbsp sesame oil
1tbsp olive oil
1tsp powdered cinnamon
3 drops tea tree oil (I keep forgetting this!)
(you can also use this recipe for on your skin - you don't need the cinnamon. Sit on a towel and apply to your entire body in circular motions. Let it sit for fifteen minutes before showering)

6tsp bicarb soda
4 cups hot water

1. Place a small bowl into a larger bowl and fill the larger bowl with boiling water. Place the oils into the small bowl and stir until the coconut oil has melted and everything is nice and hot.

2. Add cinnamon and tea tree oil and combine

3. DO THIS IN THE GARDEN BECAUSE IT GETS MESSY. Apply oil liberally to scalp, massaging in. Use at least two thirds of the oil on your scalp - it'll get on your hair anyway. Then apply to the lengths, focusing on the ends.

4. Run a towel under hot water and squeeze out excess water. Wrap around hair. (disposable shower caps and cling film are too fiddly and aren't as environmentally friendly)

5. Wrap your head again in a dry towel

6. Leave for at least an hour. I normally do mine in the late morning and wash it out in the late afternoon.

7. Mix the bicarb and hot water together in a bucket.

8. Rinse out IN THE GARDEN or you'll coat your shower/bath tub with dangerously slippery oil.

9. Use no poo/castile soap/normal shampoo as normal. You may need to wash your hair twice.

10. Condition as normal. You might not need to, though.

My male readers will probably find this bafflingly complicated and an utter waste of time, but it's very theraputic. Seriously. It's a good way to spend a Sunday.