Second day hair on me can veer between looking really good and like a limp noodle.

I shudder to think what it would look like if I went seven days without washing. I think the longest I've gone is five before I HAVE to wash it because it's grossing me out so much and the only reason I've gone that long is because I've been too sick to deal with it otherwise.

bon bon, it's not a problem even though you run/exercise? I always assumed that working out (and the fact that I sweat like some kind of farm animal) would make shampooing a necessity.

Not bon, but I haven't used shampoo on my hair since August. I eased out of shampoo gradually, so I never had a manky period. If you want to wean off shampoo, start by diluting it and gradually extending the time between washes. If you're tempted to go CO (conditioner only), start replacing washes with a lightweight conditioner. You can also use a dilute baking soda mix (I think the suggestion is 1 tsp per cup of warm water) in lieu of shampoo. If you do the BS clean, you'll want a slightly acid rinse.

Right now, I have a mix of about 60% shikakai powder/40% baking soda that I use for deep cleans, and for most of my cleaning needs, I'm doing a shikakai tea. I'm planning on planting soapwort so I can grow and brew my own cleaner rather than having to hit the Indian grocery, but that's a long-term plan.

My hair is very fine, and often it starts to look greasy less than 24 hours after I washed it. I hate it. I really wish I could train it to be washed less often.

Sue, how long is it? While weaning off frequent washes, wearing it up or braided disguises the greasy look.

(I, err. Wear mine in braids when I've over-oiled it. Which happens almost every single time I do a full on oiling.)

I rinse my hair in the shower between washings, but I still do shampoo it a couple times a week.

In other news, I have changed my sheets and scrubbed the kitchen floor and now I'm going to Macy's suit sale.

I went shampooless when I was backpacking in Europe after college (so the tragic manky phase didn't matter so much). I rinsed it throroughly in warm water (preferably a bath tub) and brushed it a lot. Eventually the oils balanced out and my hair was pretty much long, shiny, and gorgeous without any product.

When I got home I eventually went back to shampoo, it was generally quicker and easier (though that might not be true with short hair). I still only use shampoo every two or three days.

Sue, how long is it? While weaning off frequent washes, wearing it up or braided disguises the greasy look.

It's shoulder length with layers. But aside from a hat or a kerchief, there's not much disguising the greasy phase. It's really nasty. The reason I did it over New Years was that I was sick, so I was housebound and didn't care how narsty I looked. I do want to try again soon.

What do you use proportion-wise for the baking soda mix?

In non-hair news, I believe I've discovered ginger growing in my herb garden.

Or at least something that looks a damned lot like it.

Plei, you really need to come over and mock my lack of knowledge and educate me on what the hell I've got growing in this garden.

What do you use proportion-wise for the baking soda mix?

A teaspoon per cup of water for straight baking soda. Spray bottles work well for application. For the shikakai mix, I tend to just make a paste and work it through my roots.

It's really nasty. The reason I did it over New Years was that I was sick, so I was housebound and didn't care how narsty I looked. I do want to try again soon.

Start diluting your shampoo when you use it, and you should be able to start washing less frequently pretty quickly. I did it by accident, because I was using a solid shampoo that I'd grated up and had started dissolving a pinch of it in water before using.

Plei, you really need to come over and mock my lack of knowledge and educate me on what the hell I've got growing in this garden.

You need the Sunset garden book!