How does Poo Clean Hair?

I used to have a book called "Why, What, Where", which provided explanations to everyday questions, like "How Does Soap Work?"  It was a book for children, and the answers were simplified.  I remember that it stated soap pulls dirt out while water pushed dirt out, and that soap is made of things that we might consider dirty, like fats and ash.  

Bubbles (or suds) in soap do not actually help clean.  Their purpose is to increase the surface area that the cleaning agent comes in contact with.  Bleach cleans well, but has no suds.  There is also an industry standard of dirt, appropriately dubbed "industrial dirt", with which detergents are tested for validity.  Here is where my knowledge of how soap/detergent/shampoo cleans.  I decided to do more research into the the chemistry behind soap:

Soap cleans by acting as an emulsifier. Basically, soap allows oil and water to mix so that oily grime can be removed during rinsing.

Swishing the soapy water around allows the soap or detergent to pull the grime away from clothes or dishes and into the larger pool of rinse water. Rinsing washes the detergent and soil away. Warm or hot water melts fats and oils so that it is easier for the soap or detergent to dissolve the soil and pull it away into the rinse water.

Shampoo works in a manner similar to that of soap and detergent, except that shampoo will not leave soap scum.  But what if I only want to remove the grime, and keep the oils?  Well, that's why I am washing my hair with baking soda rather than with shampoo.

I've read that, to keep hair shiny, I should wash my hair in cold water.  This makes sense as warm or hot water melts the natural oils in my hair.  These oils give my hair a gleam.  I would like to keep most of these oils and only be rid of the dirt.  Possibly, by regulating the temperature of the water I am using to wash my hair, I could change the greasiness of my hair.  During the initial days of my no-poo treatment, I could use hotter water to rinse my hair, and, as my scalp gets used to getting no poo, I could decrease the temperature of the water.

References:  

http://chemistry.about.com/od/cleanerchemistry/a/how-soap-cleans.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Does-Soap-Clean?&id=629717
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4698309_shampoo-clean-hair.html

A no-poo experiment

I read about washing my hair with a baking soda solution and rinsing with vinegar solution, and doing away with shampoo entirely.  I decided to give it a try.  I have been experimenting with this now for about 8 weeks.  Here is a summary of my before-and-after experiences.

In the months before starting the experiment, my hair would start feeling greasy about 20 hours after being shampooed and conditioned.  It's not just my hair that started feeling greasy around then, but also the areas of my face near my hairline, namely my forehead, cheeks, and chin.  My hair would be tangled after shampooing/conditioning, and would be difficult to comb.  I lost a lot of hair while combing.  The purpose of the hair conditioner is to put artificial oils into my hair, that's why it's easier to comb conditioned hair; however, either my hair conditioner didn't work well, or I was using too little.

After reading a few blogs and articles regarding shampoo, I have come to the conclusion that shampoo strips the natural oils from my scalp, and my scalp is trying to replenish those oils.  Perhaps the shampoo also touched my face, and so my face, too, is trying to replenish those stripped oils.

The articles I read suggest using a baking soda solution for washing hair instead of shampoo, and an apple cider vinegar solution as a rinse.  I did not have any apple cider vinegar so I used rice vinegar instead.  Apple cider vinegar has 3-5% acidity.  The rice vinegar I used had 4.1% acidity.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
2 cups of warm water

Instructions
1) Mix baking soda with 1 cup of warm water.
2) Mix vinegar with 1 cup of warm water.
3) Wet hair thoroughly.
4) Slowly pour baking soda solution onto hair, rubbing it into the scalp.  Keep eyes  closed.  This took about 1 minute.
5) Let stand for 3 minutes, during which time I cleaned the rest of myself.
6) Slowly pour vinegar solution onto hair, rubbing it into the scalp.  Keep eyes closed.  This took about 1 minute.
7) Rinse.


My hair was easy to comb after washing with baking soda, even though I did not use any hair conditioner.  This was to be expected since I did not use any shampoo to strip the natural oils out of my hair.  Hence, I lost less hair.  Washing with baking soda solution and rinsing with vinegar solution is more inconvenient than using shampoo and conditioner, primarily since I mix the baking soda and vinegar before each treatment, whereas the shampoo and conditioner are already in bottles ready for my use.  It would not be convenient for me to  premix the baking soda solution and store it in a bottle for later use unless I were willing to use the baking soda solution cold.

The first 3 weeks of the no-poo experiment were the hardest.  My hair felt greasy and even waxy.  My scalp itched.  The baking soda did not remove the oils that my scalp was producing.  Once a week, the waxiness became too much to bear and I would use shampoo.

By the 4th week of the no-poo experiment, my scalp seemed to be adjusting much better to the absence of shampoo.  The waxiness waned and I felt less discomfort.  I continued to shampoo my hair once a week, using less shampoo each time.  Slowly, my scalp is adjusting.  A few hours after my weekly shampoo is when my hair feels its best--it feels like baby's hair, soft and fluffy.  As the week wears on, my hair feels greasier.

Ultimately, by weaning myself of shampoo and conditioner, I hope to have baby soft hair more permanently.

References
http://www.natural-forces.com/essays/poofree.htm
http://heidiandseek.blogspot.com/2009/05/shampoo-not-best-way-to-clean-hair-how.html
http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html

The History of Knotting

Knotting has existed for centuries.  Stone blades would be tied to wooden handles with knots to form axes in prehistoric times.  Rope ladders were made with knots.  Some knots were meant to be functional, others to beautify.  Knots existed in many different cultures.  Here are a few interesting excerpts about the history of knotting, which I found on the internet.

In 1867 after observing Scottish physicist Peter Tait's experiments involving smoke rings, Thomson came to the idea that atoms were knots of swirling vortices in the æther. Chemical elements would thus correspond to knots and links. Tait's experiments were inspired by a paper of Helmholtz's on vortex-rings in incompressible fluids. Thomson and Tait believed that an understanding and classification of all possible knots would explain why atoms absorb and emit light at only the discrete wavelengths that they do. For example, Thomson thought that sodium could be the Hopf link due to its two lines of spectra. (Sossinsky 2002, p. 3–10)  The History of Knot Theory

A resent study has found that man is not the only specie to tie knots, that gorillas use them to hold creepers and saplings down in their nests. In one nest two dozen knots were counted, most were grannies but some were square knots. There is a bird that ties knots to fasten their nest. There are still primitive races who fasten their huts, traps and even clothing with knots. KnotPro