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If you've read Make Your Own Gugo Shampoo, you'd know that my mom is successful in transcending from commercial shampoo user to Gugo shampoo user, which is more natural and gentler to hair. I am not quite that successful yet.
For a D-I-Y-er, I am quite lazy. I'd rather use baking soda and water on my hair than make my own Gugo shampoo even though it's not that hard either. But one thing is for sure, I want healthy hair and I am sure that I am not going to get it by increasing shampoo use.
Unfortunately, shampooing is not something you can just stop without adverse effects. And even with baby steps, these adverse effects can be felt.
Shampoo, according to my dermatologist, is really for our scalp. It is used to remove the excess oils in our scalp that cause build-up, which later on become dandruff. But did you know that shampoo causes excessive oil production in our scalp? By using shampoo, you make the scalp dry which signals it to produce more oil to maintain its natural state. So if you've been using shampoo all your lives just like me, you've been sending the wrong message to your scalp. And not just that, you're actually overworking it. Our scalp oil is also the reason why conditioner is only placed from hair under your ears to the tips because when we comb (even finger comb) our hair, natural oil is distributed to the upper hair area.
I certainly cannot live without shampoo yet. I am very much envious of the people who can just live on baking soda and water to wash their scalp. Like coffee, water is the most important ingredient in shampooing or washing your hair and scalp. And baking soda helps make hard water become soft water, which helps hair become manageable).
I'm not quite there yet so instead, I'm giving my scalp enough time to adjust. Now, I dilute a drop shampoo in a dipper in approximately 1 cup of water before applying it on my head. Then, I massage scalp as usual and rinse.
The first week is really difficult. My scalp was way too oily and I had build-up. I read that it takes 6 weeks before your scalp can adjust to lessening shampoo use or non-use but the advantages outweigh all of these.
I am currently in my 4th or 5th week (I've lost count but I'm not turning back!) and I noticed that my hair is softer, shinier and more manageable. It even looks nicer when I style it! I notice also that I am not as prone to dandruff when weather changes. Better hair care, healthier scalp, savings, less consumption of chemical products, now that's what I call a sweet deal.
