What Years of Baking Soda “No ‘Poo” Did to My Long, Healthy Hair
Washing my hair with baking soda and rinsing it with vinegar seemed like the perfect natural hair care routine. But my no ‘poo before & after story shows how wrong I was.
I remember brushing the 3-inch long sections of hair out of my eyes, wondering at first if new hair growth was coming in postpartum. Except I knew that the timing was off.
My hair’s texture had changed from silky soft and easy to brush to something much more tangled. It made a strange straw-like sound when the strands rubbed together while styling, too. Or had it always done that?
I had read some scathing articles online about how awful the baking soda no ‘poo haircare routine could be on hair, but I refused to believe them. It had worked so well for me for two whole years. How could it suddenly ruin my long, healthy hair?
It did. And this is my awful baking soda no ‘poo before and after story.
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The No ‘Poo Method and Why I Loved It
If you aren’t already familiar with the term, “no ‘poo” simply refers to any method of washing your hair that doesn’t use conventional shampoo and conditioner (think “no {sham}poo”).
Often, when someone refers to no ‘poo, they’re talking about washing their hair with a baking soda and water solution, then conditioning it with an apple cider vinegar rinse.
I learned about the method from a blog I used to follow, and since the blogger spoke so highly of it and had been using it for a couple of months, I thought it was safe enough to try.
That’s not to say I didn’t feel a little hesitation, though.
You see, I babied my hair. I never colored or permed it and rarely used heat to style it. Though it was extremely long (almost to my knees) and hadn’t been cut in around 10 years (because of personal convictions), I didn’t have split ends.
So I didn’t want to do anything that could damage it.
Despite my slight hesitation, the whole idea of no ‘poo haircare really appealed to my burgeoning natural tendencies. It was a simple, inexpensive, and nontoxic DIY way to wash my hair.
With only great reviews to be found, I decided to dive in and try it. I loved it.
I was able to stretch my washes out to every other day for the first time since junior high. Then it was every three days, and finally every four.
My hair wasn’t flat, limp, or weighed down anymore. It felt clean and looked healthy. I even felt like it was easier to style.
I had found the secret to healthy, natural hair for cheap. Or so I thought.
When Others Jumped Off the Bandwagon
About two years or so into no ‘poo-ing, I started reading a few things here and there about baking soda being rather hard on the hair. Women said their hair became dry and brittle after trying it.
I’d love to say that I took their words to heart and began researching the effects of baking soda on hair more extensively. But I didn’t.
I told myself that these ladies were just doing no ‘poo the wrong way, like using too much baking soda, washing too frequently, and not doing occasional oil treatments like I did.
Maybe their hair was dry to begin with, so they just weren’t a good fit for that kind of wash routine.
Or perhaps they had some sort of nutritional deficiency that gave them brittle hair.
Clearly, it couldn’t be my beloved baking soda wash routine. So I continued on with no ‘poo, but a nagging, quiet worry took root in the back of my mind.
And Then The Breakage Began
When I started to notice those short sections of hair along the very top of my head, I wanted to believe it was new hair growth. I couldn’t imagine that what had once worked so marvelously for me and what I had enthusiastically shared with so many other people could suddenly cause disastrous breakage.
But that quiet, nagging worry started to grow louder. There wasn’t another reasonable explanation.
My baby was 8 months old, so I was past the postpartum hair-thinning and regrowth phase. My whole foods diet and average stress levels had stayed the same. I didn’t have dry skin or brittle nails, symptoms that would point to an internal problem.
And then I read about other people who had the same terrible experience I was having, all because of washing their hair with baking soda. I read this woman’s experience and this explanation from a dermatologist.
I started to wonder what might happen if I tried a shampoo bar instead of washing with baking soda. My hair was feeling a little dry, and I wondered if a new wash routine might help its texture. And that’s when I couldn’t ignore how severely damaged my hair was anymore.
Assessing the Damage
My hair’s texture changed so gradually after starting no ‘poo that I hadn’t noticed how awful it had become. I thought it just needed some extra moisture, but it had actually become porous, brittle, and parched.
Within one wash with a shampoo bar, I immediately noticed an improvement.
Suddenly my hair started to feel like it did before no ‘poo came along. After more time off the no ‘poo routine, it became softer again and didn’t have the coarse, straw-like feel that had developed with baking soda. It also didn’t knot and tangle so easily.
I decided that I was done with baking soda no ‘poo for good. But though the texture of my hair started to improve significantly, the breakage continued. Too much damage had already been done.
For almost two years, all of the hair that had been damaged by no ‘poo slowly broke off. It started with those top sections near my face and went all the way down to the hair that grows at the nape of my neck.
It was heartbreaking and awful. My once long, healthy hair became shorter, broken, and frayed at the ends.
Could No ‘Poo Work for Some?
After publishing this post, I’ve gotten comments from people who say no ‘poo is working great for them, so the problem is with me:
- I just did it wrong (I thought that about other people, so I get it),
- I must have underlying health issues (it’s always good to consider root causes),
- Or I’m a lying shill for some shampoo brand (but my bank account differs).
Other commenters have honestly asked me if I think using baking soda as a clarifying hair treatment could be safe once in a while.
It’s possible, I suppose. Maybe using baking soda every few months could clean and clarify your hair without doing much damage. Maybe.
But I’ll never recommend it or suggest it. Some things carry too much of a risk to even bother trying. Especially when you consider baking soda no ‘poo’s big pH problem.
The pH Problem You Can’t Ignore
You see, the problem with washing your hair with baking soda isn’t just that it’s abrasive and drying. It’s extremely alkaline.
Shampoos are usually pH balanced to be slightly acidic like your scalp is. This keeps the hair shaft healthy, smooth, and closed.
What I later learned is that highly alkaline baking soda, no matter how much you dilute it in water, opens the hair shaft. Over time and repeated use, it causes the hair to become porous, brittle, and eventually break. There aren’t any oil treatments, dietary supplements, or vinegar rinses that remove the pH problem.
In fact, though the acidic vinegar rinse shocks the hair back into a more pH-balanced state, it also puts the hair through a harsh process similar to chemically coloring it every time you wash with baking soda (highly alkaline) and rinse with ACV (highly acidic).
If you colored your hair weekly, you could expect it to become brittle and damaged in time. So it is with baking soda no ‘poo.
And sadly, most shampoo bars, homemade castile soap shampoos, and many other DIY or natural haircare methods have the same pH problems as baking soda. While the shampoo bar I tried after quitting no ‘poo helped my hair a little, I stopped using it after 6 months.
Reversing the Baking Soda Damage
If you’ve experienced hair breakage from baking soda or something else, you might wonder if there’s a way to reverse the damage.
My free guide 3 Easy Herbal Hair Care Recipes for Naturally Healthy Hair You’ll Love, along with the tips below, will give you a great place to start!
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I’m glad to report that the damage my hair suffered from baking soda no ‘poo wasn’t permanent. Almost 8 years after my hair started breaking off, it’s now healthy and soft once again. Along with taking care of my overall health like usual, these things helped my hair recover.
Gentle, Natural Wash Routine Options
After moving away from baking soda washes and not liking shampoo bars, I tried a number of shampoo and conditioner options. I wasn’t up for another DIY disaster, so I avoided any homemade wash mixes.
- First I tried Shea Moisture products. I liked how hydrating they were, but tended to be too heavy for my straight, fine hair.
- Then I switched to Acure Organics and Desert Essence shampoos and conditioners. But they sometimes left my scalp feeling tight and dry.
- I tried soap-based shampoo bars one last time, but they still left a waxy build-up in my hair.
Finally, I came across Viori shampoo and conditioner bars. I was intrigued by the fair-trade, natural ingredients and waste-free packaging. The shampoo bars were pH balanced, too, unlike soap-based bars.
After combing through their stellar reviews, I decided to try them. I was not disappointed!
- My hair is silky soft, shiny, and strong again.
- I’m not tossing out plastic bottles.
- The natural ingredients rate well on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database.
- Viori uses Longshen rice to strengthen the hair and pays a fair, premium price to the Red Yao people who grow it.
I’ve now been a paying Viori customer for 4 years and counting. Since I only wash my hair every 4-5 days, one shampoo bar lasts me 4 months or more!
If you’d like to try Viori, you can get 10% off your order with the code “thrive10.” I like the auto-ship subscription option because you get a discounted price and free shipping.
Add a Little Oil to It
As my hair was recovering from the baking soda wash breakage, I did weekly oil treatments on it.
For around six months, I applied a mixture of castor, almond, argan, and jojoba oils from root to tip. After a few hours, I’d wash it out with shampoo. Because this oil blend was a bit heavy, I’d have to apply shampoo 3-4 times to get it all out.
But my hair felt incredible after!
Even now with the no ‘poo breakage over, I still use oil in my hair to keep it healthy. I usually just use a few drops of jojoba oil through my ends, but sometimes I’ll do a full scalp oil treatment with a blend of oils like I mentioned above.
Gentle Brushes for Healthy Hair
I never cared much about my brushes before. But after my hair became so damaged from the no ‘poo method, I bought some better brushes to help prevent breakage.
- A boar bristle brush helps distribute natural oils from my scalp down the hair shaft. I don’t use this as often as you’re supposed to, but some is better than nothing.
- The Wet Brush has very thin, flexible bristles. It helps you get the tangles out of your hair without breaking the strands. Since my hair was so brittle after no ‘poo, the Wet Brush was a lifesaver.
- I also bought a Bass bamboo brush. It feels great on my scalp, the bamboo bristles help distribute oil, and I like how it looks. This is my go-to brush now that my hair is healthy again.
Choose Protective Hair Styles & Accessories
If your hair is brittle or damaged, hair elastics, bobby pins, and certain hairstyles often lead to more damage.
When my hair was breaking, I opted for gentle styles and hair accessories that protected my hair and kept it from breaking more than it already was.
My favorite tool was the Lilla Rose Flexi-Clip. Its unique design allowed me to hold back my long hair in a loose bun style that didn’t kink, break, or tear it. Flexi-Clips look great, too, so I felt confident wearing them.
I still opt for loose, gentle hairstyles that won’t damage my hair or pull it too tightly. But now my accessory of choice is a Swerve U-Pin, also from Lilla Rose. I wear these almost daily. They’re gentle, comfortable, and secure, all without breaking my hair.
I also avoid styles that require teasing, heat, or styling products. God made my hair straight, so I’m not going to damage it just to make it look different.
Baking Soda No ‘Poo FAQs
A Devastating Lesson
One thing that’s become important to me now as an herbalist is that you should never use your family (or yourself, for that matter) as guinea pigs for home remedies and natural living adventures.
You need to know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what to expect. I learned that the hard way through this awful experience.
Sadly, my time doing no ‘poo ended up being a natural living experiment that yielded devastating results. It was so disheartening to watch my hair continually break off, month after month after month.
Even more than that, all I could do was cringe when I thought about all the people I previously encouraged to wash their hair this way. Though it was a painful lesson, it taught me to be skeptical of natural living fads and to look for solid evidence before recommending any natural living alternatives.
Because the evidence isn’t on the side of baking soda no ‘poo. I and so many others who experienced the same kind of damage can attest to that.
