I've been going without shampoo and conditioner for about 3 weeks now. I used to do no 'poo with good results but fell of the wagon when I got addicted to using hair conditioner again :|

After a vigorous wash, I give my hair a very light vinegar rinse, then a rinse with peppermint or green tea (which is very soothing).

What's strange is whilst washing it, I can feel this greasy, slightly sticky residue on my hands, and the water runs off of my skin the way it would if I'd been handling oil. I used to use a little help oil for scalp massage and I also used a Lush scalp massage bar about a month ago.

Where is this residue coming from? Could it be a detox of sorts, my scalp producing more grease to try and correct my scalp from previous shampoo/conditioner use?

Interestingly, my hair doesn't look greasy afterwards...

I know the feeling that you are talking about. I wondered the same things about my dughter's hair. We were both no'poo but she had to start using it again. Her hair started to always look oily. Maybe when she is older she will be better at grooming it she can go no'poo again. I don't have the problem at all. A lemon in mine every week usually takes care of any oil.

Thanks for the response I'll try the lemon juice- though maybe having oily hair is a good thing- after years of drying out my hair with bleach, perms and hair dye!

I've heard there will be a period after starting no-poo where your hair is producing more oil the way it needed to when it was getting stripped of oil from shampoo, and that after a few weeks it will compensate and produce less oil. This process didn't take very long for me, maybe a week or so.

I used to have such oily hair and would have never believed I could go no-poo, but now I don't have to wash it more than 2 or 3 times a week. On the days I don't wash (with baking soda and a vinegar rinse) I sometimes just massage my scalp under hot water to move the oils down the shaft.

There is one shampoo and conditioner that makes my hair nice and straight and I can't get my hair to do that any other way, so once every month or two if I want to wear it straight, I will use it. Since going no-poo, I notice that my hair is so greasy and oily after using that stuff, I absolutely have to wash it that night or the next day. So in your case, it could be from using products again after being no-poo, and I'm sure it will balance out naturally.

Hi sarona- thank you for the info- it makes perfect sense- it's like my hair is coming to life again (feels thicker than ever, despite the oilyness!).

Because I have a dry scalp (previous experiments with hair bleach gone hideously wrong!), I tried adding a little tea tree to my rinse but it seems to be making my scalp flake a bit so I've stopped using it. Does any one know a good rinse to help hydrate a dry scalp? Because I've been a bit slack with raw lately it might be diet-related...