From what I've heard, baking soda doesn't strip your hair so yes, it shouldn't mess with the color.

I don't do baking soda every day and the longer you do it, the longer you can go without. Like the first week, I might do it every other day, then every 3 days, then every 4 days, etc. I kind of assess my hair and go by that.

Also, there are different rinses that I've heard:
For darker hair - use black tea
For lighter hair - use lemon juice
For any color hair - use apple cider vinegar

I find apple cider vinegar to be difficult to use though because it is super moisturizing which means a little goes a long way. At first, I did the recommended 1 tsp of ACV and found my hair to be greasy. Since then if I use ACV, I just dilute a few drops in water. Some people love it though.

I think the secret to a conditioner wash that leaves hair glorious instead of greasy-looking is letting it soak for a little bit--five or even ten minutes. Conditioner has some surfactants too, just in smaller amounts than shampoo, so letting it sit on the hair shaft for a while and really giving the scalp a good fingertip-scrub as you rinse makes it wash out cleanly.

I was shocked at how my hair turned out the first time I tried it--was afraid I'd look like someone had just cleaned a busy restaurant's grease trap out with my head--but instead my hair was just super-soft and shiny. Everyone's hair is different, though, so I can totally understand waiting for a weekend spent at home to try it. :D

i find this all really interesting :)
awhile ago i tried the bakingsoda scrub. i think i mixed it w/shampoo though. i liked it. i think i wash about every 2 or 3 days, very oily hair. wavy, but almost straight when i brush it. i don't use conditioner often. i guess its good for the ends, but once i brush it, the scalp needs to be washed so much sooner.
i'm seriously considering getting highlights done, or doing a home kit to help dry out the roots a bit. maybe a redish color or lighter brown. my hair is very dark brown, almost black.

i still haven't gone to get my hair cut. really looking forward to that. i look like a different person now.

it's surprising a vinegar could be moisturizing? its soposed to be a really good aspringent, but my skin doesn't need anymore 'moisture' lol. the oil slick i get sometimes, puhleeez lol. asprin scrub helps alot. best remedy for acne ever.

katy - reason I started no-pooing was because my hair started to get greasy. Before, I could wash my hair every other day and be fine even if I had to go to a 3rd day of no washing. Then it got to a point where my hair would get greasy by the end of the 2nd day so I started washing every other day which wasn't good then it started to get greasy on the same day. So I tried no-pooing out of desperation. After I did, my hair became less greasy and even when I don't no-poo, I can go 2-3 days without washing.

I have thick, thigh-length hair that has some breakage, but my hair has a bit of tug to it before it breaks like elastic. It doesn't always look so great, though, so I was either thinking of going with a natural shampoo/conditioner or trying the no-poo. Maybe it will get rid of some of the tangles and breakage. But I also have really bad dandruff, so I don't know what would work better.

I'm really surprised to see that so many people responded. When I've brought it up in the past (taught me not to bring it up, just like 3FC), I was met with TONS of negative comments: "you don't bathe but twice a week?" NO, I didn't say that... "that's so gross, then you aren't washing any of the crud out of your hair. Conditioner doesn't clean." etc, etc.

But come to find lots of people do it, or are interested in it.

What about henna, does anyone here henna? I've been wanting to try it. My mom uses silver to gold for her hair, and that's henna I do believe (I could be wrong, she's only used it twice).

Wow, this is really interesting :)

What brands of conditioner do you guys use?

I have waist-length straight hair that is medium thickness. It's fairly dry and limp and lackluster and pathetic.

I don't wash my hair everyday, but when I do, it's always shampoo and conditioner. My hair lady, who I swear is magic, suggested that I rub conditioner in it while it's dry and let it sit for about 10 minutes and then wash it out with lukewarm to cool water about once a week. She said the conditioner on dry hair would feel GROSS, but it would help. When hair is wet, it's already saturated, so the conditioner just sits on the surface and isn't completely absorbed. When it's dry, it can soak up all the conditioner. I'd like to try it, I just haven't gotten brave enough yet, hehe.

i use henna....and i love it. all henna makes blonde hair dark red and can give darker hair a reddish sheen-especially in the sun. cassia obovata is for any hair color and will make gray hair blonde-like but will not stain other colors of hair-it's mostly for a deep conditioning treatment and will make your hair shiny and healthy. indigo goes on top of all henna to make hair dark! you can also mix henna: cassia and henna can be mixed in ratios to make hair strawberry red to darker, henna and indigo can make hair brown in the right ratios.
i am a former dark blonde and i use all henna-see my avatar. it has made my hair shiny, healthy and heavy. i've been doing it for 2 months. it is a stain i mix with orange juice and olive oil and use it to do my hair all-over about once every month and a half and i do roots every 3 weeks. if you want more info just ask...
best of all? no chemicals. it is healthy for hair!
www.hennaforhair.com

I have really long, straight hair and sometimes don't wash it at all for 2-3 days (in the shower I just pin it up so it doesn't get wet). It always looks the best on day 2 and still looks good on day 3 as long as I'm not running my fingers through it constantly, getting it greasy. When I wash it, I use a dandruff shampoo and conditioner. I've never tried just conditioner before.

I just ordered henna to dye my hair with. Trying to limit the chemicals in my life (however, I am getting professional highlights done next week as part of a package I bought at a salon). I'll probably bust out the henna around Christmas.

I've heard some of the best to use are cheap ones- vo5, suave, etc. I use both, but am looking into getting one specifically for curly hair.

I've done what your hair lady said, and it works WONDERS. I mix up a big pot of conditioner, aloe vera (NOT the green stuff, the clear stuff), honey, and EVOO (or just conditioner if I'm not feeling that fancy), slather it on, braid my hair and clip it up. You can leave it for 10 minutes, 10 hours, even overnight.

But since it's so messy and feels pretty gross on dry hair, I don't do it as often.

I currently let mine go natural aside from some highlights a friend talked me into, but I really want to try henna to get back to my red color. I miss it so! Yours looks great btw. And thanks for the site :D

I noticed my hair was feeling a bit limp this morning so I no-poo'd it today. It perked right back up.

I have short curly hair. For about a year now, I've been washing my hair with conditioner. I only use a low-poo if my hair seems oily, which is rare. I'm using the Devacurl products that my stylist recommended.

I have psoriasis and I think the conditioner-only method has improved my condition. Also, once a week or so, I use a steroid oil subscribed by a dermatologist, Derma-Smoothe. I have to use the low-poo after that to get it out!

I also highly recommend that if you have curly hair that you go to a curly hair specialist. A good curly cut has made a huge difference for me.

I have very thick, straighter than straight, color treated hair that is on the dryer side. I poo my hair 2x a week. It looks best on the 3rd day after a poo. After I poo, I slick about a quarter size dollop of conditioner through my ends. I rarely blow dry--I go to bed with it wet (I'm lazy). I do use hair spray in the crown area only for extension/height once, maybe twice between poos. I love the Suave Professional conditioner (Humectant?), it's in a big white bottle. Sometimes I will slather alot of conditioner on and pop a plastic shower cap for about an hour or so. What's weird is that the more often I poo the greasier my hair becomes. I used to poo every other day while in my 20s & 30s, but poo less and less. My gf and I are always joking about how long we can go without a poo. :)