It’s the question of the decade: to poo, or not to poo? No, we don’t mean poo as in bowel movement (definitely continue with those). We mean poo as in Herbal Essences, Suave, as well “I-feel-fancy” brands like Bedhead and Paul Mitchell. We’re talking about poo as in shampoo.

     Shampoo is a relatively modern thing- and like many modern things, like the Donald vs. Hillary Clinton, it seemed like a good idea at the time. And then we figured out that it absolutely was not. When we shampoo our hair, it dries it out, stripping it of all natural oils. This causes the scalp to overproduce oils, making hair greasier than it should be naturally, which ironically, leads us to shampoo it again and restart the vicious cycle.

But like hair can be trained to part one way, it can be trained to stop overproducing oils. This is exactly what the no-poo movement is about- making it to where the hair it doesn’t need to be washed as often, instead opting for a nightly water-rinse and bi-weekly natural cleansing treatment, using natural ingredients like baking soda that don’t overly dry your hair.

     However, baking soda does over time damage your hair, leading to breakage, frizz, and that generally coarse, straw-like feel.

     So, what’s our happy medium?

     It sounds strange, but hear me out. Simply use honey. All that’s needed for each wash is 1 tablespoon of raw honey , a container, and half a cup of good ol’ H2O, warmed up. Make sure it’s raw honey, though. If it’s not, it’s likely to be processed with other not-so-great ingredients, which can and will harm hair.

     Mix all that together in a container- the warm water will dilute and melt the honey, making it not sticky. Wet your hair, then massage that stuff into your roots and scalp. A good way to do this is put it into an empty squeeze bottle. Honey naturally softens, cleanses, and conditions your hair.

     Although, this may still leave your hair a little more oily than you’re comfortable with in the beginning phases. It takes the hair a while to fully adjust. To combat, you may choose to apply witch hazel to your hairline and scalp. It’s available by peroxide and rubbing alcohol in pretty much any store, Walmart to Dollar General. Just mix one part witch hazel with ten parts water (i.e. one tablespoon witch hazel and ten tablespoons of water).

     Of course, this just doesn’t work for some people. Not everyone likes to go au natural. And that’s totally fine- your body, your choice. Either way, you’re beautiful, I promise. Poo or no poo.