The “No ‘Poo” Movement
Gael linked to a couple articles about a topic that fascinates me: this idea that if you stop shampooing your hair, you’ll reach a point where your natural oils reach equilibrium and it looks fantastic. I pretty much have to wash my hair every day or it feels lank and greasy 24 hours later. (Note: I don’t know that it actually is lank and greasy; it just feels that way to me.) Of course, now that I have a non-traditional hair colour, I know that it’ll last longer the less I shampoo it. It’s just difficult. The idea of going six weeks without washing it makes my skin crawl. I’m sure it works for some people, but I fear I’d be like the 2nd and 3rd women quoted in that article, tying scarves around my head and feeling like a smelly leper. Don’t these “no poo” people ever exercise? Don’t they sweat? And then there’s this lady, who’s blogging about her family’s experiment with it. Her shower ritual now includes scrubbing her head with half a lemon, conditioning the tips, and then sprinkling it with lavendar oil. What the hell? WHO DOES THAT? So really it’s all about replacing shampoo (which is convenient and relatively cheap) with some complicated exotic ritual? Bah.
Still, Snookums is convinced that it would totally work, and that if I’d just grit my teeth and wait it out, I could break free of my dependence on Pantene. What do you think? Anybody up for a greaseball experiment?
Tia
March 25, 2009 — 2:45 pm
I rarely use shampoo, but still wash my hair pretty much every day. I will say, though, that not using shampoo has stopped my hair getting icky on the 2nd day.
Danielle
March 25, 2009 — 2:45 pm
I tried this a few years ago when I decided to quit fighting the fact that my hair has natural curl. (Click name for post.) I recall feeling a bit greasy for a while, but it did improve quickly. I think I abandoned it when I started to get some flaky scalp issues that wouldn’t go away no matter how much apple cider vinegar I poured on there. Good luck with it if you do try!
Tia
March 25, 2009 — 2:48 pm
I just read the article, and you’ll notice that the girls that had a natural curl in their hair did great on the experiment, but not the girls that had straight hair…. Very “Curly Girl” similar..
M-H
March 25, 2009 — 2:58 pm
My hairdresser thinks it would only work with very short hair – like No2 or 3 razor cuts. Although Richard Glover at 702ABC Sydney radio hasn’t washed his hair with shampoo for years – only water – and his hair isn’t that short.
Kris
March 25, 2009 — 3:06 pm
Hm. My hair is pretty darn straight and thick. (Stereotypical Asian.) Perhaps that has something to do with it.
Bex
March 25, 2009 — 3:26 pm
I did hairdressing briefly (yep the girl with 100 jobs). Here’s MHO:
No.1 – stop using Pantene. Its crappy for your hair (basically it coats the stand in silica oil which makes it look shiny, but your hair cant breathe and when you dye your hair the colour wont permeate properly. Good hairdressers wont recommend it). No.2 i’m pretty sure the no wash thing wont work for girls with straight hair – at night your pillow pushes your hair into your head and makes it greasy and lank.
No. 3 – unwashed heads smell. We had this lady who only washed/wet her hair when she came to us for her weekly wash and set….ewww. Not to mention the others who didnt shampoo their hair at all…ick.
Never again….
Bex
March 25, 2009 — 3:27 pm
BTW I shampoo and condition every night ;). SHould really only do it every 2nd day but I use too much hair product hehe
Kris
March 25, 2009 — 3:30 pm
Okay, no Pantene then. Please to be recommending another shampoo that A) is easily available, and B) doesn’t cost $20 per bottle.
Donna
March 25, 2009 — 3:32 pm
I tried a cleansing conditioner last year instead of shampoo, and I hated it. My scalp was itchy, the stuff stunk, and my hair was frizzier than ever. Of course, it may have just been that particular brand, but I was back to the Pantene pretty quickly!
Bex
March 25, 2009 — 3:40 pm
LOL. I use Head and Shoulders if that makes you feel better hehe. TIGI used to make a good one, but i cant remember the price. If you go to Price Attack, I think you can buy Redken/KMS shampoo which is awesome and not so $$. Look out for stuff that has silicone/silica in it, and stay away. It weighs down your hair 😉
red
March 25, 2009 — 7:49 pm
i am a big fan of the alchemy shampoos and conditioners. they are a bit exxy but really good.
the only other shampoo range i really like is vita 5.
i was doing the “stretch time between washings” with a conditioner wash for a while last year and it worked ok – mind you at that time i was also styling it with a blowdryer and/or straightener daily so that helped dry out the grease a bit.
ness
March 25, 2009 — 9:37 pm
I was told that Baby Shampoo is very good for your hair. It doesn’t have as much chemicals as it’s meant to be harmless for sensitive babies, yet it cleans just as well. I use it because the less chemicals makes me not malt as much. I wash it everyday, but I also blowdry it everyday, so I use Herbal Essence’s conditioner on my ends so that it doesn’t dry out.
So yah – Baby Shampoo – give it a try, seeing as we both have straight Asian hair. 😀
eileen
March 25, 2009 — 10:44 pm
Several people I know have tried this and it hasn’t worked out for them, due to the greasiness. I wash my hair every other day- it looks best on day 2, but by day 3 it’s on the verge of greaseball territory. I’d go with Bex’s advice. I find that switching up shampoo brands every once in a while helps, so I normally just buy whatever is on sale at the time.
Tia
March 26, 2009 — 6:25 am
http://www.naturalinstinct.com.au/
This is what I use. My hair is never greasy, smelly or dry. No SLS, No Silicones, No Petrochemicals at all. I use the shampoo twice a week, other days I just scrub my scalp with the conditioner.
Kris
March 26, 2009 — 7:16 am
Hm. I’m starting to think that the straight/curly distinction might be the key.
At any rate, I will try to kick my Pantene addiction… once my current mega-bottles are empty. 🙂
M-H
March 26, 2009 — 10:12 am
I do spend a bit on shampoo & conditioner – I buy Swarzkopf (sp?) from the salon where I get my hair cut & coloured. I figure I only use a tiny bit each time I wash (3 times a week), so it isn’t really costing me that much over a year. And it suits my hair. The colour stays in much longer. The only other thing I use is a tiny amount of clay product: %50 for a put that lasts me two years.
M-H
March 26, 2009 — 10:13 am
That’s $50 for a pot. Doh!
Heather
March 26, 2009 — 10:52 am
I still wash my (mid-length) hair, but I usually use a paste of bicarb soda. Sometimes I use a very weak solution of apple cider vinegar to condition. It makes my hair way nicer than shampoo and costs approximately nothing.
Nicole
March 27, 2009 — 11:10 am
Ive tried the bicarb and vinegar for a while but ended up with the flaky scalp thing also (blah). the best one i found so far is a tea tree shampoo and conditioner that i buy at the chemist for about $6.50 a bottle. Ive also tried the alchemy ones and even though they are a little expensive they also work pretty well too. My local chemist sometimes has them on sale which definitely helps with the price 🙂
TOAST
March 29, 2009 — 11:09 pm
Sorry for coming in late.
I joined this movement two years ago and have never looked back. My hair is luscious, thick and gorgeous, and my barber gives me positive comments.
You *MUST* wash your hair (and head) vigourly under warm water every day (i.e. in the shower in the morning), that’s vigorously. No soap, no nothing.
In the last six months, I’ve been using brylcreem to maintain a style. It’s still good (but I always wash every day in the hot shower).
And yeah, for the first six weeks it gets worse before it gets better.
After you start you musn’t wash your hair again, or you have to start the 6 weeks from the beginning again.
Do it.