I read from several places that shampoo damages hair more than soap which is why conditioner is required since the shampoo's chemicals strip away all of the natural oil of the hair which make it shiny and smooth. I've also read that your hair is simply more healthy looking overall if you quit using shampoo altogether, though I've seen talk of honey, eggs and other random things you can wash your hair with as shampoo alternatives. So I decided to take the challenge of not washing my hair with anything but water and occasionally a light wash with body soap if I sweat a lot one day. I saw that it takes about 2-3 weeks for your hair to get past that initial 'cripsy' and 'oily' stage. I'm currently entering week 3 and I've got to admit, after the first week, I was thinking 'what a croc. I'm gonna go back to shampoo'. I did stick it out and I've got to say, I'm starting to see a difference. My hair does indeed look thicker, it's easier to manage and it hasn't degraded into 'dread locks' or anything like that and I'm actually kind of liking the results. How does everyone else view the use of shampoo?
Depends on the shampoo but I find that the more expensive stuff is so much nicer for my hair. I stick with a mixture of Redkin and Paul Mitchell and try to go without washing my hair at least once or twice a week since it's not healthy to wash it every single day. Granted my hair produces a crap load of oils and gets really greasy really fast which drives me crazy so I do wash it a lot. If your hair doesn't get greasy really fast then you probably don't need to wash it very frequently. I don't know if I have what it takes to go without shampoo or conditioner for three weeks though. My hair will either get super oily or it will get all dry and staticy (now THAT drives me nuts!!) within a few days.
Herbal essence leaves my hair smelling like tropical fruits, and potential partners find it attractive and enticing.
I used to use that stuff in high school. The chix loved it. Of course, I didn't really know what to do with them back then. I assumed my penis went in them somewhere, but I never could figure out where. To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure. Even today I get a lot of, "That's not where that goes." As for the OP, I don't think that suggestion would work for me. I go to the gym everyday and sweat like a hog. I'd look like Kurt Cobain if I didn't use shampoo. ........well, I mean ........Kurt Cobain before the shotgun blast. I'd probably look a lot different than him now. .............too soon? ........Oh, come on, guys! It's been like 20 years! Anyway, I'm about to shave all my hair back off again soon, so it won't be an issue for me either way. Gonna go back to looking like my avatar.
I haven't really had a problem with shampoo. I have more or a problem combing it afterwards to make sure it's straight and not messy. - - - Updated - - - I thought you were naturally bald.
Oh, I am. Sort of. I look terrible right now. I've got kind of a skullet thing going at the moment. Looks like (*)(*)(*)(*). Not from the front but from every other angle. I've got kind of shaggy shoulder length blonde hair that's receding in the front with a big ass bald spot on the crown of my head. I'm going to shave it all back off here pretty soon. I don't know why I haven't done it yet. I'm kind of apathetic about my appearance these days except for weight lifting. I've got a wicked beard right now too just from pure laziness. And a few new greys in there that I'm not happy about. I'll look like Kerry King again by the fall, though. Guaranteed.
Baldness runs in my family, and it scares the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of me. I can't imagine looking that way or having extremely short hair.
I remember you telling me that when you first joined the forum. One thing I've learned from going through this transition is that nature often throws you curveballs to keep you from stagnating. Perhaps it's just the optimist in me that I've cultivated over the last 6 years or so of self-development work, but I try to find the opportunity in every uncomfortable life experience and look at is as a challenge to be overcome to make me stronger rather than something to beat me down. This is why I say you remind me a lot of me when I was younger. Dude, I was so much like you. I'm going to write that damn PM as soon as I get finished posting this.
I don't use shampoo or conditioner. Just use the water to rinse it out. It's not oily, it's not dirty, it's perfectly fine. I probably have the best set of hair of anyone I know.
You mean you never use it at all? Or when you stopped using shampoo, did you have that sort of transition phase where you hair feels filthy? I can go three days without, then I start to look like a crazy bum, hair standig off in every direction. On day four my girlfriend usually forces me at gunpoint to wash it with shampoo.
Initially, when I stopped using shampoo, yeah, my hair felt really stiff and gross, but I stick it out, combed it a lot. Now it's not only extremely managable, it looks thicker and feels nice. All I've done is use water to wash it except for one day when I was outside sweating a lot, i used body soap to clean it a bit. Nothing else, though. What I read was that your body produces the oils and such as a reaction to the shampoo and will do so for a couple of days as sort of a rebellion and will start being a bit more 'level' after you've stopped shampooing which seems to be the case with me. Last weekend, my girlfriend couldn't keep her hands out of my hair, which she normally isn't a hair-fondling type. I'm kinda wondering if I should find some nice smelling conditioner to run through it periodically before a date or if that would ruin the whole good hair thing that's going on right now..
Glad you asked. A couple of years ago I decided to dispense with the bar soap routine and got some liquid body wash called 'Alpine Extreme. The only place I find it is at the BIG box store with a blue banner - liberals hate the place. So, this body wash comes in a 28 oz (about a quart size) and is for hair/body. Or face/body. Or hair/face/body. One is red product, or blue, or purplish. So, I use this stuff in the shower for hair, face, and/or body. I don't have much hair and keep that fairly short so it's more just all skin. I don't spend much time sudsing the large areas but may spend more time in mmmmm... the parts with the kewl names ... 1. Pump 2. Lather 3. Rinse Side benefit is there is NO soap scum in the tub or on the shower curtain. And it's a bit less than four bucks for the bottle. Heck of a lot cheaper than the other liquids.
my hair is very long and not in the best condition, I'd say. Probably age, but maybe I'll toss shampoo. Going without shampoo would cause my hair to reach stages of scary never before seen but at the same time that's exactly what makes me want to give it a try. (that and saving money) Maybe in the winter. There are plenty shampoo recipes that don't require you use stinky vinegar and baking soda, though. It feels like something I should make.
I rarely ever used shampoo until my hair started falling out recently (I'm in my mid 20's for crying out loud!) hoping that some of the ingredients hinder the DHT from attacking the hair follicles.
Scalp has natural oils. When you shampoo you are merely removing it temporarily. With rubbing and brushing, it will return. Next time you shampoo and towel dry your hair, take a few minutes to vigorously rub your scalp and hair. You may not need conditioner.
