In the last few years, a surprising movement has taken hold. Many people are willing giving up on using shampoo for good. While the name of the movement-“no poo”-leaves a something to be desired, proponents swear that their hair is healthier now that they pass on shampoo. My first reaction when I
read about this was “gross,” but could not shampooing actually be unhealthy?
Health professionals are somewhat divided on the issue. Some dermatologists say that skipping shampoo could actually be healthier for your scalp and hair than using it. Because shampoo works by stripping the hair of it’s natural oils, your scalp has to produce extra oil after you wash. This can lead to a cycle of dry or oily scalp. However, other doctors worry that if too much oily builds up on the scalp, your head could become a tasty feast for microbes. For the most part though, it seems like using shampoo is just a personal preference.
Most people who have given up shampoo rinse their hair with water or a baking soda mixture and many of them still use conditioner. While “no pooers’ admit that their hair goes through a greasy transitional stage, they say that once the scalp rebalances itself, their hair looks thicker, shinier, and healthier than when they used shampoo.
I’m kind of interested in trying out the no shampoo lifestyle, but I’m not sure if I could deal with the in-between stage. How often do you wash your hair? Could you ever give up shampoo?
In the last few years, a surprising movement has taken hold. Many people are willing giving up on using shampoo for good. While the name of the movement-“no poo”-leaves a something to be desired, proponents swear that their hair is healthier now that they pass on shampoo. My first reaction when I read about this was “gross,” but could not shampooing actually be unhealthy?
Comments (100)
Yeah, I'm kinda interested too but I probably wouldn't be able to deal with the greasy in-between stage. Oh wells.
I only wash my hair once a week. It isn't greasy at all. I get in the shower and wet it and scrub with my nails.
I've been interested... but the thing is, I've been washing my hair every single day for so long that I don't think I could put up with the transition phase.
I've heard beer and vinegar do wondrous things to hair though.
i could probably manage because currently my hair/scalp isn't very oily, so if i just rinsed with water it might not make much of a difference. i would still shampoo after i exercised, though
I only wash my hair every other day because of the natural oils being stripped from my hair. I have pretty good hair and my scalp isn't too dry or oily. I think most people should only wash their hair every other day though.
I don`t think I would be able to do it
just going from washing every day to every other day was hard for me.
but I have to admit ever since I stopped washing it every day my hair has less frizzly
Umm, no. Can't say I'd get on this bandwagon. I wash my hair everyday, I couldn't deal with anything less.
My scalp gets obnoxiously itchy if I don't wash my hair so I wash it every other day, sometimes everyday. But, these no-pooers obviously feel this works better for them so power to them.
Its really best for very curly springy hair. My mom has hair like that and she uses special 'no poo' shampoo which isn't really shampoo. I've never seen her hair look remotely greasy and its way nicer now.
I wash my hair every day but I use shampoo maybe once a week..I don't think I could give up shampoo forever though
i've always wanted to try this, shampoo has so many harsh chemicals. i'm looking for a shampoo/shampoo-like product that's not so abrasive.
I use shampoo every day because my hair will become greasy after a day.
I would like to try to be a "no-pooer" but I don't think I can stand the greasiness and the itchiness.=/I think I should build up a habit of washing hair every other day and it'll be easier to do so in winter than in summer.I think it should be stressed that as with any new regimen, it does not and preferably should not be done cold turkey. People here are saying they couldn't handle the switch, but if it's gradual, chances are it will go unnoticed.
I'm in a transitional phase of "no poo" and I think I always will be, simply for the convenience. Used to shampoo and condition every single day. If I went one day without shampooing, my hair and scalp would get extremely greasy, but at the same time, the shampoos were drying out my scalp to the point of skin splitting, bleeding, scabbing, and cycling over again.
I use baking soda diluted with water (around 3:1) and let it sit from the beginning of my shower, run my fingers through my hair and massage it around. At the end of my shower, I rinse it out. Hair dries much faster, is significantly less heavy, and more cooperative. To condition, which I often don't do in the same day as baking soda, I use apple cider vinegar in the same ratio and leave in till the end of the shower all the same.
If I'm in a hurry and such, I'll either use baby shampoo or an organic shampoo (Avalon Organics), but that tends to be once a week at most. Vinegar helps rebalance the scalp's pH, it makes my hair super soft and shiny and without shampoos and all the crap weighing my hair down, I've discovered my hair actually has natural volume, while staying naturally straight! After a lifetime of pin straight, flat hair, this was pretty exciting for me.
ugh, the stupid crap people come up with. seriously.
I've heard about this, and my way of trying to be more healthy was to use a lot less shampoo... don't know if that gives the same benefits though =P
i wash my hair with low-poo once a month, condition every other week. works great! my curls never looked or felt better. no frizz!
I would try it if there wasn't the 2 week transitional stage where I'd have greasy hair.. I wouldn't be able to stand it!
For the first week after I dye my hair, I only wash it every other day. By the end of the second day, it is uncomfortably itchy and greasy...not to mention that it looks disgusting. I don't plan on giving up shampoo anytime soon.
I wash usually every other day because my hair is so oily.
I shampoo every 2 weeks and use conditioner everyday. But I tightly curled african-american hair..
everrrry day, twice.
.. but i'm kinda a germaphobe.
i think it depends on how long your hair is and how dirty it gets. right now i have long hair so i wash it every other day. i skipped on shampoo once and went to conditioner but it didnt work, it made my hair extra oily and dirty looking so i think shampoo is a good thing, it washes the dirt out. as long as you find a good shampoo that suits your hair type, you wont go wrong.
i shampoo twice a week. My skin and hair are pretty dry, so I don't have to worry about looking greasy, but I shampoo it to get all the product build-up off.
@soyeahthatswhathappened@xanga - Jason's Organics is amazing. It's the most natural shampoo I can find. I know that Target used to sell the brand but I want to say they stopped, I get it in my grocers organic aisle. No scents, No dies. And try to find the conditioner with biotin. All conditioner has alcohol, but if it's in the first three ingredients its not so great. It's the only conditioner I've ever found without it in the first three ingredients. (and if it has like eucalytus*, blahblah*, those are inactive ingredients and it's them trying to throw you off to the fact that alcohol is in the main three ingredients).
It's like 6-7 dollars a normall sized bottle, pantene sized bottle. Which is like not that much more then chemical filled pantene or heavens the stuff they claim to be organic. Organix? Or hempz 26.00 to equal that much shampoo. And then of course the other expensive chemicals like paul mitchell and chi.
My skin is allergic to anything with chemicals so I have done a lot of research about shampoos, conditioners, laundry detergents, lotions, face wash, stuff like that. And for the most part I stick to Jason... Very clear and simple.
i wonder if this includes dry shampoo.. that might be an alternative to switching to no shampoo without "shocking" ur scalp