Shampoo

[helwen]

Did you know that modern shampoo has only been around since the 1930s?

Ditching Shampoo...

Couple of excerpts:

But some wonder if we were sold a bill of goods. That trend toward everyday cleansing might have triggered a vicious cycle, some experts say — shampoo cleanses by stripping the hair of its natural, necessary oils, causing the scalp to produce more oil in response, making it impossible for some to skip shampoo for even one day without sprouting a gigantic greaseball.

“When you over-shampoo your hair, your hair is over-secreting oil in order to survive,” says Lorraine Massey, co-owner of Devachan Salon in New York and creator of the No Poo conditioning cleanser. (It's been more than 20 years since Massey's last shampoo.)

Dr. Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist in Vallejo, Calif., says it's a matter of preference. Shampoos are fine to use every day, but "there's nothing gross" or unsafe about ditching shampoo.

....

But step out of that shower, and the no-poo learning curve just gets steeper. In the beginning stages of a no-poo experiment, most people seem to go through a two- to six-week period when their hair looks like, well, poo.

“It took a few days to get used to. The first time I used it, I didn’t feel like my hair was clean,” Lynch says. “It was grimy.”

Some stylists say that's because once the shampoo is no longer stripping the hair of its natural oils every day, the scalp must learn to scale back production of those oils. Mirmirani says that although measuring scalp oil is not an easy thing to do — she's in the middle of a project that is seeking to do just that — the theory does make sense.

The article talks about baking soda, cider vinegar (conditioning), and other methods. Bar shampoos work for some folks. L can use them, but they don't seem to work as well for me, at least so far.

I stopped using baking soda over the later part of winter because I was starting to have a flaking problem, which one of the people in the article had, but I wasn't being very good about the cider vinegar followup, so I'm going to try again now that the ambient humidity is up in our area again. I definitely think that was part of my personal challenge, since my skin is sensitive to low humidity anyway. Hope I can get it to work this time -- definitely liked not having to buy things in plastic bottles, plus it was a _lot_ cheaper.

Comments

:-D

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

My favorite shampoo is Ivory soap...

Re: :-D

[helwen.livejournal.com]

That seems to work for some folks!

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

I only wash my hair every 2 days in winter because otherwise it gets too dry. I may try this other thing on alternating days in the summer-- I have to do something to get the sweat out or it really bothers me.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Me too. I hear you on the sweat too, although I suppose even straight water might help some with that. It's interesting to read about what different people are doing -- I may have to try a few of them!

[silverhawkdruid.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. Back when I was a teen, late seventies, there was a show on the BBC called Tomorrow's World, and one of their experiments that always stuck in my memory was when they persuaded ordinary members of the public not to wash their hair for six weeks to see what would happen. When the guinea-pigs took off their hats/scarves, it was a revelation! Their hair, without exception, was amazing! I can't remember what if anything they did instead, but I do remember being wowed by the fact that most said their hair was better after the six weeks than it had ever been in their lives! I tried to find the info on You Tube or elsewhere, but no luck, sadly.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Interesting! We can only hope that more useful bits of information like this come to light. I'm back with the baking soda as of today, and as we're almost out of modern conditioner (paraben-free at least), we'll be on to doing that with the cider vinegar finish soon.

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

I wash my hair once a week (whether it needs it or not :-D)--but we curly-haired types tend to have dry scalps.

I went shampoo-free for the winter several years ago; my hair/scalp never smelled or felt greasy, but my hair looked...flat. These days, I've switched to -cone-free shampoo, and am contemplating switching from shampoo to conditioner.

Haven't tried the baking soda/cider vinegar regimen, but I've used dry oatmeal as a scrub. Even scalp massage with a fluffy towel helps absorb excess scalp oil.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Slightly wavy hair here, but also a dry scalp and hair that tends to go flat.

The dry oatmeal scrub sounds similar to using corn meal or sawdust. Haven't tried those, but know someone who's used the corn meal. Made it easier to do medieval styles, since modern shampoos make hair too dry and slippery for the pins to hold.

[lyanna-beth.livejournal.com]

OK, this is where I 'fess up and everyone else goes "Ewww - g-r-o-s-s!"
My hair hasn't been washed since mid-December. Yes - 4 months without water, shampoo or conditioner. [The chemical companies would have a fit!]
I have EXTREMELY dry skin and hair. If I washed it even a couple of times a week I'd look like Straewlpeter (sp?) i.e. the guy with the haystack 'afro'. What I have been doing is brushing it morning and night (and sometimes in between) with a bronze-bristled brush, and I honestly defy anyone that doesn't know I haven't washed it to tell from the feel of it. It's soft, fairly silky, feels clean, and all the natural oils are doing just f-i-n-e, thank you.
Admittedly, this has been under very 'normal' conditions - or as normal as *I* get! :) - and if it got filthy or muddy outside, of course I'd wash it, but right now, I'm seeing just how long I can go under everyday normal conditions.

I figured if it worked for the Victorians, it could possibly work for an older codger like me. Even my hair-dresser is impressed! :)

[hengruh.livejournal.com]

I used to use cheap shampoos my family bought. Then in my late teens I started having scalp problems, too itchy, so I used Pert, Selsun, and Tar Shampoo.

After a while nothing worked. My scalp was getting itchier and itchier. I had to put my head in ice water sometimes. I finally just started using Ivory bar soap. That did the trick. I haven't used anything else to wash my hair in over 20 years, and no more scalp problems at all. Unless I run out of Ivory and am at the mercy of some hotel, and then my scalp starts itching like crazy.

And I wash my hair with Ivory bar soap pretty much every evening when I shower. I also only use Ivory for bathing, washing my face, the whole deal. No itchies or rashes or nothing. It makes it real easy...I just stock up on multibar packs of Ivory. No, I don't own any interest in Ivory or work for them. It's the only thing that keeps me unstinky and unitchy at the same time.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Glad you found something that works for you! (and for some others too, like one of the posters above).

I haven't had much luck with bar soap for my hair unfortunately, even the ones designed for it. Although I may try yet another brand this year... we'll see. But it's been fascinating to see that people do a number of different things other than standard shampoos. Reassuring too -- 70 years of marketing, and they still haven't gotten (or kept) everyone!

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Interesting! And using a bronze-bristled brush? Where do you find something like that?

Granted the climate is somewhat different here, but in the winter at least, this might be something I could give a try. Although my hair and skin may not be quite as dry -- still, I don't like to rule things out offhand. Glad you found something that works :)

[lyanna-beth.livejournal.com]

I reckon that any good-bristled brush would work - Gryff just happened to get me a bronze-bristled one at the local drug-store chain. Depending upon the dryness of your hair and scalp, I wouldn't know whether a regular bristle brush or a 'metal' type would be best. All I know is that it works for me - and if I were going to GNEW I'd show you! :)

[the1butterfly.livejournal.com]

I've heard a tiny bit about the no shampoo stuff, but I haven't researched it. I did try giving it an olive oil soak once, which did nice things to my hair but took I think six washings to get out. I do use shampoo (primarily on my scalp) and conditioner (just on the long part), and I can definitely say that hair adjusts to how often you use it. When I washed my hair twice a week in college, my hair would be oily every third day. Now that I wash my hair once a week, it's good for the first five, meh on the sixth, and oily on the seventh. The best days are days two and three. I think I will look into this though.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the research!

Some people do something with (I think) combing or brushing, of corn meal or saw dust through their hair, to remove excess oils. And someone above posted something about a dry oatmeal scrub, which sounds similar.

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

When my hair was short with a perm, I washed it every other day to keep the curl. If I didn't it went flat and got oily. My hair is very fine. Since menopause and long hair, I have been shampooing once a week, and I probably could go longer.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I try for either every other day or every third day at this point. Every day kills my hair and my skin (face especially).

I'd like once a week -- something for me to maybe be able to look forward to, with getting older ;)

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Ivory soap is terribly harsh on my skin so I gave up using it several years ago (I also confess that I know a chemical engineer who helped make the stuff. She turned *green* when I asked what was in Ivory, and I decided not to ask). I've found that oatmeal soap once a day, mineral makeup, and rinsing the face with warm water is better than any fancy skin care regimen.

Can't do it with shampoo, though. I've tried the wash less/not at all regimen and nearly scratched myself raw, alas....

[helwen.livejournal.com]

LOL Well, the ingredients are all listed on the package. There are quite a few of them too! Although I don't think it's much different from any other commercial soap. Everyone has different skin, obviously (see two folks above).

I have to be careful of whatever goes on my face or scalp, myself. Even plain water wrecks havoc with my face, but one does have to wash that.

You may be one of the people who has excessive oil production, mentioned in the article. Or if it's not excessive, would take some weeks to adapt -- a luxury if you aren't in the sort of job situation where you can do that --- that was the baking soda and vinegar, I think, which is washing, just not with modern shampoos.

I wash as often as with regular shampoos as with the baking soda -- although in winter I can go a day longer given how dry it gets. The past couple of months was tougher than usual for some reason. Having the flu might have contributed, since I was having a challenging time staying hydrated -- we finally had to break out the humidifier for a few weeks.

Happily, summer is coming :)