Hey guys and gals. Today we just wanted to make a quick post on “No Shampoo” and share a reader’s experience.
Why?
Because caring for your hair can get expensive when you add up the cost of shampoos, conditioners, hair products, and all that other fancy stuff people like to use. Sometimes you need some ol’ addition through subtraction which is what No Shampoo could do for you.
By the way it seems like every year the No Shampoo crowd gets just a little bit larger, welcoming its newly converted members in. Who knows, you might be the newest one after reading this post.
While the phenomena of going “No ‘Poo” as it’s sometimes affectionately called has taken the online world by storm, the “real” world hasn’t quite caught on yet and we know some of you reading this will be wondering what the deal is. It’s exactly what it sounds like. You stop shampooing your hair. Yes we know what some of you are probably thinking, “My hair gets too dirty to not use shampoo!” or “I sweat too much and it gets greasy!”
Hear us out. There may be something to this “No Poo” stuff after all. Shampooing too often especially daily is doing your hair more harm than good. Most people know that already but can not shampooing at all actually be beneficial?
Try it out: Wash you hair with nothing but water for a couple of months. If you’d like to, use only a conditioner for the first few weeks to ease into it. Then get rid of that too and see how the quality of your hair changes. One of our readers, a guy in this case, outlined their experience with for us along with some explanation about why it works. Thanks Kevin. (Note: We’ve edited for readability.)
The No Shampoo Experience
“I heard about “No Shampoo” a few years ago on an online forum of all places. Like others, I was skeptical because I took shampooing my hair as a given. It was something I did every day whenever I took a shower (yeah I now know you’re not really supposed to do that). I really couldn’t tell if people were just “trolling” other members in the community or if they were serious. I figured I’d go and try it to see what the fuss was about so I started shampooing my hair less and less often and then eventually I completely stopped.
I had no idea how much my hair would improve and I can now safely say No ‘Poo is definitely legit.
Here’s what happened: After about 2-3 months I noticed that my hair became very pliable. When I shampooed my hair every day I didn’t realize it then but it actually made my hair really soft. Like, ridiculously soft compared to when I don’t shampoo.
This doesn’t help when trying to style your hair. Soft hair just lays flat on your head. I don’t shampoo anymore, and now I can run my fingers through my hair, and it’ll usually stand and hold instead of just lying there lifelessly. And I don’t mean hold in a nasty way like it’s incredibly greasy or something. It just has a better “hold” as in the follicles feel like they have more “structure” to them.
This also makes it much easier to shape and adjust as you’re going through your day and you’ll find yourself not relying on gel or product as much. If you don’t like using hair products for whatever reason (like me) you can benefit because after 2-3 months when your hair has adapted and isn’t producing as much sebum anymore to compensate, you can simply leave the shower, towel dry your hair and then mold it with your fingers. If you let your hair dry, it will usually stay in position for at least a few hours afterwards. You’ll also save yourself a few bucks because you’ll rely much less on hair products.
The real reason not shampooing your hair works is because when you wash your hair with only water your scalp retains more of the natural oils it produces which gives your hair a better texture and quality to it.
The ingredients contained within shampoo bottles (mostly sulfates) strip away the sebum your scalp and hairs need to look its best. I also know some people like using apple cider vinegar or baking soda to keep their hair fresh but I stuck strictly with a water only routine (I didn’t use conditioner at all).
My hair really does look better now with a natural and healthy looking shine.
The first few weeks will probably be a problem for you like they were for me. Your scalp might get itchy. Don’t worry too much about it because after a month or so it changes and all of that goes away. You just have to trust the process and wait for your hair to adapt. When you first stop using shampoo, your scalp will actually produce more oil than before until it stables off. It isn’t used to not having the oil stripped away from it yet. The itchiness and/or greasiness will stop. It just takes time.”
– Kevin
We’d also like to add that some of you may not see any results or find that No Shampoo isn’t right for you and that’s okay. This is just one method of improving your hair’s quality that some have tried and found that it worked. At the very least it’s worth giving it a shot. If you’re trying to look the very best you can be, going “No Shampoo” might be what you’re looking for if you want better hair.
Besides, if after a month or so you don’t like the results you can always go back to your old routine.
