Shampoo free?

[Fidelia]

To those of you who have gone shampoo free -

How long did it take for your scalp/hair to adjust?

Did you feel it made your hair look better ultimately?

I made it a week and then had to cave. Is there a way to just less and less frequently use it and your scalp will adjust better? I have wavy hair and a scalp that tends to be dry, so I figured I would like to avoid overstripping my hair. I can't stand the adjustment period though! Ideas?

 

[kyuuei]

Herbal Hair Care handmade herbal shampoo bars herbal hair rinses herbally infused vinegar rinse for natural hair care essential oils herbally infused oils

^ My suggestion for shampoo that won't strip oils out of your hair too much. Super gentle.

You can also do vinegar rinses.. Those are really helpful for balancing the ph in your hair.

I went shampoo free for 2 1/2 weeks. My hair is oily and REALLY thick though, so I had to cave. I try to wash my hair no more than 3 times a week, and it seems to help with the frizzy nature my hair tends to have.

 

[Tiltyred]

Are you using conditioner instead of shampoo, or do you mean you're not shampooing at all?

 

[Tallulah]

My sister did the thing where you cleanse with baking soda, vinegar, and regular conditioner alternately. She kept waiting for the miracle everyone said would happen. It just wrecked her hair. Her hairdresser asked her what she was shampooing with, b/c her hair was so dry.

I am totally sold on WEN, though. It's a cleansing conditioner, and it has totally transformed my damaged hair. It looks and feels SO much healthier and shinier. I ran out of WEN and started using Sally's Beauty Supply's version of it, called Hair One. Hair One works well for my hair, too, but it's not quite as luxurious-feeling (the product itself), and it kind of makes my scalp itchy. So I'm going to re-order the WEN and also try the dry scalp formulation of Hair One in the meantime.

I had just bought some expensive Fekkai shampoo from Bath & Body Works at Christmas, and now it's just sitting there unused. The cleansing conditioner has been so good for my hair that I may never shampoo again!

 

[Tiltyred]

Yeah, you might want to try the Curly Girl method
How to Follow the Curly Girl Method for Curly Hair (with video) - wikiHow.

DevaCurl products fit the requirements for this general philosophy of washing your hair very gently and avoiding certain chemicals.

 

[Little_Sticks]

What's shampoo?

 

[Alwar]

To those of you who have gone shampoo free -

How long did it take for your scalp/hair to adjust?

Did you feel it made your hair look better ultimately?

I made it a week and then had to cave. Is there a way to just less and less frequently use it and your scalp will adjust better? I have wavy hair and a scalp that tends to be dry, so I figured I would like to avoid overstripping my hair. I can't stand the adjustment period though! Ideas?

I couldn't get over the initial greasy phase either, if you use the baking soda + vinegar rinse method everyday it feels the same as conventional shampooing without the giant poof monster fro. You may be able to adjust if you do this everyday then every other etc. However some people have to go easy with the baking soda because it can dry the hell out of your hair/scalp so it is just a matter of experimenting. Some people use essential oil in the AC vinegar to mask the smell.

 

[ThatGirl]

I do not recommend quitting shampoo. If it is some religious belief you have or whatever, more power to you. Your problem is pretty common and easy to fix...while maintaining cleanliness. As a matter of fact, quiting proper hair care may make it worse.

What product are you using right now?

 

[nim]

i've been shampoo-free for about six months now. for the first few weeks (about a month, i suppose) my hair felt very dry but looked terribly oily. after that, it seemed to adjust, and now when i use "real" shampoo, my hair looks worse (it's flatter, oilier, and frizzier) and my scalp is itchier (i have a little dandruff) than when i only use baking soda and water. the thing is not to wash your hair too often, and not to use too much baking soda or vinegar. you must find the balance that is right for your own hair. in my case, it's about a tablespoon of baking soda per 8 oz. of water every other day, and a diluted apple cider vinegar wash about once a month. hope this helps.

 

[Haphazard]

Why stop washing your hair?

 

[Fidelia]

I used to be an every day hair washer. However, I have a very dry scalp and my curly hair also tends to be really dry, resulting in chopping a lot of hair off every time I see the hairdresser. I am down to washing my hair about three times a week, and while it's helped, winter here is extremely dry and despite using conditioning treatments etc, it hasn't fixed it. I've read stuff a number of curly haired people have written about the big improvement that not using shampoo has made. I decided (gingerly) to try it. I still use conditioner, as I wear hair gel and need something to clean off the residue. I even cheated and used a small bit of face cleanser that's more gentle than shampoo, but alas, my hair felt oily. I haven't tried vinegar at all. I don't really like the idea of baking soda. I might check out the stuff that Tallulah is talking about. Where do you get it?

 

[Fidelia]

Yeah, you might want to try the Curly Girl method
How to Follow the Curly Girl Method for Curly Hair (with video) - wikiHow.

DevaCurl products fit the requirements for this general philosophy of washing your hair very gently and avoiding certain chemicals.

That's funny Tilty! I actually read that article just before doing this thing and I followed their directions. I've never tried DevaCurt products though. What do you think of them?

 

[kyuuei]

I watched reviews on the Wen thing Tall was talking about.. it seems that the Hair One stuff from Sally's is hella cheaper, and seems to work just about the same way, but if that Curly Girl website is correct, any conditioner will do, essentially, the same thing that both of those products do.. so..

I can say that on my dogs I use the shampoo bars from the site I gave, and it's the only thing gentle enough for their skin.. If you have sensitive skin, mayhap it's reacting by drying out? Im not an expert on hair, by any means..

 

[Halla74]

I used to be an every day hair washer. However, I have a very dry scalp and my curly hair also tends to be really dry, resulting in chopping a lot of hair off every time I see the hairdresser. I am down to washing my hair about three times a week, and while it's helped, winter here is extremely dry and despite using conditioning treatments etc, it hasn't fixed it. I've read stuff a number of curly haired people have written about the big improvement that not using shampoo has made. I decided (gingerly) to try it. I still use conditioner, as I wear hair gel and need something to clean off the residue. I even cheated and used a small bit of face cleanser that's more gentle than shampoo, but alas, my hair felt oily. I haven't tried vinegar at all. I don't really like the idea of baking soda. I might check out the stuff that Tallulah is talking about. Where do you get it?

(1) What if you just used shampoo + conditioner on your hair, while hanging your head so your hair falls down toward the ground, and your scalp is the never contacted with the shampoo + conditioner? That seems to me the only way to prevent the scalp from getting unecessarily exposed to drying agents.

(2) This might be moot, but I'll mention it anyway. Whether you use shampoo/conditioner or not, its still a great idea to MASSAGE your scalp with your fingers and just water. That way you keep the bloodflow to your scalp in good shape. If you don't shajnpoo, and don't massage, then you are decreasing the amount of chemicals that might dry your scalp, BUT decreasing your circulation. Does that make sense? I massage the hell out of my scalp everyday, because I am thankful I have a full head of hair, and am doing all I can to keep it. I use shampoo + conditioner daily as I have oily skin, so I am lucky in that regard I guess.

 

[kyuuei]

I also saw a tip from somewhere about massaging like.. regular unscented sensitive-skin body lotion into the scalp like 20 minutes before a shower to help with dryness of the scalp. I think it was on a get-rid-of-dandruff thing.

 

[Halla74]

I also saw a tip from somewhere about massaging like.. regular unscented sensitive-skin body lotion into the scalp like 20 minutes before a shower to help with dryness of the scalp. I think it was on a get-rid-of-dandruff thing.

That sounds legit enough. It certainly wouldn't be fatal!

 

[kyuuei]

It can't be any worse than SHAMPOO.. Gawd, watching the WEN commercial made it sound like shampoo was akin to that of rabid bears infected with the T-virus and brainwashed with the sole purpose of destroying the shiny, volumptuous parts of a woman's hair in a convenient bottle of destruction.

If I ever go to war again, I'm arming myself with shampoo. "What?! You want to car bomb me?! Well fuck off, I have Shampoo!!" and they'll be all 'Noo!! My beard is so luxurious and shiny! Lets get the hell out of here!' Im pretty sure I heard the commercial blame shampoo for WW1, acne, Haiti, and car sickness too.

 

[JocktheMotie]

I might try this no shampoo business. One less thing to buy. But my head gets itchy if I don't shower every day, though I don't have a problem with dandruff. Will my scalp get used to it?

 

[Tiltyred]

The thing is that you're trying to keep 'cones out of your hair. The theory is that silicones, dimethicones, and all the other stuff in shampoo and conditioner that makes your hair so shiny and silky is actually not nourishing your hair at all; in fact, it is keeping it coated so the hair can't receive any moisture at all -- so when you wash with a clarifying shampoo like neutrogena, your head looks like the business end of a broom. Whereas if you don't use products with silicones, your hair will find its own equilibrium and will begin to shine and behave on its own.

Devacurl has superlative products, they really do. Unfortunately, I am allergic to one of their ingredients (I think it may be the wheat) and I ended up with an itchy head. But my hair never looked better.

I've cut it all back off, though, it's just so much easier. Back to my default short hair.

 

[Tallulah]

Hey, fidelia--you can get WEN products through their site (but they'll set up auto-delivery). You can also order them through QVC. I like the sweet almond mint kind. It's called WEN by Chaz Dean.

Tilty--I've just spent the last two days reading the Naturally Curly forums, thanks to you! I'm going to try doing their curl methods on my wavy hair.