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I haven't washed my hair since January

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Its true, I haven't washed my hair since January.  I have rinsed it in water a few times, but I haven't used any soap or shampoo, or even the "no poo" baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixtures that I've read about.  The idea came following a post I did back in December about eliminating cosmetics from my life.  One reader commented that she didn't wash her hair and it made me wonder if that could work for me (unfortunately I lost that comment when I changed commenting systems, so I don't remember who it was, feel free to comment again!).  Finally I decided to give it a try in early January and I haven't regretted it.


I have had long hair for a few years, but I have also tried very short hair in the past, I found that I had to use too many "products" and wash my hair too frequently when it was short, so now I prefer it long, at least shoulder length.  As I've written before, I now use no products in my hair and never dye my hair, so there's no reason to wash it really.  And if it is actually dirty, then a rinse seems to be sufficient.

Since I stopped washing my hair, I just give it a good brush twice a day and occasionally put some jojoba oil on the tips if I think they are dry.  I usually wear my hair tied back for work or tied right out of the way on the farm, but it still looks nice down if I want to wear it that way.  I have found that I get a little dandruff, but then I just rinse my hair in water and it goes away for a few weeks.  If my hair had gone totally greasy and disgusting, I would have washed it by now, but honestly, I've seen no need to do so.

Obviously this is a huge saving of time and money, but I also feel that its a healthy option for my hair.  Clearly it didn't need to be washed so frequently (or at all) and washing it was probably just stripping out the good oils.  I just wanted to let you all know that I tried it and it worked, so now I wonder if you'll think about trying it too.  Have a think about it like I did and let me know what you end up doing..... unless you now think I've gone completely mad!

Have you tried not washing your hair?

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Comments

  1. I think what you are doing was common in the days before we were all trained to be consumers and one product after another appeared to make us beautiful. Many people had a wash basin and pitcher to take baths with and it would be hard to was hair very often in that. The main concern was keeping pests out of hair and they combed and groomed similar to how all animals do. So I say continue your experiment and see what the results are in January.

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  2. It's been years since I used anything other than water to wash my hair. I do it to cut down on chemicals and crap but imagine some people could save big dollars as well. A waterwash in the shower throughout the week works fine.

    Barb.

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  3. Can I ask...did you find your hair was a bit smelly, especially at the beginning?
    One thing I just don't relate to, but I did do for a very short period of my life, and that is getting ones hair coloured and cut every 6 wks. The expense is huge and not to mention the bore of having to go to the hair salon for a couple of hours each time. I don't think I have coloured my hair for about 10 yrs. I am curious to see how I will look when my hair really starts to go grey.

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  4. Very cool! I've tried this a couple of times, but my hair just gets soooo greasy it drives me crazy and I have to wash it. I tried the no poo/ baking soda thing too and that didn't seem to cut the mustard.

    I wish I could go shampoo-free, but maybe I've just got the wrong kind of hair. Or a low tolerance for ick.

    I managed to cut down to washing my hair once every three days while I was pregnant with Sophie, but it got really thick and heavy doing that so now I'm back to washing it every second day. That just seems to be my default setting.

    I only buy naturalish shampoos like Eco-Store or Organicare, so they're not as stripping as the ones I used to use back in the day. They're the best option I've found for me.

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  5. I haven't gone so far as not to wash my hair - the kids would have me locked up! But I decided to stop colouring my hair early this year. I started going grey at least15 years ago and have coloured it ever since! I stopped and I have had more comments - all good - about my hair than I ever had before. It's a kind of streaky grey and even one of the hairdressers were I go commented on the NICE colour! It is also so much healthier - I probably only wash it once (okay, maybe twice) a week and that's because it does get a bit yukky - I wear a hat fairly often, so it gets a bit sweaty etc!

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  6. wow how long did it take for your hair to adjust? Did you go cold turkey or to bi carb first? I have very curly thin fine Like baby hair so would worry it would get greasy since there is not much hair. I might give it a try but am not sure. You might have to convince me.

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  7. I went "no-poo" for six months last year, after seeing someone's blog about how well it worked for her and her daughter. I used the baking soda rinse once a week and a cider vinegar rinse when I thought my hair was getting sticky. For six months it worked really well, my hair actually felt like it had more body, and was easy to comb (I have shoulder length grey hair). What changed was that we travelled in Europe - I took baking soda with me, but I think the water must be different there, because within a week, I couldn't get a comb through my hair. I had to use shampoo to get it manageable. I tried again (we were there for a month), and again, I lasted a week and had to give up. I just never got back to it after we came home. As I child, (I'm middle aged), we only washed our hair once a week, in the basin (I hated it). Baths were for bodies :). Showering daily (at least here in the cooler part of the Northern Hemisphere) became common in the mid-70's, as did the myriad shampoo and conditioner options we now see on the shelves - no coincidences, I'm sure. The main reason for washing hair should really be to remove dirt, and prevent bugs, and good combing and brushing can do that if done thoroughly. I say keep doing what you're doing, it's obviously working. I may try again thanks to your post.

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  8. I have had to cut down on a lot of chemicals because of allergies and even essential oils are a big no go for me. I make my own tallow soap with nothing added and wash my hair with that and vinegar herbal rinse. I have thought about going completely shampoo free but by day four my head is so itchy and it drives me crazy and seems to settle again with a wash. Did you have to get passed an itchy phase?

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  9. I saw an experiment where women did this for a day time tv show in the UK. The idea was that shamppo strips all the essential oils out so that's why we buy conditioner to replace them. They also said that its the shampoo that makes your hair greasey- as the stripping causes your body to make more oil- I think.

    I have really long hair and have always been curious about this as my hair gets greasy within 24 hours. Maybe the more its washed the worse it is- just need to stick it out! Problem is I swim alot and I can't make them not put chlorine in a public pool.

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  10. Interesting - I *always* think about going no-poo when I shower. Hmmm. On our farm, I am milking a cow and goats, so wonder if it would work for me. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  11. i tried the baking soda/vinegar thing...tried "natural" shampoos that are out there.....tried tried tried.....and then - kind of in some weird protest to having to keep my job longer than i had hoped instead of jumping ship and moving to our 10 acres (but are still building a little home for ourselves) just stopped shampooing altogether. no adjustment period, no smell, nothing. my hair loves it and so do i. i sometimes use some lavender oil in my hair for extra body. thats it....i actually put off rinsing it even....but try to do a good water rinse after working hard at the land..strange thing is my cut seems to have lasted better too - ive not cut my last two scheduled times - i generally match up when my SO goes and he has gone twice that ive missed. it may be the spring/summer has something to do with it as well...my hair is generally nicer in the warm weather...i guess we will see come winter how i do - but i wont go back to shampoo - maybe just more frequent water rinses. i began around march when i ran out of the last of my shampoo.

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  12. I'm glad I got everyone thinking about it and found some other crazies who have found it worked for them too! For those who tried and weren't happy with it, maybe I'm just lucky and it works for me, but its worth a try if you haven't already. I suppose it helps that I don't really go anywhere or do anything to get smelly hair (like swimming or hanging around smokers - remember when you could smoke in the pub how stinky your hair was after a night out?). I do get sweaty enough doing farm work (and occasional manure in my hair), but that rinses out ok. When I stopped I went "cold-turkey", just stopped using shampoo (I have some left, have been using it to mop the floor) and I haven't tried the baking soda/vinegar method, just seemed like a hassle. I didn't notice an itchy phase at all, I didn't really notice any difference! Good luck and let me know if you do try it!

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  13. I was starting to notice the same thing this past week without washing it for 6 days. Sure, it started to become greasy being bundled under a cap, however, when I actually went through the effort of combing and working/blending in the natural oils it was pretty nice. Side point being, in winter, my scalp becomes quite dry and flaky. With the lack of washing my hair for those six days it reduced the itching.

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  14. Interesting! A couple of months ago I changed from normal shampoo to the Moogoo brand and for the first time in my life I am only washing my hair once a week...every Friday to be precise and it is just awesome. Will see how long I can last without using any shampoo at all!

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