Author Topic: Never buying shampoo again...  (Read 8508 times)

Lyssa

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Never buying shampoo again...
« on: December 23, 2014, 03:30:58 AM »
I tried to wash my (long) hair with Aleppo soap (initial investment higher than drug store shampoo, but lasting a lot longer and less plastic trash) and rinse it with highly diluted citric acid (half a teaspoon in 1 liter of water, more is not better in this case). I was fully prepared for initial discomfort and had resolved to give the experiment a few weeks to work out.

It worked brilliant immediately.

My hair is softer and less prone to tangling than it ever has been. Two less plastic bottles in our bathroom.



Disclaimer: I have no idea if soap is currently being exported from Syria (and if this is the case who pockets the profits) or if retailers are just selling from their storages.

Ynari

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2014, 07:10:48 AM »
I sometimes do something similar with Dr. Bronner's castile soap and an apple cider vinegar rinse. Since you use so little, it lasts a long time.

I've also washed my hair with an egg (/honey) before. It's super great, just don't use very hot water to rinse!

Bob W

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2014, 08:40:35 AM »
Or you could just go without putting any stuff on your hair.

http://www.today.com/health/woman-goes-5-years-without-shampoo-2D11929453

I've read about this a lot and in the winter (short haired male) I go without soap or shampoo.

From what I've read for women,  it takes a couple of weeks for you body to stop overproducing oils that it does now to offset the shampoo, vinegar, baking soda, etc.   

It appears that after the adjustment period your body produces the correct amount of oil and you just rinse your hair with water a few times per week. 

My entire soap/shampoo regime consists of Ivory soap.   In the winter I use no soap except for hands and face.  (wife never notices)

In warmer months, after experimenting,  I soap face, underarms and privates. 

My skin has improved vastly with this method.  I'm guessing I haven't soaped most of my body in over a year.   

One super benefit is that the natural antibacterial/antivirus oils on your body really protect you. 

For men,  one trick is to shave the underarms as this is an area prone to bacteria and thus odor. 

getgoing

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2014, 10:12:54 AM »
Now, I have short hair, but I've gone entirely soap free for years. Still getting complements on my hair.

Bob W

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2014, 11:38:55 AM »
Now, I have short hair, but I've gone entirely soap free for years. Still getting complements on my hair.

Good for you!  By soap free do you mean just water?  No vinegar, baking soda etc..?

I'm of the notion that cleaning products and soaps/shampoos/deodorant etc are entirely oversold.  (never ever use an aerosol spray in the house.  Cause asthma)

House -  a dab or two of laundry detergent for the 1 load per person per week.  A little vinegar for most things.  Some dish soap (don't over do).   

Body -  6 - 10 bars of Ivory soap per year. 2 packs of razors. 

Easy peasy -  Total annual cost = So maybe $20 per year in soap like products.   Total sq ft to store products = 1

Ynari

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2014, 01:03:19 PM »
I went without washing (no nothing, I didn't even rinse it) for an entire high school year once...  I was not a popular kid.  I had long, fine, lightish brown hair so it showed up way too much. It was bad for a month and then just blah for the rest of the year. I wouldn't risk doing that in a professional setting (maybe if I had thick, black hair that I wore back all the time), and honestly the effort to make it look alright (by brushing or rubbing with a damp wash cloth) wasn't worth it when I could just buy some cheap shampoo and use it occasionally.  Now that I have short hair, I just use whatever I've got on hand about twice a week.

Baking soda can be really harsh so usually isn't recommended as a regular thing (it can clarify residue if you use it maybe once a month). Diluted vinegar or citric acid is moderately conditioning as it lowers the cuticle, so it can be used however often you want.

OutBy40

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #6 on: December 23, 2014, 02:38:47 PM »
Or you could just go without putting any stuff on your hair.

This.

Although...I am probably not a very good example cause I pretty much shave my head down as much as I can.  Not bald, but close to it.  So much easier to deal with in every way, shape and form.

Indexer

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #7 on: December 25, 2014, 08:10:28 PM »
Or you could just go without putting any stuff on your hair.

This.

Although...I am probably not a very good example cause I pretty much shave my head down as much as I can.  Not bald, but close to it.  So much easier to deal with in every way, shape and form.

Ditto.  I keep my hair very short so the soap I use on my body works on my head. 

LokiMom

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #8 on: December 27, 2014, 09:33:21 PM »
I have long hair and only shampoo once a week. I rinse well a couple of times a week with plain water.
My best friend is a professional hairdresser and was amazed at how healthy my hair is and that I don't have a single split end.  He almost fell over when I told him what my "haircare regime" is.  He told me not to tell anyone else because if everyone did it then it would put him out of business.

Shamantha

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2014, 11:16:05 AM »
Long hair, and I only wash it every couple of months, the rest of the time rinsing with water is sufficient. Not so much a money saving regime as an hair-and-scalp saving regime, shinier hair and no itching, which I always get if my scalp is too dry.

HP

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Re: Never buying shampoo again...
« Reply #10 on: December 28, 2014, 03:03:23 PM »
I did the "no shampoo" thing for a while-- tried using baking soda/vinegar in place of shampoo, as frequently as I was shampooing, and then tried to just wash with water for three months, using soap once a month. It was awful, my hair never "balanced" like it supposedly should. :(  My hair is very fine and thin and it got stringy and left bald streaks when I would comb it back, and it'd itch and shed dandruff a lot. So icky. Really disappointing as I really wanted it to work. :( But I always wondered if it'd work better for me in a drier climate.