Comments on: Some Thoughts on the No Shampoo (”No Poo”) Movement

By: CH

CH — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:41:58 +0000

And I thought I was the only wierdo in the country that washed my hair with bar soap. Several years ago I was having problems with dandruff and dry flakey skin on my forehead, so I sent off for some bar shampoo. It looked just like a bar of soap so when I used it up I started washing my hair with (cheaper) bar Ivory. Most bar “soap” and (as far as I know) ALL liquid “soap” is actually detergent (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate). It cuts grease nicely, but it is hard on skin and I don’t believe that it is as good at killing germs as soap. Real soap is better at stopping underarm odor. My skin improved, esp. when I started taking vitamin E, but that’s another story. Vinegar (half white vinegar and half water, in a washed out ketchup squeeze bottle) washes out the soap scum caused by our hard water and makes my long hair easy to brush. I wash it in the sink once or twice a week, oftener if my allergies kick up, less often if I am real busy.

By: Teri

Teri — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:42:16 +0000

I’ve always had curly/frizzy, dry hair and I’ve always fought the curl. After trashing my hair’s condition with some harsh shampoo (Trader Joe’s Citrus Shampoo), I conditioned it with olive oil and egg, which worked great, and checked out the no-poo websites. I began using baking soda and apple cider vinegar water to rinse but found that it left my hair very dry and I smelled like salad dressing. Then I just started rinsing my hair thoroughly with very warm water and found that it left my hair clean and encouraged curl in a good, non-frizzy way. It’s been about 3 months and I love what mere rinsing has done for my hair! It’s curly, has lots more body and is in great condition. And it passed hubby’s sniff test too. Last week we went camping and it didn’t get greasy at all, although I was happy to get a hot shower after that. I don’t think I’ll ever use shampoo or conditioner again, and I’ve converted to Dr. Bronner’s castile soap for bathing too, just to be even more chemical-free.

By: Frances

Frances — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:47:11 +0000

My concern about shampoo actually started after my gyno suggested I was sensitive to it. Then I learned about the chemicals in shampoo and found people talking about “self-cleaning” hair. I tried just rinsing for about a week but my hair was so greasy I felt very unprofessional at work. When I started washing my hair again my scalp got flaky and it took a month for it to go away. Maybe I will try again later with baking soda or something but a friend introduced me to 365 fragrance free shampoo and that’s been working great. Like you said, I feel like my exposure is minimal now.

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:02:54 +0000

I’ve never been a big bather. When I was little, my mom warned me, “when you get to be a teenager, you’ll need to bathe every day.” It didn’t happen. On average, I bathe twice a week. Unless it’s extremely hot and sticky out (like it is currently), the trigger for me to wash is usually when my hair gets oily. I recently switched to an SLS and paraben free shampoo. Jill, that’s interesting that your hair got longer after you changed your hair washing regimen. I go years between haircuts but my hair never grows longer than the bottom of my shoulder blades. I wonder if I could coax it longer with your techniques.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:00:10 +0000

I have been using a natural soap shampoo bar. It is very gentle and I find my hair is much more managable. It also stays clean longer.

By: Becky

Becky — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:14:52 +0000

Last year I went to Namibia to volunteer. I wasn’t sure what the shower facilities would be like so I decided to do a bit of a preemptive strike and get my hair and scalp used to fewer washes. I stopped using shampoo and conditioner completely and started rinsing my hair with baking soda and water, followed by a vinegar or lemon juice rinse, once a week. It was gross at first but after a few weeks it was completely fine. I didn’t use shampoo for over 10 months. I now use a mild, organic, chemical free shampoo once a week and my hair is healthier and easier to manage than it’s ever been.