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Random Internet dude goes over a year without using soap/shampoo. Surprising results

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Alucrid

Banned
Is gaf lying to me? I'm 5-6 days in and whenever I run my hands through my hair, even in the shower, they end up feeling greasy and no matter how much I try and rub it out (badumpsh) it doesn't work in the shower. I'm now tying it back so it doesn't feel all gross and nasty.
 
Alucrid said:
Is gaf lying to me? I'm 5-6 days in and whenever I run my hands through my hair, even in the shower, they end up feeling greasy and no matter how much I try and rub it out (badumpsh) it doesn't work in the shower. I'm now tying it back so it doesn't feel all gross and nasty.

I think a few people said it's a lengthier process for those with long hair.
 
i mean, dropping a nasty shit in the summer time simply requires soap and a trusty dedicated washrag to remove the funk.

doesn't it?

just putting on clothes on a day before i get a shower feels greasy and gross... no way i could try it i guess
 

Jzero

Member
SalsaShark said:
Over a month now and apparently i'll have to stop doing it and using a special shampoo and soap for an allergies issue i ussually get with this weather (winter here).

I can say i saw no difference at all really.
Same here, i just needed to stop using so much shampoo so my scalp wouldnt dry out.
 

Holmes

Member
Alucrid said:
Is gaf lying to me? I'm 5-6 days in and whenever I run my hands through my hair, even in the shower, they end up feeling greasy and no matter how much I try and rub it out (badumpsh) it doesn't work in the shower. I'm now tying it back so it doesn't feel all gross and nasty.
Try washing your hair with a tablespoon of baking soda diluted in a cup of water until your hair adjusts.
 
What do you non-shampooers do after swimming in a pool? Or even freshwater or saltwater?

There's a definite change to your hair after swimming that needs shampoo to wash out.
 
I'm on my third day of not using shampoo or conditioner. I have medium-length hair that sits just below my ears. It's typically curly and unruly.

I scrub thoroughly with water and air dry my hair every day.

My hair is pretty manageable now. There's just one problem: dandruff. I haven't had dandruff in years, but it's pretty bad right now.

If I keep going, how long would I have to go before it could possibly correct itself?

I'm a stickler for hygiene, but this experiment seemed too good to pass on.

Edit: My hair feels like an immobile block after I shower.
 
just wanted to update my experience in this thread. its been about 6-7 weeks since i stopped using shampoo and soap.

after about 4 weeks of nothing i started using chandrika brand soap, an ayurvedic soap that contains no animal fats and is made with vegetable oil. i only use it about once a week. otherwise just hot water and a scrub brush. my skin feels better than it has in a long time, and my head (i buzz my hair down) has no problems. i asked my girlfriend last week if she'd noticed any difference since i started this process and her reply was "not really. you always smell like you just got out of the shower though, even if i know you haven't. you just have this vaguely 'clean' smell about you most of the time."

so, there you have it. i'm not seeing any reason to stop.
 
It's day six, and my dandruff is still crazy. The things I'm reading on the Internet aren't making me feel better.

I've gotten several compliments on my hair, though.

What do you guys think: Should I keep going or should I switch back to shampoo/conditioner?

I'm using a boar bristle hairbrush to get most of it out before I shower, and then I'm scrubbing a lot with the pads of my fingers. Hopefully that helps.

ipukespiders said:
Stick with it.
I'm giving it until the end of the month. Thanks for the encouragement. :^)
 
I could pull a no soap run, but no shampoo, definitely not. My hair gets ultra-greasy if I don't shampoo every day, and I kind of doubt my body's "natural processes" would take care of that. In fact, I think stinking and having greasy hair is part of nature's natural processes.
 

Wolfe

Member
I started doing this earlier in the year after reading about it (that and I ran out of soap at the time and was too lazy to buy more just yet) but after a few months stopped. I didn't stop because it wasn't working, but because I had decided to try out a particular type of soap at the time and then forgot about the whole ordeal.

After seeing this pop up again I think I'm going to give it another go though as I had no issues with it when I tried it out and I would like to see how things go when I'm doing it longer than just a couple months.
 
Been trying the no shampoo thing for about 2 weeks now, and I can say I'm getting great results with my hair. I completely lost my dandruff and my hair is a lot thicker and more manageable now than it ever has been.
 
Interesting. I only take a full shower 3 times a week, the other days I wash my hair, but just rinse my body off. I like it. Cuts down on my water and soap consumption and I don't feel dirty or smelly either. Maybe I'll kick it up a notch.
 

cluto

Member
I have medium-long hair and there's no way I could get through the 2 week period without shampooing. It feels gross and looks gross. But I have been experimenting with only shampooing every other day and I can confirm that my hair is much less greasy every morning than it used to be. Maybe I'll very slowly stop using shampoo so the grease situation is more tolerable.
 

BlueMagic

Member
So I see that most of you talk about how the body adapts and is currently accustomed to releasing more 'natural oil' or whatever because of the shampoo.

This may seem like a stupid, or kind of off-topic question, but how does the body 'get accustomed'? Is it pH levels on the skin or something like that? I'm curious.
 
BlueMagic said:
So I see that most of you talk about how the body adapts and is currently accustomed to releasing more 'natural oil' or whatever because of the shampoo.

This may seem like a stupid, or kind of off-topic question, but how does the body 'get accustomed'? Is it pH levels on the skin or something like that? I'm curious.

I don't know the science behind it. All I can tell you is that my hair and scalp in particular feel a hundred times better and my skin looks and feels great.
 

Turok_TTZ

Member
Just started reading this and wanted to experiment with the concept of "no soap, no shampoo = better skin, better hair, feels good man".

Can I get a summary of how/what to do and not to do to get started? I know i need to shower daily but once or twice a day? also, do i need some kind of scrub or or something to wash my body? hot water or temp of water dont matter? wud like to experiment like the rest of gaf thats involved. excuse my lack of prowess, i am a junoir.
 
Turok_TTZ said:
Just started reading this and wanted to experiment with the concept of "no soap, no shampoo = better skin, better hair, feels good man".

Can I get a summary of how/what to do and not to do to get started? I know i need to shower daily but once or twice a day? also, do i need some kind of scrub or or something to wash my body? hot water or temp of water dont matter? wud like to experiment like the rest of gaf thats involved. excuse my lack of prowess, i am a junoir.
i don't think there's any real "process" to it. i just stopped using soap/shampoo and kept my showering routine the same (hot/warm water + scrub brush). i shower maybe 5-6 times a week now as opposed to 3-4 times when i was using soap/shampoo (my skin would get real dry and my scalp itchy if i showered more frequently than that).

tl;dr -
hot water
scrub that shit
5-6 times a week


i should note that occasionally i will have a real "oily" day. my fingertips esp feel overly slick/oily sometimes but as i've continued this experiment they've gotten less frequent. i usually just wash my hands with some soap when that happens and it dries them out a bit.

also i should note i've replaced deodorant with baby powder entirely.
 

tearsofash

Member
People do this on purpose? I did this for 3+ months when I didn't have any money my freshman year of college. Thankfully the dorm's showers were hot enough to keep it nice. At least I had body soap.
 

ajf009

Member
so i'm curious about this, if only to cut down on soap/water usage. my skin and hair dont feel particularly bad.. i just feel normal you know? I do have a very light dandruff most of the time however

to me it seem like the biggest improvement is better feeling skin.. what if mine doesnt feel bad to begin with? is this worth a try?
 
The Lamonster said:
What do you non-shampooers do after swimming in a pool? Or even freshwater or saltwater?

There's a definite change to your hair after swimming that needs shampoo to wash out.
I would like an answer to this as well. I started this a little over a week ago and my thick hair feels like I can mold it to whatever I want, but it doesn't look greasy. I'm hoping that whatever is entailed in my body balancing itself out includes no more dandruff or itchy scalp. So far everything is fine.
 

ampere

Member
shwimpy said:
Is anyone that has tried this from the start still doing it? Would love to hear more results.
If normal soap and shampoo aren't working out for you, I would recommend that you consider trying different products before jumping right off to no soap.

Body Wash

Shampoo

My hair and scalp feel so much better since I switched shampoos, the sulfates in your standard shampoo are pretty rough on hair and skin. I haven't used that body wash, but it's probably good.
 

Everdred

Member
2 months for me, still going. I've put a couple updates in here already and nothing has really changed. Hair is still a little fuller/thicker. No problems with greasy hair, no dandruff. My skin is definitely healthier. I always had very dry skin and now it just feels right, not oily just a nice moisture level. Only use hot water and then deodorant. On days I don't work and sit around the house, i don't even do deodorant. My fiancee says I never smell bad, never any BO. The only thing she comments is that my hair is musty smelling sometimes. Which is just because its just water and no scented poo.
 

ampere

Member
Everdred said:
2 months for me, still going. I've put a couple updates in here already and nothing has really changed. Hair is still a little fuller/thicker. No problems with greasy hair, no dandruff. My skin is definitely healthier. I always had very dry skin and now it just feels right, not oily just a nice moisture level. Only use hot water and then deodorant. On days I don't work and sit around the house, i don't even do deodorant. My fiancee says I never smell bad, never any BO. The only thing she comments is that my hair is musty smelling sometimes. Which is just because its just water and no scented poo.
Try Shampoo!

It's so good. Try it!
 

shwimpy

Member
I'm more interested in the no shampooing since my hair is practically lifeless from years of shampoo abuse. I think I'll give it a try.
 
Don't remember when I started, but going strong. Don't even think about soap anymore. Only my girl and a woman friend knows. Dont know how i can bring this to my Facebook, yet.

My junk smells good, so I will keep going. But if you do struggle with BO, should Prolly stick to soap.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
shwimpy said:
I'm more interested in the no shampooing since my hair is practically lifeless from years of shampoo abuse. I think I'll give it a try.

Regular shampoo is simply shitty.
I've been using Seba-Med Everyday shampoo and it's great.
Oh yeah, also generally not using soap. Except for the hygene area, but even then not regular soap.

Works great.
 
To those of you avoiding using soap, please as a courtesy to others, don't shake anyones hand. If I try to shake your hand after you take a piss and grab your penis just say "sorry, I don't use soap" and I'll know not to shake your hand.
 

batbeg

Member
Never saw this thread, neat. I'm game, especially as I already quit shampooing some 6 months ago due to budgets. I found for the first time since moving to Oklahoma that my hair became manageable and my dandruff problems disappeared.

So I'm game for the soap experiment.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
perfectchaos007 said:
To those of you avoiding using soap, please as a courtesy to others, don't shake anyones hand. If I try to shake your hand after you take a piss and grab your penis just say "sorry, I don't use soap" and I'll know not to shake your hand.

Don't worry, I wash my hands. Though seriously, you are worried about urine? Inform yourself.

You probably should never shake my hand anyway. I work in retail, the stuff that certainly goes onto my fingers from the ton of coins I handle during a single hour... I'm sure you have words for it.
 
Slightly over 2 months in now. Still loving it. Nothing has changed since my last update so definitely sticking with it. I have medium long curly hair so when I use a towel to dry my hair and then comb it like I was used to my hair wouldn't be as curly anymore. So what I do now is just 'squeeze' out most of the water, get it into shape a little and then just let it air dry. I've been doing this for the last month and it seems to work really well for my curly hair.

On a side note I also managed to finally beat my cola light addiction by switching over to sparkly water. So now I only drink water and beer. Nice!
 
perfectchaos007 said:
To those of you avoiding using soap, please as a courtesy to others, don't shake anyones hand. If I try to shake your hand after you take a piss and grab your penis just say "sorry, I don't use soap" and I'll know not to shake your hand.

We do use soap when we wash our hands, fucktard.

And, nearly 2 weeks without using soap or shampoo, my hair is waay more manageable than before. I'm loving it.
 

Salazar

Member
salva said:
We do use soap when we wash our hands, fucktard.

And, nearly 2 weeks without using soap or shampoo, my hair is waay more manageable than before. I'm loving it.

Upload a slow-motion video of you shaking your hair around with a big dumb grin, salva.

Hits guaranteed.
 

Clott

Member
I have been only washing my hair about once a week for 5 years now, and never any conditioner, the oil in my hair conditions my scalp and hair.

Plus haven't used soap for maybe...7 years, always used water only and scrubbing to rinse my body. This method felt natural to me a long time ago, good thing people are catching on.
 

spats

Member
This is all really weird to me. My scalp has been pretty bad for the past few years, flaking, irritated and sometimes bleeding in spots. I saw a doctor and used expensive medicine for it for some time.

I recently started cutting down on using shampoo because I had to try something. I either used a very little amount or washed with just water and my scalp feels like it's starting to heal. Goddamn chemichals, I feel tricked.

I'm going to keep this up for some time and see what happens. I'm feeling pretty optimistic though.
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
spats said:
This is all really weird to me. My scalp has been pretty bad for the past few years, flaking, irritated and sometimes bleeding in spots. I saw a doctor and used expensive medicine for it for some time.

I recently started cutting down on using shampoo because I had to try something. I either used a very little amount or washed with just water and my scalp feels like it's starting to heal. Goddamn chemichals, I feel tricked.

I'm going to keep this up for some time and see what happens. I'm feeling pretty optimistic though.


I used to have a very dry scalp, very flaky and annoying. The only hair shampoo that took care of it for me was Selsun Blue. It contains Aluminum Sulfide or something like that, and it was the only thing that got rid of my huge dry scalp problem.


Until I tried this no soap or shampoo thing out.

I haven't used soap (other than for hands) or shampoo now since June 16th , and my results have been nothing short of outstanding. My skin feels better than ever and my girlfriend says I smell good all of the time. In fact, apparently I've taken on a manly scent of a kind that she really finds intoxicating in a good way. I can only guess using soap used to wash it off. But the real surprise has been my hair. It took my hair a good 4 weeks to stabilize out, for a while it was hard to manage and looked a bit greasy. But that went away. My hair now feels more full, is definitely more manageable, but the big surprise is that my dry scalp is no where to be found. I simply don't have it.

For all of these years, hair shampoo was causing my dry scalp condition.

All of the expensive shit I tried, all of the medications, they must have all been causing it. Selsun Blue must just be different somehow, it must be lacking something that most other shampoos have.

I'm sold, I'm a believer, I am so glad I found this thread. I wish I had done this years ago, lol.
 

RevDM

Banned
Mengy said:
I used to have a very dry scalp, very flaky and annoying. The only hair shampoo that took care of it for me was Selsun Blue. It contains Aluminum Sulfide or something like that, and it was the only thing that got rid of my huge dry scalp problem.


Until I tried this no soap or shampoo thing out.

I haven't used soap (other than for hands) or shampoo now since June 16th , and my results have been nothing short of outstanding. My skin feels better than ever and my girlfriend says I smell good all of the time. In fact, apparently I've taken on a manly scent of a kind that she really finds intoxicating in a good way. I can only guess using soap used to wash it off. But the real surprise has been my hair. It took my hair a good 4 weeks to stabilize out, for a while it was hard to manage and looked a bit greasy. But that went away. My hair now feels more full, is definitely more manageable, but the big surprise is that my dry scalp is no where to be found. I simply don't have it.

For all of these years, hair shampoo was causing my dry scalp condition.

All of the expensive shit I tried, all of the medications, they must have all been causing it. Selsun Blue must just be different somehow, it must be lacking something that most other shampoos have.

I'm sold, I'm a believer, I am so glad I found this thread. I wish I had done this years ago, lol.


So you just get in the shower and rub yourself with water? What about your asshole, do you wash your asshole? You gotta wash your asshole dude, you have to.
 

Khal_B

Member
Hmm, I'm seeing some positive responses in this thread, so I guess I'll give it a try.

What about pubic areas, though? Do you guys use any soap there? I think I'll need to at least do those areas with soap.
 

-x.Red.x-

Member
Gaf, i stop using shampoo but ireplaced it with soap.

Do i stop using soap at all?? Just water??? What about stink gaf?
 

kehs

Banned
I've been doing this for about three months now for my hair.

I was never satisfied with my hair once it reached a certain point. Now I love it. I feel like I have Patrick Bateman's hair.
 
thezerofire said:
Started doing this today. Hair doesn't feel too bad, but looks a little greasy. As for the rest of me, I feel fine.
I'm going on damn near a month. I never used to have dandruff, but I had it crazy bad for the first week or two.

It's calmed down now, but it's still there. Other than that, my hair is just like it used to be when I used shampoo/conditioner.

If the dandruff thing happens to you, I suggest getting a boar bristle brush and going through your hair thoroughly before you shower. And use the pads of your fingers and really scrub your scalp in the shower.

There's a chance I might start using shampoo again because I hate having even the slightest of dandruff.
 
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