• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

Status
Not open for further replies.
V

Vincent Alexander

Member
Easy_D said:
Cant you just take a hot shower like usual and then hose your hair with colder water and wash it out afterward?
Click to expand...
I could be completely wrong on this....but I believe cooler water helps in two ways. First is that hot water leads to more of a dry scalp after your shower. So you can wash and scrub hard with hot water, but once you're out of shower the skin on your scalp is drying and cracking because of the heat---causing more dandruff after you've already scrubbed the previous off. More important though, hot water removes more oil from your hair and scalp than cooler water, and these natural oils (on top of other things) can help prevent dandruff.
 
A

aechris

Member
M3d10n said:
I still think this thread is probably a collaborative trolling attempt. I fell for it and almost lost my scalp to so much dandruff. Not to mention the stink: brand new towels would turn into rancid messes after a single use.
Click to expand...

I don't know man, I am coming on my fourth year of not washing with shampoo or soap and my head is a beaut. I talked my wife into giving it a shot a couple years ago and she's not used it since either. I will be saving myself tens of dollars over a decade!
 
Dr. Buni

Dr. Buni

Member
I have been washing my hair with only water for the past three days. It is oily as fuck, but I see almost no hair strands on the floor after I wash it, so that is a good sign.
 
J

jimbor

Banned
Reila said:
I have been washing my hair with only water for the past three days. It is oily as fuck, but I see almost no hair strands on the floor after I wash it, so that is a good sign.
Click to expand...

Took two to three months to fully adjust for me. Over two years without shampoo now.
 
D

DopeToast

Banned
I have't used shampoo since May of 2013, and my hair has never felt or looked nicer. I can style it easily, without product, it's soft, I have little to no dandruff, and it doesn't smell. And I know it doesn't smell. I've had people smell it and tell me.

I use just water and scrub with this round, coarse brush every day, and then comb, all in the shower. I use baking soda and and condition with an apple cider vinegar solution every two weeks or so.
 
Dr. Buni

Dr. Buni

Member
One month and a few days after I started this 'experiment' and my hair still is considerably greasy. I am not sure why I am doing wrong. Perhaps I am not scrubbing my hair enough?
 
W

whitehawk

Banned
I stopped using shampoo since the new year, so about 8+ months now. I've only used shampoo about 2 times since then. Once after I did tough mudder because my hair was filled with mud and simply would not get properly clean with just water. And once a couple days ago because I felt like it.

It took a while at first, but my hair got much less oily. I used to have to shampoo every day or else my hair felt gross. Not anymore. I think from this point on I'll use it occasionally, like once a month. Other than that though, I'm off shampoo.

Saves money too!
 
A

adamsappel

Member
Long hair gets "greasier" faster and stays it longer. If you want to really clean your hair but not dry it out, dissolve baking soda in water and scrub your hair with that. Otherwise, rinse your hair with diluted vinegar.
 
T

Tik-Tok

Member
I only use body wash on my armpits, my ass, and my crotch, but usually not on the head of my penis cause soap can lead to yeast infections.

I never wash my face, or if I do I break out / get terribly dry skin.

I stopped using shampoo shortly after I started shaving my head regularly and it has helped keep my dandruff down to a minimum.

I use deodorant still.

I smell just fine. My girlfriend, and other women before her have mentioned that I seem to have natural pheromones and they love the smell of my skin.

Edit: I shower once daily unless I do something where I get very sweaty.
 
R

RayMaker

Banned
If I showered daily I dont think smell would be a problem, though if I go a day without showering I think I need soap to get rid of the stench of my armpits. I might try this with my hair, though not wearing antiperspirant would cause me to sweat more, I might try no soap, shampoo,aftershave and antiperspirant for a week and shower once a day and share the results.


Reila said:
One month and a few days after I started this 'experiment' and my hair still is considerably greasy. I am not sure why I am doing wrong. Perhaps I am not scrubbing my hair enough?
Click to expand...

Well grease repels water so I dont know why anyone would expect water to get rid of the grease from your hair.
 
L

Linari

Neo Member
Been at it for 2 years so far. Haven't gotten any complaints from anyone, a lot have said I smell fine so far. A lot of the people I told were a bit weirded out at first, but they just accept it after a while. Some jokes here and there for sure, but it been mostly fine.

Skin and hair in all places function well and smell fine. No worries. :)

African, Irish, Native American descent. Male. 23 years old
 
E

Escape Goat

Member
I think you anti shampoo people need to look into what shampoo does. If nobodys told you that you look and smell like a greasy pusher theyre far too polite to break it to you.
 
Robot Pants

Robot Pants

Member
No soap is a definite yes for me. I got real sensitive skin and using soap dries it out too much. Not using it makes it balanced and smooth.
I do however use it on my armpits and crotch and ass. Obviously.

For shampoo, I wash it with a baking soda and water mixture. No conditioner.
I used to use Apple Cider Vinegar and water as a conditioner, but I felt the smell didn't always wash out and I would get a faint hint of it sometimes. So instead, since only using shampoo makes my hair very frizzy, every few days before I wash my hair, I heat up a small amount of coconut oil and run it through all my hair and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Then I wash it out in the shower (with the baking soda). This way my hair is smooth and shinier and dont have to deal with the Apple Cidar Vinegar.
 
S

sirap

Member
Stopped using shampoo for a couple of months now. Hair is fantastic. The first month was terrible though, felt really greasy.

Don't think I can stop using soap though, living in a tropical country makes me sweat like crazy.
 
D

Derwind

Member
I havent used shampoo in two years. Best move ever.

I still used bodywash/soap though. Don't think I'm willing to give that up.
 
K

Komo

Banned
Quick question.
I don't see much mentioning about conditioner here. Does this include not using conditioner as well? Just wanna make sure
 
P

PayOffWizard

Member
I'm 35 and have always had pretty bad acne on my face. I tried all sorts of face scrubs, anti bacterial washes and moisturisers but nothings worked. That is up until about a year ago when I total stopped using any soap on my face. After about a month my face was 90% better and I now very rarely get spots, and when I do its only the odd one.
I think ill probably give the full body no soap a try because ive had such good results in the past :)
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
I've been going almost without shampoo and body soap for half a year or so with good results.

I shower daily at the gym from Monday to Friday without any kind of product other than warm water, a quick rinse before hitting the sauna for 10 minutes and then having a proper shower, again, just with warm water. It's basically a mix of being a cheapskate and not wanting to be bothered with carrying more junk in my already packed gym bag.

My skin is as good as ever and my hair looks fine, not greasy at all. Actually, I had an annoying issue with dead skin on the front part of my scalp that is now gone. No smellz, either.

HOWEVER, I do scrub at home and I use shampoo and body gel before going out or having a date, just because I know that some people prefer a perfumed scent instead of a nearly odourless body.

I personally recommend doing away with soaps whenever it's possible.
 
M

Mlatador

Banned
M3d10n said:
I still think this thread is probably a collaborative trolling attempt. I fell for it and almost lost my scalp to so much dandruff. Not to mention the stink: brand new towels would turn into rancid messes after a single use.
Click to expand...

To be honest, I've always felt this too.

But why does it have to be either regular soap or no soap. I think there is a middleground: natural soap/shampoo without any chemicals, farfume, preservatives, ingreadiants made of oil and shit like that. I've been using such shower products for month now and my skin feels great.
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Mlatador said:
To be honest, I've always felt this too.

But why does it have to be either regular soap or no soap. I think there is a middleground: natural soap/shampoo without any chemicals, farfume, preservatives, ingreadiants made of oil and shit like that. I've been using such shower products for month now and my skin feels great.
Click to expand...
*groans*
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Maybe some of you just have naturally greasy hair? Mine is rather ok, just a little less shiny since some shampoos kind of coat your hair to make it brighter.
 
B

Buzzati

Banned
My routine: LISTEN UP

I drink a spinach-kale shake every morning to cleanse myself of toxins before I jump in the shower. I don't use any shampoo because of the chemicals that are likely to destroy my hair and make me bald. I used to use a moisturizer but now I buy a multi-vitamin from GNC, crush it and apply it to my face after I use a cucumber mask all night. The vitamin B from the cucumber absorbs impurities from the skin and cleanses the toxins. I mix some metamucil in 2 to 3 cups solution of tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, cucumbers, and oranges to cleanse the toxins from my bowels and to stimulate my liver to drive toxins out. The cucumbers also promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin - the rest of the vegetables improving circulation of the blood; and help in refueling the body with healthy nutrients. Finally, every Thursday I do a 24 hour fast that allows the organs to rest and then I detox with a kale + herbal tea mix. I drink about 3 to 4 gallons of water a day and make sure I eat at least 40g of fiber from complex carbohydrates. I haven't eaten refined foods in a decade. All in all, I'd say this cost me around $24 to $25 a day.....if I add a cleansing licorice tea from Maylasia to my routine - it's about another $5 a day. I do this depending on whether or not I feel that I have toxins that need to be cleansed.

Haven't gotten any new acne on my face and my depression has been completely cured (which I attribute to the 2-3 gallons of water I drink every day (which help to eliminate toxins)).
 
G

GorillaJu

Member
Has anyone here gone from using high quality shampoo to nothing and had good results? I kind of assumed that no shampoo was better than the cheap shit that most people lather up with but that nice stuff is better.
 
A

Azulsky

Member
Meh. I tried this in college and like 6 months in my hair was just an oily mess. Especially if you exercise you need to get the dirt out of your hair.

I use cheap shampoos but tend to get fancier conditioners. Shampoo is just a detergent its the latter that leaves a lasting effect. Doesn't matter too much I bet by 30 I'll probably just chrome dome at the rate this hair loss is happening.
 
G

GorillaJu

Member
Azulsky said:
Meh. I tried this in college and like 6 months in my hair was just an oily mess. Especially if you exercise you need to get the dirt out of your hair.

I use cheap shampoos but tend to get fancier conditioners. Shampoo is just a detergent its the latter that leaves a lasting effect. Doesn't matter too much I bet by 30 I'll probably just chrome dome at the rate this hair loss is happening.
Click to expand...

Shampoos matter a lot—some are really harsh on your hair, and conditioner isn't really ideal for people who have soft, limp hair like a lot of white dudes have. It just weighs it down and contributes to the lack of springiness.
 
F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
OddMorsel said:
Has anyone here gone from using high quality shampoo to nothing and had good results? I kind of assumed that no shampoo was better than the cheap shit that most people lather up with but that nice stuff is better.
Click to expand...

I did. Good shampoo makes my hair shinier, but that's it. Effects may vary depending on each person's hair and scalp.
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
I'm still using soap, but I stopped using shampoo in the beginning of August.

I love it. My hair is still clean after a thorough shake under the shower and it's easier to comb. I don't even have to use hair products anymore.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Quentin Tarantino on why movies are better than TV
2
66
3K
Zelduh replied
11 years of being a gaffer
29
1K
Pakoe replied
What's the workplace ACTUALLY going to look like in 20 years?
13
873
Ownage replied
I feel like everything about my body is denying my current job at this point
19
1K
sono replied
My handhelds are slowing die even without much use
2
77
4K
FR1908 replied
Top Bottom