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Random Internet dude goes over a year without using soap/shampoo. Surprising results
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I've done this for about 6 months now and wanted to chime in. It really does work, less dandruff, hair grows better, less dry skin. I had really bad patches of dry skin on my back, and they're basically gone now. I still use soap "down there" and in my armpits, because I'm not disgusting, but my hair isn't any different, maybe even better than it was before, and literally no one notices/cares at all.
Just found this thread and wanted to chime in my own experiences. I haven't used Shampoo in over 4-5 years and as far know there hasn't been any problems, its not greasy or messy or any problems like dandruff. Had chicks/friends comment on how soft my hair is before *Shrugs* I just give it a hard scrub with my hands and that's it.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Yeah, it'll get greasy. You really just gotta wait it out, couple weeks, maybe more. That's why a lot of people cut it short before starting so it's less of a problem
Both me and my partner have been showering every other day for the past 10 years or so, so I don't see why your dermatologist's behavior was so off-putting to you (if that is what you are indeed implying). If you can't trust a dermatologist's opinion, who's can you trust? Certainly not those of the people who are trying to sell soap at least, right (which might perhaps be the very same dermatologist - so in that case ignore her/him by any means)?
I've always thought that people in general seem to be overly concerned with showering daily to prevent feeling unclean or even smelling, which as the OP demonstrated is not really an issue in most cases. Just as with many other things in our modern society that are heavily determined by companies and their marketing language that actively targets our social anxieties ands fears (like being the one that smells in public - oh god think of the children!), we probably don't need things like soap, shampoo or even deodorant or showers as much as we think we do (not counting those people who actually work so hard physically that they sweat a lot I suppose).
It sounds a bit paranoia but as an example do we really think a brand like Head & Shoulders would benefit from actually curing people's dandruff, or would they benefit more from alleviating it temporarily and perhaps even causing it to return later so we keep buying the stuff? I could easily see that to be at least partly true as well.
Personally I would certainly consider using less soap when showering, since my skin gets dry as hell despite me reducing my showering frequency. The last few years I've been suffering from skin problems like skin rashes and eczema if I'm not careful with the type of soap I use (and even then I can't prevent it fully if the weather is also very dry - with the result of me having to spend more money on - probably just as pointless - lotions etc), so I wonder if showering less with soap would help to keep my skin more healthy as well.
Getting greasy hair has in fact been my main reason for using soaps and shampoos as frequently as I do. I do wonder if my hair will cease to get greasy after a few days if I stop using shampoo at all. What was the consensus on that, if any, in this thread?
It took two months for mine, I used to use shampoo every single day.
Thornton Reed
Member
Ok so i'm in to week 3 of not using shampoo and i'm really fighting the urge not to wash my hair.
I have never had so much dandruff in all my life. And the kicker yesterday my wife said my hair is starting to smell (i have been telling her to give it a wiff every now and again).
I have been washing it with warm water every day in the shower. There has been some positives so far. My hair is so much more manageable, it goes exactly the way i want it to without any product.
The dandruff i could live with but the smell i'm not sure i can
I have never had so much dandruff in all my life. And the kicker yesterday my wife said my hair is starting to smell (i have been telling her to give it a wiff every now and again).
I have been washing it with warm water every day in the shower. There has been some positives so far. My hair is so much more manageable, it goes exactly the way i want it to without any product.
The dandruff i could live with but the smell i'm not sure i can
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
I still get dandruff after more than a year using baking soda + apple cider vinegar (water down). Shampoo or not I seem to always have dry scalp. My hair also still gets greasy, but the apple cider vinegar seems to remove it.
SomedayTheFire
Member
If I don't use shampoo, my hair gets really really dry and terrible feeling. I have weird hair anyway but without shampoo it doesn't even feel like hair. Also my already dry scalp starts to look and feel like a mountain top in the middle of winter. Grand for people when it would work but it wouldn't for me.
I couldn't even contemplate not using soap.
I couldn't even contemplate not using soap.
adamsappel
Member
Try rinsing with diluted apple cider vinegar and water. I pour a few tablespoons of vinegar in a squeeze bottle and mix some water in, then squirt it in my hair and run a comb through, then rinse with water. It seems to work for me.
Nizoral is amazing for Eczema. It's a bit pricey but it's worth it. Pyrithione Zinc is also good for easy-to-treat eczema, but Nizoral destroys it.
terrisus
Member
Mister Wilhelm
Member
Three weeks is not enough time to fix a dandruff issue. Can't do much about the smell for now, the oil is gonna build up for a bit. There's a lot of stuff you can comb into your hair to make it a little more pleasant, but I'm surprised she doesn't like your natural smell.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Alright, this was a fun experiment, but I'm going back to soap and shampoo. It's been close to 8 weeks and my hair has not gotten any less greasy, and it's really bugging the shit out of me. And if I go back to using shampoo, might as well go back to using soap as well
It was fun while it lasted, but I need to feel clean again
It was fun while it lasted, but I need to feel clean again
Thornton Reed
Member
Since i last posted in this thread something happened with my hair, its condition has vastly improved. My scalp seems to have sorted its self out and my hair feel really clean now. Its 5 weeks today since the last time i used shampoo and i can honestly say i will never use it again.
From what i have read everyones PH levels are all different, the time it take for your hair and scalp to adjust can vary. I went through a period were i thought i'm going to give in but i stuck at it and i'm so glad i did.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I haven't used shampoo or body soap in over a year. I think it's definitely a person by person case. It did wonders for my dry skin and out of control hair.
Well, Apple Cider Vinegar is essentially an acid...
BlitzerRadic
Member
How does the body "know" to stop producing extra oil? What is the mechanism the body uses to detect things happening outside of the body and react accordingly?
eso76
Member
When I was younger I was getting really bad desquamation and dry skin on my face whenever I used soap. I even tried using Dove and moisturizers, nothing worked.
So I just became naturally reluctant to using soap on my face and gradually stopped.
All skin problems I once had were soon gone.
Still use soap for body, but my face hasn't touched soap in at least 10 years
Also, I was getting greasy hair and needed to wash every other day. Then I was forced in a hospital bed for a month and was going crazy not being able to wash my hair. I felt dirty, greasy, head was itching and I would have killed to be able to take a shower. But after 2 weeks it was like the process had reversed, my hair started looking cleaner each day, the greasiness had gone and when they finally sent me back home I contemplated washing my hair, but it didn't look like it needed washing at all and postponed one more week.
Now I use shampoo once every 2 weeks
So I just became naturally reluctant to using soap on my face and gradually stopped.
All skin problems I once had were soon gone.
Still use soap for body, but my face hasn't touched soap in at least 10 years
Also, I was getting greasy hair and needed to wash every other day. Then I was forced in a hospital bed for a month and was going crazy not being able to wash my hair. I felt dirty, greasy, head was itching and I would have killed to be able to take a shower. But after 2 weeks it was like the process had reversed, my hair started looking cleaner each day, the greasiness had gone and when they finally sent me back home I contemplated washing my hair, but it didn't look like it needed washing at all and postponed one more week.
Now I use shampoo once every 2 weeks
Interceptor
Banned
This thread needs pictures.
As long as there's no smell attached...
As per this study's findings, the only shampoos that cause a reactive production of oil would be those that use selenium sulfide:
Here's an except of its findings (SER = sebum excretion rate):
Though, as with any cause-and-effect relationship, the correlation is suggested and not directly linked. Additionally, you may find interesting that in the case of dandruff-removing shampoos:
In other words, it had no significant effect on your body's rate of oil production. And if you're concerned about the healthy production of oil:
Anti-dandruff shampoo works, folks.
Thornton Reed
Member
i don't use product
Besides this. Some of us like using it.
Alright. I've been using water only for well over a year now (except the occasional use of my girlfriend's strange hair products, don't know what it's called, it's got shea butter and other weird stuff in it xD). I don't use brushes or combs, just straight up super hot shower and either let the hair self-dry or with a towel. This was about 30 minutes ago after today's shower:
http://i.imgur.com/JpEEpz6.jpg
This was a few minutes ago when I came home after a short but extremely windy bicycle ride:
http://i.imgur.com/gYRZiTu.jpg
I've got some split ends etc because I haven't been to the hairdresser this year and I cut everything down to a couple of millimeters around Xmas with a trimmer. Even though it's super windy today, my "style" didn't get ruined as it normally would've.
But I'm not the kind of person who has a ton of dandruff or any other hair related issues, I just found my hair to be a bit wild and got greasy pretty quickly. A windy day could only be solved with a ton of hair wax.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
I guess if you the wax/mousse/gel in your hair doesn't come out with hot water and combing, you're forced to either use shampoo or not use product. I'm guessing you're a Dapper Dan man though.
I think I may have split ends too.
Thornton Reed
Member
other than the slick back look you can achieve a lot with a good hairdresser(my wife happens to be one) and partly blow drying your hair.
Your hair becomes so much more manageable i don't feel like i would ever need to but product in it again.
Interesting stuff, my GF always has problems with her skin, particularly her face, and she puts bucket loads of facial product on.
My facial skin is fairly good, It does get a bit greasy in a morning or are after a shave, but a thorough scrub with just water and it does the trick and is nice and clean. My GF constantly moans at me for not using any facial product and I'll get wrinkles crows feat etc, but the amount of crap product she puts on her face, fed by a load of pseudo science commercials, I don't think helps.
I don't know if I could go the whole hog with this, as I like to 'feel' clean. However a few things I've noticed over the years, I ditched spray deodorant years ago, and every few days use a little bit of Mitchum roll on, under my armpits and now rarely ever have BO, I do make sure not to over do it with roll on as you can block your pores.
About 10 years ago whilst getting a hair cut, I mentioned to the hairdresser having dandruff and itchy scalp. She told me to ditch the Head and Shoulders I was using religiously at the time, she compared it to paint stripper, and just use basic shampoo. Turns out I didn't really have dandruff just Head and Shoulders was peeling skin from my scalp off. I wont criticize if people have dandruff or psoriasis and need it however just, this has just been my experience.
A lot of people have commented on my hair and how thick and healthy it is. I rarely use conditioner and shampoo every other day. Never had a single problem with my hair since. Now it just gets greasy from using too much product which cleans out after a good scrub. Now I just have to fight hereditary baldness which will come in my mid 40s no doubt! Damn my genes!
My facial skin is fairly good, It does get a bit greasy in a morning or are after a shave, but a thorough scrub with just water and it does the trick and is nice and clean. My GF constantly moans at me for not using any facial product and I'll get wrinkles crows feat etc, but the amount of crap product she puts on her face, fed by a load of pseudo science commercials, I don't think helps.
I don't know if I could go the whole hog with this, as I like to 'feel' clean. However a few things I've noticed over the years, I ditched spray deodorant years ago, and every few days use a little bit of Mitchum roll on, under my armpits and now rarely ever have BO, I do make sure not to over do it with roll on as you can block your pores.
About 10 years ago whilst getting a hair cut, I mentioned to the hairdresser having dandruff and itchy scalp. She told me to ditch the Head and Shoulders I was using religiously at the time, she compared it to paint stripper, and just use basic shampoo. Turns out I didn't really have dandruff just Head and Shoulders was peeling skin from my scalp off. I wont criticize if people have dandruff or psoriasis and need it however just, this has just been my experience.
A lot of people have commented on my hair and how thick and healthy it is. I rarely use conditioner and shampoo every other day. Never had a single problem with my hair since. Now it just gets greasy from using too much product which cleans out after a good scrub. Now I just have to fight hereditary baldness which will come in my mid 40s no doubt! Damn my genes!
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
I am aware of that.
Hero Prinny
Member
are you guys shitting me or what? cause I'd seriously try the shampoo thing if true, I've had dandruff all my life and honestly nothing i do gets rid of it, it just keeps it "calm"(as it doesn't itch like crazy and won't start snowing as soon as i touch my scalp). I'd love to finally be dandruff free.
We're not making this up :lol It's just that everyone's different so the results vary, and it takes time for the body to adapt. Usually longer than most are willing to withstand the urge to go back to soap etc.
Hero Prinny
Member
so like what do i do? just wetmy hair in the shower and thats it?(I'm not try the soap one, just the shampoo)
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I use shampoo in my hair once every couple of weeks or so, but otherwise just use water and a bit of conditioner. It looks so, so much better than it did before I started this.
Yeah that's what I do. It's not much more complicated than that
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
I had pretty bad dandruff and dry scalp my entire life, tried dozens of different shampoos (some very expensive), at least I had a problem up until a little over a year ago when I stopped using shampoo completely. Today my dandruff and scalp issues are gone and my hair is more healthy and manageable than it has ever been. Eliminating shampoo was God Damned transformative for me.
I scrub my skin, head, and hair daily in the shower with a handcloth and warm water, really wring it out and scrub it good. Then I just let it air dry and I'm done.
I think I am going to try this. No soap or Shampoo.
So just water and a rag and scrub hard.
No deodorant is going to be tough tho. Going to need to make sure there is zero hair under there. Not going tell my wife of the experiment and see if she notices.
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Oh I use deodorant daily, I don't think anyone is saying to don't. I just make sure it doesn't have any of that aluminum shit in it.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
Try it out for a few weeks and let us know if it works for you.
Are you also using the hot-water method in conjunction with the diluted ACV?
Had mt first bath without soap. Feels weird, lol.
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