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

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Meier said:
I don't get the point personally. Shampoo and body wash cost about a dollar or two a month each at most. The whole concept of "not wanting to be a slave to them" is ludicrous to me.

Soap dries your skin out and shampoo is filled with horrible chemicals.

Also, most itches are caused by detergent in your clothes. There are chemical free alternatives for all of these things.


Personally, I use soap made with cocoa butter.
 
ITT: people don't know how to read

Jesus he still took showers just notnwi soap or shampoo and after a number 2 he washed his hands with soap. What is so hard to comprehend
 

saunderez

Member
SidVicious said:
Soap dries your skin out and shampoo is filled with horrible chemicals.
The alternative is greasy hair and skin. Which inevitably gets itchy. Hot water alone won't take care of that. And it's a hell of a lot worse than putting a bit of soap on my skin and shampoo in my hair.

I'll take the "disadvantages" of being clean any day.
 
entrement said:
This is the original article. He mentions he showers daily:



http://blog.seanbonner.com/2010/02/01/ive-given-up-using-soap/

Oh, I see.


SidVicious said:
Soap dries your skin out and shampoo is filled with horrible chemicals.

Also, most itches are caused by detergent in your clothes. There are chemical free alternatives for all of these things.


Personally, I use soap made with cocoa butter.

And yet no one has ever been killed, hurt, or even inconvienienced by these "horrible chemicals" in all this time that they've been in use.
 
Trent Strong said:
And yet no one has ever been killed, hurt, or even inconvienienced by these "horrible chemicals" in all this time that they've been in use.
Seriously? Did you miss the post in this topic from the guy with eczema?

Just because [example] aspartame is approved for consumption doesn't mean it's good for you.


Just look at some of the ingredients in Femfresh;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylchloroisothiazolinone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylisothiazolinone
 
SidVicious said:
Did you miss the post in this topic from the guy with eczema?


Just because [example] aspartame is approved for consumption doesn't mean it's good for you.

Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's good for you. I wouldn't describe something as a 'horrilbe chemical' just because it gives one person out of every 100 million eczema (if shampoo really was the cause), but is otherwise completely harmless. An example of a horrible chemical is agent orange, not shampoo.
 

midonnay

Member
I don't use soap or shampoo at all on the hair..... takes about a week or two of greasy hair and then it evens out.

don't think I have the balls to wash the body without any soap though :p
 
Trent Strong said:
Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's good for you. I wouldn't describe something as a 'horrilbe chemical' just because it gives one person out of every 100 million eczema (if shampoo really was the cause), but is otherwise completely harmless. An example of a horrible chemical is agent orange, not shampoo.
Wikipedia said:
Though long considered safe for use in cosmetics, two recent in vitro studies have shown that Methylisothiazolinone is neurotoxic, causing damage to rat brain cells in tissue culture.

'Safe'.

Shampoo doesn't have to cause instant death to be unhealthy. Cmon.
 
Well I can say that I almost never wash my face and yet have a much better complexion than my gf who does the whole wash-face-twice-a-day thing.

Interesting.
 

Wool

Member
I am not against this guy's choice, but a lot of the comments in the article and on here act like the only options are to not use any soap/shampoo or to rub toxic chemicals all over yourself. There are less radical ways of avoiding the chemicals like using organic, natural soap. I've been using "Dr. Bronners" soap for a few years and it is made entirely out of natural, organic ingredients and still does the job well. I'm sure there are plenty of other brands as well, you do not have to use Axe body wash.
 

Truth101

Banned
I never use soap at all while I shower, or any type of body wash for that matter, and I've had girls complement me multiple times on how soft my skin is. Though I always wash my hands and shampoo once a week, too much ruins my hair and dries it out and my hair gets too greasy otherwise.
 

Kozak

Banned
goober said:
I still don't get how he doesn't use soap.

Let's say he takes a shit. He washes his hands using only water? Then he goes and eats some food.

That's like, bacteria and shit all over his food, right? I don't know, it just seems unsanitary.

Well I assume he would use a fork, spoon and knife.
 

Slavik81

Member
rdelaney said:
I am not against this guy's choice, but a lot of the comments in the article and on here act like the only options are to not use any soap/shampoo or to rub toxic chemicals all over yourself. There are less radical ways of avoiding the chemicals like using organic, natural soap. I've been using "Dr. Bronners" soap for a few years and it is made entirely out of natural, organic ingredients and still does the job well. I'm sure there are plenty of other brands as well, you do not have to use Axe body wash.
Neither being natural nor organic would preclude it from being a toxic chemical. Snake venom, for instance, is natural and organic.
 
Read the first page.

I rarely, if ever, use soap.

I have heard no complaints. Well, my mom complains, but that's only after a day of gardening or something.
 
When I use to break out a lot I washed my face 4 times per day. After I cut down to 1-2 I hardly break out anymore.

Is it something that is related to natural skin oils and repeatedly washing it off causes break outs?
 

Orayn

Member
Crakatak187 said:
When I use to break out a lot I washed my face 4 times per day. After I cut down to 1-2 I hardly break out anymore.

Is it something that is related to natural skin oils and repeatedly washing it off causes break outs?
Acne is a bit of a trickier case since there are more factors than just oil, but with shampoo and skin, it's about a balance. The natural oil your scalp secretes does protect the hair, but it's also pretty gross, so we like to wash most of it off. Now, before the "natural" thing balloons any further, it's also worth pointing out that dreadlocks are pretty much the only "natural" way to wear one's hair.
 
How long is the transition period when your body is 're-regulating' or whatever? It's all well and good but I can't go to work for 3 weeks in this transition period with my hair being oily as fuck. That's the only problem though. I already barely use soap while showering, it would be pretty easy to stop that completely.
 

lunchtoast

Member
I don't wash my hair. At first it was greasy but that goes away. I started about 2 months ago because I heard it in a podcast and decided to try it. I'd be too self conscious about smelling if I stopped using soap though.
 

Scrow

Still Tagged Accordingly
saunderez said:
The alternative is greasy hair and skin. Which inevitably gets itchy. Hot water alone won't take care of that. And it's a hell of a lot worse than putting a bit of soap on my skin and shampoo in my hair.

I'll take the "disadvantages" of being clean any day.
warm water and some kind of ex-foliating device can do wonders without soap, particularly when cleaning your face
 

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
I remember in my history lesson 10 years ago about a person who stated that they had not showered for a month. The smell seems to disappear naturally after the 2 week period?
 

Hero

Member
Good for him but I don't think I'd want the general populace to do this. Privates need to be cleaned thoroughly. Period.
 

dejay

Banned
I actually tried this with shampoo and I had excellent results - my scalp and hair stopped getting greasy after a few weeks. The only problem was that I use an anti-dandruff shampoo. Whilst my hair felt great, it started snowing again :( If it wasn't for my dandruff I'd never use shampoo again.

I'd never try not using soap - one day in a Sydney summer and I'm gagging for a shower. Showering without soap doesn't do it for me.
 

Rad-

Member
NEOPARADIGM said:
Well I can say that I almost never wash my face and yet have a much better complexion than my gf who does the whole wash-face-twice-a-day thing.

Interesting.

Does she use soap on her face? That's a big no-no.
 

TUROK

Member
Well, I'm gonna give this a shot, although I NEED to wash my ass and junk with soap. I feel dirty if I don't.
 

Murkas

Member
Around 2 months ago I actually tried to go no shampoo and just use water and soap after hearing the success stories. I could only last like 10 days, my hair started to feel really oily and itchy. I think my hair still needed more time to adjust getting use to the fact that there wasn't going to be any shampoo but I ended up quitting and going back to shampoo :(
 

Xrenity

Member
Wormdundee said:
How long is the transition period when your body is 're-regulating' or whatever? It's all well and good but I can't go to work for 3 weeks in this transition period with my hair being oily as fuck. That's the only problem though. I already barely use soap while showering, it would be pretty easy to stop that completely.
Why not try gradually toning it down? For example use shampoo every 2 days instead of every day, after a month every 3 days etc.
 

ch0mp

Member
Xrenity said:
Why not try gradually toning it down? For example use shampoo every 2 days instead of every day, after a month every 3 days etc.

Thats like drawing it out and making it 10x worse. I say get it all shaved off then don't wash it; start from scratch.
 

Kentpaul

When keepin it real goes wrong. Very, very wrong.
Despera said:
Shaved my head and I still use shampoo...

I shave my head every saterday, and i still use Shampoo, well i just splat showergel over my head and rub it in, but i could see if i didn't wash my hair for a good while i wouln't have any grease problems

I'l find out when MW3/Gow3 launches, when i go a good 1,2 weeks without a wash.
 

NZer

Member
My nether regions need soap, trust me.

As do my armpits.

I could believe this about everywhere else, though.
 

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
I wonder if this would help me with my sweaty palms/feet condition...

I know this guy who doesn't even shower often (once every 2 weeks) and surprisingly he doesn't smell or look dirty at all. As for his hair, it's pretty short so I guess it's easier for him. Would probably not work, or take a hell of a long time for my hair to adjust. It's thin and all around not of good quality (can never get a good hairstyle out of it, even with gel).

I'm tempted to do the "no soap" thing though.
 

Massa

Member
I think I've ran into this random internet dude quite a few times on the bus... I do not agree with his findings.
 
There's some thruth to this. Withouth reading it anywhere i decided to experiment a bit, so i stopped using shampoo. The dandruff went away and the hair felt a lot better, problem is i have an oily scalp. Oil traps the dirt like a magnet. So to wash away the oil and dirt water alone isn't enough. The healthy hair sensation was enjoyed for some months until i had to cut the hair, knew it was all over then. Tried my best to wash it with water with no success. Shampoo had to be used and that was the end.

Don't know how someone could get away withouth using deodorant, substitute it with powder maybe?
RobertM said:
It would have been more impressive if he stopped bathing altogether. Pussy.
Had the chance to try that out since i had the oportunity. Was on school vacation and in a secluded area. Went on withouth bating for more or less 29-32 days. Have done other experiments like how long withouth drinking water or not eating.
 

beje

Banned
Refreshment.01 said:
Don't know how someone could get away withouth using deodorant, substitute it with powder maybe?

Yup, I know a guy that manages to live completely without any kind of deodorant. He started substituting it with talcum powder and eventually (after a couple of months) he didn't need anything at all after a shower. There was a time where he had to put more powder a few times every day and sometimes he eventually started smelling at the end of the day though. Now he doesn't stink at all and actually smells really good, and trust me, i've fucked with him.
 
beje said:
Yup, I know a guy that manages to live completely without any kind of deodorant. He started substituting it with talcum powder and eventually (after a couple of months) he didn't need anything at all after a shower. There was a time where he had to put more powder a few times every day and sometimes he eventually started smelling at the end of the day though. Now he doesn't stink at all and actually smells really good, and trust me, i've fucked with him.
What type of weather he has there? I tried that but it didn't work for me with the warm weather, sweating all the time, felt like quick sand in the arm pit. The other downside was that talcum doesn't last as long as dedodorant to me. Plus i have a trick to make deodorant bottle last like 40% more.
Zoe said:
Deodorant stones, maybe?
Deodorant stones? First, time in my life i heard of those :O
 

beje

Banned
Refreshment.01 said:
What type of weather he has there? I tried that but i didn't work for me with this very warm weather, sweating all the time. The other downside was that talcum doesn't last as long as dedodorant to me. Plus i have a trick to make deodorant bottle last like 40% more.
Central Spanish weather, so very hot in summer, around freezing in winter.
 
beje said:
Central Spanish weather, so very hot in summer, around freezing in winter.
Ah España, Coño that´s hot! If you have any tips share them please. But probably it depends of the individual i guess, so i won't be able to pull it off anyway :D

Edit: Well it's hot in summer according to what you claim. Here everytime of the year is like summer. So no way it'll work for me.
 

J-Rod

Member
Sounds like grade A horseshit to me, and rinsing with water isn't bathing. There is a reason humans have been making and using soap for thousands of years even though they have had access to water. Not all soaps are made with synthetic chemicals. You can get soap made with natural plant or animal substances that are just as natural as our chlorinated bath water. I wanted to make a joke about how our teeth weren't designed for chemicals so we shouldn't brush with toothpaste, or some other ridicuous horseshit, but I see others are already taking that idea seriously.
 

LosDaddie

Banned
beje said:
Yup, I know a guy that manages to live completely without any kind of deodorant. He started substituting it with talcum powder and eventually (after a couple of months) he didn't need anything at all after a shower. There was a time where he had to put more powder a few times every day and sometimes he eventually started smelling at the end of the day though. Now he doesn't stink at all and actually smells really good, and trust me, i've fucked with him.

:lol What kind of physical activity does your friend do?
 
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