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[iamaustrian]

This is gross.

it's gross to wash yourself only with water???

smh

 

[beje]

it's gross to wash yourself only with water???

smh

Yup, some people are so much influenced by advertising it's no longer funny.

 

[adamsappel]

I'm willing to give this a try, but if you don't wash your hair with shampoo, won't it end up looking like this shit?

No. That guy doesn't brush his hair at all and/or twists his hair into dreads. Has nothing to do with shampooing.

 

[.la1n]

I don't shampoo and my hair isn't greasy, when I ask my girlfriend what my hair smells like she says "hair." Taking into account I do actually shower and rinse it.

 

[demon]

I think not using soap at all is pretty nasty......there are areas that just need that extra level of hygienic care, such as arm pits, junk, and crack'a'da'ass. Other than that, though, I almost never use soap anywhere else. Don't see the need.

 

[WarMacheen]

If you think you don't smell, you are wrong.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

What if a dog pees on you when you are asleep?Or a bear shits on you when you're camping?Would water help that?

 

[demon]

What if a dog pees on you when you are asleep?Or a bear shits on you when you're camping?Would water help that?

If animals are always going to the bathroom on you I think you have bigger problems to solve.

 

[LakeEarth]

I've had dandruff for over a decade now, and 3-5 time a week head and shoulder use wasn't doing anything. So I was willing to try just water. It has only been a week since I started this, and as of right now, I don't have dandruff. I just patted my head over a black table and nothing fell out. WTF, has my dandruff problem really been caused by my anti-dandruff shampoo? Seriously?

 

[clearacell]

Okay, I'm going to try this. I work part time as a dishwasher so my hands are in constant contact with heat and cleaning chemicals, so I've seen the result literally first hand of what these things can do for your skin. I've spent hundreds of dollars over time on really girly skin care shit just to bring my hands back to somewhat recognizable figures...and they are still a bit flakey (though the girly overnight gloves and moisturizers really do help). I haven't tried the "no soap" on my body so I'm hoping any little bit helps my hands but also it really makes sense to not use soap for my whole body considering what I know it does to one part of it already.

I do use hair wax so we'll see how that goes...and I'm still gonna use unscented deodorant and gonna wash my hands and ass on an as needed basis...because I mean, c'mon.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I've had dandruff for over a decade now, and 3-5 time a week head and shoulder use wasn't doing anything. So I was willing to try just water. It has only been a week since I started this, and as of right now, I don't have dandruff. I just patted my head over a black table and nothing fell out. WTF, has my dandruff problem really been caused by my anti-dandruff shampoo? Seriously?

Dandruff is dry skin. Shampoo and soap dry out the skin.

Still, it's a kinda WTF thing to be reading this thread.

 

[Ad Infinitum]

My friend doesn't wash with shampoo or soap and she smells fantastic.

 

[Zoe]

Dandruff is dry skin. Shampoo and soap dry out the skin.

Actually, in many cases dandruff is a fungal infection. It happens when your body's ecosystem is out of balance.

 

[Freshmaker]

Yup, some people are so much influenced by advertising it's no longer funny.

Buy the caveman diet!

I'm half surprised someone hasn't tried to sell people on the health benefits of wearing nothing but a loin cloth.

 

[Effect]

This is very interesting. I have vacation time coming up and I wasn't planning on going anywhere so I might actually give this a try. Limited interaction as I'm naturally going to be afraid if I'll smell bad but seems like a shor t enough time. Just need to give a heads up to family I'm going to be around I'm attempting this. Deodorant is a must though. Getting a hair cut soon this week so once it's all off I'll start with that until the vacation and see how that goes.

 

[entremet]

So far so good. Showering twice a day, though, being summer and all. But no soap no shampoo. Deodorant obviously. Skin feels much better.

I do miss the soapy, perfurmy feeling though. Let's see how long I can go. I sit and squeeze into crowded mass transit seats--no weird looks and I've asked close friends to smell me. No stink.

 

[etiolate]

As a resident of a hippie college where soap and shampoo are not in regular usage, I find this guy's claims to be dubious.

 

[cloudwalking]

i usually shampoo my hair with silicone-free shampoo every morning, but today thanks to this thread i decided to try just rinsing it.

i have very long hair, goes halfway down my back. when i got out of the shower my hair was a complete mess of tangles, almost un-combable. it took me 15 minutes to get all of the knots out.

i don't know how i could possibly do this over an extended period of time to wait and see if i get any results. that's 15 minutes of detangling i don't feel like wasting as opposed to two minutes shampooing.

 

[Everdred]

I'm doing this, I'm on day 6. So far so good. No issues and I still smell fine (asking people).

I use deodorant.
I wash my body with water and a loofah.
I have short hair (inch) and I just do the motion of shampooing without the poo.

 

[perfectchaos007]

I know now, but I'd still rather not think about how much I spent on soap and shampoo and related products over the years when they were likely causing all the problems I was trying to protect against.

A 3 pack of Soap ( Ivory or Irish Spring ) is $1. each bar lasts me a about a month so thats 33 cents in personal soap per month. Times 12 months = ~$4. Maybe if he DID take the time to think about how much he spends on soap he would have realize a years supply is about the cost of a gallon of gas. Shampoo you can get a big bottle for $1 as well that lasts 2-3 months. So between $8-$9 a year on soap and shampoo. Yeah not worth the oily feeling for a week just to let my body (hopefully) adjust to not have cleaning agents on my skin.

 

[Kai Dracon]

As a resident of a hippie college where soap and shampoo are not in regular usage, I find this guy's claims to be dubious.

Generally speaking, the typical person who doesn't use body soap doesn't take a shower or bath, period. Or they perform the nerd ritual of "the slightly damp sponging".

 

[Zoe]

i usually shampoo my hair with silicone-free shampoo every morning, but today thanks to this thread i decided to try just rinsing it.

i have very long hair, goes halfway down my back. when i got out of the shower my hair was a complete mess of tangles, almost un-combable. it took me 15 minutes to get all of the knots out.

i don't know how i could possibly do this over an extended period of time to wait and see if i get any results. that's 15 minutes of detangling i don't feel like wasting as opposed to two minutes shampooing.

Do you brush your hair before going in? That makes a huge difference for me.

Most longhaired girls I know of do the conditioner-only thing or once/twice a week washing instead of only using water.

 

[John_B]

5-6 days in without soap, shampoo or deodarant even. I only use soap on the hands after taking a shit.

The skin feels alright. The armpits are dreadful though. I will try to shave. Giving it another week.

 

[POWERSPHERE]

I went years of only using Sorbeline to wash with. Hair & body. After a weird first month, your skin feels amazing, you naturally smell less and whilst your hair goes super greasy for a while, it then just regulates itself and becomes nice and soft, but you need to see it through. Works better for short hair than long.

 

[strata8]

I haven't used soap for a while; it ran out and I couldn't be bothered to replace it, then noticed that it really didn't make any difference whatsoever. I still shampoo - just no conditioner - otherwise my hair gets all thick and matted and starts to smell a bit weird. I haven't tried no-shampoo for any extended period of time, though.

 

[Shard]

"Not washing hair can lead to death"

Even if true, it just sounds hilarious.




You could argue they were invented because European nations didn't have enough access to water in order to take daily baths. I don't recall places like the Roman Empire using Soap for baths, but they did take pride in daily baths. The Romans did use Soap to wash clothing though. Maybe at one point someone figured "Soap Cleans Cloths -> Soap Cleans Skin!", and it stuck.

Could also be used to compensate for the lack of hot water in many places.

If memory serves me correctly, the Romans used Olive Oil to clean out their pores and skin.

 

[CorkyFromLifeGoesOn]

I've been washing myself with just water for the last 4 days. I already noticed a drastic change. My elbows and the my hands were constantly dry and ashy, sometimes my forearm would get super dry and itchy. First thing I noticed after a few days was that my skin wasn't ashy, like at all. Doesn't feel or anything. I'm still using deodorant but who knows, I might give that up too.

 

[shadyspace]

Started this yesterday, but just not washing my hair. Showering daily, gonna give it two weeks give or take and see if this "your hair starts looking good again" thing isn't bullshit.

 

[Concept17]

I often go without using soap for my skin. Shampoo every other day or few days as my head gets itchy, but I have that problem where if my hair is past a certain length, it gets all poofy from shampoo, so I don't like to use it too often. But again, it gets itchy if I don't.

I actually went without any kind of body soap for a long, long time, and only recently started using it again last year. I've since gone back to barely using it (only when I had a long work day, went outside somewhere for a long period of time, etc..) I've always had soft skin (for a guy) and have never had any smell problems (use deodorant of course).

I'm curious as to how long it takes without shampoo before your hair 'regulates' itself? I really can't stand the itchiness after a few days.

 

[33-Hit-Combo]

Started this yesterday, but just not washing my hair. Showering daily, gonna give it two weeks give or take and see if this "your hair starts looking good again" thing isn't bullshit.

I'm probably about 6 days in and my hair looks much better than before. It feels a lot thicker now too because of the oils, but not overly. My hair is very thin, so after washing with shampoo it would be really light and straight, looking absolutely awful and uncontrollable. Hair actually has volume and is organisable now. It's also softer and much less bristly.

 

[entremet]

Getting good results with both skin and hair. It took a bit for the hair to ''stabilize''. However, I could not go completely soap free--I use it for my privates, underarms, and ass crack. But my skin feels and looks so much better--suffered from very dry skin for ages and I've tried different soaps as well and dandruff is gone.

 

[Clydefrog]

The thing that makes me feel the cleanest is after at least an hour in the ocean (doing whatever). I’ll come home, take a hot shower (no need for soap) and feel so refreshed. The salt water bath always works!

 

[Rookje]

I haven't used shampoo in like 5 years (i'm 26). But I do use conditioner every week or so.

I've also not used water on my hair for a week or so, and I thought my hair looked amazing after that. But its difficult to keep up.

Shampoo, at least for me, is totally unnecessary.

 

[shadyspace]

I'm probably about 6 days in and my hair looks much better than before. It feels a lot thicker now too because of the oils, but not overly. My hair is very thin, so after washing with shampoo it would be really light and straight, looking absolutely awful and uncontrollable. Hair actually has volume and is organisable now. It's also softer and much less bristly.

Good to hear, my hair's pretty thin as well. Are you wetting it in the shower (i.e. doing what you would with shampoo but sans the shampoo) 'cause that's what I'm doing.

 

[Gvaz]

Sounds more like he should have just tried a different soap.

Yeah that's what I was thinking as well. Soap dries out your skin so he was probably using too much.

 

[YuriLowell]

My greasy ass cant go fucking 12 hours without a shower, let alone 12 MONTHS.

I call bullshit on this.

 

[entremet]

My greasy ass cant go fucking 12 hours without a shower, let alone 12 MONTHS.

I call bullshit on this.

Again. People who are doing this are showering. Just either no soap or limited soap and no shampoo.

 

[AntiTout]

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

I'm the opposite, I use shampoo daily on my head, under my arms and my crotch(?). I never use soap except on my hands.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

I've been showering once a day, no soap or shampoo, since maybe a day before this thread showed up.

The skin on my arms, which has been slightly red for the past few years, is now just tan. Which is fucking awesome. My hair also seems to look better without anything in it. I had to get a haircut to do the no shampoo though, cause I'm pretty sure if it was longer than an inch or an inch and a half I would be having problems with it getting greasy.

My skin also feels better, but I may just be imagining that.

All in all so far so good. I told some of my buds I was going w/o soap/shampoo and they looked at me like "wtf" but I have yet to have anyone say I smell bad or anything.

 

[33-Hit-Combo]

Good to hear, my hair's pretty thin as well. Are you wetting it in the shower (i.e. doing what you would with shampoo but sans the shampoo) 'cause that's what I'm doing.

Yep, just scrubbing my hair with water to loosen any crap. Hair is about 4 inches long on top and no knotting yet.

 

[sfedai0]

What about if you use gel or wax? Just washing your hair with water is sufficient?

 

[shadyspace]

What about if you use gel or wax? Just washing your hair with water is sufficient?

What I've noticed so far (YMMV I'm still early in) is that you don't need that crap if you don't strip the oils from your hair with shampoo. The natural oils are a perfect substitute. I used wax for years, stopped shampooing, ran my hair through it, it looks even better and more styled.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

Um, I can fucking smell my hair if I skip showering for a day..it's not pleasant.

Also, there's something called moisturizing shampoo these days.. as well as adndruff shampoo. It works wonders. I sure to hell hope people don't get inspired to embark on this experiment.The positive/supportive responses here are scary.

 

[John Rabbit]

been doing this for about a week now. a couple of days i've woken up feeling like an oil monster (which is said can be expected as your body figures out wtf is going on) and others i've noticed my skin feels a little nicer than it used to. the dandruff on my head has reduced significantly.

i've been showering with warm/hot water and a scrub brush. i use baby powder instead of deodorant and i have not noticed any new or worsened BO smells (i didn't really have that issue to begin with though).

 

[CriginsMcJuggs]

Once you stop using shampoo you literally dont need any product in your hair. Ive been doing it for about a week now and while my hair is slightly greasy(very slightly) it holds no matter what I do with it, better than product ever did

 

[bionic77]

it's gross to wash yourself only with water???

smh

If you exercise regularly or live in a place that gets warm in the summer then I don't feel that water alone will get you clean. Maybe my skin is oilier or I sweat more than the average GAFer (though it is hard for me to imagine how you don't sweat like a pig after playing an hour of basketball when it is 90+ degrees outside), but I don't feel clean unless I take a shower (and use soap) every day.

This thread is as confusing to me as all of the people on the gaming side arguing over which videogame console is better (which is to say very confusing).

Some people seem to be benefiting from this craziness so I will stop shitting up this thread, but no thanks on this wacky idea!

 

[CriginsMcJuggs]

Um, I can fucking smell my hair if I skip showering for a day..it's not pleasant.

Also, there's something called moisturizing shampoo these days.. as well as adndruff shampoo. It works wonders. I sure to hell hope people don't get inspired to embark on this experiment.The positive/supportive responses here are scary.

How hard is it for people to realize you dont skip the shower, you just dont use shampoo? And anti dandruff shampoo may work better than normal shampoo, but the point is shampoo is what caused the dandruff in the first place

 

[33-Hit-Combo]

Um, I can fucking smell my hair if I skip showering for a day..it's not pleasant.

Also, there's something called moisturizing shampoo these days.. as well as adndruff shampoo. It works wonders. I sure to hell hope people don't get inspired to embark on this experiment.The positive/supportive responses here are scary.

Maybe you just stink. I've asked friends if my hair smells (I still use shower gel for my body), after explaining the situation and they claim it's fine. What's so crazy about it? Hair looks and feels much healthier.

As for the use of wax or similar, you pretty much need shampoo to strip that stuff out. Maybe only use a bit if necessary. As shadyspace mentioned already, you will become less dependent on styling products if you keep it up. I think with gel, that should wash out easily.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

I love the huge amount of misconceptions here solely from people NOT READING THE OP MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ THE OP BEFORE SAYING "EW NOT SHOWERING GROSS"

I've been doing this for a while, it really does 'work' as far as your body does eventually regulate itself again after a few weeks. My dandruff used to be repulsive.

I do use soap on the underworld and do use deodorant. Anti-Perspirent is a must.


And if you somehow smell or anything, then you honestly have big, big issues that are beyond whether you use Soap in the shower. Like fungal growth or dirty clothes. Maybe shit stuck in your ass. Seriously, you shouldn't stink from not using soap.

 

[shadyspace]

I love the huge amount of misconceptions here solely from people NOT READING THE OP MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ THE OP BEFORE SAYING "EW NOT SHOWERING GROSS"

I've been doing this for a while, it really does 'work' as far as your body does eventually regulate itself again after a few weeks. My dandruff used to be repulsive.

I do use soap on the underworld and do use deodorant. Anti-Perspirent is a must.


And if you somehow smell or anything, then you honestly have big, big issues that are beyond whether you use Soap in the shower. Like fungal growth or dirty clothes. Maybe shit stuck in your ass. Seriously, you shouldn't stink from not using soap.

People who are really athletic, constantly working out or who do hard labor daily have a good point. But for the vast majority of us, yeah. On a given day, I sit using the computer, walk to my car, drive to school, walk to classes, sit in classes, drive home, hang out with friends which consists of playing video games/drinking/watching movies and I feel confident in assuming that's the norm for the vast majority of not gaffers, but people living in a Western society. What the hell is wrong with you if that schedule leads you to fucking stinking? Do you roll around in manure?