# Saying "no" to shampoo. Healthier hair without shampooing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000 "2008-06-24T01:39:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/1 "2008-06-24T01:39:33Z")
[The No-’Poo Do - If you want to lose the ‘fright wig,’ try ditching your shampoo](http://thephoenix.com/Boston//Life/40141-No-Poo-Do/) > [@](#): > > He ran his fingers though my shoulder-length hair and said, “Whatever it is, honey, you keep doing it. Your hair’s looking fine.” > > I’m terrified that this stylist (surrounded by packaged lotions piled high on shelves) will find out I don’t use anything. No hair dye. No conditioner. And here I cough uncomfortably and confess, no shampoo. A “no-’poo do,” as we folks like to call it. > > I used to use shampoo, but around six years ago the ends of my red hair began to rise into the air a little higher each week, frizzy and dry as poodle fur. I tried soaking it in different types of conditioners but they seemed to affect only the hair near my scalp, flattening it with grease until I began to resemble Little Orphan Annie in a rainstorm. Desperate, I experimented with expensive and time-consuming hair-care techniques, the kind that called for heat compresses, mud from the Dead Sea, and (oy) deer placentas. Nothing helped. > > Around the time I was seriously considering a crew cut, I read about a traditional Mexican no-shampoo method that spread natural oils through the hair rather than leaving them clumped up near the scalp. > > This hair treatment is simple, cheap, and fast — my kind of beauty routine. All I have to do is wash with water, then brush my wet hair with a washcloth 100 strokes each side. This moves the oils from the scalp, spreading them evenly across the hair. Miraculously, within two weeks, my frizzy ends became less flyaway. My hair began to shine again, getting wavy instead of bushy. And, since the oils weren’t massed near the scalp, my hair didn’t droop, limp and greasy. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/2 "2008-06-24T01:47:27Z")
Assuming this would work at all, wouldn’t your hair have to be a certain length for it to work? I can’t see 100 strokes distributing the oil evenly on a buzz cut, for instance, or even a bob. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/3 "2008-06-24T01:53:19Z")
What do people with dry scalps do? This sounds like one of those quirky things that may work for some people but by no means all. If she’s happy not washing her hair, so be it. What has that to do with me and mine? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/4 "2008-06-24T02:02:46Z")
I tried this a few months ago. My hair is fine and tends toward the greasy. The conditioner does, indeed, get the hair clean, and very shiny and happy and healthy. For me, though, it got greasy again much faster than with shampoo… which, unfortunately, meant before the end of the day, rather than sometime overnight. It didn’t really work for me. [Wendyknits.net](http://Wendyknits.net) has been using just conditioner for months, though, and loves it–and her hair looks great. She must have a dryer scalp than I do. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/5 "2008-06-24T03:21:55Z")
Last night when I was bathing, I realized we were entirely out of conditioner. So for the first time in many years, I just shampooed and didn’t use conditioner. Much to my surprise, my hair looks better today than it usually does. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/6 "2008-06-24T03:26:31Z")
I have long hair and have a problem with dry ends. I have joined several online groups for the care of long hair and have read a lot about the benefits of no shampoo. I have tried it several times but my hair gets so dammed greasy, it is unbearable. It doesn’t only look bad, my scalp itches and is so greasy that it looks like it’s soaking wet. Also, my normal wavy hair gets weighed down by the grease and no longer curls. It looks like I spread Vaseline all over it. Logically I know that this is probably good for my hair in the long run. But it is so unbearable in the meantime. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/7 "2008-06-24T04:17:48Z")
There are hair support groups? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/8 "2008-06-24T04:45:18Z")
For years, I’ve heard various theorys about how us “decadent Westerners” are stripping our bodies of various natural elements thru the use of harsh shampoo/soaps that keep us healthy or somehow better. Then I spent some time with some “non-decadent Westerners” who didn’t do these things. They stunk and were dirty. I’m using soap and shampoo, regulary, and I don’t pee in the shower, either! I want to _be_ clean,\* look \* clean and _smell_ clean! If I’m a little less “natural”, so be it! ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/9 "2008-06-24T04:48:16Z")
Anecdote: I don’t wash my hair on a regular basis. I’ll do it when it gets stuff in it (e.g. I’ve been working in a dusty place, or fell in the mud), or before a haircut, but usually, I just rinse my hair very well, massage my scalp, and dry it with vigourous towelling. Everyone who knows that I’m experimenting with this (not many people, since it’s still kind of taboo) has said “that’s disgusting, but I have to admit that your hair has never looked better.” ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/10 "2008-06-24T04:53:00Z")
Dirty hair looks terrible and smells worse. I was, however, washing my hair in the shower this morning and it occurred to me, “why don’t we just wash our hair with soap?” ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/11 "2008-06-24T05:09:30Z")
I thought this was going to be about washing your hair with baking soda. I’ve seen instructions for this on other websites, and tried it for a brief period of time. It actually works pretty well. My hair felt clean, smelled clean, and was nice and healthy looking. Supposedly for the full cleansing effect, you should rinse with apple cider vinegar, but I skipped that step. I eventually went back to shampooing mostly because I missed the lather, not really because I felt like my hair wasn’t clean. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/12 "2008-06-24T05:14:33Z")
It’s funny you mention this, because just the other day, my cat was brushing her teeth when… I.e. if you believe in evolution (and if you don’t, stop reading now), shouldn’t we be adapted to having healthy hair without concentrating chemicals on our heads? A thousand years ago, I was reading something about how Americans are freakazoid about taking a shower every day but that isn’t good. IIRC the article said that the skin produces oils that would help keep itself healthy if we stopped washing it away. Instead people go out and buy moisturizer and think they’re taking care of themselves. Skip the daily shower and you wouldn’t need it in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/13 "2008-06-24T05:15:01Z")
[QUOTE=astro] [The No-’Poo Do - If you want to lose the ‘fright wig,’ try ditching your shampoo](http://thephoenix.com/Boston//Life/40141-No-Poo-Do/) [/QUOTE] I’ve always suspected it’s all a scam. Use shampoo to get rid of the oils. Then use product to put oil back into your hair? Scaaaa-am. 🙂 -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/14 "2008-06-24T05:17:51Z")
If you don’t wash your hair as often, your scalp stops producing as much oil. So yeah, that transitional part’s gonna suck, but if you can stick through it you may be happy with the results. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/15 "2008-06-24T06:30:24Z")
I tried it and I didn’t work. I waited for longer than they suggest and at the end my scalp and hair were absolutely nasty. I also tried the baking soda/ACV routine and that didn’t work either. It may work for some people, but I’ve never met anyone with beautiful hair who used this routine. ‘Natural’ remedies that did work: honey, aloe, and coconut milk. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/16 "2008-06-24T06:32:11Z")
Ew. I can clearly remember the smell of stinky patients whose scalps were rank from not shampooing. Seriously gross. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/17 "2008-06-24T06:32:36Z")
Coconut milk is really expensive. How often did you use it? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/18 "2008-06-24T06:34:35Z")
[QUOTE=Sleeps With Butterflies] Ew. I can clearly remember the smell of stinky patients whose scalps were rank from not shampooing. Seriously gross. [/QUOTE] “not washing” and “not shampooing” are not the same thing. At all. Saying that people with filthy scalps have smelly heads has no bearing on whether or not it’s necessary to use shampoo when washing one’s hair. (And we’re talking about people who are putting effort into taking care of their hair, not people who just can’t be bothered to not use shampoo and just get their hair vaguely wet from time to time.) ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/19 "2008-06-24T07:49:33Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] “not washing” and “not shampooing” are not the same thing. At all. Saying that people with filthy scalps have smelly heads has no bearing on whether or not it’s necessary to use shampoo when washing one’s hair. (And we’re talking about people who are putting effort into taking care of their hair, not people who just can’t be bothered to not use shampoo and just get their hair vaguely wet from time to time.) [/QUOTE] I beg to differ. Rubbing water on your head with a washcloth is not the same as using soap. So you can call it what you want, they are not washing nor are they shampooing. You can also say it has no bearing on it, but that doesn’t make it true. Just like your skin, your scalp is “alive” and needs to be cleaned. Should we all just rub a wet washcloth on our bodies to keep clean too? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000/20 "2008-06-24T08:11:24Z")
I rarely shampoo my hair. I have fine dry hair, but there is a lot of it and even though it tends to be dry, it can get oily too. In place of shampoo I use conditioner instead. Aussie products are my favorite, they smell nice and according to the labels, they have a larger quantity of natural ingredients. I still shampoo once a month or once every couple of months. My hair is shiny, healthy and is much less flyaway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-no-to-shampoo-healthier-hair-without-shampooing/454000.md?page=2)