Beauty Secret: Ditch Shampoo

[Dr. Shane]

Ditching shampoo a dirty little beauty secret

Andrea Lynch can’t exactly remember the last time she shampooed her hair. Maybe it was last summer? No, more like September. She thinks.

For most Americans, the idea of skipping shampoo for even a day is enough to make us feel a little itchy. But some hair stylists and dermatologists say going a few extra days between shampoos — or ditching the stuff entirely — could actually benefit your tresses...

Modern shampoo has been around since the 1930s, and in the decades that followed, it became one of America's most heavily advertised products. The harsher formulas of those initial iterations of shampoo meant that most women were washing their hair only once a week (and telling unwanted suitors, "I can't go out; I'm washing my hair."). But as formulas got gentler in the 70s and 80s, daily shampooing became the norm.

But some wonder if we were sold a bill of goods. That trend toward everyday cleansing might have triggered a vicious cycle, some experts say — shampoo cleanses by stripping the hair of its natural, necessary oils, causing the scalp to produce more oil in response, making it impossible for some to skip shampoo for even one day without sprouting a gigantic greaseball...

Some who've junked shampoo use only hot water to rinse the hair. Others use only conditioner, which can be especially helpful for the curly hair that tends to dehydrate quickly and explode into frizzies. But for Lynch and her like-minded no-pooers, the cleanser of choice is simply a 59-cent box of baking soda: She mixes one teaspoon with one cup of water.

“You shake it up real good, and when you get in the shower you pour it on, massage it in and let it sit for a bit, and rinse it out,” Lynch says. The mixture absorbs excess oil without the chemical frills or fruity scents...

But many dermatologists, including Dr. Wilma Bergfeld of the Cleveland Clinic, are skeptical of the no-poo idea. She's mostly concerned that some might take the idea too far, failing to adequately remove scalp oil and subsequently inviting millions of microbes to a delicious feast. (That's when things can start to get smelly.)

[Anthony!]

But many dermatologists, including Dr. Wilma Bergfeld of the Cleveland Clinic, are skeptical of the no-poo idea. She's mostly concerned that some might take the idea too far, failing to adequately remove scalp oil and subsequently inviting millions of microbes to a delicious feast. (That's when things can start to get smelly.)

Yeah, there is a balance... 2 days max is enuff! Ever been really close to organic counter-culture people who eschew late 20th-century hygiene? GAG!!

[Amelia]

I can go about a day or two without washing. But it depends on what my hair looks like the next morning. If I have wicked bed head, in the shower I go. If it looks adequit without too much weird flatness,(total flatness on one side and poofiness on the other) then I will let it go. I just can't stand an itchy head so I won't go more than two days without washing.

[GreatLakesGramma]

I only wash my hair twice a week. I use a straightening iron and a 1 1/2" curling iron to keep it looking good in between.

[Neil D]

HEY SHANE

I HAVE read several years back the many uses for

baking soda.... I knew this man and women that

use to brush their teeth with baking soda.....

this was before some toothpaste companies put baking soda

in there toothpaste....

dgrimm60

And pioneers used to use salt as a preservative. Not exactly the best way preserve food with all the prohibitions on salt in the diet...

[Outta Here]

I just don't know about ditching shampoo--sounds pretty gross to me. I wash my hair at least once a day, sometimes twice. And it's not the scalp that's producing oils--it's the stuff in the air.

Nope. Shampoo stays in my routine.

[Liz]

I'm keeping the shampoo too, and what's wrong with the fruity smell? I like the fruity smell.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

liz said:

Quote:

I'm keeping the shampoo too, and what's wrong with the fruity smell? I like the fruity smell.

me too!

[Gail]

Besides finding one that is made without parabens, I'm also sticking to the practise. Those who promote no shampoo have never seen my hair in the mornings!

[True-believer]

Besides finding one that is made without parabens, I'm also sticking to the practise. Those who promote no shampoo have never seen my hair in the mornings!

Can't say that about my hair, it is cut so short...