Do you know someone who "doesn't believe in" shampoo or conditioner?

[Quantess]

Maybe 15 years ago, a neighbor guy with dreadlocks told me that he "didn't believe in using a product to remove oil, and then using another product right afterward to replace the oil".

Recently, a young man with long (combable) hair told me he prefers to wash his hair with baking soda.

I personally feel that shampoos and conditioners are pretty well developed and are safe to use. I couldn't live a full life without hair products, LOL.

I know that these people bathe at least occasionally, because I never smelled anything except mild armpit odor, which I don't really care about, because I don't use aluminum anti-perspirants either. What, exactly, is the objection or resistance to shampoos and conditioners?

[Tobin S.]

1. I think some people object to them because they test their products on animals.

I'm not sure about that though. Maybe someone will come along here and verify that.

[Quantess]

2. I don't like that, either. L'OREAL and Schick razors, I know, have tested on animals before.

Don't even get me started on animal testing.

[hippywife]

3. I don't think all the chemicals in hair products make them safe in the least.

I've stopped coloring my hair and using only those products that have no chemicals in them. I use a rosemary and avocado shampoo bar that's made locally from goat's milk.

Friday, I was talking to my cashier and bagger at the grocery. They both suggested stopping using shampoo altogether. They use only a totally natural conditioner and one used some type of oil. I may give it a try. Neither of them had dreads, but I think dreads are totally sexy. :D

[Pool Hall Ace]

4. I used to use Dr. Bronner's soap for shampooing

and I don't remember why I got out of that habit. However, it worked just fine.

[jmm]

5. The same hair care regimen isn't going to work for everybody.

I shower everyday and rarely use shampoo. I could get into the less chemicals is better for your body and the environment reasons many believe it's better to not use too many hair products but I usually only use conditioner and a little bit of gel because I noticed it left my hair healthier and lower maintenance.

[MicaelS]

6. The No-’Poo Do

They believe it's unnatural, and that it robs the hair of the normal and natural oils the body produces, plus it's much better for the environment not to flush all that crap down the drain. There was an article several months ago about this. Some people wash their hair, but only with just water. The author of the first article, Audrey Schulman, stated when she started out, it took a couple of weeks for her body to get back to a normal state of producing the proper amount of oil, but now her hair is very full and luxurious.

http://thephoenix.com//Boston/Life/40141-No-Poo-Do/

http://natural-products.suite101.com/article.cfm/break_the_shampoo_habit

[hippywife]

21. Thanx for those articles.

I think I'm going to give this a go. I have long curly wavy hair that always dries out on the ends and becomes frizzy. :hi:

[MicaelS]

22. You're welcome.....

I think long curly, wavy, hair is very beautiful. Good luck to you.

[hippywife]

23. I started out this morning

just using water and then massaging a natural conditioner into it. It's pretty fuzzy but the curls are fine. I'm just going to work my way into this slowly combining some of the info from the articles, I think, and the advice the girls at Whole Foods gave me, without adding more oil.

I've been looking for a way to get rid of all these toxins and this seems very feasible. I really appreciate it. :hi:

[curlyred]

24. naturallycurly.com is the place for you!

If you haven't already visited this site, give it a look. You will find lots of people there who gave up traditional shampoo and have great hair.

[hippywife]

26. I just went poking around over there

and did some reading. I checked out their Botanical Rinse. It has methylparben in it. Parabens are also a toxin. I'm thinking it's usually best to take advice from someone who has nothing to sell me, ya know?

Appreciate the info, tho, curlyred. Nice to meet you. :hi:

[sammytko]

7. sometimes i use baking soda and vinegar

It leaves my thick hair clean and shiny. Mix 2-3 Tablespoons of baking soda in about 2 cups of warm water. same with the vinegar. wet hair and then use the baking soda and water mix - work well into scalp. Follow with the vinegar/water mix. Then rinse with warm water.

Feels great. Also helps get rid of any build up of hair spray or gel. I color my hair and haven't seen any discoloration.

It was one of my frugal lifestyle habits.

[LiberalEsto]

8. I'm allergic to 99% of shampoos & conditoners

and it's possible that this person is allergic too. Some people are sensitive to these products without being aware of what's causing their discomfort. They just find that they feel better when not using them.

It takes forever for me to find hair cleaning products that don't make me itch, and then they usually discontinue the products after a few years. Luckily at the moment I have a shampoo (Trader Joe's Nourish) and conditioner (Paul Mitchell's The Original Conditioner) that I can use without problems. But if they get discontinued, it's back to Square One.

[Quantess]

15. Okay, that is a good reason.

That definitely makes sense that they might be allergic to hair products.

I wonder why it hadn't occurred to me..? I have allergic reactions to a lot of skin products!

[Generic Brad]

9. Yes

I had a relative who believed the dish soap he bought at the dollar store worked just fine on his hair, thank you very much.

[DawgHouse]

10. For some, the sulfates and silicones

in shampoos and conditioners wreak havoc on their hair. I personally use sulfate free cleansers and avoid silicones that are not water soluable.

[retread]

11. No. But everyone falls for the directions.

At my next convenience I intend to sue my shampoo vendors. On my shampoo bottle it clearly states, "Lather, rinse, and repeat." There is no exit condition. This is clearly a shabby attempt to make me use up the whole bottle. – From a newsgroup somewhere

[astral]

12. me.

I had a hard time figuring out how to get away from chemical shampoos / conditioners. But I became sensitive to items that didn't used to bothering me after having got sick along with a 'permanent' skin condition.

I use a little of this soap called Miracle II, heavily diluted in water, mixed with borax and vinegar. I add vinegar to my rinsewater and think I need to go more heavy on the vinegar on that part -- this idea is still developing into something that works, but without the vinegar it doesn't work too good.

I like the just baking soda wash and just vinegar rinse idea, I will have to give that a try too, but I really like the borax because it also helps calm and heal the skin. My skin problem isnt on my head, but it is around the eye / ear skin area and I really think it is helping me to learn to go chemical-free.

I have heard of people learning to just wash their hair with plain water but I don't see how that will work for me. It is kinda thick and and is a combination of oily and dry.

Oh, and rubbing some leave-in oil conditioner or coconut oil afterwards helps, but learning to do this just right without making the hair look unwashed again is kinda tricky!

I would love to hear more people's ideas on this.

[sammytko]

13. I have very thick coarse hair and it works great for me

It also feels good on your skin. It seems to get it cleaner. I also have combo dry/oily scalp. Dry on the crown, oily on the edges.

[Odin2005]

14. WTF, No! I have very oily skin and hair. I NEED things that get rid of the oil.

I have never had a problem with dry skin and damaged hair, people always comment on how soft my skin and hair is.

[donheld]

16. This guy

:D

[Broken_Hero]

17. Well no...

but I do know someone who doesn't believe in soap...does that count?

[KT2000]

18. read an article on MSNBC

about this. People have discovered that shampoo makes it so you have to wash your hair more often. It gets oiler from the shampoos. When people quit washing their hair so often and then use just baking soda they find their hair does not get greasy and it changes the texture.
I don't think I could try this though as feel creepy if I don't wash my hair often.

[Quantess]

19. Well, I have a problem with my hair being too dry,

not too oily. I use deep-conditioners every time, and I even put glossing oil on the ends of my hair.

I also don't like to go too long without washing my hair because it starts to feel itchy and "creepy" (but for some reason it doesn't get greasy on its own).

[timtom]

20. I have never used a conditioner

I use a coal-tar based shampoo.

[TrogL]

25. What is this "shampoo" and "conditioner" of which you speak? "Bathe"?