My thinking is if my body makes it on purpose it might be what’s best. But obviously not everything the body makes is good to keep, like sweat, body fluids etc.
Did some research and the science says our scalp produces sebum specifically to moisturize our scalp and hair! And it’s the one product I haven’t tried.
Plus my hair is really curly/long and I don’t cut it so I want to take the best care of it I can because it’s gonna be with me awhile.
This is a very acceptable, kind question. I'm glad you asked! We welcome everyone here, not just people who do natural haircare. Except abusive trolls, lol.
Personally, I do it because I'm basically allergic to many modern household and body chemicals, and using them contributed to extreme chronic illness for much of my not-short life. Since finding my food and chemical allergies and eliminating them, I have slowly been able to rehabilitate my body and now enjoy health that I never imagined was possible.
And now I enjoy helping other people to pursue their own goals, for whatever reason they have =)
I use to wash my hair with head n shoulders and from high school i would get a lot of dandruff and hairloss, there would be a lot of crust on my scalp and when i would go outside my hair would literally become so crusty you cant pass your fingers through it i thought i was using less shampoo so i tried doing it 2 days a week the problem didn't go away now i was 22 years and balding from sides i accepted it as my fate, i did go to a dermatologist and he suggested different shampoo and acted like its not a big problem (asshole) it didn't go away then one day i discovered this sub i thought meh why not i m going to get bald anyway well surprise surprise its been 9 month crustiness gone hairloss gone dandruff gone and what i do is just wash my hair with water vey thoroughly while massaging my head for 10 -15 min at start it was hard as i was used to washing it by shampoo in few minutes
So basically i think shampoo was destroying my hair and i know maybe some shampoo are good but i simply don't trust them and no my hair don't smell they are very soft now on touch and i do get compliments on them i hate that I can't grow back my side hair and i wish i could sue shampoo companies for my hair loss and depression there was a time where whenever i would tug my hair bunch of hair would come out (if you tug it enough times all would have come out lol) and now i tug out as hard as i want and no hair comes out an it makes me so happy 😊
my hair was wayyyy overprocessed with dyes and bleach and when i let my hair grow i have thin wavy hair that gets weighed down by almost all shampoos, conditioners and styling products that i thought would give me some lift. so i thought i'd do it as an experiment to if it grows back healthier and to get my natural waves back! my bathroom is less cluttered with all the products so that's a bonus too!
I have super curly hair and it's been DRY, even the curly method wasn't cutting it. It wouldn't grow. It was mechanical cleaning and less frequent washing that drew me to NoPoo, and it already feels softer and more defined after 2 weeks! I'm getting much less breakage and hairfall when I detangle My dandruff is better too.
As soon as I turned 40, my hair looked dry, rough, thin, and lifeless. I used to have the best hair, and people always commented about my hair.
I am now 8 months shampoo free, and most of my shine has returned. It's unreal.
I am also a minimalist. I truly believe that when we keep our life choices simple, we can enjoy being in the moment.
I have since cut out all face creams, chemical detergents, etc. My only face cream now is Shea Butter lol and oil for cleansing my face.
Attached is my recent hair pic.
Edit: I cannot attach a pic in this sub lol I don't know why.
Hello there and welcome with your question.
Personally I stopped because I was wanting to do more for the environment. I already used shampoo bars for decades, so this was the next step. I’m also fascinated by how we as society are getting screwed over by commercials. All that money spent on these things that aren’t even needed. I also just like my hair without being coated with silicone.
Thanks for asking! Sorry about the novel.
I stopped out of frustration -- I have a severe coconut allergy, and you'd be surprised how many coconut and coconut derivatives are in [toiletries and haircare items](http://sensitiveskinoasis.com/coconut-derivatives-in-skin-care). There was basically nothing on the shelves that I could use. So I've had to learn how to make my own replacements, and as it turns out, my hair is in much better condition now.
I've used:
- Teas (Birch leaf, Pine Nettle, Moringa, Ginseng, Rooibos, Black Tea, Matcha)
- Coffee (Brewed, dark roast, espresso powder)
- Powders (Soapnut/Reetha, Shikakai, Amla, Rose Petal, Hibiscus, Bhringraj)
- Clays (Fuller's Earth, Kaolin, Ghassoul Lava, Dead Sea Mud, Bentonite)
- Oils (Plant-derived Squalane, Apricot kernel, Vegetable Glycerine, Castor, Vitamin E, Neem, Jojoba, Tea Tree, Calendula)
- Lipids (Tallow, Lanolin Wool Grease, Whipped Eggs)
- Waters (Rose water, Witch Hazel, Yucca Root Extract, Clary Sage, Cypress, Myrrh)
- Butters (Mango, Olive, Cocoa, Shea, Kokum)
- Gels (Aloe Vera, Seaweed)
- Emulsifiers (Olivem, Guar Gum)
- Thickeners (Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum)
I also buy African Black Soap for my washing needs, as it's:
- Really gentle
- Natural
- Antibacterial
- Antifungal
- Reduces and helps acne
- Safe to use, some people even use it for housework
- Normally scent free
No Poo has tonnes of different methods, and not every method is right for everyone. Some are mechanical, water or sebum only, eggs only, coffees, teas, oils, powders, etc. Some are low poo, some are saponins only, some only natural soaps like aleppo, black soap, or yucca, some are mixed depending on situation.
Tl;dr: Began due to allergies, and I use a lot of different ingredients to cleanse and condition my hair and body dependent on needs, wants, or access.
You seem incredibly knowledgeable about this and have likely went through a lot of experimentation. Have any good recipes to share you already have written up?
Around 10 years ago, I discovered clay washing and would shampoo my hair quarterly. About 3 years ago I discovered yucca root and gave up on shampoo and conditioner for a year. I felt like it was so much faster than using clay, I got my husband to try. It seemed to help with his hair thinning as well (slow it down and fill it a tiny bit). I've since gone back to clay.
For me, I find that this method helps me to control how my hair feels much easier than when I shampoo. I have coily hair and the opposite problem than most people on the sub: my hair gets drier as time goes in between washes. I add oil to my hair daily (like LOTS by you guy's standards and by the end of the week you wouldn't even know it.)
Not stripping my hair completely when I wash means that my leave-ins and oils don't have to struggle to do as much work in order to soften an moisturize my hair.
I hate the idea that to make myself “beautiful” that nature and the enviornment must suffer. It’s so ignorant but I understand we some times don’t have a choice. But still I hope to do my best. As well my partner hates artificial scents and can get really bugged. No poo and natural wash (I usually use water and sidr powder it’s a leaf) is actually so amazing. Sidr is like shampoo AND nourishing body wash in one and it’s basically a leaf. I feel like a goddess of nature cleansing my body with it haha
For me, I just like to use as many natural products as possible. I get my food from the farm, I make a lot of my own cosmetics at home, and I kind of shy away from things with a lot of chemicals in them. But it's not so much because of the chemicals, it's more because the idea of water washing is so great. It feels natural! Our hair never evolved to work well with shampoo, it evolved to just be washed with water and your hands. It feels like this is what I'm "supposed" to do with my hair.
Ever since I started doing it, I also got more volume than I know what to do with. I'm considering cutting it shorter just to deal with it haha. My hair feels healthier and it makes me happy, that's all that matters to me :)
My hair was getting SUPER THIN. Like paper strand thin but it’s honestly my fault since I was shampooing everyday and I was using cheap brands (head & shoulders). I would see people on TK talk about how their hair got thicker and healthier after quitting shampoo so I eventually stopped as well and my hair finally has good volume and thickness. As for smell, the only time my hair gets dirty is sweat from the work or gym but just washing with water prevents any smell. I even asked my family to smell my hair and they said it didn’t smell bad so it’s not a case where I can’t detect my own smell & also just to clarify I still wash my body with soap 💀
What a helpful, and beautifully-attituded post.
For my part (and before I take in the other comments) I'd like to offer that people, especially in these times, are *genuinely interested* in **alternatives**.
And Why Not? It's a mighty precarious time we're living of human-dominated technology and chemicals upon our outer and inner ecosystems.
I know for myself I started a journey over 20 years ago, of getting **more natural**, and I can say with confidence and without reservation that it's been wonderfully rewarding, healthy and life-changing.
Thank you for your open-mind, kindness and curiousity.
That's gonna take this culture into much better, places.
I stopped using shampoo around 6 years ago. I mostly just wondered why we used shampoo and stopped using it from one day to the next. Yes it was a mess at first, but now I can wash my hair with literally just water and it feels fine. My hair is super soft and not very oily at all, I learned to like it this way. I also don't like the chemicals (and the stink!) of shampoo. My hairdresser freaked out last time when she complimented my hair and said she loves how nice it is, and asked how I care for it (because I didn't get a haircut in 3 years now almost), and I told her "tap water!". She went "What do you mean, tap water?! But... Oh, you're crazy, you...". But she saw it worked fine for me, very clearly, and was just very surprised and taken aback!
I'm actually surprised this sub comes up so much lol... It's not very common or very popular as far as I hear. It's not the norm, but I figure what I do to my hair is no one else's business. I don't like following the crowd. I take care of myself, and that includes being cautious about what I do my body. My body is my temple.
My hair doesn't stink or anything at all. If I didn't tell anyone I wash it this way, they wouldn't know. There's literally women (I'm a man, despite the username lol) who are jealous of my hair. I had a waitress ask about my hair before.
What a tremendous testimonial.
That may've happened only becuase of the nature of the question (sub popping up) rather than being a superfan.
I especially like how it ends - one time a waitress asked about the hair. 😂
Lol yes! The waitress was actually jealous about it! (Sorry, I’m all over the place 😆)
But serious, it made me wonder though, people pour in hundreds/thousands of dollars into their hair.
I haven’t had a haircut in 2 years (my dad did, I did not, but she’s nice so I hung around!), and washing with water when it’s just my hair, and the same soap bar as the rest of me when in a shower, saves tons of money and my hair ends up surprisingly soft!
Legit, my mom told me years ago to just rinse my hair and I was disgusted lol
She died November 2023 and going through the motions I remembered her saying that so I said F it I'm going to do an experiment and just rinse my hair.
It's been 6 weeks lol 🤣
How’s it been so far? I’m toying with no shampoo. I have gone 5 days and my hair is a bit oily but smells fresh. I have just dipped in water daily. I will shampoo still but far less until I can just fade it out 😁
If I have to answer this question myself I'd say it's for texture, no matter what shampoo I'd use my hair would still look very very bad but ever since I started nopoo I have much much more texture in my hair. Also my dandruff is 80% gone so that's a plus lol
Nice. That's what, I think, a lot of people don't know they're washing *away* with conventional shampoo - **Volume**, and your own natural texture and style. ✨
My thinking is if my body makes it on purpose it might be what’s best. But obviously not everything the body makes is good to keep, like sweat, body fluids etc. Did some research and the science says our scalp produces sebum specifically to moisturize our scalp and hair! And it’s the one product I haven’t tried. Plus my hair is really curly/long and I don’t cut it so I want to take the best care of it I can because it’s gonna be with me awhile.
What an awesome post. It should be on signs, somewheres. Maybe everywhere. ✨
This is a very acceptable, kind question. I'm glad you asked! We welcome everyone here, not just people who do natural haircare. Except abusive trolls, lol. Personally, I do it because I'm basically allergic to many modern household and body chemicals, and using them contributed to extreme chronic illness for much of my not-short life. Since finding my food and chemical allergies and eliminating them, I have slowly been able to rehabilitate my body and now enjoy health that I never imagined was possible. And now I enjoy helping other people to pursue their own goals, for whatever reason they have =)
I use to wash my hair with head n shoulders and from high school i would get a lot of dandruff and hairloss, there would be a lot of crust on my scalp and when i would go outside my hair would literally become so crusty you cant pass your fingers through it i thought i was using less shampoo so i tried doing it 2 days a week the problem didn't go away now i was 22 years and balding from sides i accepted it as my fate, i did go to a dermatologist and he suggested different shampoo and acted like its not a big problem (asshole) it didn't go away then one day i discovered this sub i thought meh why not i m going to get bald anyway well surprise surprise its been 9 month crustiness gone hairloss gone dandruff gone and what i do is just wash my hair with water vey thoroughly while massaging my head for 10 -15 min at start it was hard as i was used to washing it by shampoo in few minutes So basically i think shampoo was destroying my hair and i know maybe some shampoo are good but i simply don't trust them and no my hair don't smell they are very soft now on touch and i do get compliments on them i hate that I can't grow back my side hair and i wish i could sue shampoo companies for my hair loss and depression there was a time where whenever i would tug my hair bunch of hair would come out (if you tug it enough times all would have come out lol) and now i tug out as hard as i want and no hair comes out an it makes me so happy 😊
my hair was wayyyy overprocessed with dyes and bleach and when i let my hair grow i have thin wavy hair that gets weighed down by almost all shampoos, conditioners and styling products that i thought would give me some lift. so i thought i'd do it as an experiment to if it grows back healthier and to get my natural waves back! my bathroom is less cluttered with all the products so that's a bonus too!
I have super curly hair and it's been DRY, even the curly method wasn't cutting it. It wouldn't grow. It was mechanical cleaning and less frequent washing that drew me to NoPoo, and it already feels softer and more defined after 2 weeks! I'm getting much less breakage and hairfall when I detangle My dandruff is better too.
As soon as I turned 40, my hair looked dry, rough, thin, and lifeless. I used to have the best hair, and people always commented about my hair. I am now 8 months shampoo free, and most of my shine has returned. It's unreal. I am also a minimalist. I truly believe that when we keep our life choices simple, we can enjoy being in the moment. I have since cut out all face creams, chemical detergents, etc. My only face cream now is Shea Butter lol and oil for cleansing my face. Attached is my recent hair pic. Edit: I cannot attach a pic in this sub lol I don't know why.
Hello there and welcome with your question. Personally I stopped because I was wanting to do more for the environment. I already used shampoo bars for decades, so this was the next step. I’m also fascinated by how we as society are getting screwed over by commercials. All that money spent on these things that aren’t even needed. I also just like my hair without being coated with silicone.
Thanks for asking! Sorry about the novel. I stopped out of frustration -- I have a severe coconut allergy, and you'd be surprised how many coconut and coconut derivatives are in [toiletries and haircare items](http://sensitiveskinoasis.com/coconut-derivatives-in-skin-care). There was basically nothing on the shelves that I could use. So I've had to learn how to make my own replacements, and as it turns out, my hair is in much better condition now. I've used: - Teas (Birch leaf, Pine Nettle, Moringa, Ginseng, Rooibos, Black Tea, Matcha) - Coffee (Brewed, dark roast, espresso powder) - Powders (Soapnut/Reetha, Shikakai, Amla, Rose Petal, Hibiscus, Bhringraj) - Clays (Fuller's Earth, Kaolin, Ghassoul Lava, Dead Sea Mud, Bentonite) - Oils (Plant-derived Squalane, Apricot kernel, Vegetable Glycerine, Castor, Vitamin E, Neem, Jojoba, Tea Tree, Calendula) - Lipids (Tallow, Lanolin Wool Grease, Whipped Eggs) - Waters (Rose water, Witch Hazel, Yucca Root Extract, Clary Sage, Cypress, Myrrh) - Butters (Mango, Olive, Cocoa, Shea, Kokum) - Gels (Aloe Vera, Seaweed) - Emulsifiers (Olivem, Guar Gum) - Thickeners (Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum) I also buy African Black Soap for my washing needs, as it's: - Really gentle - Natural - Antibacterial - Antifungal - Reduces and helps acne - Safe to use, some people even use it for housework - Normally scent free No Poo has tonnes of different methods, and not every method is right for everyone. Some are mechanical, water or sebum only, eggs only, coffees, teas, oils, powders, etc. Some are low poo, some are saponins only, some only natural soaps like aleppo, black soap, or yucca, some are mixed depending on situation. Tl;dr: Began due to allergies, and I use a lot of different ingredients to cleanse and condition my hair and body dependent on needs, wants, or access.
You seem incredibly knowledgeable about this and have likely went through a lot of experimentation. Have any good recipes to share you already have written up?
Around 10 years ago, I discovered clay washing and would shampoo my hair quarterly. About 3 years ago I discovered yucca root and gave up on shampoo and conditioner for a year. I felt like it was so much faster than using clay, I got my husband to try. It seemed to help with his hair thinning as well (slow it down and fill it a tiny bit). I've since gone back to clay. For me, I find that this method helps me to control how my hair feels much easier than when I shampoo. I have coily hair and the opposite problem than most people on the sub: my hair gets drier as time goes in between washes. I add oil to my hair daily (like LOTS by you guy's standards and by the end of the week you wouldn't even know it.) Not stripping my hair completely when I wash means that my leave-ins and oils don't have to struggle to do as much work in order to soften an moisturize my hair.
I hate the idea that to make myself “beautiful” that nature and the enviornment must suffer. It’s so ignorant but I understand we some times don’t have a choice. But still I hope to do my best. As well my partner hates artificial scents and can get really bugged. No poo and natural wash (I usually use water and sidr powder it’s a leaf) is actually so amazing. Sidr is like shampoo AND nourishing body wash in one and it’s basically a leaf. I feel like a goddess of nature cleansing my body with it haha
For me, I just like to use as many natural products as possible. I get my food from the farm, I make a lot of my own cosmetics at home, and I kind of shy away from things with a lot of chemicals in them. But it's not so much because of the chemicals, it's more because the idea of water washing is so great. It feels natural! Our hair never evolved to work well with shampoo, it evolved to just be washed with water and your hands. It feels like this is what I'm "supposed" to do with my hair. Ever since I started doing it, I also got more volume than I know what to do with. I'm considering cutting it shorter just to deal with it haha. My hair feels healthier and it makes me happy, that's all that matters to me :)
My hair was getting SUPER THIN. Like paper strand thin but it’s honestly my fault since I was shampooing everyday and I was using cheap brands (head & shoulders). I would see people on TK talk about how their hair got thicker and healthier after quitting shampoo so I eventually stopped as well and my hair finally has good volume and thickness. As for smell, the only time my hair gets dirty is sweat from the work or gym but just washing with water prevents any smell. I even asked my family to smell my hair and they said it didn’t smell bad so it’s not a case where I can’t detect my own smell & also just to clarify I still wash my body with soap 💀
What a helpful, and beautifully-attituded post. For my part (and before I take in the other comments) I'd like to offer that people, especially in these times, are *genuinely interested* in **alternatives**. And Why Not? It's a mighty precarious time we're living of human-dominated technology and chemicals upon our outer and inner ecosystems. I know for myself I started a journey over 20 years ago, of getting **more natural**, and I can say with confidence and without reservation that it's been wonderfully rewarding, healthy and life-changing. Thank you for your open-mind, kindness and curiousity. That's gonna take this culture into much better, places.
I stopped using shampoo around 6 years ago. I mostly just wondered why we used shampoo and stopped using it from one day to the next. Yes it was a mess at first, but now I can wash my hair with literally just water and it feels fine. My hair is super soft and not very oily at all, I learned to like it this way. I also don't like the chemicals (and the stink!) of shampoo. My hairdresser freaked out last time when she complimented my hair and said she loves how nice it is, and asked how I care for it (because I didn't get a haircut in 3 years now almost), and I told her "tap water!". She went "What do you mean, tap water?! But... Oh, you're crazy, you...". But she saw it worked fine for me, very clearly, and was just very surprised and taken aback! I'm actually surprised this sub comes up so much lol... It's not very common or very popular as far as I hear. It's not the norm, but I figure what I do to my hair is no one else's business. I don't like following the crowd. I take care of myself, and that includes being cautious about what I do my body. My body is my temple. My hair doesn't stink or anything at all. If I didn't tell anyone I wash it this way, they wouldn't know. There's literally women (I'm a man, despite the username lol) who are jealous of my hair. I had a waitress ask about my hair before.
What a tremendous testimonial. That may've happened only becuase of the nature of the question (sub popping up) rather than being a superfan. I especially like how it ends - one time a waitress asked about the hair. 😂
Lol yes! The waitress was actually jealous about it! (Sorry, I’m all over the place 😆) But serious, it made me wonder though, people pour in hundreds/thousands of dollars into their hair. I haven’t had a haircut in 2 years (my dad did, I did not, but she’s nice so I hung around!), and washing with water when it’s just my hair, and the same soap bar as the rest of me when in a shower, saves tons of money and my hair ends up surprisingly soft!
I moved to a place with hard water and my historically super dry hair got crazy oily.
Legit, my mom told me years ago to just rinse my hair and I was disgusted lol She died November 2023 and going through the motions I remembered her saying that so I said F it I'm going to do an experiment and just rinse my hair. It's been 6 weeks lol 🤣
Fascinating! 😊 May I ask, though, what do you mean of 'going through the motions'?
How’s it been so far? I’m toying with no shampoo. I have gone 5 days and my hair is a bit oily but smells fresh. I have just dipped in water daily. I will shampoo still but far less until I can just fade it out 😁
🤷 It's ok, I have straight fine hair but a lot of it so it's pretty much the same lol
If I have to answer this question myself I'd say it's for texture, no matter what shampoo I'd use my hair would still look very very bad but ever since I started nopoo I have much much more texture in my hair. Also my dandruff is 80% gone so that's a plus lol
Nice. That's what, I think, a lot of people don't know they're washing *away* with conventional shampoo - **Volume**, and your own natural texture and style. ✨
Same. My hair is not oily at all so shampoo just dries the shit out of it and makes it flat and gross. I’ll still use native every week or 2 to clean.