Random Internet dude goes over a year without using soap/shampoo. Surprising results

[USUF]

EDIT because some people are confused:

The Author still uses soap to clean his hands before eating/preparing food and after coming off the restroom. The Author only stopped using Soap and Shampoo for bathing purposes and that is mainly what we are discussing.

You should still use soap to clean your hands FYI

I stopped using soap a year ago. It was easily one of the best moves I've ever made in my entire flippin' life.

About this time last year I read an article (which Mark mentioned here as well) extolling the virtues of a soap-free bathing experience. TL;DR version: Your body is designed to regulate itself. Smearing chemicals all over it wrecks its own built-in processes, and screws with naturally balanced pH levels. This made sense to me and I thought I'd give it a shot for a month.

At the beginning of February 2010, I blogged about the results I'd seen so far. I didn't stink at all (confirmed by friends, family and random people I ended up sitting next to on various forms of public transit), my skin felt better, oily and dry patches had all but disappeared and the light dandruff I'd had my entire life was almost gone. I was pleased with the results of my month experiment and decided I'd run with it for a while longer. As of January 1, 2011: it's been a year now, and I can't imagine ever going back.

More on the results I've seen: As I just mentioned, my skin feels better than ever before. Not that it ever felt bad, really, but it feels awesome now. Still no stink at all, I swear even when I'm really active and sweating I don't notice any B.O., and I used to be über self-conscious about this and would think I was stinking if I walked up a flight of stairs too quickly. So this is a huge improvement for sure. And with the exception of changing climates drastically, even the dandruff is history. My previously wavy and mostly unmanageable hair now seems much more willing to bend to my will, a dream of mine since I first looked in a mirror, brush in hand, then tried and failed to make any sense of that monster. So I approve for sure.

And speaking of hair, that was actually a perfect test. Sometime mid-summer I stopped by a barber and before I'd realized it he'd squirted a glob of shampoo onto my head. It was too late to protest, so I just sat through the scrubbing. For the following 2 weeks my hair was a mess: full of dandruff and totally uncontrollable. Once things balanced back out to the previously established no-soap norms, all was good again.

Unexpected bonus: travel is much easier. Now that I'm not lugging shampoo and conditioner with me on the road, there's that much less for TSA to hassle me about and more room in my luggage (which I quickly filled with coffee stuff, natch). Not that I always carried lots of liquid toiletries with me, but now I don't even have to think about what the hotel I'm going to might provide, or worry about having to borrow something from a friend until I can get to a store and buy my own stuff. Those details are gone. I love it.

The future? I will definitely be sticking with this. I'm still annoyed it took me 35 years to learn what I clearly already knew as a baby kicking and screaming when my parents tried to wash my hair. At least that's what I want to assume I knew back then. 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.

If you don't believe me, you can totally smell me when you see me in public. Really. Just ask. It won't be weird at all. Okay, maybe a little bit.

I haven't used soap or shampoo in a year, and it's awesome: personal experiment update - Boing Boing

Interesting.

Has anyone ever experimented this ever in their life? I once reduced my shampoo usage drastically and it made my hair a bit too oily. But then again, there are theories that using shampoo causes your scalp to produce a lot of oil to compensate for the shampoo washing it away.

May be gradually reducing the usage over a period of time would bring the chemical levels back to normal level?

 

[NighteySenpai]

In the summers, I found myself with a case of significant dandruff. I decided to surf the internet and search the deepest corners for remedies. I came across this helpful and informative website. The author recommended a month long plan to eliminate dandruff. The plan consisted of refraining from shampoos. It also suggest to only wash your hair for 15-25 seconds a day with just water to prevent it from becoming too oily. I tried it for a whole month and found that my head was almost dandruff free. Since that time, I have restricted shampoo usage thoroughly. All I can say is that it does work.

I have never tried going without soap because for me, a bath is no bath without some bubbles. :wub:

 

[RAJNI]

 

[CodeLyoko]

I haven't used soap or shampoo in a year, and it's awesome: personal experiment update - Boing Boing

Interesting.

Has anyone ever experimented this ever in their life? I once reduced my shampoo usage drastically and it made my hair a bit too oily. But then again, there are theories that using shampoo causes your scalp to produce a lot of oil to compensate for the shampoo washing it away.

May be gradually reducing the usage over a period of time would bring the chemical levels back to normal level?

Bhai Khuda Ka Naam Hay Yahan Par Log Pehlay Hee Nahin Nahataay -....-

 

[Crow]

i cut down on shampooing. i shampoo + condition once a week. my hair is better than it's ever been.

 

[Gizmo]

I haven't applied shampoo to my hair since April this year after reading a similar article on the net and my hair's great. All my dandruff is gone and it's much easier to manage. Will dry cutting back on soap as well. See what happens.

 

[USUF]

Bhai Khuda Ka Naam Hay Yahan Par Log Pehlay Hee Nahin Nahataay -....-

No one's saying to stop bathing altogether. One should take a bath at least once a day, but without any use of shampoo and soap. I kinda believe in this article since my usage of shampoo has gone down quite a bit and my dandruff has literally disappeared.

 

[Imran Khalid]

well good post, some interesting experiments :stereo:.

 

[People121]

I am doing a similiar experiment and its almost 2 months now I dont use shampoo on hair. My hair are very oily now and easy to manage they dont tangle any more which was the causing me hair fall and hair breakage.

 

[shahzadfootball]

I'll give this a try

 

[XxRebellionxX]

So it really does work. Well, it will be really hard for me, as I shampoo almost daily and my hair are a dandruff jungle. <_<

 

[USUF]

^ Go off shampoo for a week and post the results. Wash daily though obviously.

 

[baqai]

i only use soap to wash hands, i had a skin condition which after a long time ended up being caused by freaking SOAP ... doesn't matter what brand ..... so yeah i do agree with the article ... interesting thing about shampoo i do have dryness in hair lets see if its because of shampoo

 

[assasin42o]

This thread is exposing our fellow members' filth. And I might puke sooner or later.

 

[abobobilly]

I have always used Shampoo when there is too much Dust in my hair. Otherwise, i can go on MONTHS without using them.

Its a fact that Shampoos have chemicals in them which temporarily shine your hair to make them look beautiful, but overtime ... they are the primary cause of hair fall or even dandruff.

The perfect solution to dandruff? Sarson ka Tail Dandruff is just your head skin dry, nothing extraterrestrial.

So YES, I do believe that guy who posted this story.

----

Another point i'd like to make ... in Stone age, there wasn't any Soap or Shampoo to wash your hands or head. Phir bhi to log saaf hotay he thay na?

- You don't need Soap to wash & clean your hands. Keep them under water for like 2-3 minutes and they will be cleaned.
- You don't need Shampoo to have brilliant hair. Water does the job well.

 

[deltree]

I moved to the once a week regime of shampooing few weeks back, the first disadvantage is your hair could literally start smelling. I know because my wife complained and I knew she could not be wrong because it was 6 days since my last shampoo. But I can say right after shampooing this will be true for other when the hair dries down, there's a shiny look to the hair but the texture of the hair becomes messed up and i have much of hair standing up on ends and nothing can settle it down and its like shampoo did more harm than good!

- - - Updated - - -

Also hair fall started decreasing immediately since I went to once a week regime.

 

[USUF]

^ The hair standing up at random after shampoo is the main issue I face whenever I shampoo. Hence I've almost completely stopped using. Not only does my hair end up looking like a Haystack because of shampoo, it even feels like one. Dry and hard.

 

[wAnxTa]

Three days without shampoo and my scalp starts to smell. How did he deal with that? Or how should I deal with that if I decide to go long periods without shampooing.

 

[Gizmo]

Wash your hair every day under water for about a minute. It keeps the oil buildup under control and hair clean, in any case My haird doesn't get smelly.

 

[abdulrahim]

I have always used Shampoo when there is too much Dust in my hair. Otherwise, i can go on MONTHS without using them.

Its a fact that Shampoos have chemicals in them which temporarily shine your hair to make them look beautiful, but overtime ... they are the primary cause of hair fall or even dandruff.

The perfect solution to dandruff? Sarson ka Tail Dandruff is just your head skin dry, nothing extraterrestrial.

So YES, I do believe that guy who posted this story.

----

Another point i'd like to make ... in Stone age, there wasn't any Soap or Shampoo to wash your hands or head. Phir bhi to log saaf hotay he thay na?

- You don't need Soap to wash & clean your hands. Keep them under water for like 2-3 minutes and they will be cleaned.
- You don't need Shampoo to have brilliant hair. Water does the job well.

Dandruff is not always dry hair. My dandruff is due to Oily Hair. I want to cut down on shampooing but i am afraid.