To stop using shampoo

[sirlee66]

I was watching this morning yesterday and there was a doctor on saying how we should not wash with soap (inc. shampoo and bubble bath) and only wash with water and/or emollients.

He said don't wash hair with shampoo, only use water and a small bit of conditioner.

I can't imagine not washing my hair with shampoo, surely it would look awful and be really greasy?

Does anyone do this? Is your hair healthier? Does your hair go through an initial gross phase but then go really nice?

If it's good for your hair and,in the end, makes it look nicer than normal, I'll deffo consider diching shampoo.
dont think I'm quite ready to ditch shower gel yet though!

I have fine hair, waves and curls. I wash my hair with conditioner most days as I exercise a lot. I wasn't sure that just using conditioner would be enough, but it is great for my hair so I would suggest you try it. Just make sure your conditioner doesn't have silicone which coats the hair.

I've not ditched shampoo but I've moved on to using sls free shampoo bars as I was having such dreadful scalp issues and thinning hair. Now I only wash my hair once every couple of days and as I'm not stripping my scalp of the oils anymore then my hair is less oily. I couldn't stop using shampoo entirely but what I wash it with now is very much gentler and non chemical.

If your styling products are all water soluble then you can get away with it.

@Jb291 what shampoo are you using? I have the same issues and need to get them sorted out!

@coconutpie. Hi I'm currently using the solid sea kelp and rhassoul mud solid shampoo bar from funky soap. The nettle and herb shampoo is very nice as well. Persevere with the adjustment period and the results are worth it .

My hairdresser has been saying I should forget shampoo and just use apple cider vinegar on my scalp, then conditioner, then rinse well with hot water. I don't usually wash my hair more than once a week with sls-free shampoo so don't really see the point from a hair-condition point of view, but the acv did seem to sort out my itchy, sensitive scalp so I've been trying it with mixed results.

Jason conditioner was far too heavy and almost waxy so I washed and started again. So far Superdrug graperfruit conditioner (a curly girl recommendation) seems much lighter and I can sort of see what he's talking about. I have soft, slippery hair and the idea is to keep some texture, body and bulk in it by not getting it too clean.

The real test is whether the texture stays good after the second and third washes. I don't usually make it that far.

If you have some wave or curl in your hair I suspect the transition is easier. Mine is stick-straight and when it's very clean or very dirty it gets flat, so it's that middle semi-dirty phase I want to hold onto for longer.

My SIL stopped using shampoo. I'm not going to lie, for a while it was pretty bad but her hair is now absolutely fine and you'd never know she wasn't washing it with shampoo.

I only use shampoo now (a basic tea tree based one) and cannot use conditioner without my hair feeling slimy.

Google the curly girl method - conditioner only washing. Fantastic. As pp says, you need to be careful of what other products you use.

I thought about doing this for a while, then did it involuntarily due to having small children and only a minute or two for a shower! I use a Lush bar on my hair which is not made of soap, and wash it once a week with rinses in between. Every month or two it gets henna, then a lconditioner both from Lush which I put on before the shower the rinse off after 20 minutes. Lots of changes but my hair stopped thinning and falling out, and scalp improved (still one last spot type thing which persists, but it’s getting better slowly). So yanbu but make sure to use appropriate products and don’t just not wash!!!

I do the curly girl method and haven't used shampoo in years. My hair looks great.

I lost some of my hair due to illness and wore a partial wig which was removed and replaced every month, so could not wash my hair properly but tried once a week. I felt disgusting, it smelled, was always greasy and it was disgusting. The crap, dead hair and dry skin underneath when I removed it each month was gross. Dry shampoo made the problem worse along with styling products like spray. Use paraben free products. People who say it gets better obviously do not realise how much their own hair stinks.

Heaps of stuff about this online . It does work from what I've read but I'm not brave enough to use nothing at all. I use baking soda to wash (dilute with water and pour over, massaging in as you would with shampoo, rinse) and apple cider vinegar as a conditioner (again dilute with water, pour over and leave then rinse a few minutes later). I love it! My hair has never been shinier and I only need to wash it once every 10 days. I've been doing this for 8 months or so and have used shampoo and conditioner once in that time. I could really feel the difference when I did, my hair felt kind of 'coated' and it needed a wash two days later. I'd highly recommend the baking soda and ACV

Can you still use hair styling products if you’re not using shampoo? How do you wash those out?

Del I’m rather envious....I tried the baking soda and ACv and my hair was frizzy. Socks, I don’t use product but used to use John frieda, mousse and hairspray not all at once. Don’t need them any more, my hair isn’t as frizzy as it used to be.

Sulfates are the problem, there are shampoos without sulfates (like dr organics from Holland and Barrett)

Not shilling, have just done it for years - sulfate free alternatives are out there for shampoo, bubble bath, body wash, toothpaste...

I’ve been trying gram flour paste as shampoo and a vinegar rinse for conditioner with good results. Down to washing every 5 or 6 days now. Don’t use any products so that’s not a problem.

I have fine, tangle-prone, straight hair. The more I’ve read about different ways to wash your hair the more I’ve realised that there are lots of different types of hair that respond in very different ways to the same treatment, so probably takes some trial and error to find what works for you.

So, I’ve aboided using shampoo or detergents on DS who’s now 6. He’s perfectly clean. Obviously his hair isn’t greasy as oil production tends to increase around puberty. I only used shampoo about once a week and my hair did adapt. My hair is straight and relatively fine.

I don't use shampoo any more, just wash with conditioner. I used to have frizz-prone curls and now have soft, bouncy curls. Cleanliness feels no different to before.

I make handmade soap and for the past year since I've had to stop colouring my hair due to allergic reaction with blisters head to foot, I've been using only my soap with no conditioners. My hair is lovely and soft. I've not put a commercial moisturiser on my skin in 8 years.

Op if you give this a try a natural-bristle brush is also helpful. Depending on how thick your hair is you may need to part it a lot and brush on the partings to reach your scalp. Over time my hair needed less and less washing after I started using one.

There's always someone on these threads who says 'you have no idea how much your hair smells' but if you're a normal person and you come home on a hot day after work or exercise and you know you need to shower and change your shirt then you can smell yourself.

If your hair is covered, unbrushed and unwashed it will smell. If it is regularly brushed and rinsed (esp co-washing, with conditioner and lots of hot water) it smells fine. I know this because I can smell my hair when it's dirty and then again when it's clean after co-washing. I had some concerns about the smell of the acv (I've tried the baking soda and acv method and if your scalp gets damp the vinegar smell returns) but the conditioner sorts that.

Oo thanks so much! I remember a long time ago an old friend said to wash hair in beer and also mayo! Think that was more to make it shiney than to actually wash.

Of you wash your hair in beer or mayo, doesn't it smell bad?

You rinse it all out after! Didn't have the courage to try it. Wonder if anyone has?

I've conditioned with mayo before - years ago. Works very well but you have to rinse it out with cool water, otherwise you'll end up with scrambled egg in your hair!! TBH it's less faff and cheaper just to buy a nice conditioner.