To think this 'no shampoo' trend doesn't work?

[mrsmootoo]

I haven't used shampoo since lockdown - thought it would be interesting to see and if not now when! I looked at a few sites and started with an apple vinegar rinse - yuck - greasy. Then I tried bicarb of soda - OK, but I seem to be washing it once a week, so is there any point? And I don't know if it is making the grease worse, like shampoo does. Can I just give up all products and use water? I have quite thick straight hair and exercise, so I can't see how just water will keep it clean. Also I colour it, so what will happen then? Does anyone find it really works?

Someone in my family tried it at the start of lockdown and I think went about 6 weeks. In the end she had to wash it because it stank so much (she also has very low hygiene standards so I dread to think how bad it was before she gave in and washed it)

Each to their own but it’s not for me. I think daily washing (as I used to always do) is probably not good for your hair so I only tend to shampoo and condition after exercise. About 5 times a week.
I don’t want greasy or stinky hair.

I did it a few years ago. I used Grow Gorgeous cleansing conditioner (I think that’s the name), after a couple of months it did get better but it looked bloody awful for weeks. I did find it easier to dry/style as well. I ended up going back to shampoo as I had my hair bleached and started using a toning shampoo.

I think it's a load of nonsense, especially these adverts I constantly see on Instagram for products that you clean your hair with but 'definitely aren't a shampoo' (and cost about 40 quid a bottle ).

I have fine, straight hair which gets greasy and lank if I don't wash it every day. Years ago I tried 'training' it to last longer between washes. Didn't work and didn't improve the condition of my hair (which is perfectly fine formy hair type even though I wash it every day). I also tried co-washing, which was equally rubbish.

It works brilliantly on some people to just use conditioner and my DH just uses water on his.
Trial and error.

I like shampoo though.

Have you seen the curly girl method? Not suggesting that as you said you have long straight hair but essentially it's about using certain shampoos that have no electrolytes or other nasties in them. Meant to really strengthen and enhance your natural hair.

Personally I have to wash mine everyday. It's a pain but if I don't I just feel grubby. I have very oily skin and scalp though.

A tiny bit of shampoo to stop it greasing up and a smidge of dr bronners (it is very oily) use hardly any product now and works fine

I would never go without shampoo and I think that people who “wash” their hair with vinegar and all that yucky stuff are mad. The scalp produces oil, it coats the hair and hair attracts lots of dust, pollen and whatnot, so it has to be washed regularly with proper shampoo. People who claim that shampoo is bad for your hair are misinformed. It’s on your hair only for 1-2minutes and then you rinse it off so it’s not like your hair/scalp absorbs it. Every time I watch a video with someone who doesn’t use shampoo I can’t see any difference in the quality of their hair, if anything, it looks more greasy and lank.

I have been on curly girl method for about six weeks,went to baby shampoo for a couple of weeks and now on a cleansing conditioner. It seems to really suit my hair, it's not greasy at all. All hair is different.

If you use no shampoo, but do use conditioner, heat protector or leave-ins with silicones in them, your hair will always be lank and greasy because these require sulfates to remove them. You need to use either no shampoo or sulfate-free shampoo followed by a silicone-free conditioner. I've tried it but it just gets grim in summer.

I started the curly girl method during lockdown, I'm still working out of the house so wanted to avoid the 'transition period' that many people have where your hair does look lank and greasy. I started by doing a cleansing wash to remove all the product build up from non curly approved products and then alternating a low shampoo (baby shampoo) and a co-wash (conditioner wash using As I Am). Then conditioner as normal followed by a styling product such as gel or serum then either air dry or diffuse.

I find it's worked well for me so far and have had more compliments on the look of my hair since starting. However judging my the FB group I'm a member of not everyone is having the same luck. I'm also not going a full week without washing but rather 3-4 days max, occasionally less if it's not feeling soft and clean (I'm still trialing things out to find what works). I think the important thing when not using a normal shampoo is to really scrub your scalp for several minutes to ensure you're actually removing all the product build up then ensuring it's all washed out so there's no conditioner left at the root. A normal shampoo contains ingredients that means you don't have to scrub as much and when you switch to low/not using shampoo this is probably the biggest in shower change that will give good result for all hair types.

I don't feel clean if I don't wash my hair every day. I might occasionally miss a wash if i'm not leaving the house, but that's it. I know it's not good for it to wash daily, but it's not good for my head if I don't, I feel minging.

Well I've never washed dad's hair with anything stronger than water and he is 2, his hair is beautiful. But if I leave my hair without a shampoo wash for longer that 36 hours it looks awful!

Not dad. My son!

I've never seen anybody that claims they use the 'no poo' method whose hair didn't look gross.

@Spidey66

I don't feel clean if I don't wash my hair every day. I might occasionally miss a wash if i'm not leaving the house, but that's it. I know it's not good for it to wash daily, but it's not good for my head if I don't, I feel minging.

This. I've been washing my hair every day for nearly half a century and it's still there...

When I was at university I went a good few years doing water only. Seemed to work out alright. Isn't the scalp supposed to adjust - if you stop removing so much oil it'll stop making so much. I had shorter hair then though.

And no matter what I've tried I've always been prone to dandruff. Short hair, long hair, shampoo, anti-dandruff shampoo, no poo. Nothing makes much difference.

I have to have a shower every day (sometimes more than once) because I do a lot of exercise. I have recently started just using water and a tonne of conditioner and it seems to work OK for me.

I then use shampoo every third wash or so. My hair doesn't get so dirty/oily that water won't clean it.

I have lots of very thick wavy hair.

I use only bicarb once a week and then rinse with vinegar, and my hair is great! Really thick and long.

I tried the curly girl method in full but I don’t like my hair curly, I simply prefer it straight so I continued using CG ‘approved’ conditioner to wash it while drying and styling it straight. It was fine and it was clean but it felt very heavy and rigid.

I’ve gone back to shampoo now and feel much better for it. My hair is soft and shiny again.

I have thick long hair. I wouldn't feel comfortable not washing with anything but now I use a natural shampoo and conditioner that don't have silicone or sulphates in and my hair is SO much better, softer and a lot less frizzy. It's like once all that crap was off my hair, it could actually take up all the good stuff in the leave in treatments I was using and absorb it properly.

I've also tried using silicone free shampoos and conditioners and it made zero difference to my hair. Lots of people say that they've heard that 'washing your hair everh day is supposed to be bad for it', but is there actually any evidence that is true for the majority of people?

I should say I have long hair and only wash it twice a week anyway. During lockdown I’ve been trying not to put as much heat on it too, so just washing it, putting it up in a towel for a while and then letting it dry in a bun.

I have curly hair and follow the curly girl method. I haven't used shampoo for years, just conditioner. It works for me, my hair looks so much better.

I wash my hair about once a week although recently had to wash it daily due to working on a house and have noticed it needs washing a bit more regularly.

Washing daily cant possibly be healthy but I've always had lovely healthy hair washing once a week. I do have very short hair though.