So I'm going to do this "not washing hair" thing. What's in store?! page 5

[qqemokitty]

Last March I stopped using shampoo and conditioner. For about 3 weeks I looked a hot greasy mess, no lie.

After that, things got better. My hair felt thicker, my natural curl became more pronounced, and my hair had a smell that was pleasing and unique to my body. For awhile I did the baking soda and ACV thing but then I stopped even that. Every other shower (I shower every day) I massage my scalp with warm water and rinse with cold.

Recently I got my hair done at a salon and they of course used soap and shampoo. Nothing terrible happened. I resumed my usual water massage routine. This weekend I thought I'd shampoo and condition to see what it would do, and I picked the bottles I had from when I used to before that had the least ingredients. (Tresemme I believe it was)

It made my hair light and airy and frothy. :3 it was a nice and different texture from my massage method hair.

So I think now I will allow myself a shampoo and condition every couple weeks or so, for the fun difference of it. Overall I think the less chemicals used on my body the better, and so I'd like to find some natural ingredient products to use.

[qqemokitty]

I also didn't use soap for a very long time, and many dry skin conditions I had improved greatly. Currently I am using a handmade Moroccan vanilla soap that I enjoy every couple showers. I use a natural cocoashea butter for my skin as needed / when I want so smell like chocolate.

One thing I haven't been able to give up yet is my fancy designer perfumes, and since le boyfriend bought me a ginormous bottle of Marc Jacobs Daisy eau so fresh for xmas I probably won't be giving them up any time soon. :P

You do have to be VERY careful about who you tell this stuff too regarding showering/soap/shampoo. People are even more snap judgey about this than they are about eating habits. And it doesn't matter if you look clean and never smell. They WILL look at you differently just from knowing you don't use the same soaps they do.

[MamaGrok]

I found that using shampoo & conditioner with any frequency will put you back in "overproduction and need to go through a lengthy transition to get out of it" mode. Same for ACV & BS too often. But that may not be universally true.

[valmason01]

Reading this thread has inspired me. I can't remember if I washed my hair last Wed or Thursday but so far I am good. MamaGrok I am doing your scalp massage. I had pretty much quit using a brush, just finger combing it some time back because I liked the curls it gave me. In the last couple of months it has started falling out more so I am hoping this will help. I am curious? What do you use to shave your legs? And I have to shave my legs Just not ready to go that primal!

[merryish]

I don't wash mine anymore at all. I rinse it thoroughly in warm water whenever I shower, and once a week I put some conditioner on it - really only because I have leftover conditioner and I don't want to just throw it out. When I run out, I'll switch to ACV and see how it works!

Every morning, I spray it damp with water and apply a little gel, and I'm good to go. With my hair type, it takes a week of not even rinsing it before I begin to feel even remotely greasy, even with product in. But YMMV - my hair is 1.5 inches at its longest point, so that may be helping some!

My hair type - fine, dark, a bit wavy.

[YogaBare]

What do you use to shave your legs? And I have to shave my legs Just not ready to go that primal!

WHen I was doing my Yoga teacher training I was living in an ashram in India where the majority of the ladies had abandoned the use of razors... I actually admired them for not giving a shit, and I even tried an N=1 to see what it was like. (I lasted a week).

Update on the hair - as soon as I left the house it was like a wig possessed. I guess it's going to take longer than a week to become "hair-fat adapted" lol.

[zoebird]

Home-made honey-wax hair removal works well for me now.

There is no waste with the way that I do it. I have a bamboo spreader (it's a cheese knife, technically) for the body sugar, some old cotton t-shirt strips for the pulling (works like waxing), and I use a simple jar (old coconut oil jar). Everything is wash-and-reuse.

I used to shave, but I was always missing things. This method seems much easier for me to get everything. And, it doesn't cause bumps at the bikini line.

[valmason01]

Honey is amazing I use it to wash my face and have been buying pure honey or honey/goats milk soap. I will try your method now...Thanks!

Home-made honey-wax hair removal works well for me now.

There is no waste with the way that I do it. I have a bamboo spreader (it's a cheese knife, technically) for the body sugar, some old cotton t-shirt strips for the pulling (works like waxing), and I use a simple jar (old coconut oil jar). Everything is wash-and-reuse.

I used to shave, but I was always missing things. This method seems much easier for me to get everything. And, it doesn't cause bumps at the bikini line.

[MamaGrok]

zoebird, I'd gladly pay you to make some makeup for me!

What do you use to shave your legs? And I have to shave my legs Just not ready to go that primal!

I buy some handmade soap from local vendors who use just fat, ash, & something simple, no artificial smells or colors or anything. It costs like $5/bar or more, but it takes dh & me nearly a year to use a bar, so pretty cost effective. I use that for "showing or smelling" and also for shaving.

But of course, as more time has gone on and I've gotten more low maintenance and natural with my personal care, I really detest shaving now. I do it as little as I can get away with, and since I have very very blonde hair, that means I don't shave legs at all in the winter, and only every week or two in the summer. I shave pits same as summer legs. And I feel very oppressed about it. My legs are much smoother when I don't shave, b/c the smooth immediately after a shave only lasts a few hours, then the stubble is there. And there is NO way I'll ever go back to daily shaving again. NOTHING against those who do; it's just not for me. ever!

Every morning, I spray it damp with water and apply a little gel, and I'm good to go. With my hair type, it takes a week of not even rinsing it before I begin to feel even remotely greasy, even with product in. But YMMV - my hair is 1.5 inches at its longest point, so that may be helping some!

My hair type - fine, dark, a bit wavy.

Sounds like my hubby's. You can probably switch to coconut oil instead of gel if you want. It takes very little. Too much will start staining your pillowcase (ask me how I know!).

Home-made honey-wax hair removal works well for me now.

There is no waste with the way that I do it. I have a bamboo spreader (it's a cheese knife, technically) for the body sugar, some old cotton t-shirt strips for the pulling (works like waxing), and I use a simple jar (old coconut oil jar). Everything is wash-and-reuse.

Very interesting!

[Paleobird]

I found that using shampoo & conditioner with any frequency will put you back in "overproduction and need to go through a lengthy transition to get out of it" mode. Same for ACV & BS too often. But that may not be universally true.

For me it seems that conditioner only is the happy medium. I can see how ACV/BS might send off the same panic signals in your scalp to overproduce oils in self defense.

On one of the no poo threads I read about someone using eggs to wash their hair. That would seem gentler. My conditioner is all natural and two of the main ingredients are coconut milk and eggs. I might try this combo straight out of the fridge someday.