Pooh-Poohing the ‘Poo
Modern life presents endless deviations from our primal beginnings. Some clearly have no place in the success of our species (e.g. Ding Dongs). Others may present unprecedented, welcome benefits (e.g. year round access to a veritable cornucopia of Primal goodies like macadamia nuts – my personal favorite). Finally, there are those “additions,” current customs really, that feel idiosyncratic but relatively innocuous. The contemporary obsession with hair might qualify for this eccentric but harmless category – or maybe not. What about the goop we slather on our noggins? Is it another case of sanitizing ourselves into an unhealthy existence? Will I become an eternal greaseball without my daily indulgence in froth and foam? There’s a movement afoot – “poo-less,” as it’s often called – that has something to say about it. Kicking the suds habit, poo-less advocates suggest, not only allows for less toxic, less expensive living but opens the door to a better head of hair itself.
Even the most committed product junkie has to admit that our culture’s fixation on perfect tresses has long since morphed into a marketing frenzy. Products and services galore seek to manipulate every hair into strict submission. Somehow it’s never enough though. There’s always another product to fix something else – likely the problem the first one caused. Increasingly, we’re realizing that we pay a bigger price than the receipts would indicate (although they’re nothing to shake a stick at either!). Conventional shampoos are universally riddled with noxious but unregulated chemicals that have been linked to everything from endocrine system disruption to neurological and immune system damage. Among the biggest offenders, according to the Environmental Working Group, include the ubiquitous phthalates (for fragrance), parabens (for preservatives), coal tar (for dyes and dandruff) and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate (for lather and de-greasing power). Other risky chemicals include 1,4-Dioxane and methylisothiazolinone.
Our bodies take quite a beating for the sake of our hair. (Hey, but that woman in the jungle shower on the commercial looked like she was having fun. I’ll have what she’s having – poisons be damned!
But put aside the toxins for a minute. What about natural, toxin-free shampoos? What’s wrong with them? (First off, some aren’t as natural as they claim.) According to poo-less advocates, though, even the “best” shampoos strip and damage our hair. We feel like greaseballs after a couple days without a wash because our scalps are constantly on overdrive trying to compensate for the persistent dryness caused by – the shampoo! The need for a cascade of other hair products (e.g. the conditioners, the gel, the hair spray, the detanglers, etc.) is the consequence of the shampoo’s initial damage. Talk about digging a hole to use a ladder to wash the basement window!
When you read the stories of the poo-less, I have to say that the anecdotal evidence is pretty convincing. After the initial transition of 2-6 weeks (hint: scarves, bandanas, ponytails), people say they have unprecedented softness, volume, natural shape and style. No more frizzies or fly aways or whatever else plagued them before. Several folks on the forum have shared their experiences, and I’d definitely recommend checking out Richard’s experiment at Free the Animal. The poo-less movement has caught enough media attention that even more conventionally-minded publications have called upon their own staff people to give it a whirl and then share their stories. Although a few folks eventually throw up their hands, the vast majority give it a thumbs up. Many even say it’s the best thing that ever happened to their hair.
So, what does a poo-less routine look like exactly? Although every fan has his/her own take, there seem to be a few common routines. Some people gradually wean themselves off by increasing the number of days between shampoos. Others rinse the roots with warm water and use a little conditioner on the ends. Still others use a hot towel method by stroking their hair repeatedly with a hot, soaked towel to distribute their scalp’s natural oils throughout the hair. A large portion of the poo-less group seems to use some combination of baking soda-water mix as a daily/occasional poo-less wash. Many in this camp then do a vinegar rinse (apple cider being the most commonly mentioned version) to “condition” hair. Another basic kitchen combo used is cornstarch and lemon juice. Simple, cheap and healthy, they say. For those who want something a little more than baking soda, there are specially formulated (and marketed) poo-less products like the well-known Deva line. I know a lot of folks use Dr. Bronner’s as well.
For those of us who don’t want to go poo-less, what Primal perspective is there to be gleaned from these folks’ efforts? Their satisfaction, I think, is a reminder that modern living suggests “needs” that really don’t exist. Our bodies, left to their own devices, really can take care of themselves. There’s something to that natural beauty concept. The truth is, Grok probably wasn’t the stinky, disheveled, unsightly figure many imagine him to have been.
Asking whether we really need shampoo begs the question of whether we really need any of the personal products that line our medicine cabinets. If we ditched the creams, conditioners, gels, cosmetics, deodorants, sprays, and powders for a week, would our lives fall apart? Would anyone else even notice? (Probably not.) Would we eventually get used to the simplified routine? Would we end up enjoying it like the poo-less proponents? One thing’s for sure: we’d probably have a little more money in our pockets and little more time on our hands. As for our bodies, after their transition period is over and the dust finally settles, they’d likely be grateful to get back to doing what they’re built to do.
Have your own poo-less stories or tips you’d like to add? Questions or commentary on going au naturale? Thanks for reading, everybody. Have a great day!
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
I am deployed to the desert and it is in the 120s. I don’t use soap or shampoo but still use deodorant. I don’t stink and my hair fells great. I may have used shampoo twice in the last 7 months. Twice when i was home on leave, got my hair cut and when I came home just to make sure nothing came home with me for the family!!
Marc,
Regarding your quote:
“…our scalps are constantly on overdrive trying to compensate for the persistent dryness caused by – the shampoo”
Washing your skin does NOT effect sebum production one way or the other (although washing will certainly remove sebum from the skin surface).
This has been studied. There is also no proposed mechanism for your body to produce more oil in response to being washed regularly or being “too dry”.
I have seen this mistake all over the place, but it is an old wive’s tale that washing your skin makes your body produce extra oil to “compensate” in some way.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/myth-skin-washing-sebu-t35818.html
This is a weird one. I used to think it was an old wives’ tale too. I also used to have to shampoo my hair every single day or I’d look like a total greaseball. Now I barely shampoo once a week and my hair is not greasy. So… maybe it’s a neat magic trick, or maybe the old wives’ tale is true. I do also wonder if maybe the change in my diet (which basically cured my acne, and happened around the same time I quit shampooing so much) also just made my scalp less irritated, and less prone to secreting tons of oil.
I would not imagine many scientists to be interested in the question.
Bess,
I’m sorry but you are nuts. Oil production does not depend on washing. I linked to a dermatological study that tested this idea. Maybe you got used to more oily hair, maybe the oil rubs off on clothing etc., maybe hormones somehow changed oil production coincidentally at the same time you stopped shampooing…I have no idea.
All I know is if I read comments that claim oil production is linked to washing one more time my head will explode and I won’t need shampoo either.
I have never claimed that oil production was dependent on the amount of oil already on the skin. That’s silly. But I do think that it has something to do with skin irritation. For people who naturally have nice skin (including, very likely, the people in the study you cite– such studies generally weed out any subjects with pre-existing skin problems), it may not make any difference at all. For me, detergents and perfumes are major skin irritants, and eliminating the irritation led to skin that was not only less red, and less prone to acne, but also less oily. The diet has helped, too, but that would not account for the large number of other people who have the same experience when giving up shampoo (not all of them change their diet). But removing an irritant might account for it. The standard explanation may be incorrect (i.e. washing causes more oil production). But that does not make the original observation invalid (i.e. “I stopped using shampoo, and now my skin and hair look better than ever, and my hair seems less greasy after x time”).
Sebum production might not ‘up-regulate’ further in response to more washing – particularly if it is already at its maximum level. It may however be able to down-regulate when not faced with regular insult and this may take longer than the four 4 weeks referred to in one of the comments in your link. There is also the slight difference in that the references you point to say nothing about being done in conjunction with a primal diet. If the test subjects were still consuming a typical SAD, there might be distinct differences.
But overall I think the point is that you are stripping away something that is there for a reason. Secretions via the skin are part of the body’s acid mantle:
http://www.smartskincare.com/skinbiology/sebum.html
@Hannah
“I realize it takes a while for your hair to re-regulate it’s oil producing schedule”
@Mark Rose
“let your body adapt to producing less oil”
@Kat
” I think one time is not enough to dry out your skin so much that your body thinks it has to make more oil”
Please provide a link to research that shows oil production changes in response to how much oil is on the skin’s surface.
lol, I’m not really interested in what research says about oil production. Maybe I should say this instead:
“I get my hair shampooed when I cut it maybe 3 times a year. I don’t notice any difference from having it shampooed once, and have no trouble in the days after that not using shampoo.”
Just go for it! Another plus is it makes traveling and camping a lot easier. No carrying messy bottles around.
I started going with no soap (still use it to wash my hands though), no shampoo since I read the Free the Animal articles back in January. It initially was just to try it for a few months, but I don’t think I am going to switch back.
I have always showered in hot water, so I rinse my hair with the water while agitating it with my fingers. I switched from brush to washcloth because I felt like I could scrub better with the terry cloth. I also stopped using hair product (so I don’t need to wash it out), but since my hair is a little oilier (not greasy) it styles just fine with water.
It took ~3 weeks to adjust, in which time I had a bit of chest acne and the hair felt a bit oily, when it got bad I hit it with a little soap (much less than I would usually use), but after the 3 weeks I didn’t need it. I went to the South Pacific for work, it is very hot and humid there, I got the chest acne again hit it with a little vegetable soap, cleared up, I was fine for the rest of the trip.
I still have the old detergent laden soap and shampoo in my shower in case I do something that gets me dirtier than water can easily clean. I am going to try this stuff out because I have mild dry scalp/dandruff http://www.grandpabrands.com/curios800.html. Maybe the people around me are just super polite, but no once has noticed. If I have learned anything its we don’t need as much soap as the people selling soap have convinced us we need.
What in the…? I was just feeling good about how “Primal” I am and now this?
I’m sure this has it’s merits, but I think I’m going to pass on this part.
I’m content being Metro-Grok. You will find me in the high-rise cave with the good scents coming out of it…
that. was. hilarious.
It was..
Amen.
For the past couple months I’ve gone pretty primal with my beauty routine, and the results have been even better than I expected!! My fiancee, who is very picky about hair, even commented recently that my hair looks better than it ever has!!! YAY!
My beauty routines:
*Rinse hair with water, massage oils down hairs with fingers in the shower, and then a wooden-quilled brush. Rinse with ~2TBSP ACV mixed with water for conditioning. I really didn’t have much of a “transition” period, either!
*My fiance uses either Nettle or Rosemary Lavendar Aloe shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley Soap, since he spikes his hair and needs something to wash out the glue with so it doesn’t build up.
*Scrub body with a hemp exfoliating mitt, with just water. Dr. Bronner’s soap for my feet, hands and the lady bits though, hehe!
*Epilate legs and armpits for hair removal.
*Coconut oil for moisturizer on knees and elbows, tea tree oil and/or neem oil for cuts and zits. “E plus High C” deoderent from Aubrey Organics (all natural ingredients and works great!)
*Oil Cleansing Method every night with 1/2 jojoba and 1/2 castor oil for cleaning face.
*Only use mineral makeup from Aromaleigh.com and mascara from Aveda (pretty much all natural ingredients, nothing toxic).
*The conventional beauty products that I DO use, I try to use the most natural kind possible (naturtint hair dye, sometimes switch off with henna and indigo, and zoya nail polish)
Thanks for giving the whole rundown- very helpful! I’m going to check out the mineral makeup. I’ve been getting tired of the “bare minerals” b/c I don’t really like the way it makes my skin look (kind of dry/cakey). Also, re your husbands rosemary lavender aloe shampoo bars- I have heard to use caution with lavender, especially for me, because it has phytoestrogens- similar to soy. just a thought.
and when i said “especially for me” i meant “especially for men***”
1/2 castor? that seems like a lot
I’ve been soapless since February and even though it’s getting hot here now (I live in Italy and it’s regularly 30°) I’ve not had any problems with BO.
It took it bit more courage to go shampooless as I’ve always washed my hair everyday and those rare times that I didn’t I used to get a really oily, itchy scalp.
I finally decided get a crew cut and take it from there and it’s now been 2 months without the poo. Things are going well, my hair is definitely thicker and only slightly greasy. I’m having a period of dandruff of the moment but reading the other comments here I think that may pass. I shall get my hair cut short again and see if that helps.
As for cleaning I just use warm water, I don’t seem to have any problems with odour at all.
After reading Richard’s piece on it some time back, I thought it was a bit loony. Then someone at work – a non-primal friend – mentioned that it was better for the scalp and hair to wash only every 3 days or so. I figured if people from very different viewpoints shared similar thoughts, maybe there was something to it.
Well, me being me I decided that if I was going to try it, I’d do it all the way. So, I just stopped using shampoo entirely. That was about 2 or 3 months ago. There was an initial oily phase, where I’d have to lather my hands with castille soap and run them through my hair just once, but even that is gone now. My dandruff is gone and my hair no longer requires “product” in the mornings just to get it to sit down. Call me a convert.
I just wanted to add because it may not be obvious to everyone. There was a Dove soap bar mentioned at some point. Dove and similar brands are not soap, they are detergents. Most liquid soaps are detergents too. The cheapest and most available soap is probably Ivory. Most products on store shelves are detergents and I find it really hard to locate soaps. I’ve also seen an increase in soaps made in China. They look and smell wonderful, but I wouldn’t risk it.
My recommendation would be for an olive oil soap or at least a true vegetable soap. An olive oil soap contains olive oil, washing soda, water and salt and you can’t get something more pure than that. Some people are putt off the smell. I think this happens only because we’re conditioned to want soaps that smell fancy.
I found Dr. Bronner’s too be to drying and I always had the feeling that I had some residue left on the skin. It is certainly a good option if it works for you.
That would be me lol. Thanks Sonia for the advice. I know just where to buy the natural olive oil soap too.
I buy olive oil soap from my local middle eastern market and love it. With all these posts though I may even give that up. I will still use it to lather up for shaving though.
I’ve been using the crystal roll-on deodorant for the last few months, and since going Primal I notice that I almost don’t even need that – my BO is pretty much gone. I worry about going ‘poo-less since I’m growing out my hair and have no idea how it would look without something to tame it…but I’m intrigued enough that I might try it. I’m just about out of body wash anyway, seems like as good a time as any to try going without! Right now my shower routine is to scrub with body wash and a scrubbie, and then apply lavender-scented almond oil and towel off. I’ll see how it goes without the soap…
I would imagine that Grok and Grokette had dreadlocks. I’m certain Grok and Grokette didn’t shave his or her legs or pits.
This would seem to be the next step in primal devo. (de-evolution)
Who’s on board?
Eliminating potentially harmful chemicals from peoples’ grooming and hygiene habits is all in the name of health (just like everything on MDA). I don’t see that connection with body hair…
I’d be on board with you, but all you really have to worry about is your facial hair. It’s much harder for a woman to stop shaving her legs/arm pits and not be ridiculed by everyone.
I really, really, really DESPISE having to shave my legs. I think it’s a ridiculous practice.
Then stop, or cut down to only special occasions. It’s your life, your body, you do with it as you please – don’t let ‘society’ tell you how you need to be.
Oh trust me, I don’t shave them very often, but I do when I need to wear shorts. Thankfully my man doesn’t mind, though I sure don’t feel sexy in a thong with hairy legs.
I do too. I went for a long time without shaving my legs, but it just caused more trouble than it was worth. I still stop shaving in winter though when I wear long pants all the time.
I’m in the no shampoo camp as well. Tried it after a nasty bout of dandruff in December 09.
Hair is fuller, holds natural shape without product, and does not appear greasy. And it did fix the dandruff issue.
I give my scalp a good workout with a stiff brush periodically, and usually rinse with hot water in my daily shower. I have super fine hair and find I need to wet it daily for volume to return.
Oops, and my hair is a good 3-4 inches longer than in this picture!
Anyone thought that, perhaps our hair and skin was MEANT to be a bit oily? And the idea that it should be soft, silky and smooth is contrived by modern-day media and marketing? Along the same lines, maybe our teeth weren’t meant to be pearly white, but Crest wants us to believe it looks better…
I strongly disagree!
You always have to keep in mind, why certain attributes are attractive. Humans are attracted to everything that signals health and fertility, I think this shouldn’t be news to anyone reading this blog.
People are attracted to white teeth and soft hair for a simple reason. It’s an indicator of health. So, if you are looking to get your teeth as white as possible and your hair as soft and smooth as possible, the first thing you should care about is health. Not putting anything on your hair is without a doubt healthier than putting a highly toxic chemical cocktail on it, so it only would make sense that not using any hair products will also “beautify” the hair.
“Baby oil is anything but natural!”
- – -
Thanks! I guess I hadn’t thought that through, but it makes sense. One more toxic thing eliminated from my life!
I assume the same goes for vaseline (petrolatum)?
YUCK! petrolatum = petroleum product. I stear clear of anything with petroleum in it, as far as HABA products go (Health And Beauty Aids)
Good read. It’s funny, because just the other day I was pondering about oral hygiene i.e. tooth paste, floss, mouth wash. If Mark has not already written a post regarding this feild, perhaps it could be an interesting topic to look into.
I assume that grok probably had an excellent smile, becuase the primal diet encompasses teeth friendly foods; with the exception of some fruits. Never the less, I’m sure there is more to it then that.
Any one know
ignore the “any one know”
that was definately a typo
I am happily “poo-less.” I can’t remember for how long… 6 months or so I think.
All my life I’ve had very fine, thin hair. It was impossible to do anything with. After ditching the shampoo I found my hair had a much thicker, manageable texture. I really like it.
Since then, I’ve once again chopped my hair “boy” short, which makes being poo-less that much easier. I definitely feel like my hair and scalp are healthier, plus I save a ton on shampoo. =)
I must have been living in a cave, because I never heard of this! I do however recall one time when I was thinking about other things while in the shower and forgot to wash my hair. It was blow dried mostly dry by the time I realized my mistake and I did not have time to go back and rewash. So I showed up at work with styled but unwashed hair and was surprised to get not one but TWO compliments about how good my hair looked! Hmm..
Haha. ‘Poo.
Grokette ride 52 miles on bicycle today…very fast…become horrible, terrible, no-good-bad very filthy, dirty, greasy, bug-covered grokette! Grokette thank God in shower tonight for (organic)soap and ‘poo!!! Maybe this winter…not in summer…I think my passengers thank God for my soap and ‘poo too! HAHAHAHAHA! nite-nite!
Put me in the camp for best thing I’ve done for my hair.
Have to admit the transition period was scary. It was winter, so I caught a break there w/ holidays away from work, dry weather, hats, etc. Once I got through the transition period, my hair was better than ever.
I don’t use any shampoo. Rinsing thoroughly 2x’s with warm/cold water does the trick for me. Definitely encourage others to try it…I was skeptical at first, but now I won’t go back to ‘poo.
I wash my hair once a week with a commercial poo. Should switch to a natural one when this runs out. Also use commercial conditioner. It’s more about washing my head than my hair. The hair is excellent between poos and after too. I think I have a bit more hair now (not saying much.) I don’t believe that pooing once a week is going to do any harm.
For my teeth, I use a tiny dab of Tom’s Natural toothpaste. I wear a beard, but when I shaved, I just used hot water. But I wasn’t going for a totally smooth look. Deodorant – yes.
Just want to say I saw Nikoleys post about going soapless and shmpooless and took it up about 2 months ago. I wear a thick beard but not much head hair. Best thing I’ve ever done (other than living Primally).
Another thing to look into: I’ve had bad acne since age 15 and tried everything, including Accutane. I even tried heavy amounts of benzoyl peroxide, which worked pretty well, but bleached my beard and clothes when I sweat. Since going without soap on my face, my acne initially worsened (day 5 or 6) and then completely cleared up. Barely any acne at all to this day, and for this reason will never go back to soap.
And about the shaving deal. I have very coarse thick facial hair that made me go from disposables to a safety razor and some upscale shaving cream my girlfriend got me a while back. Even then, I could only shave after or during a hot shower. After going soapless, I use the safety razor with nothing at all (or sometimes a few drops of oil) and my Neanderthal facial hair shaves better than ever. I’m a believer haha.
I sometimes use natural oil in my beard (a few drops) after it’s dry from a shower, and I comb it in. This has made my beard look fuller and cleaner, and I’ve had nothing but compliments from the ladies so far haha. Any other guys had similar experiences?
Tom’s Natural toothpaste contains glycerin, which, as I understand, interferes with your teeth re-enamelizing. Can you guess which Big Corp toothpaste folk bought out Tom’s :/
Wow, that’s scary!!!
Wow… I was born in 1951. Not really all that long ago when you think about it…
I grew up in a time when washing your hair once a week was considered the height of modern cleanliness, and there was even a belief that washing your hair daily was a scary and dangerous thing to do, not to mention being frivolously expensive to boot.
I remember a newspaper interview in the 60s with an actress playing the lead female romance character in a production of “South Pacific”, where the principal concern was did she find washing her hair every night on stage and twice on Sundays with matinee performances was ruining her hair…
And now I’m here reading all these comments from people saying that if they don’t wash their hair everyday they worry about excessive greasiness and dandruff and smell and gosh knows what else, and thinking they might risk being daringly uber-modern if they shampoo less often. Wow… How did such ideas take root?
I’m in awe of the power of the advertising media to make culture twist around so much just to vacuum money from young people’s pockets. Of course, no one young wants to do what their mom or their grandma does, that’s just too ridiculously old fashioned to be borne. After all, us old hags can’t possibly know anything about health or beauty, right? If we did, we’d be health and beautiful, and sadly, most of us are not. The world is a very strange place indeed…
It is funny how times have changed. When I was 6 years old, “bath night” was on Sunday. But now with my own 6-yr old, I feel like a horrible mother if she doesn’t get a bath in at least every other day.
I guess it’s hard to see the reality of a culture when you are in the midst of it going along with the flow. But as you clearly point out, and as is the case with bottled water, companies create a new need along with a new product. The sad thing is that most of us buy into it. Here’s hoping the next generation become mindful consumers.
But, great comment!
Today’s adults are more outdoor-active than in the fifties…did your mom go to a gym and work out and lift weights, or go outside and run six miles everyday (when I started running in the late sixties, people would hang out their car windows and scream obscene things at me..and there were NO running shoes), or inline skate twenty to thrity miles a day, or play tennis, or bike 60 miles at a crack…we just simply get a LOT more dirty than the folks of the fifties…I DO remember women doing housework while wearing dresses, just like June Cleaver…they stayed home, minded their own business, took care of the house, and watched everyone else (children) have what we now call fun…now we “little women” are having….FUN…and get dirty doing it all. I was covered with sunscreen, bugs and asphalt yesterday…and it was fun…and I needed soap and ‘poo when finished…I know people in their nineties who are very healthy and who use soap and ‘poo…I think the words here are…organic and quality..my stuff is wild-crafted…now…let’s get out from behind these silly screens…and go outside and be healthy out there…YEEHAW!!!
Women in the 50s & 60s didn’t go out for athletics, but they carried kids and groceries up and down the stairs in the tenements, walked to the grocery store blocks away, and lugged their own purchases back from the store, sometimes with a little fold-up cart, sometimes just in shopping bags. They hung their laundry on lines strung between the buildings. If they had gardens they would can tons of food. If not, they wished they could. They wore full makeup every single day and used hairspray along with teasing their hair for really stiff hair styles, and there were few vacuum cleaners or automatic dishwashers around. So those ladies didn’t do sports, but they were quite physically active.
Right… and of course we all know men of that same era were protected by their y-chromosones which made them immune to all that dirt you speak of, hence why they also washed less often than we do now but never had any of the problems you speak of.
Wow. I remember that too. People thought I was really weird running in the late sixties. I ran in my saddle shoes.
Hi Gisela, do you remember if men back then washed their hair once a week even if they wore pomade? And how often did they apply it? Thanks!
Sure, that was standard. Pomade every day and shampoo once a week. They used a tiny bit of pomade every day to comb their hair the way they wanted it to go. Some guys, more “hick” like, would use olive oil instead of store bought, but men didn’t run around without slicked up hair unless they wore military crew cuts.
That’s always been my dilemma. How natural is it to leave pomade on for so many days? Is it still a better option that washing your hair every day? Would the product buildup not clog pores?
Fascinating! My mother was born in 1953 and we washed our hair once a week until puberty, but had to bathe *every* day and wash our hair daily once we hit puberty. She thinks I’m insane b/c I don’t bathe my children (7mo to 12yo) daily. I got the impression she always bathed/showered daily from her attitude. Maybe she just wanted really badly to be as up to date as possible in every decade?
What about smelling good? Does anybody mix certain natural oils to smell good all over? I haven’t worn perfume for months now & want to leave the occasional body spray. Ideas anyone? Thanks
lavender oil… my favourite scent since I was a child.
Vanilla? or any essential oil (blend) you fancy! I also like the Indian ones you get in “hippy” stores. Some are solid & some are liquid. Natural/health food stores also have lots to offer. There’s some solid ones in little metal tins (flower pots?). I like the one that smells like nag champa incense.
@Gisela – I am approximately same vintage as you. My mother taught me the ACV rinse. Rosemary essential oil was the choice for added shine, dandruff or itchiness. Also remember a neighbor teaching all the little girls to gather rainwater and rinse our hair with it.
I’ve given up all that stuff in plastic bottles. Can’t stand the chemical smells or the plastic bottle clutter. Have been using fancy bar soap about every other day. Not sure I’m ready to give that up, but, we’ll see. Going to try the deodorant crystal and will be glad to see one more plastic container out of the house.
I make my own tooth scrub with diluted mint Dr Bronner’s and some drops of an herbal tincture mouthwash. I read somewhere that the length of time you spend brushing is far more important than what you use to do it. Longer brushing with plain water or baking soda is better than shorter with the fanciest paste.
We also had a “folklore” that if you brushed your hair with 100 strokes every night before bed (with a natural boar bristle brush, of course) to distribute the natural oils, your hair would be long, strong, lustrous, soft, and absolutely beautiful. It actually worked for those who were diligent, but most girls wouldn’t be all that diligent most of the time.
Haven’t used shampoo for over two years. Wash every day with just warm water. Hair is silky smooth, no sign of oilyness. Only issue has been dandruff
Check out Aveda products…
This is great! I’ve been deodorant-free since college (25 yrs ago) when an old girlfriend commented (as I applied my “speed stick”) that she’d rather I smelled like a man, and not an avocado! Been using a little talcum powder ever since. Need to be careful to avoid the scented stuff. Don’t really notice when I periodically forget.
For hair removal, you can invest in a home epilator. Mine was about $60 (Canadian) at Walmart several years ago. I use it for legs, armpits and bikini area. Takes some getting used to, especially at first, as it hurts in the delicate areas. But once you’ve done it a few times, only a few hairs return and you only need to do it once every few weeks. I haven’t shaved legs, pits or bikini area in years. Save on razors and save tons of time. Especially great for vacations, nothing to take with you or fuss with in possible third world showers.
I’ve only showered and washed my hair every 3-4 days for years now. I do use shampoo, but may rethink that after reading here. Soap only on pits and groin and face, rest is water only. I’m going to investigate an alternative for my face.
I have great skin, I’m 50, get compliments all the time. That’s mainly good genetic heritage and clean living, I figure.