Woman Goes 11 Years Without Washing Hair

naturalgurl

New Member
ITA with the white lady. I don't use shampoo, haven't since November 07. My hair doesn't stink and it's growing nicely. I think shampoo strips hair and scalp of natural oils and this causes "dysfunction" of the natural cleansing process of the scalp. In my opinion, shampoos and other harsh detergents clogs pores and probably damages them in some way. Like douching, doctors say don't do it because you disturb your body's own cleansing process. Won' t go into that, but I feel putting harsh cleansers/chemicals on any part of the body will cause the body to not function properly as far as cleansing. I use water only. I also don't put bull**** in my hair that I would need something harsh to get it out. And if you notice, when you use such products your hair does stink after a couple of days. I know, I used to have a closet full of everyone's hydrating formula shampoos, conditioners and hair lotions. I use nothing but pure coconut oil and other various oils not raped by chemical processes on my hair. Thus I don't have stinky scalp or hair. My hair smells like coconut oil mostly. I massage my scalp when wetting it EVERY morning and I don't have flakes or dandruff. Don't believe me, go to my fotki, I have pics of my scalp after taking down corn rows I had for over a week. No build up, no residue, no balls or clumps of anything that my hair couldn't absorb. But you know, these are just my opinions. What works for me might not work for others...

Oh yeah, PS- I also work out regularly and my hair still doesn't stink...but then again it's thoroughly rinsed daily. Also as a disclaimer, after I rinse thoroughly with water I oil my scalp and then coat my hair with shea butter mixed with EVOO and other oils.
 

poookie

Well-Known Member
ITA with the white lady. I don't use shampoo, haven't since November 07. My hair doesn't stink and it's growing nicely. I think shampoo strips hair and scalp of natural oils and this causes "dysfunction" of the natural cleansing process of the scalp. In my opinion, shampoos and other harsh detergents clogs pores and probably damages them in some way. Like douching, doctors say don't do it because you disturb your body's own cleansing process. Won' t go into that, but I feel putting harsh cleansers/chemicals on any part of the body will cause the body to not function properly as far as cleansing. I use water only. I also don't put bull**** in my hair that I would need something harsh to get it out. And if you notice, when you use such products your hair does stink after a couple of days. I know, I used to have a closet full of everyone's hydrating formula shampoos, conditioners and hair lotions. I use nothing but pure coconut oil and other various oils not raped by chemical processes on my hair. Thus I don't have stinky scalp or hair. My hair smells like coconut oil mostly. I massage my scalp when wetting it EVERY morning and I don't have flakes or dandruff. Don't believe me, go to my fotki, I have pics of my scalp after taking down corn rows I had for over a week. No build up, no residue, no balls or clumps of anything that my hair couldn't absorb. But you know, these are just my opinions. What works for me might not work for others...

Oh yeah, PS- I also work out regularly and my hair still doesn't stink...but then again it's thoroughly rinsed daily. Also as a disclaimer, after I rinse thoroughly with water I oil my scalp and then coat my hair with shea butter mixed with EVOO and other oils.


but you wet your hair more than 1x every month or so, right? the lady in the article does this, at most, every month. she doesn't use shampoo, but she doesn't wash her hair, either. all she does to cleanse her hair is to brush.

i agree 100% about what you said about shampoos, natural lady :yep: but at least you use something to cleanse your scalp! (coconut oil has some antifungal properties; i think) unlike the lady in the article :)
 
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SparklingFlame

New Member
I see what she is saying.

Back in the day the old folks used to wash their hair with the hairbrush.

I dont see anything wrong with what she is doing. I wont be doing it though.
 

jamaraa

Well-Known Member
ITA with the white lady. I don't use shampoo, haven't since November 07. My hair doesn't stink and it's growing nicely. I think shampoo strips hair and scalp of natural oils and this causes "dysfunction" of the natural cleansing process of the scalp. In my opinion, shampoos and other harsh detergents clogs pores and probably damages them in some way. Like douching, doctors say don't do it because you disturb your body's own cleansing process. Won' t go into that, but I feel putting harsh cleansers/chemicals on any part of the body will cause the body to not function properly as far as cleansing. I use water only. I also don't put bull**** in my hair that I would need something harsh to get it out. And if you notice, when you use such products your hair does stink after a couple of days. I know, I used to have a closet full of everyone's hydrating formula shampoos, conditioners and hair lotions. I use nothing but pure coconut oil and other various oils not raped by chemical processes on my hair. Thus I don't have stinky scalp or hair. My hair smells like coconut oil mostly. I massage my scalp when wetting it EVERY morning and I don't have flakes or dandruff. Don't believe me, go to my fotki, I have pics of my scalp after taking down corn rows I had for over a week. No build up, no residue, no balls or clumps of anything that my hair couldn't absorb. But you know, these are just my opinions. What works for me might not work for others...

Oh yeah, PS- I also work out regularly and my hair still doesn't stink...but then again it's thoroughly rinsed daily. Also as a disclaimer, after I rinse thoroughly with water I oil my scalp and then coat my hair with shea butter mixed with EVOO and other oils.

Do you comb your hair or separate the strands somehow?
 

jamaraa

Well-Known Member
I see what she is saying.

Back in the day the old folks used to wash their hair with the hairbrush.

I dont see anything wrong with what she is doing. I wont be doing it though.

No they didn't. They washed their hair VERY infrequently and didn't wet it much between times either. They used the brush to distribute the scalp oils and the comb to keep strands separated.

This woman in the article is going closer to Victorian techniques than modern ones. Yes, her hair has some smell to it, it has to. Merely distributing the oils along thru the hair for months means some oil build up, tho less if she wears it loose than the Victorian updos of old, but it's still there.
 
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Menina Preta

Well-Known Member
ITA with the white lady. I don't use shampoo, haven't since November 07. My hair doesn't stink and it's growing nicely. I think shampoo strips hair and scalp of natural oils and this causes "dysfunction" of the natural cleansing process of the scalp. In my opinion, shampoos and other harsh detergents clogs pores and probably damages them in some way. Like douching, doctors say don't do it because you disturb your body's own cleansing process. Won' t go into that, but I feel putting harsh cleansers/chemicals on any part of the body will cause the body to not function properly as far as cleansing. I use water only. I also don't put bull**** in my hair that I would need something harsh to get it out. And if you notice, when you use such products your hair does stink after a couple of days. I know, I used to have a closet full of everyone's hydrating formula shampoos, conditioners and hair lotions. I use nothing but pure coconut oil and other various oils not raped by chemical processes on my hair. Thus I don't have stinky scalp or hair. My hair smells like coconut oil mostly. I massage my scalp when wetting it EVERY morning and I don't have flakes or dandruff. Don't believe me, go to my fotki, I have pics of my scalp after taking down corn rows I had for over a week. No build up, no residue, no balls or clumps of anything that my hair couldn't absorb. But you know, these are just my opinions. What works for me might not work for others...

Oh yeah, PS- I also work out regularly and my hair still doesn't stink...but then again it's thoroughly rinsed daily. Also as a disclaimer, after I rinse thoroughly with water I oil my scalp and then coat my hair with shea butter mixed with EVOO and other oils.

I don't think anyone said that just wetting your hair daily or weekly with water is nasty. What most of us thought was nasty was only wetting one's head every few months. I don't believe brushing takes out enough smell to forego washing for that long...
 

naturalgurl

New Member
OH:blush: She doesn't even wet it....hmmmmmmm. Don't know about that one!

I only comb my hair while wet and I mean very wet. I get out of the shower, ring with my hands and then comb. I comb from the ends up and rarely, I mean RARELY have knots. I think it's because since I use fresh oils daily my hair has lots of slippage...
 

Menina Preta

Well-Known Member
OH:blush: She doesn't even wet it....hmmmmmmm. Don't know about that one!

I only comb my hair while wet and I mean very wet. I get out of the shower, ring with my hands and then comb. I comb from the ends up and rarely, I mean RARELY have knots. I think it's because since I use fresh oils daily my hair has lots of slippage...

Probably :). My distant cousin who is natural has a similar routine and she has gorgeous hair.
 

SparklingFlame

New Member
I am ok with her not using shampoo, but to a me a rinse once a week would be much better.
She is doing the method from the 1800s, I remember reading an article of hair care tips from a women who had floor length hair who stated that you shouldn't wash your hair, it wasn't until later when hygiene started to become popular( even with doctor who didn't wash their hands and would spread disease, people also would go for long periods of time with taking baths) that another women with long hair began to advocate washing your hair.
Do I support using methods from the 1800s...not really.
Do I support the trend of using harsh detergents to clean now...not really.
We all just need to find our balance.
I also wanted to add that an older cousin of mine, who is 84, said a very long time ago that we wash too much and thats why we get sick more than they did back in the day. I was like hmmm........interesting...but no. Not trying that one out. :lachen:
 

~~HoneyComb~~

Well-Known Member
OH:blush: She doesn't even wet it....hmmmmmmm. Don't know about that one!

I only comb my hair while wet and I mean very wet. I get out of the shower, ring with my hands and then comb. I comb from the ends up and rarely, I mean RARELY have knots. I think it's because since I use fresh oils daily my hair has lots of slippage...

Her not wetting it except for every couple of months has me. I understand the not shampooing, and not conditioning, but no water for months at a time, I don't get that.
 

jamaraa

Well-Known Member
One last thing from me on the subject. Every technique has it's consequences and it's best to know what they are before you start. As long as you adapt them to your needs and lifestyle, that should be fine.....but what works for some won't work for all.

This woman's technique is quite extreme, IMHO and won't work for African textures well if tried. Modified, it could work, but 'as is' I think not.
 

Poohbear

Fearfully Wonderfully Made
I made it QUITE clear I was referring to African hair. Those women who don't use shampoo also COMB their hair, right? I made these distinctions clear in my post. I know many women here DO NOT comb their hair and if they try this method w/o doing so...guess what?

If you ONLY use water and nothing else and you don't comb, you're hair will likely dread. Is this clear enough?

They COULD try the 100 strokes method...LOL.
African hair can dread whether you use shampoo or water or nothing at all. Any hair type that is left uncombed will likely dread regardless of if the person uses shampoo, water, or nothing at all.
 

ladylibra

New Member
I made it QUITE clear I was referring to African hair. Those women who don't use shampoo also COMB their hair, right? I made these distinctions clear in my post. I know many women here DO NOT comb their hair and if they try this method w/o doing so...guess what?

If you ONLY use water and nothing else and you don't comb, you're hair will likely dread. Is this clear enough?

They COULD try the 100 strokes method...LOL.

:look: okay my bad, both posts were made by the same person.

the lady in the article says she brushes her hair though. so if one were to follow her technique of not shampooing and brushing the dirt out... the hair wouldn't loc up. it appeared to me you were putting a lot of emphasis on African textured hair locing up if they tried this technique. hence my response.

i thought about it after reading the above quote, and actually it DOES make sense that you pointed this out... cuz there are still a lot of people on the board who don't really research methods fully before trying them, dive in and then cause themselves a setback (i've seen it happen many times)
 

Irresistible

New Member
One last thing from me on the subject. Every technique has it's consequences and it's best to know what they are before you start. As long as you adapt them to your needs and lifestyle, that should be fine.....but what works for some won't work for all.

This woman's technique is quite extreme, IMHO and won't work for African textures well if tried. Modified, it could work, but 'as is' I think not.

yeah like how would we comb it if not for oils/water/conditioner for slippage and moisture

our hair is way too dry and high maintenance for all that and ugh its just nasty anyway

nah we need water, oils, moisture, conditioning/nourishing agents period

many of us have already proven we can have healthy clean hair/scalps without poo , but we are doing other steps to cleanse the hair and scalp like using WATER

God I would hate to get a whiff of her hair :barf:
 

SouthernTease

New Member
I gave up shampoo a long time ago... but I use ACV, herbs, oils and conditioners... I would love to ween myself off commercial conditioners one day and I think the longer my hair gets the easier it will be. I think it would be easy for women with TWAs to make this transition too.
 

Grow_it_out

New Member
If I tried this even with a perm, I wouldn't be able to run a comb thru my head. I have to use a detangler. What works for some....
 

MonPetite

New Member
I WASH DAILY.

I CO-WASH DAILY.

I DETANGLE DAILY.

I MOISTURIZE DAILY.

I STEAM DAILY.


My hair grew out past BSL that way. I BCed 8 months ago and will be back to BSL and beyond using the same methods. I will say though I don't use SLS poo.

Amazingly it only takes an hour of my time a day including styling in the morning. :lachen:

My point...?

What hurts you heals me and vice versa. :yep:

Am I...as I'm accused of "trying to be "non-black"" buy doing this? Nope.

My hair likes CONES, WATER, COMBS, AND CONDITIONER.

I give it what it likes.

Otherwise it says mean things to me and hurts my feelings.:nono:
 

LunadeMiel

Well-Known Member
umm... I too will be trying the no shampoo method. I like water on my scalp to much to not wet my hair daily though...
 

The Princess

Well-Known Member
I can't even go 10 days without washing my hair, i be ready to dig my scalp off my head, from scratching so much. Brave woman. Im good with my CON shampoo.
 

aloof one

New Member
I wonder if this is how white people talk about us when they find out many of us don't wash or even wet our hair everyday. They probably sound just as mean as some of yall :lachen:
 
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