Woman Goes 11 Years Without Washing Hair

Jazala

Well-Known Member
I exercise but sweat rinses out and I've never had any complaints from girlfriends. Interestingly, I once had a girlfriend with hair extensions. She didn't wash her hair and it stank.'

:lachen::lachen::lachen::lachen:
 

anon123

Well-Known Member
Black people who are not seeking dreads would stop this immediately for two reasons. Their hair would be incredibly dry and breaking (if they some how managed to keep it loose) and if they left it entirely uncombed would start dreading up immediately.

At least for me, if I left my hair entirely uncombed (or detangled in some manner) it would dred up whether I used shampoo or not. In fact, I think shampoo would hasten the process.

The board owner of Cnappymenow (a forum for type 4b) only uses water. She does detangle, usually with a comb I think, though she has done it a few times with her fingers. She's relatively new to this routine (less than a year) but I think in winter, which is the only time she'll add oils to her hair, she might use a shampoo. The rest of the year she doesn't use oils and butters and what not but glycerin-based products. She says that her hair feels the best it's ever felt. Her blog is here:
http://nappyme.wordpress.com/

I've tried water only a couple of times so I can't report on it long term. But I do know that I for those couple of times I was able to get my hair clean with water only. And I mean a squeaky type of clean, cleaner-feeling than if I had washed with shampoo and then added conditioner. I rinsed for a long time though and scrubbed the scalp and rubbed downward on my hair. In fact I stopped because my hair felt too clean and dry, and also because I had too many bottles of conditioner that needed to be used. :) Me personally, I don't know if I could go very long w/o some cleansing agent, but water can do more than we think.

Though then again looking at that thread on the other hair care forum, seems like they try to clean with their head oil only. I guess this is kinda like the top chefs who don't let water touch their best pans but just rub some oil on it to wipe the dirt and stuff away??? I'm just not totally convinced of the cleanliness, though. After all, they say the na-na is self-cleaning, too, but I'm not going long enough without washing mine to find out. :lachen:
 

anon123

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.

One of these days I really want to try your regimen.
 

ebonylocs

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?
Hmmmm. I agree with PoohBear and Mwedzi. All that's relevant for locs is not combing. Whether I wash or don't wash, use shampoo or not, if I go an extended perioud without separating my strands and clearing out the shed hair by combing or brushing, I *will* get dreads.

Using shampoo / washing certainly doesn't prevent that. In fact, getting my hair wet before detangling is a sure way to make the dreads worse.
 

changedlife

New Member
Intresting thread :yep::yep: I learn new thing every time I come here. Never say never, but I don't think I can go the road; however shampoos need to get out of my hair's life. The question is how? :sad:
 

jamaraa

Well-Known Member
Hmmmm. I agree with PoohBear and Mwedzi. All that's relevant for locs is not combing. Whether I wash or don't wash, use shampoo or not, if I go an extended perioud without separating my strands and clearing out the shed hair by combing or brushing, I *will* get dreads.

Using shampoo / washing certainly doesn't prevent that. In fact, getting my hair wet before detangling is a sure way to make the dreads worse.

Well I did say you needed NOTHING to get locks, right? I prefaced my statements w/ this remark. I still maintain, however, that the build up of wax will help along the process. Combing will remove some of the wax, so will shampoo. Whatever means works for you...works.

My point is that whatever means you take, be it washing w/ shampoo, combing, etc....you need to separate the strands and not allow product to built up. If you hair is already inclined to dread, you're just providing the undisturbed glue.

As for chefs "curing" pans w/ oils and not washing them...tis true. People do this all the time w/ cast iron. Iron will rust and that's what they're trying to avoid. Hair doesn't rust.
 
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Qetesh

New Member
honestly this might sound super nasty but when i was young my mother never washed my hair. she went years without washing it and it was wasitlength. she would braid it every morning and put oil in it in the winter.

my uncle loved the way my hair smelled as a child and he would grab me everytime i came to see him so he could "sniff" my hair... :ohwell:
actually now that i think about it my friends in elementry school told me my hair smelled like chocolate chip cookies. (i have no idea where that comes from)

even worse since i had been so used to this routine i actually didnt really wash my hair much till joining this site. and my hair has always been about brastrap length. I mean in high school i washed it every 2 months or so and got it pressed. and i oiled it umm every other day or so. it did get very dirtyish but because my hair is so thick it always looked ok. the thing is oil attracts dirt. so it was most def dirty but my scalp was fine.

what i notice now that i wash my hair alot is that if i go 1 week without washing it itches alot. BUT if i wait another week or two it pretty much can go away tho.
 

Irresistible

New Member
At least for me, if I left my hair entirely uncombed (or detangled in some manner) it would dred up whether I used shampoo or not. In fact, I think shampoo would hasten the process.

The board owner of Cnappymenow (a forum for type 4b) only uses water. She does detangle, usually with a comb I think, though she has done it a few times with her fingers. She's relatively new to this routine (less than a year) but I think in winter, which is the only time she'll add oils to her hair, she might use a shampoo. The rest of the year she doesn't use oils and butters and what not but glycerin-based products. She says that her hair feels the best it's ever felt. Her blog is here:
http://nappyme.wordpress.com/

I've tried water only a couple of times so I can't report on it long term. But I do know that I for those couple of times I was able to get my hair clean with water only. And I mean a squeaky type of clean, cleaner-feeling than if I had washed with shampoo and then added conditioner. I rinsed for a long time though and scrubbed the scalp and rubbed downward on my hair. In fact I stopped because my hair felt too clean and dry, and also because I had too many bottles of conditioner that needed to be used. :) Me personally, I don't know if I could go very long w/o some cleansing agent, but water can do more than we think.

Though then again looking at that thread on the other hair care forum, seems like they try to clean with their head oil only. I guess this is kinda like the top chefs who don't let water touch their best pans but just rub some oil on it to wipe the dirt and stuff away??? I'm just not totally convinced of the cleanliness, though. After all, they say the na-na is self-cleaning, too, but I'm not going long enough without washing mine to find out. :lachen:
OKAYYYYYYY! :lachen::lachen::lachen:
 

ladylibra

New Member
Well I did say you needed NOTHING to get locks, right? I prefaced my statements w/ this remark. I still maintain, however, that the build up of wax will help along the process. Combing will remove some of the wax, so will shampoo. Whatever means works for you...works.

My point is that whatever means you take, be it washing w/ shampoo, combing, etc....you need to separate the strands and not allow product to built up. If you hair is already inclined to dread, you're just providing the undisturbed glue.

As for chefs "curing" pans w/ oils and not washing them...tis true. People do this all the time w/ cast iron. Iron will rust and that's what they're trying to avoid. Hair doesn't rust.

what i don't understand is... the lady says she brushes her hair. so if we are following her regimen, we'd still be separating our strands and locs would not form. i believe it might not be the smartest thing to try and detangle dry Afro-textured hair with no product to aid in detangling :nono: but as long as you're separating the strands, as you said... locs are not going to form.
 

ladylibra

New Member
After all, they say the na-na is self-cleaning, too, but I'm not going long enough without washing mine to find out. :lachen:

i thought they meant the inside of it is self-cleaning, which is why douching is unnecessary... and which is why you gotta clean the outside, cuz that's where everything ends up. :look: (i know that was kinda graphic, i tried not to be)
 

anon123

Well-Known Member
i thought they meant the inside of it is self-cleaning, which is why douching is unnecessary... and which is why you gotta clean the outside, cuz that's where everything ends up. :look: (i know that was kinda graphic, i tried not to be)

ooooooooh, that makes a lot more sense! :lachen: The other way was kinda icky.
 

Irresistible

New Member
my personal opinion if your sexually active you should be good to yourself and partner and douche and help the nana along! :lachen:

vinegar and water , its natural
 

Leeda.the.Paladin

Well-Known Member
i thought they meant the inside of it is self-cleaning, which is why douching is unnecessary... and which is why you gotta clean the outside, cuz that's where everything ends up. :look: (i know that was kinda graphic, i tried not to be)

Haha yes that's what it means. The va-jay-jay is a self cleaning system. Regular douching can mess up the natural balance that wards off infection. Despite what the commercials say, that area should NOT smell like a meadow in spring time. :blush:
 

Irresistible

New Member
Haha yes that's what it means. The va-jay-jay is a self cleaning system. Regular douching can mess up the natural balance that wards off infection. Despite what the commercials say, that area should NOT smell like a meadow in spring time. :blush:

I agree that the scented will land you with a yeast infection for sure!
 

poookie

Well-Known Member
So when his hair gets wet does that mean he smells like wet dog........?:look:

dog? after 11 years; probably smells like wet death.

honestly this might sound super nasty but when i was young my mother never washed my hair. she went years without washing it and it was wasitlength. she would braid it every morning and put oil in it in the winter.

my uncle loved the way my hair smelled as a child and he would grab me everytime i came to see him so he could "sniff" my hair... :ohwell:
actually now that i think about it my friends in elementry school told me my hair smelled like chocolate chip cookies. (i have no idea where that comes from)

even worse since i had been so used to this routine i actually didnt really wash my hair much till joining this site. and my hair has always been about brastrap length. I mean in high school i washed it every 2 months or so and got it pressed. and i oiled it umm every other day or so. it did get very dirtyish but because my hair is so thick it always looked ok. the thing is oil attracts dirt. so it was most def dirty but my scalp was fine.

what i notice now that i wash my hair alot is that if i go 1 week without washing it itches alot. BUT if i wait another week or two it pretty much can go away tho.

i want my hair to smell like chocolate chip cookies!!! :grin:
 

krikit96

Well-Known Member
i've always heard dirt makes your hair grow... but that is just a tad disgusting... she had a LICE infection man!
Besides, if she's not washing her hair up there, whats she doing to the hair down there? I don't even wanna know!:lachen:

But the way i always understood it, you wash your hair at least every two weeks. I have gone for a month w/o washing my hair, but I had a billion microbraids in my hair and was in the 7th grade...just plain ole not knowing better. The girl told me if i washed it, my braids would slip out. She just didn't know what she was doing...
 

LongiLox

Well-Known Member
The title of the article is misleading. It makes you think she hasn't really washed her hair in 11 years. She has been washing her hair, just not with shampoos.
 

Choklatekiss79

Active 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.

Not trying to hijack, but what are some really good non commercial conditioners? I would love to try this as well.
 

Dwayne

New Member
WOW!

Hum...Wonder if she washes her body? I bet that softness isn't the only thing she can compare to a dog!

Baby...don't get caught in the rain
 

Kimiche

Well-Known Member
The title of the article is misleading. It makes you think she hasn't really washed her hair in 11 years. She has been washing her hair, just not with shampoos.

Right! I actually came in thinking that she seriously didn't wash her hair at all. That no water touched her hair at all.
 
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