No soap or shampoo?

[Oran_ap_Beith]

Hi Skydove
Have a look at this.
http://www.akomaskincare.co.uk/product. ... ade__bulk_

Its what my family use to wash, I even lather with it to shave and we haved washed our hair with it before.
You could try using unrefined shea butter as a skin cream/ moisturiser. my family and I do..they have it on the site also.

[Corwen]

This thread has really opened my eyes to what I use on the outside of my body. I'm weaning myself off daily hair washing now, next week it will be every 3 days. I look at my teenage son who only showers every 3 days and think oh no maybe he was right all along then I catch a whiff of his socks and think maybe not. I have used a bit of talc instead of deoderant under the arms for years am I safe to continue, I'd never heard of the links to cancer? Can anyone recommend a safe and gentle face and body lotion for sensitive skin or should I just let the wrinkles carry on their merry way.? What about shaving gels for my husband is their anyone that could be recommended to cause the least harm. Is glycerine soap ok or does that carry dangers?

Talc is made from tiny ground up bits of stone, the particles are tiny (nano scale like asbestos fibres) so they can penetrate the skin and accumulate in odd places like joints and ovaries where they can cause problems. For this reason 'talc' made from cornflour is safer.

Wrinkles are caused by too much sun, and by time (sorry but entropy is a one way street- as I know from my increasingly grey beard! ), not by a lack of skin cream, so personally I'd just let it go.

I can't recommend a shaving gel, I'm afraid, its been 20 years since I shaved last and it was just soapy water in those days!

Glycerine soap is fine as far as I know, its just clarified soap.

[illion]

HI Illion
I have to say I have no clue.
I had a quick look on Google though and found
this.

http://www.diycosmetics.com/products/La ... 104-8.html

It doesn't speak of the risks, but explains what products it is used in and some other technical info..

Thank you. I will have to find out if the lanolin I use is pure. It is actually so soothing and good for my excema hands.

Illion

[katie bridgewater]

I had a good friend called Liz was was allergic to lanolin and avoided products that contained it like the plague. Funnily enough, though, she had no allergic reaction to spinning 'in the grease' ,that is with raw unwashed sheep's fleece which is saturated in the stuff.

Handy beauty tip - take up spinning and ditch those handcreams! You will be both feminine and practical, your hands will be soft as a baby's bum, and your knitwear will be the envy of all your friends!

[illion]

Actually, when I knit with the ecological wool, I can feel that it's good for my hands. I guess I have to knit more.

Illion

[Teileag]

Hi everybody,

I was just wondering if anybody else is still on the path of no shampoo?
I am now reaching the end of week 4 "without" and find that my hair is absolutely fine, not greasy at all, no disagreable odour etc.... Never told my family and nobody has made any remarks (I have three boys who would comment on anything they don't like ). Thanks again to everybody contributing to this big step for me!

[katie bridgewater]

I am now reaching the end of week 4 "without" and find that my hair is absolutely fine, not greasy at all, no disagreable odour etc.... Never told my family and nobody has made any remarks (I have three boys who would comment on anything they don't like ).

Wow, that's brilliant Heike! Congratulations and welcome to the world of hassle free hair! People just will not believe or even imagine its possible, will they? I never really told anyone either and no-one has ever suspected. They always look amazed if it does come up in conversation. And if the children don't even notice, it really does prove all that shampooing is such a con!

Thanks again to everybody contributing to this big step for me!

It has been a real honour to share on this thread and hear everyone else's stories and experiences, and I'm glad that others are trying it too and discovering it really is true

Keep up the good work!

[Nicholaas]

So, I decided to give it a try - the "no shampoo" thing. I shower daily, and use either goat's milk soap or Aveeno body wash (for dry skin). I noticed at the beginning my hair was a little on the greasy side, and my scalp tended to get rather dry and flaky. I massage my scalp with warm water every day in the shower, and both problems have (for the most part) disappeared. Plus, I no longer have to rely on harsh/heavy gels and products to control my hair! It feels far more healthy and comfortable; I can run my hands through it, let the wind blow it, and all that stuff most people take for granted. (I'm also debating how long I can go without getting it cut.)

One other thing I tried was eliminating a straight-razor shave from my routine. I have a pair of 30 dollar hair clippers that I just set to the closest cut, and use that on my face. This beats having to shell out nearly 30 bucks *a month* on shaving gel and razors (yes, 30 bucks - I used the fancy-pants ones). Now, my face feels healthier, cleaner, and far less dry and cracked. And with the perpetual 5 o'clock shadow, I no longer get asked (as much) if I'm too young to do my job. =P Win/win, baby!

I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences; they've gone a long way to helping me make some positive changes in this area of my life!

[Teileag]

Welcome to the club, Nicholaas... if I may say so. Amazing what a difference that changed routine makes! I can't say anything about shaving but I can imagine that you feel a lot better now... Thanks for sharing your experience!

[katie bridgewater]

How are all you great unwashed ones getting along? Hopefully by now you are feeling free from the bonds of shampoo slavery and effortlessly enjoying your luscious locks! Never again will you miss out on a fun time because you're staying in 'washing your hair'...

[Mafalda]

I gave it a go and now it is 4 weeks without shamppoing, and my boyfriend also followed me through this!
The wonderful thing was that I rediscovered my hair's forms and curls! Who knew!?

[Nicholaas]

Still shampoo-free, and loving it! One of the added benefits I just realized is that my shower time is now that much shorter, which means I am using less water per shower. Bonus!

[Teileag]

Mafalda, cool ! I found as well that my hair seems to curl much more and feels a lot stronger.

Nicholaas, that's great, isn't it! I went away for a few days the other week and realised with joy that I didn't have to pack bulky shampoo and conditioner bottles any more!!

Have a happy shampoo- and hassle-free week, everyone

[Aurora]

Hey guys!

I got myself down to once a week and am now 10 days shampoo free! I'm still a bit oily but i'm noticing that it's starting to decrease the longer i don't shampoo. A big thank you to Katie for her hairbrushing advice as i'm finding this helps with the oilyness issue with me. I'm really enjoying not having to wash my hair every few days and i feel much less toxic

[skydove]

There are three of us on the no shampoo wagon in our house now, John my husband has been going for three weeks his hair is looking better only one greasy patch at the back now, he is only using water to wash it with. Our son jamie 19 has taken up the cause and is going to try it for a month he's gone 4 days and his hair is really greasy at the moment but he's getting into the frequent brushing routine. He's also had a massive argument with his girlfriend who says hair is not the same as animal fur. I'm woosing about a bit, I'm going 4 days without washing now after being an everyday girl. I washed it this morning and its like a halo round my head! I'm doing the leave it longer between washings bit by bit, I just can't bear the thought of looking disgustingly greasy and lank when I have to interact with people most of the time, though I have found that brushing it away from my face and putting a plat in helps. I can't wear a hat all day!
But a very interesting experiment not least because it has made us all aware much more as to how we are told we must do this and that to be acceptable through advertising, its something of a wake up call - you find yourself looking at everything in a different light, a really useful thread for changing the way you live your life. I've given up the small amounts of deoderants that I used to use and talc and dont seem to be smelly as long as I have a daily shower, I'm not turning into a dirty tree hugging pagan am I?

[inis]

Hmmmm...
...yes, I'm very glad about this topic, too.

I've never been one for increased showering... but I have to say I like the ritual aspect of cleaning yourself: I like to use scrubs (there are great scrubs from a company of "fresh handmade cosmetics", containing ground almond shells and cocoa butter), and I also like to take a ritual bath. Only when my body is covered in water I feel like I can gain weightlessness and distance from daily problems, it is high magic of renewal (and it's also very relaxing for the muscles, especially if you have to carry a toddler quite so often). I also like the effects you can reach with aroma therapy while taking a bath.
So... it would be nice to say goodbye to shampoo, but I couldn't do without at least a bath once a week; and a bath without getting my long hair wet is quite difficult... I'll think about it.

Does it necessarily have to be a brush, or is it possible to use a comb, too?

[Silverleaf_Willow]

I think all of you are doing great. I work at a plant nursery which exposes me daily to things such as pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, and other toxic substances, so that I have to shower daily. I do wear a hat at work and keep my hair braided and pinned up, but I still feel toxic by the end of the day. I use a very basic shampoo and hair rinse that I buy at the health food store (organic ingredients, extracts and oils, no sodium laureth sulfate or other things that I cannot pronounce or grow if I had a garden).
In the winter when I'm not working, I only shampoo about twice a month and use regular water rinses to keep my hair clean. This coming winter, I will skip the shampoo and make my own rinse...I've heard great things about rosemary infusions.

[Teileag]

Hi everybody,

just to encourage those who are toying or experimenting with then"no shampoo" idea: I never really noticed that my hair got more greasy when I dropped the shampoo. It just went a bit more wiry, less soft to touch but I never looked "unwashed" or neglected. Now I'm over two months without shampoo and all I got was compliments of people saying how fast my hair grows and how nice it looks ... Inis, when you take a bath, you could just pile your hair on the top of your head and lie in your bath, couldn't you? Mine gets a bit damp as well when I take a shower but it doesn't really matter, just makes it a bit more curly afterwards . I never was into baths but I understand that it's more than just getting clean to you, so why should you stop it?

[chadly]

Know of anything to help with dandruff? I have dry skin in winter as is, and I notice if I go even one day without washing my hair, dandruff comes out like snow every time I run my fingers through my hair.

[Nicholaas]

Know of anything to help with dandruff? I have dry skin in winter as is, and I notice if I go even one day without washing my hair, dandruff comes out like snow every time I run my fingers through my hair.

I have rather dry skin, myself. I've found massaging my scalp while under the shower does the trick. It helps remove whatever flakey build-up has accumulated, and feels good, to boot.