For the answer, you are going to have to look away from shampoo, and that might be very scary for you to even consider. In fact, I can practically feel you growing defensive as you read this. But consider for a moment what shampoo is and how it came to be. Shampoo was invented in the 1930's as a way to wash hair in increasingly harder water. Up until then, people used soap mostly, but, as you will notice if you ever try this, hard water does not react well with soap at all.
Hard water is water that has a very high mineral content. It is the reason your shower gets water spots and the water tastes funny from your sink unless you filter it. Water is supposed to be soft, but in many places it is hard, and getting harder. Soap doesn't lather as well in hard water, and leaves a film on the hair (and skin). Shampoo to the rescue! Most shampoo contains harsh chemical detergents called sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate, which are prized for the ability to create a large amount of lather with relatively little agitation and rinse cleanly in mineral-heavy waters. There's only one problem- sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate are detergents, and while they remove dirt and grime from your hair, they also remove all the healthy oils your hair needs to protect itself, leaving a pile of tangled mess for you to deal with. Obviously no one wants to destroy their hair, so what could companies do to fix this problem so people would still use shampoos? Shortly after shampoo's arrival came it's partner, conditioner. The idea is that the conditioner will replace what the shampoo takes away, so you'll be left with hair that feels smooth instead of destroyed.
In short, you use shampoo to take away from your hair, and the conditioner to put it back.
Does that sound kind of pointless to you?
Well, that's because it is. The truth is that shampoo is wholly unnecessary.
But what about the fact that if you don't shampoo everyday, your hair turns into an oil field big enough to fuel your car with? That honestly can't be just an accident.
Well, no, it's not an accident. You did it to yourself, just like I did it to myself, and just like all your friends did to themselves.
Think of it this way. Your scalp secretes oils that are meant to cover the hair shaft and keep it hydrated. It covers the hair and protects it from wind, water, sun, etc. What do you think happens when you take those oils away? Well, obviously the scalp will create more oils to protect your hair again. Keep taking those oils away, and the scalp will secrete even more. Shampoo your hair every single day, and your scalp will produce as much oil as it can to protect you hair. You have trained your scalp to secrete the amounts of oil that it does because you are continuously removing them.
How can you stop the madness and stop destroying your hair??
Here's a reality check. Detergent is not the only way to clean hair. In fact, brushing alone is enough to remove dirt from your hair. Think about it: when you wash your hair, is it normally because there is dirt in it that needs to come out, or because it's greasy? Hair is never as dirty as you think it is. Make the simple investment in a boar bristle brush, and you will be removing any dirt you can manage to get in it, all without removing the oils that protect your hair.
Again, I know what you are thinking. This is probably all really gross and threatening sounding. Your hair will stink and people will think you are a hippy. You even think that I must be a gross hippy. All part of the conditioning you've been processed to believe. In fact, many people get out of shampooing all together for the simple reason that they want to have one less thing that makes them dependent on the man.
As for me, I still use shampoo because I am not at the point where I can get away from it yet. I had the type of hair that HAD to be washed every single day, or else I might as well not even leave the house because I certainly wouldn't want anybody to see me like that. It took a few weeks, but gradually I trained my hair to produce less oil through one simple method..
Shampoo less often.
I started shampooing once every three days. It was difficult at first, and I wore more pony tails than I'm proud to admit, but in a few short weeks, my hair had adjusted, and now it's at the point where it doesn't produce the oil it once did. Going three days in between is easy. If you think three days between shampoo even makes someone a gross hippy, then there is probably no hope for you, and you might as well stop reading this now. You have been conditioned too thoroughly to visit this at this time. Even the most prominent of hair stylists will tell you to wash hair no more than once every three days, and some ask only once a week at best. Ask a well-trained hair stylist or do a quick google search if my word isn't good enough. It doesn't make hair gross, it makes hair HEALTHY.
For those of you who are beginning to feel you have been swindled into believe a fairy tale, the question comes naturally: How can I get out? How can my hair be healthy again without harsh detergents robbing and harassing it?
Well, for one, you could do as I did and gradually decrease your your shampoo use and let your scalp adjust, or you could go cold turkey with shampoo, which I wouldn't advise unless you plan on holing yourself up for a month or wearing a hat everywhere. Or, a third method, you can make your OWN shampoo- one that doesn't use harsh detergents, cleans your hair in hard water, and doesn't strip it of healthy oils. You can find a great many resources for this online, but one of the most common homemade shampoos used by former traditional shampoo users is the baking soda and vinegar way.
Uh-oh, I scared you again. Baking soda and vinegar, and you're thinking of fleeing. Hear me out. It's extremely simple, extremely cheap, and your hair will in NO WAY smell like vinegar. As a woman who is concerned with her appearance, I would certainly not mention it if it made you stink. I mention it because it works. Baking soda cleans and deodorizes your hair, while the vinegar balances the pH.
Here it is as I have used it, and as it has worked for me.
Dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of warm water.
Mix a tablespoon of vinegar in a separate cup of warm water.
While in the shower, slowly pour the baking soda water over your hair, being sure to get it over all the roots completely. Slowly massage it in as thoroughly as possible. It will not foam as you are used to, and this will make you think it isn't working. It is, just be patient. Your hair will not squeak, and it will generally not feel the same way it normally does after shampooing, but trust that it's cleaning.
Rinse.
Next, pour the cup of vinegar water over all of your hair, being sure it saturates it completely.
Rinse again.
Done. Seriously.
You can finish with a conditioner if you want, but it is best not to use to conditioner that contains silicones in it, as these can only be removed with the detergents in traditional shampoos, and your hair will have a build up of silicones in it if you don't get them out. You'll know your conditioner has silicones in it if there are any ingredients on the list that end in the word cone. You can style your hair as usual, but again, remember that many styling products contain silicones as well, and you'll need detergent to get them out again.
This is the method that many people use to get out of the shampoo+condition cycle, and it can be very freeing. Imagine, a whole aisle in the store that you are no longer attached to.
There are many other ways to shampoo your hair without detergent as well, many of which I have used myself with great success. Another method some people use is to wash their hair with an egg. Again, sounds crazy, but you can't really know how well it works, and how much better your hair likes it, until you try it for yourself.
The egg method is very simple: Whisk an egg in a small amount of water and rub into your hair, being sure to get all of your scalp thoroughly. Rinse. Be sure to have your water at a low temperature for this method, as it can be quite messy if you have the water too warm. (Mmm.. scrambled eggs..)
The point is that there are MANY options out there that will clean your hair without harsh chemicals, and that shampoo is really NOT a necessity as you've grown up believing. You can have clean hair, and you can have healthy hair. You no longer need products that make your hair look healthy. You really can have it all, if you want it.
Happy Seeking,
Jekka
