Zeng is right. If you stop using shampoo and just wash with water, your hair gets kinda greasy for a while because your scalp is still set up to replace the oil you stripped off, but after a few weeks, it settles down to looking just fine.

We never started our kids using shampoo, and their hair was never nasty. Untill they started swimming so much, then they had to start using chlorine-stripping shampoo.

I'm not doubting your experience, but it still seems fishy to me.

If I stopped washing my skin with soap (Dove, only Dove) would my skin stop producing oils and sweat?

If I ever take a week off and go nowhere, I might see what happens. But honestly, my hair feels entirely different if I use shampoo or if I just run water through it. It feels, clean? Smells good. Floats instead of mats, bounces instead of drips.

Google provided nothing. Apparently no one on the interwebz knows you can free yourself from shampoo.

I'm with Monster.
Worked with hippy artist types who hadn't washed their hair in years.
It worked just fine for them. I think it takes longer than a week though. Six weeks? A guess.

My friend and I talked about doing it in the summer holidays one year, but we were teens and our Mums threatened to disown us if we tried.

No. Way.

Three non-americans tell me to not wash my hair for six weeks and it will be lovely?

Not falling for it. ;)

Seriously though, I'm dubious to the science behind this.

And I'll never try it. I kind of like my hair. And the hippies I've known are all dreddy and stuff and NO you don't use shampoo on it because oil is hidden under the mats and is needed and must be allowed to seep slowly into the outer tangles.

The older hippies I've known just have, plain and simple, greasy hair. Not all hippies. Many hippies wash. Just not the dirty ones.

I loves you guys, but I'm not believing this particular chain of words-of-mouth.

In any event, when the apocalypse comes, I trust you will all send me your shampoo. I'll send you food, you send me lilac-scented loveliness.

Over on Boing Boing they were talking about this several months ago. Several people were saying that they had tried it or that they knew people who tried it. ("it" meaning giving up all products and just washing with water.) What I gathered was that after a few months, some people with some types of hair were just fine without the shampoo, but that when you skipped the soap and deodorant on your body, you would stink within a few hours of your shower.

I can think of few things better than the smell of freshly shampooed hair. If I could curl my face up into my own neck with my hair all over my face, I would.

If my hair is still slightly damp and I put it up, then take it down later, it will still be damp and the BEST smell comes pouring out of it.

So I don't get the whole purpose of living without shampoo. Saving 67 bucks a year?

Makes a man stupid and weak in the eyes.

Not sure I could stand it. I like having my hair squeaky clean.

I'm a soap dodger. I don't use soap either, except in extreme circumstances -it plays havoc with my skin/eczema. I do use deodorant and I don't stink. Except after exercise.

That should probably be in the cellar secrets thread, shouldn't it? :lol:

But I'm pretty sure infi, zip and the fobster will confirm I'm not reeking and I met them all after long hot car journeys.

I can attest to this. She totally doesn't reek! ;)

Individual results may vary....

Am supposed to be tidying my room.
Was supposed to over half term.
Have had various (not really valid) excuses since then.

It's way past acceptable, even by my standards.
Once the floor is covered, everything else goes on the floor too.

Instead, I am sitting here in an evening dress. I bought it for the funeral but it turned out far longer and grander than expected - certainly given the price! So I'm going to go with the other one, which was also longer than expected in that it is knee length. The shorter dress was supposed to be the reserve - I thought I could wear it with leggings if this one was the wrong size or fit. Both are sleeveless, so I bought a shrug.

Less than £10 the lot and now I have a decent dress for the funeral and beyond, AND an unexpected evening dress. Although Lord alone knows what I will wear that too. Maybe I'll wear it to the panto, with a sequinned mask :) I didn't sign up to the staff Christmas meal as it was over £30. Instead I'm going to the pub with the Dinner Ladies!

So anyway, I tried this on and didn't take it off because I am wasting time here, knowing that when Mum comes home I have to scurry in and start making organised noises. I will pretend I was taking a break. Which will hopefully segue into real tidying up, as pointlessly making noise is hardly engaging.

Bend over right now and pick ONE thing up and put it where it's meant to be.

Nope, am in the spare bedroom not in my room.
But yes, that's how I'll start.

You just want to check out my arse in my new dress.