Finally ditching Shampoo, massive dandruff reduction, using Coconut Oil and Urea, and more.

[tankasnowgod]

So, over the past month, I have finally made the move to ditch shampoo. For whatever reason, this is one of those that I just didn't give a shot for a long time. Well, one month in, I don't think I'm going back. The biggest thing is that dandruff seems to have radically improved (meaning, there is much less of it). There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews on this (some loving it, others hating it). I wonder if a lot of the negatives are mainly people who stopped taking any care with their hair or scalp. That doesn't have to be the case.

I am a guy with fairly short hair, so that may have led to quicker success.

First, I got some wooden (I think technically bamboo) brushes and combs. I didn't comb my hair much before, due to the length, but am making an effort now, as that is supposed to redistribute the oils from your scalp to your hair.

Second, even if you don't use shampoo, you can still "water wash" your hair. Basically, the same rubbing and massaging techniques that you would use if you were using shampoo. This girl does a demonstration (in a swimsuit, fyi)-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2AG7YxtEa0


Next, the main reason to ditch shampoo is due to things like the parabens and sulfates and such, and that it strips oil from your hair. You can still use stuff on your hair, especially if they are Peat Friendly substances. I have been using some coconut oil, more on my scalp, but it obviously gets into my hair. And probably gets re-distributed from brushing. Also, I have been using a bit of urea as well. I get a little bit of the urea crystals (probably about a teaspoon, or 4 grams), put a little water in it, and then work it into my hair and scalp, and let it sit for about 15 minute or so before I shower. I think this has really benefited my scalp, as there were some rough and bumpy parts, where flakes of skin would come off with just light scratching, and they seem to be smoothing out, and very quickly so. The urea trick might be good for anyone who had dandruff. I think applying progesterone might be good for anyone with balding or thinning hair.

I haven't used baking soda or vinegar yet, but I have heard that if you do, it's best to dilute them with a lot of water. Which makes a lot of sense to me. I did save my two old shampoo bottles, for this purpose in the future, if needed. Maybe like a couple teaspoons for of either per bottle, the rest water. Salt might work just as well (or better) than the baking soda.

I haven't had any issues with thinning or balding, but after a month, I think my hair is thicker and darker than before. And dandruff is massively reduced (like, 90% or so), if not totally eliminated.

 

[Cloudhands]

hey man, i had bad experiences with baking soda. Just vinegar does wonders for me. no need to dilute it, just use as much as needed, rubbed onto scalp, and dont touch the hair much. The skin needs an acidic pH to function optimally, baking soda disrupts that

 

[Inaut]

I stopped shampooing my hair probably 8 months ago. At first I was quite concerned my scalp would get very oily/greasy as I have fine/long hair and seemed to be an issue if I didnt wash my hair for a couple of days. Surprising though, my hair looks pretty good (hairline could be better) considering and I'm only using water in the shower. What I found was vinegar stripped my hair too much even when I diluted it.

What has worked best for me is kombucha diluted with water (1:4 ratio) - thanks @David PS . More recently though I bought some wintergreen oil and started adding about 8 drops to 100ml of water(applicator bottle) and a teaspoon of msm. I apply this to my hair after rinsing with plain water and leaving it in for the day. My hair is quite clean and no scalp grease and it smells good too! This is probably the best combo I've found for my hair type so far and I have hopes that the methyl salicylate will help with hair growth. It's early days but just thought I'd add to the conversation

 

[HighT]

Do you notice increased growth fromthe coconut?

 

[JamesGatz]

Yea I haven't used any shampoo in about 2 years - my hair is NEVER greasy and ALWAYS shines as well as SUPER thick -

if you are healthy/not under ANY stress using Shampoo and Soap/deodorant is completely unnecessary- you can go just showering with water from time to time and NEVER stink

"Greasy Hair" is associated with stress - if you don't use shampoo your hair will ONLY become greasy under stress - the problem is most people are under certain kind of stress most of the time so hence most people will develop the Greasy look when they try to do no shampoo

All shampoo and soap does is mask the smell/look associated with stress - everyone stinks when they are under stress but all shampoo and soap does is mask the smell while destroying your hair/skin in the process

The goal should be to not have to rely on anything to mask the smell of stressors and instead get rid of the stressors

*NEIGH* *NEIGH*

 

[-Luke-]

Do you use any styling gel or a natural equivalent?

I shave my hair pretty short (14 mm on the top, 9 mm on the sides and back of the head), so I only use shampoo twice a week or so. But despite the short hair I still put something in there almost every morning (I use a bit of shea butter for that) because my hair can look quite weird when I get up in the morning. And after 2 or 3 days of doing that it just looks unpleasantly oily.

Maybe just giving the water wash some time and using a brush/comb would get rid of that problem.

 

[Jinju]

@tankasnowgod
Sharing my experience - I stopped shampooing over 5 or 6 years ago. Took a few months to get used to it.
Baking soda DOES NOT agree with me! I do a water wash twice a week. And I use a diluted apple cider vinegar solution to rinse once a month or so (sometimes even less frequently). I'm a woman btw

 

[haidut]

So, over the past month, I have finally made the move to ditch shampoo. For whatever reason, this is one of those that I just didn't give a shot for a long time. Well, one month in, I don't think I'm going back. The biggest thing is that dandruff seems to have radically improved (meaning, there is much less of it). There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews on this (some loving it, others hating it). I wonder if a lot of the negatives are mainly people who stopped taking any care with their hair or scalp. That doesn't have to be the case.

I am a guy with fairly short hair, so that may have led to quicker success.

First, I got some wooden (I think technically bamboo) brushes and combs. I didn't comb my hair much before, due to the length, but am making an effort now, as that is supposed to redistribute the oils from your scalp to your hair.

Second, even if you don't use shampoo, you can still "water wash" your hair. Basically, the same rubbing and massaging techniques that you would use if you were using shampoo. This girl does a demonstration (in a swimsuit, fyi)-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2AG7YxtEa0


Next, the main reason to ditch shampoo is due to things like the parabens and sulfates and such, and that it strips oil from your hair. You can still use stuff on your hair, especially if they are Peat Friendly substances. I have been using some coconut oil, more on my scalp, but it obviously gets into my hair. And probably gets re-distributed from brushing. Also, I have been using a bit of urea as well. I get a little bit of the urea crystals (probably about a teaspoon, or 4 grams), put a little water in it, and then work it into my hair and scalp, and let it sit for about 15 minute or so before I shower. I think this has really benefited my scalp, as there were some rough and bumpy parts, where flakes of skin would come off with just light scratching, and they seem to be smoothing out, and very quickly so. The urea trick might be good for anyone who had dandruff. I think applying progesterone might be good for anyone with balding or thinning hair.

I haven't used baking soda or vinegar yet, but I have heard that if you do, it's best to dilute them with a lot of water. Which makes a lot of sense to me. I did save my two old shampoo bottles, for this purpose in the future, if needed. Maybe like a couple teaspoons for of either per bottle, the rest water. Salt might work just as well (or better) than the baking soda.

I haven't had any issues with thinning or balding, but after a month, I think my hair is thicker and darker than before. And dandruff is massively reduced (like, 90% or so), if not totally eliminated.

Good to know, thanks for sharing and glad it helped.
FWIW, several clients recently told me the oral niacinamide protocol worked wonders for them. Complete resolution of both dandruff and beardruff within 2-3 days using niacinamide. Most of them reported starting with a loading day of 3g in the morning and another 3g after 8 hours, as per the study below. Then on subsequent days they took a single 3g daily dose. By the 3rd day, their dandruff was gone. One guy had to do this for 5 days to completely clear it up but he was also successful in eradication. Have not heard from they yet what happens when the regimen is stopped, but if this effect holds for a few months then even if it has to be repeated periodically, it would still be a good option as once every few months is not that burdensome. Adding aspirin may make it work even better and allow to use lower niacinamide doses, as the latter is quite sedating in doses above 2g.

Niacinamide Is A Potent Antifungal Effective Against Candida

I posted some studies some time ago showing that aspirin and methylene blue are able to eradicate Candida infections. This study adds niacinamide to the tools we have against pathogenic fungi, and it seems niacinamide is especially effective against Candida. The human equivalent dose was 35mg/kg...

raypeatforum.com

Aspirin As An Antifungal Drug, Even Against Candida

It seems that aspirin may be useful to people struggling with Candida problems. This study shows various concentrations of aspirin inhibiting fungal growth and even killing Candida. http://aac.asm.org/content/48/1/41?ijke ... f_ipsecsha "...In the present study, a catheter disk model system...

raypeatforum.com

 

[FocusedOnHealth]

Can’t you just use a shampoo that has organic ingredients? Coconut oil seems greasy.

 

[HumanLife]

I have had dandruff issues for ages but then I switched to Dr. Bronner’s 18 in 1 and I stopped having dandruff falling off my hair that could fill a snow globe whenever I move my hand on my head.

Peppermint - Pure-Castile Liquid Soap

Buy Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap! 18+ uses including face, body, pets, laundry, dishes, house cleaning & more! Fair trade, organic & no synthetic ingredients.

www.drbronner.com

Ingredients list doesn’t look bad either, and they are over a hundred years old as a brand.

 

[Mister]

Yup don't wash hair with shampoo either, maybe only 1x every month but going to stop that too. Water washing hair with warm water is best and more than enough unless you have been rubbing your head in the sand.

Hair feels and looks much better without shampoo and doesn't stink.

 

[DrJ]

@tankasnowgod you might try caprylic acid or MCT oil over coconut oil if the dandruff doesn't fully resolve. Some yeasts live off the C-12 and greater chain length fatty acids which coconut oil still has a lot of.

 

[tankasnowgod]

Can’t you just use a shampoo that has organic ingredients? Coconut oil seems greasy.

Sure, but that would defeat a bit of the point. Shampoo isn't a huge expense, but it's easier not buying and using it (just have to break old habits). I didn't notice much of an adjustment time personally, and don't see any reason to go back, since things are better now.

Coconut oil is fat, but it's not really "greasy," in my experience. It usually absorbs well into the skin and hair. I remember some "build up" on combs I used back in the day, I think a lot of stuff in shampoos and conditioners leaves more "greasiness" than coconut oil does. Of course, YMMV.

 

[Peatness]

I have had dandruff issues for ages but then I switched to Dr. Bronner’s 18 in 1 and I stopped having dandruff falling off my hair that could fill a snow globe whenever I move my hand on my head.

Peppermint - Pure-Castile Liquid Soap

Buy Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap! 18+ uses including face, body, pets, laundry, dishes, house cleaning & more! Fair trade, organic & no synthetic ingredients.

www.drbronner.com

Ingredients list doesn’t look bad either, and they are over a hundred years old as a brand.

My scalp is really sensitive and the peppermint soap was too harsh for me. The citrus one was fine

 

[tankasnowgod]

Do you use any styling gel or a natural equivalent?

You mean, other than coconut oil? Nope, just what I mentioned above.

I shave my hair pretty short (14 mm on the top, 9 mm on the sides and back of the head), so I only use shampoo twice a week or so. But despite the short hair I still put something in there almost every morning (I use a bit of shea butter for that) because my hair can look quite weird when I get up in the morning. And after 2 or 3 days of doing that it just looks unpleasantly oily.

Shea butter is mostly stearic and oleic acid, if memory serves. I think remaining oiliness usually comes from unsaturated fats. PUFA would be the worst, but the oleic might cause it in your case, especially if you regularly put it in your hair. I don't think the Stearic Acid is a big problem, even with it's longer chain length, since it's saturated. I know CO has a lot of medium chain fats, but the coconut oil I've been using is Hydrogenated, and I had melted some extra Stearic Acid into it, so it might be more like 25-30% Stearic (normal coconut oil is only 2.5%)

Maybe just giving the water wash some time and using a brush/comb would get rid of that problem.

It probably would. 2 weeks to a month is supposed to be a common adaptation time, if you can commit to riding it out during that period, I think you might see benefits. You could switch to something like MCT, coconut oil or HCO from Shea, and that might help, too.

 

[tankasnowgod]

@tankasnowgod you might try caprylic acid or MCT oil over coconut oil if the dandruff doesn't fully resolve. Some yeasts live off the C-12 and greater chain length fatty acids which coconut oil still has a lot of.

I used MCT/Vitamin E combos in the past, and they worked well. I still have a lot of mct oil, I might try it out at some point.

But really, I don't think I will need to use it chronically.

 

[Advocate2021]

Wish some beauty professional who follows Peat would invent something for highlighted and treated hair. I try to find the healthiest way for these treatments and products but unfortunately treated hair needs a little more that the basics.

 

[Giraffe]

Do you use any styling gel or a natural equivalent?

I shave my hair pretty short (14 mm on the top, 9 mm on the sides and back of the head), so I only use shampoo twice a week or so. But despite the short hair I still put something in there almost every morning (I use a bit of shea butter for that) because my hair can look quite weird when I get up in the morning. And after 2 or 3 days of doing that it just looks unpleasantly oily.

Maybe just giving the water wash some time and using a brush/comb would get rid of that problem.

A couple of years back I used coconut oil on my hair for styling purposes. I added it only once after washing. From the second day on I used a hair dryer for a few seconds to get the hair warm enough to make the coconut oil melt, and then I kneaded the hair in shape. I don't know if this would work for you. My hair was much longer than yours and I used the oil mainly on the hair tips, so maybe my situation was different from yours.

 

[supercoolguy]

hey man, i had bad experiences with baking soda. Just vinegar does wonders for me. no need to dilute it, just use as much as needed, rubbed onto scalp, and dont touch the hair much. The skin needs an acidic pH to function optimally, baking soda disrupts that

Yes, it clears out Everthing from Hair & Scalp. 3-5 max days. I have used ACV or White 100%. Takes time, Keep applying and massaging. (Watch out for your eyes) Have towels near. Rinse with filter water. Helps to have a hair-cut first.

 

[supercoolguy]

Wish some beauty professional who follows Peat would invent something for highlighted and treated hair. I try to find the healthiest way for these treatments and products but unfortunately treated hair needs a little more that the basics.

These guys might be of help. Check ingredients of course. Ive tried a few things without any reactions. The Mud Like Hair Cleaner was too much work for me. But the other stuff worked well. They might even create something for you, if its not there already?
The Real Deal: Terressentials--The Original Organic Skin Care Pioneers