I Didn't Wash My Hair For 32 Days. Here Is What Happened(no Shampoo)

Luckytype

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Jan 15, 2017
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Let me start by saying i eased into no shampoo over the last 6 months. I started with every 3 days for a week progressing to every 7-10 days. After a couple months moved to 2 weeks then 3 around month 5 went for it. I would still shower and during the month and rinse my head in either a tub of water or under the shower. I wore my hair just tied back in like a stupid topknot/manbun thing(yea i know, only choice here short of ripping lots out).

When i did shampoo I used Acure brand stuff, very safe albeit still a shampoo. My gf is wonderful and lives a minimal chemical life as well. She is environmentally aware and knows the dangers of many endocrine disruptors.

Never again will I go that long without washing. Ever. I cant say i recommend it either past a week or so.

Background: Long story short im a former bodybuilding addict that started shedding hairabout 15 months ago eventually my metabolism taking a complete crap. (Hair Loss, Grogginess And More - Where The Heck Do I Start?) As of april, much of my blood work is improved but symptoms havent let up.
Reason: Basically decided to do this because im just sick of seeing hair in the drain. Its just plain annoying. I did a hair count for quite a while and after 6months off from gym it reduced so I figured perhaps this would help further.

Most recent thread 5 Days 5 Different Results - Why?

Old bloodwork- Interesting To Find This Out - What Do You Think?

Since this, my tsh is down to 1.36, test is normal mid-high 600s - i think i posted in the 5 day thread some updates. Many things are improved, i think.


Other info: Im of primarily sicilian/italian and german/austrian descent. I have light olive skin, lighter hair that is fine(cut in an undercut coif) but i have oily skin(but clear and bright, thank god) no issues with acne, only oily. People close to me call it olive oil. My hair itsef is wonderful, shiny, healthy, it just sheds like a mofo.

My diet is hybrid peatish, low pufa, many carbs, sat fats and lean proteins.

I went from 6 days a week for 3-4 hours at the gym to 6 months no gym. In july i started doing just 2 days a week for 1.25 hours. I sweat quite a bit

Ive been massaging and scalp stretching since sept of last year. I dont intend to stop. It improved my hairline but obviously the shedding is hormonal.

So the big day. In reality my hair was so nasty I couldnt take it and it was completely unworkable for styling. Im talking snarly, tangled and greasy, the middle of my head(the area very impacted by the shedding) was like curling forward in these big curls. It was ratty and gross. The hair that was falling (or what was being caught and not snarled up) has some sort of material on the end. This may or may not be what people call a sebum plug.

Now when it came time to wash, i showered then plugged the tub, i soaked my head in the water to realize my hair was so caked in a very wax like sebum. Ok no big deal ill soak here for 10minutes then ill just double shampoo it, its gotta be less oily since it hasnt had to replace lost oil.

Wrong. My scalp was so clogged with this waxy nasty sebum that even soaking my head in the tub(laying there floating and trying to fingerwash the oil) before shampoo that it literally felt like dried heavy-laden hairspray over styling clay but underwater. After 3 shampoos i get out and run a wide comb through it, should be good - well its tangled and strangely can see a crust of skin cells and perhaps this stuff being kinda worked up my roots. Im pretty pissed off at this point. Its all tangly and waxy still.

Drain tub, refill, three more shampoos. Im talking big foamy lifting shampoo. And rinsing is done by swishing my head in this huge tub to allow all the cleaned material to float out and away. Finally after 20 minutes of actual shampoo time, its clean. The water is slightly murky. Mind you this is a second full tub of water.

Little detangle spray, a little comb, good to let dry.

I have to be honest, maybe i dont have the scalp environment to do noshampoo but maybe 2weeks is about the limit now. I had basically zero adaptation in my scalp after 6 months of transitioning to the month long with out. Never again.

TL;DR
-Shedding hair, fixing health, sick of seeing hair
-Transitioned into this over 6 months
-Went 32 days no shampoo but with rinsing
-Disgusting waxy, hair gross, tons of chit on scalp
-Never again
 

Waynish

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Oct 11, 2016
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All the people with hair issues on this forum really should try a lifestyle change if they're not seeing progress using "methods." If you reduce stress in your life, then you will see a change in your hair falling out... And if you don't reduce stress in your life, then why should you see a change?
 
Joined
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All the people with hair issues on this forum really should try a lifestyle change if they're not seeing progress using "methods." If you reduce stress in your life, then you will see a change in your hair falling out... And if you don't reduce stress in your life, then why should you see a change?

What if i told you the stress in your life was a result of your metabolism
 
OP
L

Luckytype

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Jan 15, 2017
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Just understand that doing noshampoo was to do noshampoo. Using shampoo didnt cause my shed and it was not employed to stop my shed.

I wrote this as a data point to save people the frustration of nasty hair.
 

Jeemmy

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Jul 19, 2017
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Man I don't think noshampoo is the problem, maybe the reason for having the hairloss is the the same causing these waxu etc.. shampoo is actualy mitigating one side of the problem.. I am no shampoo nor soap since march 2016 and I have 0 problem whatsoever.. I think that these product doesn't impact so much on the actual cutaneous status (although they do on your metabolism via disruptors..)
 

Wagner83

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Oct 15, 2016
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All the people with hair issues on this forum really should try a lifestyle change if they're not seeing progress using "methods." If you reduce stress in your life, then you will see a change in your hair falling out... And if you don't reduce stress in your life, then why should you see a change?
I don't have stress, actually I'm doing much better than I was and hair are waving goodbye, they look like crap too. I've had stressful times eating salmon and whole grains while getting nerve issues and my hair looked amazing.
 

Waynish

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I don't have stress, actually I'm doing much better than I was and hair are waving goodbye, they look like crap too. I've had stressful times eating salmon and whole grains while getting nerve issues and my hair looked amazing.
How much fat are you eating? Are you depriving yourself because of information you "know"? How much sun are you getting? If you're not getting any sun or using a tanning bed once a week, then that should be next.
 

Wagner83

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I live in a very sunny place but winter is coming. I eat the fat that comes in red meat, egg yolks, butter and sometimes a bit of cheese if I indulge in it. That's not a lot of fat, when one removes dairy from the arsenal fat intake is quickly reduced (besides avocadoes).
 

ScottyVP

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Jun 26, 2017
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I've experienced similar with no-poo with resultant sebum, itchiness and homeless appearance. I've just been using polysorbate 80 as shampoo and my hair has been great, no miraculous hair regeneration or anything, just looks decent. I'm pretty sure that my weight training etc affects greasiness but I enjoy training and I am not going stop
 

Mountain

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Apr 26, 2015
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I can't remember the last time I shampooed my hair. I remember that I didn't notice any difference is greasiness after stopping. I experience hair loss too. The difference is probably the sebum production. That is, the volume, the type of sebum, etc. I don't produce much excess sebum since my forehead is smooth but not shiny or scaly.
 

Stramonium

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I use baking soda instead of shampoo, it is just as clarifying and it's great for removing the extra oil that might cause dandruff/weird smells
 

EIRE24

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I use baking soda instead of shampoo, it is just as clarifying and it's great for removing the extra oil that might cause dandruff/weird smells
I was going to try this but Vinegar works best in my opinion. I've read about baking soda as an exfoliator but anything that lowers the PH of the skin isn't great as it should be slightly acidic
 

Stramonium

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I was going to try this but Vinegar works best in my opinion. I've read about baking soda as an exfoliator but anything that lowers the PH of the skin isn't great as it should be slightly acidic

I use a product that has coconut oil and egg whites, it seems to balance my hair after the baking soda, I apply it while the hair is still damp to prevent it for being overly dry :thumbleft
 

EIRE24

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I use a product that has coconut oil and egg whites, it seems to balance my hair after the baking soda, I apply it while the hair is still damp to prevent it for being overly dry :thumbleft
Ah cool, I see. Sounds like a decent product.
 

charlie

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I was going to try this but Vinegar works best in my opinion. I've read about baking soda as an exfoliator but anything that lowers the PH of the skin isn't great as it should be slightly acidic
Some people do the baking soda for the "shampoo" and then the vinegar for the "conditioner".
 

EIRE24

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Some people do the baking soda for the "shampoo" and then the vinegar for the "conditioner".
Thanks charlie. I do notice my hair was crazy shiny when I used the ACV vinegar as a wash. I may switch to a normal white vinegar.
 
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What if I told you starting sentences that way doesn't make arguments more compelling ;)

cortisol is stress... sugar decreases stress... i know your thought process has something to do with it.. but nutrition is way more impactful...
 

tara

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I was going to try this but Vinegar works best in my opinion. I've read about baking soda as an exfoliator but anything that lowers the PH of the skin isn't great as it should be slightly acidic
Some people do the baking soda for the "shampoo" and then the vinegar for the "conditioner".
Yeah, baking soda can get rid of the grease, and then vinegar conditions the hair and restores acidic skin pH.
Overdoing the baking soda can be even more harsh on the hair than shampoo.
 

omnivoracious

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Aug 1, 2017
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I haven't used shampoo or soap for probably close to 6 years running and have no plans on ever using them again. I keep my hair short so there's never been any issues with scalp or hair. Never have any body odor issues - I haven't used deodorant for even longer, probably well over 10 years. I just rinse off in the shower and tend to take a shower a day, although on weekends I tend to go a day or two without a shower if I am being lazy. My skin used to get so dry when I would use soaps and then I would have to use lotion to moisturize my skin. That hasn't been an issue at all since the transition. I can understand this being problematic for people with long hair but it's been nothing but a hugely positive experience for me and like I said I don't see myself ever needing any of that stuff.
 

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