The documentary “Affluenza”, a conversation with my brother, and finally an article from NPR convinced me to try something you might find disgusting. I went several days without shampooing my hair.
Actually, I went two weeks or fourteen full days without shampooing. I did wash my hair everyday. I just didn’t wash with shampoo, I used water and more than normal scrubbing and rinsing.
Come to find out shampoo is good at cleaning, but not good at moisturizing. Shampoo strips your hair of essential oils which keep your hair healthy and prevents it from drying out.
Here’s my old routine, shampoo for cleaning, conditioner to counter the bad effects of shampoo, then hairspray to make my unhealthy dried out hair stay in place.
My new routine is to shampoo once a week and wash with water the other six days. No need for conditioner or hairspray, because my hair stays hydrated and managable. That’s two things shampoo can’t do.
If your going to try to use less “poo”, be patient. Your body is over producing oils to compensate for the continuous stripping of oil in your hair by the shampoo. So give your hair some time to slow down the oil production, get into a routine, and your hair will get used to more peaceful times.
In conclusion, reducing shampoo use totally eliminates the need for two other products (conditioner and hairspray) and leaves your hair healthier. I know my hair has never been healthier.