poo-free

ON A RECENT bus ride, I overheard some chick talking about how it takes, on average, about six weeks for a person’s hair to re-balance itself to its natural state of health when one stops using shampoo.  The woman went on to comment that she could never stop using shampoo because of the ‘sweaty smell’ that would be so prevalent.  Being an every-other-day hair washer and someone who’s always up for trying new things… I haven’t washed my hair in 16 days.  I might not ever use shampoo again.  

I went online to see what people had to say about this, and found several dozen blogs.  When we use shampoo, it washes away our hair’s natural oil, sebum, and that causes an over-production of the sebum, which gives us the need to wash it again.  That’s the cycle.  But, according to many, the hair and scalp can take care of themselves.   As I read up on the subject, memories were jogged of the junior high P.E. teacher, who was also my beloved tennis coach, rumored to have used Ivory soap as her hair cleanser.  Why this would be the subject of student gossip is beyond me.  I discovered that a lot of people do ‘water only’, but several choose to massage a baking soda paste into the scalp once or twice a week.  People with long hair prefer to use natural conditioners.  The most popular conditioner seems to be apple cider vinegar; others use honey.  The majority of write-ups warn of the gross, greasy hair that one must live through for one or two weeks before moving on through the 4-6 week process that apparently leads to the healthiest hair and scalp we could imagine.  

For me, day five was pretty thick on the grease.  I was wondering if I’d break down and wash it.  I held out.   I guess I’m lucky for having short hair and only a day or two of nastiness (as opposed to the average week or two of grease ball hair).  My hair seems wavier than it’s been in a while… almost like… ‘beach hair’ without the sand.  Last Thursday, I rode the bike for a few hours, wearing a piece of t-shirt as a headscarf, or do-rag, whatever you wanna call it.  I decided to try the baking soda paste that day in the shower.  My hair looked and felt awesome.  According to a trustworthy friend, my hair does not stink.  For the people who always enjoyed the smell-good aspect of shampooing, many use essential oils, vanilla, and cinnamon to please the nose.  I’m even tempted to let my hair grow, without a trim, until at least February.  This is partly because I’d like to see what it’s like, and also because nobody compares to Wendell.  Happy hair, and I dare you to try it.