Well it was just over a month ago when significant attention was bestowed upon me over my self experiment — months in the making — to rid and free myself from soap and shampoo. You know the story.
I got a kick out of a lot of the comments at boingboing at the time, like, "he must be a vegan." Many suggested I must be an unwashed hippie. And many failed to draw the distinction, right there in the boingboing post title — "Body washing with water alone" — between not using soap & shampoo and not washing at all. But more than a month later, the comment I laugh about the most was the guy who said: "Don’t use shampoo; use real poo." Cracks me up to this day. How weird am I?
So I have an interview tomorrow morning with the Columbia University Journalism School wire service that distributes via the NYT wire. So, potentially, it could go out to many sources, or, it could fizzle — but I don’t know much about this sort of thing. But I’m game. This is mostly about the growing trend to no shampoo, as the reporter explained it. We’ll see how it goes. Manbe I can get in a bit about paleo, primal, evfit, eh?
So, it has been more than a month. Did anyone give it a try and care to report their results, positive or negative? I’ve got a few to share with you. The most extensive report is by Sean Bonner who wrote up a whole deal on it.
I’ve given up using soap & shampoo forever
Towards the end of December I came across an article written by a guy who had given up on using soap and was now washing himself with water alone. My immediate thought was this must be some dirty hippy and I felt sorry for anyone who lived or worked in close proximity to him – however I was interested in why someone would make a choice like this so I sat down and read both the article and the extremely long comment thread which made much more sense than I expected it to. If you have some time I recommend reading it though the author, Richard Nikoley, is active in the paleo-scene so a lot of the comments reference those ideas. But this post isn’t about that article, it’s about my own experiences.
Please extend him the courtesy of a big increased traffic day and go read the post about his experiences.
Next up is this post where he touches on several life tweaks:
Flipping Switches and Turning Dials
Hair: It just gets weirder. Welcome to the next stop on the freak show. A few weeks ago, I read this post over at Free the Animal. Giving up the use of shampoo and other hair care products seemed unorthodox, to say the least. I tend to be particular about my hair. Yet, I was intrigued.
Go check out his results.
And finally, just a few days ago "Jinx" commented on the original post.
It’s been a month since I went soap free, and 4 weeks since shampoo last touched my hair. My hair is soft, manageable, shiny, has no odor, and my scalp doesn’t itch. I still use soap on my hands after using the toilet, but that’s it. Haven’t even used facial moisturizer. My skin is soft, has no perfumey soap residue, and I don’t need moisturizer even though our winters are very very dry. My hands get dry after using some soaps but a couple of hours later they’re soft again. It’s working out really well for me. I’m glad I found out about this!
So that’s three. Any more who’ve tried it and given it an honest month or more? Positive or negative, let’s hear it.
Update: Well I just spent 45 minutes on the phone with the reporter and actually about half of it was about the paleo / primal / evfit life to include diet, workout, fasting. Covered lots of ground. I speculated that the reason this may be working so well for some as evidenced by these comments is at least partially related to diet as opposed to SAD.
I’m told the article will hit the wire within about two weeks and will go out to 400 newspapers around the country. Let’s cross our fingers that it gets picked up by many and that the paleo way gets even more airtime.
CFS 
Erin in Flagstaff 
Woody 
arlojeremy 
Silverbenz 
Heather Lackey 
Vanessa 
Scott 
Erik Cisler 
Elizabeth 
I find it’s necessary to shampoo after going in a chlorinated pool. My hair gets rather sticky and stiff afterwards, so I think the layer of oils is being oxidized by the chlorine, but at least it’s sacrificing itself to protect the structural proteins in my hair.
Actually, chlorine is water-soluble so you’re better off using just water after swimming even if you use shampoo the rest of the time. Try it just once, you’ll find the chlorine smell and feeling is even easier to remove than with shampoo.
No soap is going fine. My hands used to be very dry, but now they’re soft.
No poo didn’t work for me. My hair got unbearably oily after a few days and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my social life. Now I’m washing my hair with shampoo every four days instead of every other day as I used to. I plan to increase the interval little by little.
That’s how I gave up shampoo several years ago. I kept increasing the number of days between shampoos until I was going abut two weeks apart. Then I quit the shampoo. It’s a good way for your scalp to adjust. After reading Richard’s article I am doing the same with soap. Extending the days in between soap use until I feel that my body has adapted.
I still use conditioner and use a a “No-Poo” product from Deva about every 10 to 12 days. I read about giving up shampoo in a book called “Curly Girl” — a book for people with curly hair. As curly hair gets very dry it’s important not to shampoo. Conditioning helps though, and I don’t want to give it or my hair gel up. If not using shampoo and using gels make sure to use products that are water soluble, without silicone products in them.
My hair is curlier since giving up shampoo. What’s strange is that this last year my hair has become way curlier — Shirley Temple would want my ringlets. I’m sure it’s eating the way I do. Lots of fat and protein changed things up.
That’s interesting about the curls Erin.
Since eating low carb/primal my hair has got much curlier. My mother then told me that I’d had curly hair when I was young. Interesting isn’t it!
How do you get on when you go to the hairdresser I wonder.
I’m going to try your idea of stretching out the shampoo days.
I’ve stopped going to the hairdresser! Once I realized that there’s no reason to have evenly cut hair (with curls, who’s going to see if the ends all match?), I figured that I could cut it. Started slowly, never cutting too much, and am now comfortable with trimming my own hair.
This is what I’ve been doing. Currently I’m washing ~3 times every 2 weeks but still condition daily. Soap the groin, pits, butt…but that’s about it.
Like Erin, I have curly hair and have been familiar with “no-poo” for a few years now. While my hair is dry, my scalp is pretty oily (I can’t begin to describe what a sucky combination that is), but I’ve been able to give up shampoo without a problem. Wetting my hair down and scrubbing my scalp with my fingertips helps a lot, and once a week I use a dilute acv rinse (about 1 ounce acv to 8 ounces water) to get rid of any build up… I only use water soluble products but with the conditioners but I find my curls look better if I do a “deep cleaning” once a week. You might also be able to use baking soda to wash…I’ve heard good things about it but I can’t use it because I color my hair.
I’ve heard that if you have a problem with the grease accumulating on your scalp then you should use a washcloth to pull it away toward the tips of your hair. I’m going to start going No Poo next week when I get back from my last work conference for a few months. I’ve been reading about going Paleo for the last few months and I think I’m ready to plunge in.
I was leaning in your direction for awhile, especially since the stuff in stores is just industrial waste products that they can sell back to you at a ripoff price, but I found this to be a much better alternative:
http://www.calbenpuresoap.com/
doesn’t itch or irritate the skin.
I tried when I first found your blog. My wife was (and still is) away, so I figured it would be easy to get away with.
It’s worked out well, and I haven’t told my wife. I don’t think she’ll notice when she gets back. I was using dandruff shampoo otherwise I’d have flakes, but the dandruff doesn’t seem to be an issue.
I have used shampoo twice during this time. There were two instances where it was necessary:
1) Skipped my shower the day before and I felt really greasy
2) Clippered my hair, and the little pieces of hair wouldn’t rinse out easily
So basically, as long as I don’t skip showers I can keep my shampoo usage down to once a month or so.
How can I not comment on this? :-D
I only use soap on my hands, armpits, groin & feet. I don’t put detergent anywhere near my head as I have psoriasis and I don’t want to cause any flaking. I keep my hair short as long hair tickles my ears but it doesn’t get greasy with water washing.
I also have scalp problems and skin problems. Since giving up soap, they are virtually gone. And since going paleo, even my acne has subsided. I’m 35 years old and have had these problems my whole life.
I’ve been going no-poo for about 6 months now. However, instead of not washing my hair at all, I’ve been using baking soda to wash and apple cider vinegar to condition. I don’t need anti-frizz serum anymore and my hair is quite soft. I have had a bit of a problem with dandruff since winter started, but a brown sugar scrub takes care of that.
I still use soap.
A brown sugar scrub? Please elaborate. How do they work/where can I get one? My main problem since going soap- and shampoo-free is that I get a really itchy scalp, and LOTS of flaking.
One pointer to people who are doing this: many people tout the benefits of coconut oil for keeping your hair and scalp soft and moisturized. I decided to try it out, and got myself a bottle of Softee “Pure” Coconut Oil from Walgreens. It’s $1. (I live in Massachusetts, so $1.06 with tax.) Since the packaging says “Pure Coconut Oil,” I didn’t think to check until I had already bought it; the first ingredient is petrolatum, and there are several other things mixed in there with the coconut oil as well.
My reason for posting this: I know that some people doing this program are interested in keeping all inedible products off their skin (the old “if you can’t put it in, don’t put it on” wisdom), and I want to post this here to let you know you shouldn’t waste your money on the Softee coconut oil, ’cause it’s not pure even though the packaging indicates it is.
-Steve
you can find good quality, genuinely pure coconut oil at any stores which cater to south asian community… just ask your Indian friends, using coconut oil is common in their culture.
Can you describe what the texture of your hair feels like? Is it as “clean” feeling as using shampoo or is there enough oil left in your hair that you could “style” it. I really hate the look of oil in my haircolor. Additionally, how much baking soda do you use? I tried it for 2 weeks, which is probably not enough time, but the baking soda didn’t put a dent in the oil and I found it really difficult to work in/get out.
Richard,
I’ve been loving this ‘experiment’ (it’s no longer an experiment, it’s now what I do). I began this journey the day after your original post.
Previously, I had issues every winter with dry skin (forced air, etc.), and it drove me crazy with the itching! Since I’ve eschewed the use of saponified substances I’ve experienced much softer and HAPPIER skin this winter – I get a little itchy here and there, but its nowhere near what it used to be. Overall, skin is softer and more pliable, and I -think- I smell better – haha – to myself, at least. I noticed less of a ‘funk’ if I miss a shower – I’m guessing my skin’s PH is remaining constant and native flora is keeping odor-causing bacteria in check.
My hair is softer and fuller, and I no longer have to deal with the “dry, dead” feeling I used to when I would shampoo. Before I started this it was getting worse – my hair would feel like straw after washing, and not even conditioner could get it feeling right. No longer!
One thing I would point out to those that are experiencing oily hair – make sure you are scrubbing/massaging your scalp vigorously! It will help move fresh sebum (skin oil) to your scalp/hair and facilitate the removal of dirty, gummy oil.
While we’re talking about showers, I recommend finishing every shower with at least 30 seconds of cold (or relatively cold), especially if its after a workout. Gets the blood pumping and invigorates the body, allowing for quicker recovery and being more badass.
Lumberjacks and Vikings take cold showers. There’s a reason for this.
Our story: My husband and I have been poo-free since December 17th. He gets his hair wet every shower and uses baking soda/apple cider vinegar roughly the same time as me. I use BS/ACV about every 3-4 days, otherwise I use a shower cap so my hair is dry during showers. My hair is long – middle of my back, and we are extremely happy with the results. What a rip-off shampoos and conditioners are! We still use soap on pits and groin areas (and on hands after using toilet and while cooking), but that’s it. We use straight coconut oil for our skin. We just like to use it in our dry Colorado winters. We’ll see what happens in the summer. We are both 56 years old – hippies indeed! haha Love the paleo/primal lifestyle!
Right – forgot to mention that we clean our teeth with baking soda and peroxide.
Do you still use shaving cream?
Woody, I’m about a week into this, but I’ve given up shaving cream, as well. That was a bigger leap for me since I shave my head. I didn’t expect it to go as well as it has, so I figure I’m going to keep this up a while longer.
What do you use to replace the shaving cream?
Nothing. I shave just before I get out of the shower with a good blade.
I just got my shaggy hair trimmed up reasonably short, so I am going to give this a go! 1 day down.
This whole thing is about taking those things you’ve done your whole life, your assumptions, challenging them and seeing where it goes. If you give it an open and honest shot and it works, great! If not, well, onto the next assumption.
Sure, the unfamiliar can be a little scary and sometimes challenging, but isn’t that the point? What’s life without growth?
stopped around new year 2010 with soap and shampoo. still use soap before (always) and after (if greasy) food prep. I use baking soda for deodorant and toothbrushing. my wife mentioned (unusually) several times that I smell good; the third time was early Feb and I said, “are you sure?” and then explained the deal. she was a little weirded about what she called “not washing” but couldnt argue with the results. I do wash but just dont use the chemicals any more… I do clean shave parts of my face once or twice a month and have continued using shaving cream but looking for an alternative as I work through the last of my can.
I have shampooed like twenty times in the past eight years. The only time it seems necessary is when its humid in a polluted city.
Haven’t used soap on my body for years, other than hands. I used Sorbolene (which is probably some horrid agglomeration of chemicals anyway) on pits/groin/butt until I read the original post by Richard. So, I gave up any form of cleanser (other than for hands), including shampoo/conditioner, after that post. Results: I’m happy with my hair and never had an itchy scalp. Don’t have any dandruff either. Hair seems to be shiny and relatively soft as well. I also swim in a chlorinated pool a few times a week and have noticed that my hair seems to balance itself out without needing shampoo.
As for body, I haven’t noticed any change – like I said, didn’t use cleansers much anyway (nor deodorant/anti-perspirant at all) – but my partner, after I confessed to doing this experiment, said that he’d noticed a few times that I smelt a bit ‘stale’ on occasion which he hadn’t noticed previously. I’m still trying to get to the bottom of this one and it’s not always present. I use a washer (flannel) to exfoliate every time I shower, but nothing else but water :)
Forgot: I still use Sorbolene as a sort-of shaving cream. Not sure I’m up for the water+razor shave!
I stopped using soap to shave almost two years ago, because I ran out of shave cream. I shave just before getting out of the shower and get just as good of a shave as with the chemical crap. I also don’t cut myself anywhere near as much. After a few shaves I didn’t get razor burn either, which I had a problem with when using various shaving products.
After reading your article I decided to try this no soap thing, but just on my face and hair to start out with. So far so good. Hair feels fine. Skin feels fine. I haven’t told my wife, and she hasn’t noticed yet…
I noticed the most amazing thing the other day, it’s February in New York and I haven’t had one case of chapped lips yet. Usually by now I’m a blistex junkie.
Also shaving is pretty easy with no soap and no shaving cream. I shave in the shower, the water and my skin’s natural oils do the job just fine.
One of these days I may expand this experiment a little bit further south on my anatomy. I’m in no hurry tho.
I stopped soap, shampoo, deodorant and shaving cream after your initial post. Here’s where I am now:
I am ~never~ going back to using shaving cream. Never.
I’ve stayed mostly soap free, save for a few really stressful work days. (Why does stress have to smell so strong?!) I have a little brush I use to defoliate in the shower. I really like that. I think I spend more time cleaning without soap than I did with it.
I don’t miss deodorant, but I’d never been a steadfast user of it anyway.
I made it a little over a week without shampoo, couldn’t stand the oiliness, shampooed for two days in a row, and then got hit with a major resurgence of seborrheic dermatitis. I wondered whether it was the not shampooing that had set that up to happen, or was it the going back to shampoo? I switched to a dandruff shampoo for a while to get it under control again, and I’m now almost a week into the new no-shampoo experiment. This time I have to stick with it because now I want to know: was it the no poo or the poo?
Also, I’ve only just recently started turning off the hot water just before the end of my shower. I actually like it! I loathe being cold, but this I really enjoy.
My boyfriend’s mom and sisters (all of whom have curly hair) gave me the Curlygirl book a few years ago and I no longer use shampoo- my hair is much softer now, though I still have issues with frizziness. I do use conditioner and water for friction cleaning, and have tried to go without conditioner, but that usually results in not being able to get my fingers through my hair where there is the most oil.
No poo since your post, so far so good! I do wash it with warm water every day, but other than that nothing. I like the way it looks and feels better than before – I have thin hair and in winter with dryness and static it used to get “kinda funny looking”, no more, much more manageable. My wife didn’t notice anything. I also used to use dandruff poo for years, but now there is no dandruff at all. Not sure whether it cured itself a while back or it’s the “no poo treatment” working.
I used to have problems with bad BO despite frequent showers with lots of soap and trials of all known deodorants. Changed my diet to basically Paleo, and discovered the happy if unexpected side effect that showers (with soap – didn’t realize there was any other kind!) now worked to make me smell clean. So I was intrigued to try no soap, no poo, since I figured I was already prepped for success by my diet, and I was already in the soap-on-key-parts-only camp.
My last soap/shampoo shower was in December, other than when my hair was colored in mid-January. No soap is an unqualified success. With shampoo, my hair needed daily applications of volumizing “product” , styling, and spray to avoid looking super-thin, limp and pathetic. Without shampoo, I still need all the stuff to look great, but my hair is clearly heavier and fuller on its own. Rinsing the products out of my hair with just water every day seems to be working fine. Success again!
We made the switch (for the most part) after reading your post on Dec. 31st. What an interesting start to a new year! LOL
We’ve stopped using shampoo (except for maybe twice; after swimming in the indoor salt water pool at my mom’s) and just use gentle soap on the ‘bits’ as we all like to call them. I now brush my teeth with just water and do a quick rinse with diluted mouthwash after. (Will eventually switch to something more natural but not yet…one thing at a time.)
We still use a quick swipe of underarm deodorant, but a lot less than before.
I have curly, crazy hair and it’s nice and soft now. I usually put some aloe vera gel in it because I need something to keep it from fluffing up. No dandruff to report. I have used the baking soda/cider vinegar combo on my hair a couple times, but now I don’t bother. I massage my scalp well in the very warm shower each morning and lower the temperature to ‘cool’ to finish. At night before bed I brush my hair with boar bristles to distribute the natural oils.
Still need to work on getting rid of this winter skin itch. I picked up some shea butter today and will see how that goes. After showering I usually dip a damp face cloth into EVOO and give myself (including my face) a wipe-down but apparently it’s not enough. I have VERY sensitive skin.
Thanks for the motivation to kick soap (etc.) to the curb, Richard!
Try straight coconut oil. Works wonders for the winter itch!
Thanks, I will!
Well, I’ve been doing it since the beginning of the year, not long after your post, and no problems whatsoever – hair is amazingly soft, styles without anything at all, skin is perfect, beard has no problems with winter itch, smell good, wife happy, co-workers not running out of the room when I enter, and so forth.
I’m sold. I figure I’ll take the money I’ve saved and buy something really nice!
Before I read your blog post on this I had already minimised my soap usage, having read an article that using soap washed all the Vitamin D rich oils your skin produced for you via sunlight off, negating the benefits of sunlight. After reading it … I went soap and shampoo free (like most commenter, I still wash hands with soap). After a month, I’m still soap free, however I have use a very small amount of shampoo. But no longer daily. My hair was just too greasy. I may try baking soda and apple cider vinegar next instead.
My wife has been commenting frequently since the first week about how GREAT I smell these days. Add to that, my skin, which I’ve always had problems in the Northern Michigan winters with being dry, flaky, cracking in places even, has never been softer. NO flaking, no dry spots, no need for lotion of any kind, ever.
I can definitely state that I’ll be staying soap free. And will continue my efforts to become shampoo free.
As reported before, the hair cuttin’ lady here in the small town wanted to know how my hair had become so full, soft, and manageable.
My response was, “I’m using shampoo less.” Didn’t want the yokels waiting in the chairs to start talkin’ about the crazy hippie preacher and his lack of soap.
But it’s going well. Soft skin, no odor, and no offense!
Like a lot of people posting here, I started going soap- and shampoo-free on New Year’s Day. The soap and shampoo have had different results, so I’ll report on each differently.
Soap: I have always had oily skin. When I stopped using soap and started just using a scrub-brush in the shower, the oiliness cleared up remarkably quickly. I used to think that dry and tight meant clean – now that my skin is soft and moist all the time, I know that THIS is clean.
Shampoo: Just like my skin, my hair has always been oily. And just like my skin, my hair has really evened out since I stopped using chemical cleansers. It is now soft and manageable all the time, even when I don’t shower for a day (which happens a lot, since my wife and I have a 6-month old!). It NEVER gets oily, but is never dry either.
General positive: It used to be that when we took the sheets off our bed to wash them, my wife’s side would be virginal white and my side would be a jaundiced brown from all the extra oil my body produced. I’m not kidding. The pillow was particularly bad: just a few days after putting fresh sheets on, my pillow would be a brownish yellow from how oily my hair and face would get. Now, my side is basically the same color as my wife’s side. How’s that for visible proof?
General negative: The dandruff has really been driving me crazy. I scrub and scrub my scalp but the flakes just won’t quit, although the recent addition of coconut oil to my hair care has at least mitigated the itching. I have a mild anti-dandruff shampoo that I’ve been thinking about using until the winter is over – replenishing the moisture in my hair post-wash with the coconut oil. I am NOT thinking about doing any such thing with soap, though; there is no way I’m going back to the old need-to-wash-my-face-every-six-hours-or-else-become-a-human-mirror dilemma!
-Steve
Oh, and one more thing. My beard no longer itches at all! I scrub the skin underneath it with the brush every time I shower. Sometimes when I skip a day of showering it gets a little itchy, but a good scrub the next day takes care of it. I used to never be able to have a beard because the itching would drive me nuts, but now I can actually grow one, much to my (and my wife’s) pleasant surprise!
One month in and skin is just fine, but I had been soaping only pits and bits before that anyway. The problem is still my scalp and forehead pouring out oil. At the end of the day my hair feels like it’s coated in wax. My scalp is fairly itchy, but no flakes, as the dead skin is bound with oil, ugh. If I scratch my head I get this oily mess under my fingernails.
As for odour, some days I don’t like my pits, and have to deodorize. I’m giving this another month, but I’m losing optimism.
Are you brushing your hair with a boar bristle brush? Yes, there will still be ‘some’ oil if you scratch your scalp, but it won’t be a crazy amount.
I’ve been soap and shampoo-free for over a month now. So far, so good. The wife doesn’t complain, but then again, she’s on a similar regimen. She smells incredible.
I’ve also been shaving with a mixture of greek yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Closest shaves yet.
I’ve never used soap in the shower in my life. The only thing that gets soaped on me is dirty hands. I’ve always had nice skin, even in the winter, and I think this is why.
I have fair hair past my shoulders. For shampoo, I used to have to shampoo it every day and even then it would be oily by evening. I’ve “trained” it to only need shampooing twice a week now. I’d like to ditch shampoo entirely, but the last time I tried that I gave it a month and a half with the baking soda/ACV method and my head was a giant greaseball the whole time. I might try it again sometime but I’m not sure I want to deal with it for that long if I’m not going to get good results (and I’ve never actually talked to anyone who has long fair hair and has gotten good results from this – usually it seems like people with short hair or curly hair get all the fun).
Elizabeth, my hair is long – half way down my back. 1 Tbsp baking soda in a cup of water to wash, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar in a cup of water to rinse. Voila! Clean and tangle-free hair for the next 3-4 days at least. I’m sold!
I tried the wash cloth method, but that left my hair greasy and clumpy after only a few days, so I switched to the BS/ACV. It’s awesome. Just make sure that you rub your scalp with the BS mix still in, then rinse. I also don’t rinse out the diluted ACV-I just pour it on and wring it out. Super sort, clean looking, great smelling hair. I even had itchiness during my shampooing days that has completely disappeared.
What do women shave with? I’ve been using EVOO, but my legs got crazy super dry and I was forced to turn to a shea butter to get it under control because I couldn’t stand the itchiness/tightness and didn’t want to turn to chemicals again.
Question: Why are some of you using soap (a detergent) on your genitals? Really, you don’t need to use soap down there, not unless you are walking around, with that part of your body unclothed, dredging it through a tar pit or cesspool. You can get your genitals clean with gentle exfoliation using a washcloth (or someother cloth of your choosing).