Do you need to use shampoo might sound the dumbest question? But the harsh truth is that you need not use it. Though this truth is not as harsh as the plethora of nasty chemicals that are inside a shampoo bottle. That is why since starting no poo for the last 5 years and a few months, I have never used a traditional shampoo.
No. Please do not judge me with an eww look.
By shampoo I mean the commercial liquid packed in good looking bottles. The one that has a huge brand name and a price tag.
I know this would surprise you.
The thought of not using shampoo takes many by surprise. So, I am sure that people who are regular with the daily schedule of shampoo would be aghast by my admission.
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Is Shampoo Necessary
But before discussing anything further, let us find out if we even need a shampoo.
There is already a lot of debate on how often should you shampoo your hair. Most of the hairstylists would recommend every day. This should make sense as the hair shampoo manufacturers advocate the same as well.
Also, dust, dirt, oil secretion glands, and a whole lot of other stuff gets into our hair. So, you need shampoo to keep things clean.
But nothing can control our choice or the medium of cleaning hair.
This means that though you should wash your hair. But the choice to wash your hair should not be limited to chemical-laden products. There are several natural ways to wash hair. Though none of them harm nature or damage the hair.
Why Do We Use Shampoo
Did you ever flip your current favorite shampoo bottle to check out its ingredients?
Most of them will be unfamiliar to you. The long list is a chemical synonym of potent toxins and cancer-causing ingredients.
For a moment if you leave all the complicated list of shampoo ingredients aside. And if you only google on SLS and artificial colors and fragrances, you will freak out.
If these chemicals fail to give you any dreaded disease in the long run. For your god sake, do not consider them safe. They are quite capable of giving skin allergies as a mild after effect.
I know you might laugh at that. On that note, I ask you to scratch your scalp. If no white powdered stuff gathers in your fingernails, then do not read any further.
I know your hands will not come out clean. White dandruff-like stuff is the scalp’s response to unwanted stuff. Now decide whether do you need to use shampoo?
Should I use shampoo in moderate amounts?
I know that you have grown a little skeptical about the insides of that bottle. Well, there was never a genie inside it. All that was there was a cocktail of detergents. Along with detergents were some cheap aromas disguised as a hair cleaning product.
But does that mean you will never use shampoo? Well that depends on how much interference you allow others to make in your life.
It is not an easy path for the no poo method. Along with a few lifestyle changes. You also get to adjust to discrimination and bias.
The moment you disclose to your social circles that you have stopped using shampoo. People begin to view you as unhygienic and weird.
It is true that no poo people are weird like me. Though the unhygienic part is untrue.
The no poo means of cleaning hair makes the hair and scalp squeaky clean. Though they all are non-lathering ones. Though by no means lather is a necessary unit of cleanliness.
Shampoos that you should never use
It takes a whole lot of mental strength to make the shift towards a no poo regime.
If you cannot switch over to make that change. It is better to not think about it.
But if you are someone sitting at the fence. Then low poo is worth giving a try.
As the name suggests, low poo philosophy lies between no poo and commercial hair care.
Products in low poo are not crunchy. Neither are they a complete chemical toxic gunk. Though they are not raw and straight from natural substances. But they are far better than the SLS, silicones, and parabens one.
Castile soaps made out of pure oils are the main base of low poo products. You can check out my shop to download an infographic to DIY low poo shampoo.
Low poo provides a convenient path for anyone not too brave to take the no poo route. Also, they best suit the ones who are not so gung ho on the salon products by FMCG goliaths.
In any case, if you are a strong proponent of commercial hair care products. Or, if you consider the entire no poo movement as crass. Then also, limit your usage of hair care products as much as you can. You can do that by reducing their frequency.
Instead of washing your hair every day. You can wash every alternate day.
If you have the habit of washing every other day. You can then switch to a hair wash every second day. I hope you got my point. You never know, you might even progress to no shampoo for a month.
Ditto goes for the other associated hair care products. I mean the conditioner, hair serums, leave-in conditioners, mousse et al.
Moreover, stay away from salon products as much as you can. They are the extremists of sorts for hair damage if I can use that simile.
I know that professional hairstylists would ban me from their salons for that comment.
All respect for those professionals certified by their respective brands. But I beg, borrow, and steal to differ from them. If at all the products that they prescribe were as potent as they claim. I am sure their innocuous customers never would have switched brands. Nor the brand wars between major shampoo brands would exist. The best shampoo brand would have wiped all the competition.
One or at the most 2–3 brands would have dominated the entire hair care market. But we all know that that is not the case.
This is not the case with the no poo people. They start with baking soda and then graduate to flours, soap nuts, and clay. Though many of them use water only to wash the hair. I am proud to admit that I have reached that stage after years of ditching the shampoo.
It is a fun fact to observe that companies have a dozen brands of shampoo within their hair care segment kitty. That makes me wonder if that leads to brand cannibalization?
Anyway, they are good at their job of brainwashing. I hope they were as good at cleaning the mane as well.
This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.
Conclusion
Not using shampoo is a conscious choice. If you get concerned about the polluted water bodies, disrupted soil table, and your own body. Then, the thought of questioning what you use on your body becomes your second nature.
No shampoo does not mean being dirty. But if you substitute natural cleaning agents to replace the traditional shampoo. Then, you will be amazed by all the possibilities available by mother nature. Fruits like lemons and gooseberries are excellent natural shampoos to clean oily hair. There are several other natural ways to clean the hair.
If you are further interested in the topic, you can dig an excellent book on no poo.
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