NO SHAMPOO (For 8 Weeks)
I haven’t used shampoo since March. No, we didn’t run out. No, I’m not trying to prove a point or become a spectacle.
Two months ago my daughter sent me a link that intrigued her about a woman who stopped using shampoo. The lady was poo-free. I had already gone to washing my hair every other day, something unimaginable in my previous life. I thought I’d give it a try. When I shower, I use a tablespoon of baking soda to scrub my scalp and follow with a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to rinse.
Yes, I bath frequently. Yes, we have plenty of shampoo. Yes, I realize you must all think I’ve gone bonkers. But it’s been quite interesting to see the changes in my hair. Shampoo manufacturers design their product to be needed. Addicted is more what they’re going for. For me, it was an every day need. My hair is thin and was always greasy. There was a rare Saturday when I’d skip the shower because I was too busy working in the yard. By the end of the day I felt like I’d stuck my head in a vat of french fries. I NEEDED to shampoo, even rinse and repeat.
Who amongst us likes the head of hair we were given? Not I, said the thin headed blonde wannabe mama. Looking back at photos of me from the past, I am shocked at the things I did to my hair. My quest to recapture the blondness of my youth took its toll. What’s worse than a blue haired, little old lady or a scraggly comb-over on a balding man? Fried blonde tresses. Yuck. My hair may have been the color of Madonna’s but it was the texture of a horse’s breakfast… STRAW.
I may be old and sagging, but my hair has never felt more vibrant. Ok, so that may be a bit much. But really, no shampoo, no hair-color, no blow dryer or curling device has left me with a healthy head of hair. Sure, I tell myself the gray strands could pass for blonde highlights. But no foolin’, my head doesn’t shed. I use to comb out enough strands to stuff a mattress. I’d stop up the drain after each shower so often that Lance was about to suggest I wear a shower cap so as not to clog the pipes.
Don’t you think we lead an interesting life up here in Idaho? No HVAC, not going anywhere for an entire month, walking a mile to the mailbox every day, having a moose come for breakfast, keeping chickens in our pantry. And now, no longer using shampoo. Maybe I’ll be sporting a shaved head soon, like my hunky hubby. I could start a trend. Or not. Less IS more and I’ve cured my addiction to shampoo! How bout you? Do you think you could go shampooless? The first week is the toughest, then, being poo-free is easy-peasy.
