Not using shampoo or face cleanser

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Librarynerd
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Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Librarynerd » Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:50 am

This may sound very odd but has anyone tried not using soap, shampoo, conditioner, or moisturizer at all for long periods of time?

I've been reading about folks that do this so I tried not using cleanser, moisturizer, or make-up for about 2 months and my skin has been wonderful. No breakouts or dryness, just lovely. I'm thinking about doing this for my hair and body and wonder if anyone has tried it.

I do have bleached and dyed hair(veg dye) but I don't use hair spray of gels. I wonder if it would work with dyed hair? I've known some people that have not washed their natural hair for years and they say it took about a month to balance but then it was not greasy or dry and I can verify it looked good and did not smell. My hair is straight, thick, Caucasian texture and I don't need to brush it, just run my fingers through to de-tangle so I think there is no chance of going into dreads on accident.

What do think? Is this just a little to earthly crunchy?

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by VixenSingsBlack » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:45 am

Librarynerd wrote:This may sound very odd but has anyone tried not using soap, shampoo, conditioner, or moisturizer at all for long periods of time?

I've been reading about folks that do this so I tried not using cleanser, moisturizer, or make-up for about 2 months and my skin has been wonderful. No breakouts or dryness, just lovely. I'm thinking about doing this for my hair and body and wonder if anyone has tried it.

I do have bleached and dyed hair(veg dye) but I don't use hair spray of gels. I wonder if it would work with dyed hair? I've known some people that have not washed their natural hair for years and they say it took about a month to balance but then it was not greasy or dry and I can verify it looked good and did not smell. My hair is straight, thick, Caucasian texture and I don't need to brush it, just run my fingers through to de-tangle so I think there is no chance of going into dreads on accident.

What do think? Is this just a little to earthly crunchy?
Hair/face is one thing, but I'm thinking you'd need to cleanse your body at least once a week. Lady parts at least need to be wiped down, and arm pits need a good scrubbing. I mean, it's up to you, but think of your health first.

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by rivetlicker_ » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:01 am

A health show actually took two people, a guy and a girl and stopped them from washing their hair for a month or two. The results were disgusting! The amount of dead skin and oil that settled on the scalp was incredible. However, the hair itself was fine. If you're not going to use shampoo or conditioner on your hair, at least wash your scalp once a week :)
I've gone and not used any skin cleansers/moisturisers for a long time. No difference to if I use products. I'm currently addicted to Lush, so I've got decent skin now. Except I'm getting blackheads more often.

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Librarynerd
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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Librarynerd » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:05 am

Don't think I was clear on the details. You still take showers, but you just scrub hair and your bod with your fingers or loofah type of thing.

I've been using just a good water rinse of my lady bits in my daily shower for years on the advice of my gyno! No more yeasties or smelly's at all. I think it works by not messing up the ph so you don't get over growth of any of the nasties.
:i2:

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by CancerHybrid » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:58 am

i haven't used soap on my face since high school
my skin is clear
though the past 2 years or so i have been using st. ives scrub on my face once or twice a week
but still no soap, it dries my face out

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by rivetlicker_ » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:42 am

H2O is the best cleanser ;)

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by VixenSingsBlack » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:58 am

Well yes, cleansing without "soap" is normal, especially on the face. Sounds like a winning plan if you scrub/exfoliate with water once a week! I could never do it because I like my fragranced body washes, lotions, etc too much.

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by CancerHybrid » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:19 am

rivetlicker_ wrote:H2O is the best cleanser ;)
agreed

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Lorny » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:01 am

I went over 6 months without washing my hair. The first month was grotty but then it was gorgeous! I didn't even wet my hair. I've been without using a cleansing product on my face, but I do need blackheads cleared so I use a soap/paraben free cleanser. Wouldn't ever go without moisturising though, but that's probably my training in beauty!

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Monique_marion_may » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:52 am

I know when I haven't washed my hair for a month or two when I have dreads in, the first wash asfter was amazing! So smooth and healthy and yum!

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by guest123 » Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:00 pm

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Last edited by guest123 on Sat May 09, 2015 9:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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iamdolleyes
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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by iamdolleyes » Thu Jan 06, 2011 2:34 pm

this makes a lot of sense if you do any reading on your skin's acid mantle

most soaps are really alkaline, and bugger up your acid mantle causing skin distress...for which you need to use a bunch of other products to "fix"

if you don't break it, it doesn't need fixing. This doesn't work for everyone of course, but if your skin's only 'problem' through life HAS been the irritation of the acid mantle, then leaving it well alone will fix all your problems

It's really interesting. I mean, you can avoid the problem by using lower PH soaps as well, or "syndet" bars, or oil cleansing..etc. These concepts really appeal to me, I mean seriously we existed for a really long time without covering ourselves with synthetic fragrances and chemicals..I'm sure we can again right? I might be biased though, my nose is so sensitive I can't deal with the smells of fake fragrance.

I don't wash my hair super often, but its really really long at this point..and bleached..and I live in a dry area, which means if I put it into 2 braids to sleep in, halfway through the next morning its trying to dread up somehow, so leaving it be is not too much of an option.

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by ShadowThrone » Thu Jan 06, 2011 2:39 pm

VixenSingsBlack wrote: I could never do it because I like my fragranced body washes, lotions, etc too much.
Same here. Its interesting though, I've always wondered about the not washing your hair and it takes care of itself thing, but I don't think I could not wash it for a month (I don't wash it at all with a dread install mind)

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by dread_addiction » Fri Jan 07, 2011 8:08 am

i only wash my hair once a week mostly cuz i dont want my dye to fade so fast. the oils that is released throughout the week always makes my hair feel healthier than when my hair is actually wash ..i also dont wash my face as often even when i have make up on idk too lazy i guess. but i think it all depends on the type of skin people have. My bf has tried the same as me, on not washing his face but always gets to have some zits when he doesnt clean his face. so not washing his face does not work on him saddly.

on an other subject i try to clean my body every other day ..or aleast just my lower bottom .. that thing need to be clean lol.

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Gromidez » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:39 am

Using soap is generally unhealthy just because of all the junk thats in it these days.

On my face I use a moisturizing cleanser that is hypo-allergenic, non-comodegenic, fragrance free, etc and my skin is loads better than when I used to use all those facial cleansers for acne (mine was really bad).

I've done a number of no-poo treatments for my hair and only wash it at most a couple times a week. As long as you're at least rinsing it regularly to get off the daily ick, you should be fine. My hair is so thick and course that I HAVE to do something to make it manageable, so cone-free conditioners are my bag. But SLS in shampoos strips and dries your hair, so if you wanna still clean it some how, I'd suggest an apple cider vinegar rinse. It's natural and doesn't jack up your hair, but still gets off all the yuckies (which is especially nice if you smoke or spend a lot of time in places with cigg smoke mucking up your hair).

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Gromidez » Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:20 am

Oh! I like the sound of this, I just haven't been able to try it yet.

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Lorny » Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:25 am

I looked that up after Stinamoo mentioned it and it does look very interesting. It says not to do it everyday though, but I wear make up everyday and I wonder how I'd get it off without ruining any of the goodness that the oil cleansing has done. Or maybe I could just try it a couple of times a week along with my usual routine?

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iddylove
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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by iddylove » Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:05 pm

i use wayyyyy too much makeup and styling products to ever consider not using any kind of cleansers/ shampoo. not too mention hair treatments what with all the bleaching i do. and the idea just kind of icks me out anyway

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by space_waste » Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:34 pm

I'm glad that this topic came up. I've always been a bit self-conscious about not using shower gel or soap on myself. Not for any sensitivity issue or anything, it's just that after my parents stopped washing me as a kid, I never really got into the habit of using it & have never had any BO problems.

Don't get me wrong, I do give myself a good scrub, but I've been pulled up a couple of times about not having any showergel in the bathroom & I've just mumbled something about having run out. Even when I do have it, I'll forget about it & just scrub myself normally.

Actually, I've never bought a can of shaving cream either. I've always just lathered up some shampoo & used that instead. I can't really compare the two, but using shampoo lets the razor glide easily & the only cuts I've gotten have been to my own stupidity, rather than friction.

I don't moisturise, but that's just because I don't have to, my skin is nicely low-maintenance. Actually, the only part of my body I really use products on is my face (well, hair too) & I still have my teenage spots there :( Maybe I should just try using water & nothing else on it. This thread has inspired me, let's see what happens.

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by Bomber » Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:12 pm

I'm quite interested in hearing how people with fine hair have got on with this. I dislike washing my hair regularly as it strips colour so quickly but I have baby fine hair prone to getting oily so even if I do a plain water rinse my hair still looks like I dunked it in a chip pan after a single day. I realise that your hair doesn't look greasy after however long but how do you get through the few weeks it does?!

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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by poxabomination » Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:57 pm

I don't know that I could flat out not wash my hair, but I don't shower so often as it is and its way better for your hair to let them natural oils build up a bit. I definitely think we use way too many harsh chemical products on our hair and skin when natural simple things work just as well or better. I tried an egg facial today and my face has never felt softer in my whole life, and it didnt cost me more than the price of a single egg, doesnt have harmful or irritating chemicals in it, and is overall just way better. A lot of people I've met with horrible HORRIBLE acne are the types that wash their faces with awful facewash multiple times a day, and all that does is dry out the skin and make the acne worse. They're always like "I can't figure it out, I use 348 different products 3587 times a day and it wont go away!!" -_-
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Re: Not using shampoo or face cleanser

Post by schwarz_engelblut » Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:22 am

I dont use anything with sulphates, parabens, or mineral oil so I dont use most shampoos, soaps and hair products.

to cleanse my hair I'll use Apple CIder Vinegar (diluted), a baking soda rinse, Dr. Bronners Castile Soap (made from olive oil. works withn everything from my doggy to my laundry)

for my face I use the oil cleansing method and if it's really icky, a baking soda scrub.

but thats the bare miniimum. The list for me goes oooon and ooooooon :)
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