Shampoo Quit Me
It has almost been a year since I stopped buying and applying shampoo on my scalp. The only time I wash my hair with shampoo, is when I go to the hair dresser. I still don’t have the courage to tell them that I haven’t been washing my hair for months.
My Background
Since my late teenage years to until recently I had been experiencing mild problems with my scalp. Either my scalp would be too dry, or too greasy. I could never find the right balance to feel fully comfortable. It was pretty hard for me to determine, how often I should wash my hair. I would try a new shampoo that would make my scalp feel great for a month or two, but then again my scalp would feel too dry or to greasy. Besides the scalp being unstable, at times it would produce skin like looking particles looking a bit like dandruff. The type of food I would eat and the stress levels at work would also influence my scalp condition. Dairy and starch based products seemed to make me produce more dead skin, as well as negative social situations with stress and conflicts involved.
I’ve tried a lot of different lotions and shampoos throughout the years. I’ve also been suffering from mild hair loss for the past 20 years. In the 90s I had the opportunity to have treatment at a specialized hair institute in Switzerland. The treatment was a success. My hair loss considerably slowed down, and applying their nice smelling products on my scalp made my scalp feel way more comfortable. The catch was that I had to use at least two of their products daily. If I’d skipped one or two days, the balance of my scalp would shift back to to a discomforting state, and my scalp will start being greasy and itchy again. I used their products for almost two decades. It costed me a lot of money, but as a result I had a nice feeling, and smelling scalp. My hair looked healthier, I was able to keep the hair loss pretty much under control, and some of my dates would tell me that I smelled good.
Bye Bye Fancy Lotions
In 2016 when I lost my job I started to cut down on expenses. I quit using the lotions from the institute. It was very hard at the beginning, because my scalp started to produce a lot of sebum. I tried several different shampoos to fix the problem. I was constantly confronted to the same problem. The shampoos would work for a month or two, but then the problem will resurface later on. The last shampoo I used was Head & Shoulders. It was extremely effective for a couple of months, but then as with the other shampoos, I was back to square one again.
The solution came from Thierry!
One day I came across a video of Thierry Casasnovas called “I lost my Hair – ( how to make your scalp fast)”. In the actual video Thierry explains how the environment of the scalp balances itself with elements such as fungi, bacteria, and yeast. His main point consists of leaving the scalp alone, so the natural balance can take place. At one point in the video he mentions that he hasn’t been washing his hair with shampoo for several years. After watching the video, I wasn’t really sure if his approach would work for me, but I decided to give it a try anyway.
Fasting the Scalp
I started to extend the time between washing my hair with shampoo. At the beginning it was difficult. My hair and scalp would feel dirty, and smell funny. Especially after the one week mark of not using shampoo. I kept being persistent, and went from washing my hair three times a week with shampoo, to using shampoo once every 10 days or so. In between, I would occasionally wet my hair with water only. I kept increasing the time between shampoo washes, to the point where I stopped using shampoo altogether.
I still take care of my hair.
Today I only wash my hair with water, two or three times a week. I use a hard comb to massage and move the sebum around on my scalp several times a week. When I can get a hold of fresh nettle, I prepare a little solution with it. I boil the plant in filtered or bottled water. I let it cool down a bit, and apply it on my scalp 30 minutes before shower time. I massage the scalp with it. I rinse the solution during shower, and apply the solution two, or three times again, before a good final rinse with cold water. My hair tend to look shinier and healthier, and my scalp feels amazing.
I’ve been saving a lot of money!
I don’t buy any shampoo nor cosmetics for my scalp anymore. I still experience mild hair loss, and the process may have gotten accelerated a little bit since I quit using the nice smelling lotions from the Swiss institute. I am fine with this compromise. By not using any cosmetics on my scalp, I have the best comfort I have never had for zero cost.
It’s not a secret.
As a side note, I do dye my hair every two or three months or so to cover greys. This is when I go to the hair dresser. The week that follows the visit, my scalp feels a bit more dry than usual because of the use of shampoo, but nothing too extreme. I am considering to stop dyeing my hair, and eventually quit going to the hair dresser altogether, to save even more money that I can invest elsewhere.
I AM NOT A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. I would like to make it very clear that I am only sharing my own experience on this website, and have no intention to give any specific advice on health. Please read the disclaimer section for more information.
