Ship of Fools: No soap, no shampoo

Thread: No soap, no shampoo Board: Purgatory / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

This is a thing. Washing with water and not so often. Not thinking that sweat is an enemy.

I haven't done it re soap, though I use it only bits of me which might be odorous, and I religiously ablute my hands. But I did stop using shampoo about just over two years ago. No-one noticed, neither the person who cuts my hair, no family, no-one. I told my wife after about 10 months. My children haven't noticed. It appears that the natural oils produced by the scalp are a conditioner. Who knew?

Posted by sabine (# 3861) on :

I remember my mother telling me not to use soap on the face to avoid dry skin.

I also know that in my humid summer environment, a quick warm shower without soap takes care of the the clammy, sweating feeling just fine without a residue odor.

My grandmother used to do something she called "freshening" sheets. She washed them in hot water but didn't use soap unless they were very dirty.

I suspect we use way too much soap (especially the anti-bacterial that has been linked to resistant pathogens), but I'm not sure how long I'd be willing to go without it altogether.

sabine

[ 14. March 2017, 16:53: Message edited by: sabine ]

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

Relaxing in a nice hot tub while lathering up with sweet-smelling suds* is one of my greatest pleasures in life! [Smile]

_________________________

* Sandalwood is currently my favorite (soap made in China and imported by an outfit called Prince of Peace Enterprises -- how can it be bad?)

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

My initial motivation is reactions to drying as well, and itching. With hair, it was the deadly sin of vanity, as my head balds and frizz, like so many dead-headed daisies, wave in the breeze.

Posted by DonLogan2 (# 15608) on :

I stopped over 20 years ago, however I have washed it several times as I was a firefighter and needed to get the chemicals and smoke smell out.

Not much to wash at this stage of my life!

Posted by Siegfried (# 29) on :

The headline and body of the linked article over-sell the story it refers to in the Toronto Star. In fact, from one of the scientific sources the Treehugger author cites actually says

quote:
So the chance any nasty germs are hanging out on your skin are next to none, although you should still wash your hands with warm, soapy water to prevent the spread of things like colds and flu.

Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :

I don't this could be correct NPFS... Try convincing my Missus [Disappointed]

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

A little soap just for hand washing- possibly. No shampoo for cleansing a contemporary woman's shorter hair style- ew! I'd have to grow my hair out, comb it smoothly over the scalp, and braid it or pin it into a bun. And then untangle it with stay-in rinse if this is allowable.

Sorry, the shampoo stays.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

I use much smaller amounts of shampoo, as well as dishwasher and laundry detergent, than are recommended by the manufacturer. But of course the manufacturer wants me to use as much as possible. Remember when shampoo instructions always said to "lather, rinse, and repeat." For many years I did indeed do a double-shampoo every day. (I now use just a small amount and wash my hair twice a week, though I shower every morning -- and I do use soap.)

Posted by W Hyatt (# 14250) on :

My guess is that many people never soap their back, and merely rinse it as they stand under the shower. I know many people use a loofah, but I doubt many of those who just rinse their back end up having a dirty back as a result.

However, I find that if I don't thoroughly clean my feet with soap, they tend to itch enough to make it hard for me to get to sleep. Also, using soap on the back of my neck helps reduce the dirt ring on the back of my shirt collars. I'd also want to use soap to make sure to remove as much deodorant as possible. Otherwise, I find it very easy to believe that soap is not usually necessary, and the no-shampoo thing sounds like it's worth trying.

I wonder if there's any chance that skipping the soap during showers might help reduce allergy symptoms. Something about modern living seems to make us more likely to develop allergies, and I am inclined to believe that it's somehow connected to keeping our environments so clean, so that our immune system gets bored and finds something innocuous to fight against.

[ 15. March 2017, 00:29: Message edited by: W Hyatt ]

Posted by simontoad (# 18096) on :

During the drought I decided to stop washing to save water. It's a great thing to do, although the dead flakes of skin in the bed do tend to pile up. For the first time, I realised why Germanicus and Tiberius were scraping each other's skin in the bath house in I, Claudius.

On the other hand, picking and eating your deposits of dead skin is a convenient and tasty snack.

Posted by Augustine the Aleut (# 1472) on :

quote:
Originally posted by simontoad:
During the drought I decided to stop washing to save water. It's a great thing to do, although the dead flakes of skin in the bed do tend to pile up. For the first time, I realised why Germanicus and Tiberius were scraping each other's skin in the bath house in I, Claudius.

On the other hand, picking and eating your deposits of dead skin is a convenient and tasty snack.

I gather that goldfish quite like it, so you may wish to introduce a handful into your bath, or perhaps just immerse yourself in an aquarium.

Posted by anoesis (# 14189) on :

My feeling on this is that there is a scale of greasy through to dry, and one size does not fit all, as far as cleansing/hygiene goes.

I have one very dry child, and it took me a couple of years to realise that bathing is not a good idea for this one. Short showers, three times a week max, no soap except for dirty feet. God knows how this is all going to work when puberty comes along. But anything more than this leads to itching, scratching, and broken skin.

I have another child right up the other end of the scale, fixing to become an oil slick like me. Also pre-pubertal, but sweats plenty and needs to have hair washed every two days. Soap and shampoo are used and have never been a problem.

As for me! (I'm a girl, by the way) - I have to shower twice a day, I wash my hair once a day, and even then there's no prospect of wearing a t-shirt for more than a day. I have to wash my sheets and pillowslips probably every five days because they are becoming vaguely translucent by then, with all the grease. And no, I'm not creating the problem by 'stripping all the natural oils' with soaps. I've been like this since I was about 12. Although I'm edging into middle age now, and starting to develop a vague spare tyre, for most of my life my weight remained absolutely steady no matter what or how much I ate. I reckon my body has no idea what to do with fats or oils and simply excretes them out via pores. Either that, or I'm a guy with ovaries.

Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :

The surface of your skin (and scalp) has what's known as the acid mantle on it. As the name indicates, it has an acidic PH. Soap is always alkaline, which is why it is often drying. However baking soda is also alkaline and can also damage the acid mantle. Body washes and shampoos (surfactants are surfactants, you can use it for either really) with an acidic PH will help maintain it and stop skin from drying out. Some people also react to sulfates (most often sodium laurel/laureth sulfate) in foaming products but it's not intrinsically bad. For my face I don't use water at all but use cream or micellar cleansers with cotton wool. I just do a double cleanse in the evening if I've worn lots of makeup or sunscreen that day.

Brands with acidic/neutral PHs include OGX, Sanex, Eucerin, Bioderma, Sebamed, Aveeno, Neutragena, Dove. Feminine washes are also often PH-neutral or slightly acidic and are a good cheap option, as are baby shampoos/washes with a no more tears formulation.

Posted by BulldogSacristan (# 11239) on :

I have thin, fine hair and after a day or two of not washing it, it is just out and and out wet from the oils.

And I don't use soap for fear of germs and bacteria, mostly just to get salts and dirt off and clean the more noisome parts of my body.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Pomona:
The surface of your skin (and scalp) has what's known as the acid mantle on it. As the name indicates, it has an acidic PH. Soap is always alkaline, which is why it is often drying. However baking soda is also alkaline and can also damage the acid mantle. Body washes and shampoos (surfactants are surfactants, you can use it for either really) with an acidic PH will help maintain it and stop skin from drying out. Some people also react to sulfates (most often sodium laurel/laureth sulfate) in foaming products but it's not intrinsically bad. For my face I don't use water at all but use cream or micellar cleansers with cotton wool. I just do a double cleanse in the evening if I've worn lots of makeup or sunscreen that day.

Brands with acidic/neutral PHs include OGX, Sanex, Eucerin, Bioderma, Sebamed, Aveeno, Neutragena, Dove. Feminine washes are also often PH-neutral or slightly acidic and are a good cheap option, as are baby shampoos/washes with a no more tears formulation.

Good info re acid and alkaline. I have avoided the surfactants with toothpaste (sodium laurel/laureth sulfate) because I get little mouth sores with them.

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :

Hair becomes less greasy if you allow it to get dirty - after about 6 weeks it settles down to its own natural oil balance. Fine in rural area without much pollution, but if you're living or working in an urban area, your hair will be full of that airborne grime and surely you want to wash that out?

I am horrifically allergic, have been since I was a child, and am allergic to those products on Pomona's list that I've tried. I tend to use (plain, basic, unscented) soap on the oily areas of the body - feet particularly in summer when I wear sandals, armpits, anal area - and avoid soap elsewhere, other than hand washing. Most products that advertise themselves as natural and wonderful aren't any less allergenic in my experience.

I read somewhere that if we washed our faces as often as we washed our hands we'd have fewer spots and try to rinse my face when I wash my hands, but tend to remember that one better in summer.

[ 18. March 2017, 08:25: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]

Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on :

More proof that I am a dirty old man, I suppose. I can't imagine how to get grease and dirt and other stuff out of my skin without soap (as long as it's plain and unscented) after I've been working. Sometimes a hand cleaner filled with powdered pumice is the only thing that will work. Having said that, though, the best thing of all is a long hot sauna, thrashing yourself with birch twigs - there's nothing to beat that for cleaning the skin at the end of the day. But that was back when I was a summer student in a factory in Finland.

Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
Hair becomes less greasy if you allow it to get dirty - after about 6 weeks it settles down to its own natural oil balance. Fine in rural area without much pollution, but if you're living or working in an urban area, your hair will be full of that airborne grime and surely you want to wash that out?

I am horrifically allergic, have been since I was a child, and am allergic to those products on Pomona's list that I've tried. I tend to use (plain, basic, unscented) soap on the oily areas of the body - feet particularly in summer when I wear sandals, armpits, anal area - and avoid soap elsewhere, other than hand washing. Most products that advertise themselves as natural and wonderful aren't any less allergenic in my experience.

I read somewhere that if we washed our faces as often as we washed our hands we'd have fewer spots and try to rinse my face when I wash my hands, but tend to remember that one better in summer.

Have you tried going sulfate-free? Faith In Nature, JASON, Dr Organic, Avalon Organics all good brands. Anything can be an allergen (even water or sunlight) so you are totally correct that 'natural' brands aren't any less allergenic than other brands. Essential oils can be very irritating. Hypoallergenic is a nonsense term. Sulfate-free baby ranges may also work.

I haven't found the six week thing to be true, and thanks to depression I have let my hair get that dirty before.

Posted by Paul. (# 37) on :

I tried to stop using shampoo when I was a student once. I'd heard this thing about restoring your natural oils, blah blah. It all sounded plausible.

I lasted about a month. By the end I was washing - well rinsing really - my hair two or three times a day because it itched so much and it was very greasy. I was living in London at the time so maybe it was the air quality that made it itchy.

Anyway I went back to using shampoo. No regrets.

Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :

Shampoo isn't as effective as it was in the past. Always used to wash my hair once a week, and that was through years of farmwork. Admittedly it became a bit greasy come six days.

My now long standing good lady insists I wash hair every three days, yet it'll still gets a bit lank in that time.

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :

I'm not sulfate/sulphate allergic; lanolin, most perfumes, most perfume fixatives and various other components, but not sulphates.

I don't want to add more products to my life, particularly when the usual pattern is to buy something, use the first sample, think I'm OK, buy the real pot and start reacting. (I also have to be careful wearing many synthetic fabrics, soap powders for washing clothes, cleaning products, fabric conditioners ...)

Soap and shampoo are necessary to keep clean in the polluted environments in which we live. And to wash out chlorine after swimming.

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