Going poo-less: No Shampoo/Soap in the Shower

Denise Cares wrote:I found that a swipe with an alcohol saturated cotton ball under the armpits does the trick to reduce odors.  Odor comes from the bacteria that grow in moist warm paces, so alcohol kills the bacteria.  You then can sweat all you want and it won't smell.  Just don't use alcohol if you shave the armpit - at least don't do it right afterward.

Denise Cares wrote:I think these natural stones are made up of aluminum which would not be good to use on your skin as it might absorb thru the pores.  Aluminum can cause neurological issues like alzheimer's and other toxicities which would not be healthy.

juliana duryea wrote:Hi! Regarding deodorant: I, too, am a huge sweater and am somewhat poo-less, although I do wash with soap and or shampoo after I’ve been working with chemicals all day (surfboard repair). The only deodorant I’ve found actually works and doesn’t have all the icky stuff is a brand called trulys. It’s coconut oil, beeswax, baking soda, powdered sugar. So you could essentially make it yourself, although I have yet to take the time to do this.

Christopher Weeks wrote:The first two batches worked great, but the last three mixtures of the soda, either I haven't gotten it to dissolve or it comes out of solution in huge sandy granules. They clog the bottle-top so I have to keep shaking while I get it into my hair, but more importantly, I hate the feeling. I also think that it doesn't leave my hair feeling as nice, but it's hard to compare.

Is this a thing? Have you experienced it? What did you do to fix it? I see that the ratios people use vary pretty widely, so my first thought it to try mixing less into the water, but I really liked the effect at first and I have no idea what changed.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:

David Williams wrote:I used to make my own de-greaser for getting heavy duty axle grease off my hands , that could probably be used for this .... altho i am not a "no'poo" person i use natural saponoids two of the main ones are rinse water from Quinoa and/or yucca root pulped and drained, then reduced slowly on a stove-top (rapid boil makes rapid foam), then adding aloe gel, tea tree and eucalyptus oils.... this combination creates a solvent that cracks even the toughest oils/fats , is antiseptic and antibacterial and not dehydrating for the skin...

extracting yucca soap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvorvt3GK8]footage[/youtube]  here

David, I want to try this. Sounds amazing.

Katie Nicholson wrote:I started my transition to the no-poo method by doing a 50/50 vinegar water rinse every time I shampooed. This helped with build up and relieved some of the dandruff symptoms. Then I started extending the time between washes. If my scalp was itchy or greasy, I would add a vinegar rinse that day which aleviated itchiness and helped with the grease. I got down to shampooing once a month at which point I tried using my body bar (Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap at that time, now the much cheaper generic version of that Pappoutsanos from Greece) on my hair and doing the vinegar rinse. It worked. I still had some issues with grease and dandruff, but both were much better than when I was using regular shampoo. What really helped was when I started brushing my long, thick hair more thoroughly. I use a boar bristle brush at it distributes oils more effectively than nylon bristles. I use the old fashioned 100 strokes a day method, attempting to draw my brush along the entire length of my hair from scalp to the ends rotating around my scalp to try to get every bit. This was the final step in my transition. I can go months with just occasional vinegar rinses if my hair gets smokey or sweaty. I only need to use the soap if I slack off on my brushing routine and a lot of oil and dead skin builds up. My hair is shiny and healthy looking and hairdressers usually compliment me on it's health. It doesn't look greasy or unwashed and I have very little dandruff anymore (I think diet might be the key to getting rid of the dandruff once and for all, but I'm not quite ready to part with my ice cream habit.)

As for soapless, I haven't gotten to that point, though I only soap my armpits with the aforementioned olive oil soap (that kind is the only one I can use without my skin drying or breaking out in rash or pimples.) I don't use deodorant so believe the soaping of the pits to be necessary in order to maintain my place in society. I also use the soap for shaving my legs as I don't find plain water to be very comfortable.

Andreas Brevitz wrote:I shower maybe once every third day and then I don't even soak my hair. I am one of those doing the NO poo.  I "wash" my hair with water only maybe once every two weeks. It works great. If you try this you will experience a "transition period" like that described above. Oily hair and you should also expect some itching. After a while it feels great. I am not cranky.  I had no trouble going cold turkey, I guess because I had this grungy long hair thing going on anyways.
Don't get me wrong, if you use this method there will be people who think you look dirty. It probably won't ever be as if you used shampoo. In my view that's a good thing. It's all a matter of perspective, nowadays I look at shampooed hair and I think to myself; "Ew! That's unhealthy!"I also think that oily hair is not to be confused with dirty hair. The body produces these oils for a reason and when you get all obsessive about getting it out your scalp probably won't thank you. This irrational fear of oily hair is something people need to work on. Despite all of this my hair does not stink. People often tell me I smell nice.

I have one problem with my personal hygien. I've heard about people who stopped using soap on their bodies and instead scrubs with water and salt. Apparently after a while the body odor issues dissappear. This sounds almost like the method Paul is talking about. Water does the trick! My issue is swetty armpits. I have always been a "hot" person, no pun intended. In the winter I wear less clothes than others and in the summer I sweat more than others. On top of this I take a medicine and one of the side-effects is it makes me sweat even more. The thing is I can't seem to get rid of the need for deodorant. The deodorants I've found contain all kinds of nasty heavy metals and perfumes and shit. A bit of advice would be appreciated!

jacque greenleaf wrote:"Like your hair was really oily for awhile?"

Yes. Many people experience this. The received wisdom is that, in an effort to replace the oil you lose by shampooing every day, ...

ana wynne wrote:sorry. new at the quoting thing.

i use homemade pit paste. its quite effective.  you still sweat, but dont stink.

arrowroot powder (baking powder) , baking soda (cornstarch) & coconut oil. organic, non gmo all available.

lots of recipes use this as base

i add bentonite clay, vitamin e oil & tea tree oil.

i also add essential oils.  just for smell.  you dont have to. if you do, be sure to mix it in oils first.  then add dry ingredients.

we "tested" and it lasted 3 days without offending ourselves!!

you might notice your armpit hair gets softer and more manageable!  ha!

Betsy Carraway wrote:Answer to the question, "Why would anyone shampoo every day?"  When I worked as a chef I had a very short hair cut; made it easier to wash every night when I got home.  That is one smelly job: you will smell like a mixture of foods, very strongly, by the end of the day; the overall effect is "garbagey"...I would guess that folks who work in construction, plumbing, and sanitation industries would shampoo and shower at least once a day.  I think some of these industries even have showers and locker rooms on premises so you don't have to get in your car with toxic goo or stenches on you.

Kit Collins wrote:3. People used to oil their hair in lieu of washing it so much. Olive oil or coconut oil is fine. This might prevent dandruff too. Hair oil fell out of fashion after the "greasers" of the 1950s. It's been all about "body" (puffiness) of the hair since then, it seems. Time to change to a simpler fashion?

Trish Doherty wrote:Update for anyone who cares, lol:

Yes, my hair will hold a curl now. For days and days. I don't have to use any products on it at all.  Previously, I could spend hours curling my hair and it would be gone in less time than I spent curling it. When I got my hair curled at a salon along with a bunch of other bridesmaids, the stylist who got me put so much hairspray on me that my hair made crunching noises (and still lost the curl).

Now, my pooless super-hair takes 5 minutes to curl and out the door. Just hair + heat. I always wondered how other women managed to get up 3 hours early to curl their hair every day. Turns out it's so much simpler than that!  Curls last until I wash my hair again. Yay.