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

I haven't used shampoo since I started growing my hair long. With short hair I never really bothered much but as soon as it started to get longer I found shampoo made my hair horrible, really dry and frizzy just after washing, looking ok for a couple hours in the afternoon and then greasy and lank by the night. I started off with the Sodium bicarbonate and vinegar, but after a while I cut out the bicarb and just used vinegar on its own and its even better. I have tried nothing at all but find water on its own too harsh oddly, we have quite hard water so maybe its that. I also found acne almost vanished after I stopped using soap on my face. Definitely the way to go, I'm glad to see so many other people doing the same.

I havent used shampoo for on 10 years now. It makes no difference whatsoever. In fact, its better by a long long way. I'm male. Females are never going to go with that - or thats what Ive noticed. Many female hairstyles rely on that shampoo conditioner routine for that look Im afraid to say. Also, if you're male, never tell a female you dont use shampoo, especially if you are pursuing them.

I havent used soap, for 10 years, apart from the pits, where I use some basic "earth friendly" detergent. You're skin doesnt need to be soaped, simple fact.

Exceptions are if you do really dirty work of course.

I have rather dry, wavy hair and would like to try no poo. Thanks for the info.

The way I look at it is Mother Nature puts oil in our skin and hair for a very good reason.
If we are constantly removing that oil, we are fighting Mother Nature.

You know how that usually turns out.

Paul's latest podcast discusses soap (including the antibacterial kind), shampoo, soapy-plants, going 'poo-free', and lots of other stuff including pee and septic systems.

I have been doing water-only rinses as my hair care (plus brushing) for 6 weeks now. Works great. It is shiny, full, and holds really well in a style without any product. I am still getting used to the "new normal" of slightly oily hair. I think my hair looks great, but is odd to touch. Just a matter of getting used to it, I think.

Kylie Harper wrote:I have been doing water-only rinses as my hair care (plus brushing) for 6 weeks now. Works great. It is shiny, full, and holds really well in a style without any product. I am still getting used to the "new normal" of slightly oily hair. I think my hair looks great, but is odd to touch. Just a matter of getting used to it, I think.

If you've only been doing it for 6 weeks it probably hasn't completely stabilized yet. I would have thought that your hair will loose that oiliness if you keep it up. I know mine went through that stage. Your right it does look good, really full and shiny, but is still a little greasy. At least in my case that passed after a couple of months and now my hair looks and feels completely normal.

Just thought I would add my two cents, for those who may be trying to go poo-less but are discouraged after a few weeks.
I am in week 5 and my hair is...well, I wouldn't call it greasy; there is something more akin to a waxy coating on it. Definitely an odd feeling when trying to wash, which I do every two or three days.
I read somewhere, I think on a blog, someone used an egg to cut the grease on her hair, so I thought what the hell, I'll give it a try. ( I had tried baking soda and it was extremely drying to my hair.) I made sure I used cool water to wash with the egg and to rinse. The results were pretty amazing! My hair is still a little waxy-feeling, but definitely better! I used a rinse of about 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar in a cup of water as a rinse, and to eliminate any "eggy" smell. My hair is on the dry side, so I don't know how this would work for someone with oily hair. Try it!

I am in week 5 and my hair is...well, I wouldn't call it greasy; there is something more akin to a waxy coating on it.

Lisa, do you live in an area with hard water? We have water here with hardness off the scale, and I can't use it straight out of the tap to wash my hair because I get the same waxy coating. (I can't drink it, either, because the level of calcium carbonate rips up my stomach.) What I have to do now is boil a pot of water for about 5 minutes at a rolling boil, which drives off the excess carbonate ions and softens the water. Then I mix it with baking soda and use that, followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse, to wash my hair. Works perfectly and no more waxy buildup. I also usually run the boiled water through a Brita pitcher, but that's more for my stomach than anything else.

I'm in week 4 of no-poo. I've got short hair and it's generally really nice and clean. My dry, flakey scalp is improving slowly, the itching is gone and the flakes are reducing. My hair and scalp are really dry and now I realise how much damage the shampoo has done, stripping ever more moisture from skin and hair.

I use a tablespoon of seasalt mixed with bakingsoda once a week, followed with diluted apple cider vinegar infused with fresh rosemary. Next week I'm going to the hairdresser to get my hair cut again. It'll take a bit of talking to keep them off me with al kinds of sprays and gels. When my hair is really dry, I use a bit of natural hairwax (beeswax mixed with coconutwax), and that doesn't grease things up a bit.

For now, one happy camper, but looking forward to further improvement.

J Kaye, I think the water here is saturated with mineral salts, as all the faucets are crusted with them. The water also is treated with chlorine. We don't drink it, and it's hard to filter because all the salts/minerals quickly clog the filters. I don't know what type of salts they are. I will try the boiling idea, but hoping we can get a whole-house filter soon that works! Knowing me, it is unlikely that I will keep up a regimen of boiling water each time I need to wash my hair.

BTW, as I am now at about week 12 without 'poo, my hair has definitely lost most of that waxy feeling. I can also go for about 5 days without washing my hair and it still looks great! I could probably go longer, but I think I wash it because I'm in that washing-often mindset, rather than the fact that it's really dirty and needs it. It feels thicker and healthier than it ever has before.

Kat, I also noticed, in the beginning of this experiment, that I was developing dandruff and flakiness which I never had before. It lasted 2 or 3 weeks but that has disappeared as well.

i havent used shampoo in a very long time, years and years. i do sometimes use conditioner, and very rarely...some kind of plain soap. or like dr bronners... thats like once a month if that...but sometimes more often.

the egg- goes good with henna. thats the way henna is supposed to be applied...with an egg. you can also use coffee or other things if you want the henna to be dark colored. you can just henna and egg by itself..i dont think i ever would just use an egg, except for the few times long ago i applied a bunch of red henna.

I am not only a soap maker but a producer of organic cosmetics. This has been a funny job along the way.

Of course I have tried the no poo option, using soap in the hair (liquid or bar) makes your hair become too dry and harsh. Because soap still removes oils from the hair and it is alkaline, something which is not good for the hair. You can rinse with cider vinegar afterwards, but still it will dry out your hair.

However soap is a perfect thing to clean your body, if you make them in a way that assures superfatting of the soap (that is adding more fat than lye, to assure a mild soap). Add olive, coconut and castor oil to it.

I have also many different things for the hair , corn starch, flax seed, fenugreek, rice bran, but none really works although corn starch does remove a bit of oil and feels silky.

What works better is to wash your hair with either morrocan lava clay, or with acacia concinna powder. These contain saponins that do NOT foam but remove excess oil. The clay dries too much the hair and feels impractical. The acacia powder is not perfect but it is a good shampoo alternative. It's the natural shampoo in India. It cleans well the extra oil but my girlfriend still doesn't like it. The problem is also that the acacia powder is expensive and difficult to obtain. But other plants like soap berries, soap nuts, yucca, quillaja, soapwort, also contain these saponins and could work as well, but I haven't tried them.

But as far as producing a "shampoo" for other people, I do produce a shampoo with only coco glucoside, or lauryl glucoside, these are detergents that are very mild and still foam, but do not dry out the hair, and even you can wash your eyes with it. Brands like Weleda use this kind of mild shampoos. Its also biodegradable, but of course it is derived from vegetable oils treated with chemicals (but not "bad" ones because they are allowed by organic standards). What you should never buy is anything containing sodium laureth sulfate, other sulfates or cocamidopropyl betain, these are harsh and irritant.

Overall, my no poo option consists of washing the hair with acacia powder and ocasionally with my own mild made shampoos containing coco glucoside. And I wash my body with my own soap bars. I would like stopping using shampoo but my hair eventually goes very oily and a mess, even after waiting 3 weeks. The same goes for not using soap to clean my body, eventually I will be very smelly. Maybe those of you that can easily get saponin containing plants can use them as soap/shampoo alternatives.

I started using baking soda and vinegar. I found the baking soda too harsh. Then I used vinegar which was ok. Maybe useful to get out some salt gunk. But then I just started using water and my hair feels better then ever. Sometimes when I wake up or after a workout my hair feels oily; but I find if I just wash with water the oils get distributed through my hair and the oily feeling goes away. I struggled with blemish prone skin. I tried all these natural remedies and commercial solutions with limited success. Then after I stopped washing my hair and face with soaps and scrubs, my skin cleared up. I'm sure I'm saving about $100 per year on body "cleaning" products.

I do use good soap on my body when I'm covered in dirt and dust, but mostly I don't. There are lots of wonderful soaps out there which I buy when I need it.

Inspired by my success in the hair and body department, I also stopped using toothpaste; I still brush and floss as usual but just rinse brush and rinse my mouth with water. Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables helps the mouth feel clean too. My mouth feels fresh and clean. I'm going to start drinking kefir regularly which will colonize my mouth with about 50 strains of healthy bacteria - like broadcast seeding a polyculture in your mouth.

I think these body care techniques follow from permaculture principles and techniques. Focus on what you want - healthy soil/bodies - not on what you do not - pests/bacteria stink. Nature knows what it is doing - let her do her thing.

Matt Baker wrote:I started using baking soda and vinegar. I found the baking soda too harsh. Then I used vinegar which was ok. Maybe useful to get out some salt gunk. But then I just started using water and my hair feels better then ever. Sometimes when I wake up or after a workout my hair feels oily; but I find if I just wash with water the oils get distributed through my hair and the oily feeling goes away. I struggled with blemish prone skin. I tried all these natural remedies and commercial solutions with limited success. Then after I stopped washing my hair and face with soaps and scrubs, my skin cleared up. I'm sure I'm saving about $100 per year on body "cleaning" products.

I do use good soap on my body when I'm covered in dirt and dust, but mostly I don't. There are lots of wonderful soaps out there which I buy when I need it.

Inspired by my success in the hair and body department, I also stopped using toothpaste; I still brush and floss as usual but just rinse brush and rinse my mouth with water. Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables helps the mouth feel clean too. My mouth feels fresh and clean. I'm going to start drinking kefir regularly which will colonize my mouth with about 50 strains of healthy bacteria - like broadcast seeding a polyculture in your mouth.

I think these body care techniques follow from permaculture principles and techniques. Focus on what you want - healthy soil/bodies - not on what you do not - pests/bacteria stink. Nature knows what it is doing - let her do her thing.

I think I will give a try at the no toothpaste thing, as mine just finished this week.

What always makes me think is that in nature animals don´t cook food, and they don´t need to clean their teeth. Somehow we made a mistake in our hygienic principles. We end up with more dental problems that animals.

Dental caries isn't caused by bad hygiene; it's primarily a nutrition issue. Weston A. Price found that many indigenous cultures had little to no tooth decay despite the absence of toothbrushes and floss. He theorized that the fat-soluble vitamins play a vital role. Check out Nutrition and Physical Degeneration for the details.

The healthiest thing for human skin is the oils it produces. Stripping them off with soap is a bad strategy. We have an acid mantle that is dissolved by soap, which is highly alkaline (it's made with lye). Such treatment also destroys the probiotic organisms which colonize there; Matt's blemishes probably disappeared because they were allowed to flourish and outcompete pathogenic microbes. Don't be misled by germ phobia; let the skin function as intended.

I have not used shampoo in about six months. At first it was a bit rough, my hair went through a period of having dandruff I believe. Then it became really dry, almost frizzy-like. So I switched to using conditioner only for once a week and ever since then things have been great. My hair feels silky smooth and doesn't feel greasy or anything like what some people would believe.

I went on no poo after my water heater broke last year. I couldnt affod a replacement so I washed at the stove. My hair is down to my waist.

for putting dry shampoo in, I have trouble getting it out from my scalp. I dont know if anyone else has this issue or not. I brush and brush and I can still feel it at my scalp. I can even scrape it up with a nail. I have tried not getting it on my scalp and I always to. My hair is board straight, so it is easy to drift from my hair to my scalp.

I also make my own shampoo. I have made various lye soaps for 30 years or so and started making my own last year.

This wa s a better solution for me. I dry shampoo for the week and then on the weekend indulge with handmade soap.

The previous soaps I made were all hard bars. I recently got some lye to make soft soap. Going to try for some liquid castile soap first time around and work out some of my favorite recipes for hard soap into the liquid soap. One of those being my shampoo bar!

I've been no poo for close to 6mo now. I first went with baking soda and vinegar, then shortly gave that up. After a few weeks, my hair was lush and full in a way I've never experienced before - and I've got a long history of loving my hair!

Now I only use soap on my feet and hands (barring actual grime, say from digging on a hot day). I purposely avoid putting soap on any mucus membranes. Water and friction is doing the job.

My aunt is a hair stylist. She says my hair looks great, but figures I'm looking for 'natural' products so found some to recommend. I told my cousin (the daughter of said aunt) that I'm just so happy with my hair, I don't seen any need for anything! All that pomade that I've spent money on and slapped on my head and all I really needed to do was stop washing my own oils out!

I'm so happy with my decision; financially, environmentally, physically, and cosmetically.

Now, what I'm finding is that I love how my hair looks in the morning the day after I've washed it, full of body and lovely waves (I have long hair). However, it does look a little unkept. Once I brush it, the body is weighed down, the waves homogenize, etc. I keep thinking, what did Great Gramma do? Do I need to braid it at night? Tie it up with little swatches of rags like Nellie Olsen in Little House on the Prairie? Wear a night cap? I feel like dropping the poo is only part of it.

I know it may sound funny, but does the vinegar rinse color your hair? For example if you want to enhance your golden highlights they suggest rinsing with chamomile or lemon juice. If you want to enhance your enhance your dark highlights you rinse your hair with coffee or tea.

Does it matter if it is apple vinegar or distilled? (I use distilled for other things so always have it on hand).

How often do you bathe? There are folks that think it is g-r-o-s-s if you don't shower at least 2xday (and then there are those that use stinky soaps and shampoos to make them smell like a fruit basket or a cheap cologne that is enough to make your eyes water just standing 10 feet from them. egads!!)

The first time I took an epsom soak with hydrogen peroxide my skin felt soooooo smooth.

Aside from the astringent idea of vinegar (or tea tree oil) what is the purpose of the rinse?

Since there are many ladies in my house, we can easily go through bottles of shampoo, so to knock that expense out would sure be nice. (besides I have often wondered just what I am putting on my head) And of course we have different textures, thicknesses, and levels of oily or dry. I have wavy straw. my oldest daughter has "fat hair"

Thnx in advance if you see my post and answer some of my questions.

Karen,

my personal experience did not involve a color change - I have a lovely chestnut brown hair with golden and red shimmer and 7 greys. I actually feel like my color is more vibrant then when I was using shampoo.

I was using apple cider vinegar, but my girlfriend (african american) just told me that she uses white vinegar and it doesn't dry her hair out (I felt like the vinegar was drying my ends out). Also, she doesn't make a paste with her baking soda. She powders her head with dry baking soda, combs it through, then showers it out. I thought that was an interesting difference to try if I feel like plain water isn't enough (for the record, she does not perm or use chemicals on her head - 4yrs+ and she makes her own hair 'grease' - it's lovely even as a lotion/salve, all natural)

I tend to bathe every other day, maybe stretch it another day, depending on my schedule. I also will bathe everyday if my schedule demands it. I'm a stay at home mom, so I like skipping the days that I'm staying home, but if I'm working for a friend, have meetings, or company coming, etc, I bathe. Hot water, hands, and a wash cloth does most of the work. I end my shower with a nice cool-water shock (the 'James Bond'), voila!

Twice a day bathing? I've know a couple of folks who do that, they're a truck driver and someone with OCD. I wouldn't worry too much about what they think, they are W-E-I-R-D.

It's my understanding that the rinse is to de-tangle, but again, I have found it unnecessary. I just brush my hair before getting into the shower, no need for a de-tangler.

I also love Epsom salt, I've never combined it with hydrogen peroxide, I'll have to check it out.

If little ol' Norther European me can use basically the same process/product on my hair as my black girlfriend uses on hers, then the females of your house can probably, too!

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!

I use Tom's deodorant. And Tom's tooth paste. They are sapose to be all natural. But be sure to read the ingredients because the brand also makes a less "natural" product also. Don't buy the wrong one. And yeah.. I have to agree with eating less meat.

Has anyone tried soapberries? It's a berry from a sapindus plant. The fruit from the berries contains natural saponins. I haven't used them, but apparently they can be used completely unprocessed. Just put them in water and swish them around a few times. They are marketed for laundry, but I think you can use them as an all purpose home and body cleaner.

Rachell Koenig wrote:
I use Tom's deodorant. And Tom's tooth paste. They are sapose to be all natural. But be sure to read the ingredients because the brand also makes a less "natural" product also. Don't buy the wrong one. And yeah.. I have to agree with eating less meat.

I was using Tom's toothpaste too until recently, when I learned that glycerine (on which Tom's and most toothpastes are based) doesn't easily rinse off the teeth, preventing saliva from contacting the tooth surface and thereby preventing the natural process of tooth remineralization from occurring. So I started brushing with some home made unscented soap someone gave me. So far so good; I have a cleaning scheduled next month so we'll see what the dentist thinks.

There is some info here:

http://www.natural-health-restored.com/natural-toothpaste.html

Ugh, I don't know if this is working for me. It's been a little over a week and my head itches like crazy. When I scratch it there is flaky white stuff under my fingernails. I don't use any kind of styling products on my hair or anything.

Rane Wallin wrote:Ugh, I don't know if this is working for me. It's been a little over a week and my head itches like crazy. When I scratch it there is flaky white stuff under my fingernails. I don't use any kind of styling products on my hair or anything.

Keep at it! I'm at that stage too as well. Today I just did what I could to scrub with my finger tips, and used hot water to distribute the oils. I'm assuming that the build up wont continue to build up. Transitioning!!

"I was using Tom's toothpaste too until recently, when I learned that glycerine (on which Tom's and most toothpastes are based) doesn't easily rinse off the teeth, preventing saliva from contacting the tooth surface and thereby preventing the natural process of tooth remineralization from occurring. So I started brushing with some home made unscented soap someone gave me. So far so good; I have a cleaning scheduled next month so we'll see what the dentist thinks. "
Isn't glycerine a good thing? Thanks for the link, I'll have to take a look at that. I like doing an "after brush" brushing with oil. I thought that would help remineralize. ??

Rane Wallin wrote:"I was using Tom's toothpaste too until recently, when I learned that glycerine (on which Tom's and most toothpastes are based) doesn't easily rinse off the teeth, preventing saliva from contacting the tooth surface and thereby preventing the natural process of tooth remineralization from occurring. So I started brushing with some home made unscented soap someone gave me. So far so good; I have a cleaning scheduled next month so we'll see what the dentist thinks. "
Isn't glycerine a good thing? Thanks for the link, I'll have to take a look at that. I like doing an "after brush" brushing with oil. I thought that would help remineralize. ??

Glycerine is good for lots of things, but smearing it on our teeth may not be one of them. I'm thinking oil might also interfere with remineralization, since it would tend to repel water-based liquids (like saliva).

I posted this in another forum but it seems more appropriate here. I prefer rhassoul clay as a shampoo or "hair mask" as some call it. After giving the baking soda/vinegar method two months and only getting gooey straw textured hair for it, I had to try something else. I do believe everyone's accounts of getting good results with the baking soda, but hair texture and water alkalinity can change results I believe. I have thin hair, and I think our water is alkaline.

That being said, I wonder about the wisdom of putting something that has a very high ph (baking soda) on hair that is naturally healthy at a low ph, which, of course, explains the need for apple cider vinegar (very low ph) that brings down the ph back to a normal range. For all the bad things shampoos have: parabens (preservatives linked to breast cancer in French studies) and it's drying factor (shampoos are basically solvents), shampoos actually have a low ph, much friendlier to the hair and scalp than even the mildest form of soap or baking soda.

I shampoo once a week with my shower, and I take a handful of dry mud and place it on the top of my head and wet it under the shower head into a muddy mass and massage down the length of the hair adding water as needed. Actually, nothing more than water would probably be the best thing to do for hair, but I sure do love the silkiness of the the mud as it slithers down my body and makes me feel all wonderful and nice.

What I find ironic is that Americans spend so much money taking the oil out with shampoo, then putting it back in via hair product, just to get the look of hair that looks stiff and together like someone who never did anything to their hair to begin with.

As a former soap junkie I have to admit I have done them all. I am down to two products. I have tried the soapless. I guess I hate the greeze hippy feel.

I use a few drops of Dr. Bronners mild soap for my hair and a very little goes a long way. I also use a Kirks bar soap. No issues. The trick to showering or bathing is to take the japaneese aproach. Hot water to open and clean the pores. Wash and rinse. I of course will rinse in ice cold water from the well. Good to brace yourself!

However. I do use a deodorant soap I buy from that conglomerate. I do tend to use it once a week or when I get a stink. Usually from being around other people. Stink is often bacteria. The Bronners I use a few drops for hair and beard, no more and the bar of kirks lasts about 8 days.

For conditioner I use natural oils. Lard makes my beard very soft by the way.

I have tried the no soap thing. But I smell after a day or so. It may be that I sleep in the same bed as 5+ mid to large dogs and I tend to get dirty doing chores like firewood and such. Where I work I am in close contact with people and hygiene is a must. I use the bottle of soap at work and sanitizer because people have disgusting hands. Many do not wash after taking a poop. Now my next point.

How do you wash the poop off your hands of you do not use soap? OR a soap replacement? Science and germs are no joke. Disease is not either. I work very closely with lots of people daily. To not be hygienic is not just a personal choice. It can be a public health issue. Many diseases are spread by poor hygiene. As a farm family we have a duty to provide clean food and products. Picking your apples, cherries or milking the cows I would never think of NOT using soap and water after going to the bathroom. Always was water and soap outside the many privies on the farms. Still is.

Just some late night thoughts.

I just used baking soda to wash and then vinegar to rinse, and my hair feels great (soft). I don't want to do it every day.. but I just had to wash it. I'm still going to try to wash my hair way less.
p.s. My vinegar was a mix of stuff .. so its not strait vinegar...

I scrubbed my scalp with baking soda and coconut oil, but I don't think it helped much. My hair just feels icky. It's really greasy and it's taking a long time to dry. It's been about 7.5 hours since I washed it and it is still wet, and I live in the desert. It also feels kind of sticky, especially when it is wet.

When I apply coconut oil to my hair.. its in a very very small amount, unless I plan on washing it again after an hour or so.

Rachell Koenig wrote:When I apply coconut oil to my hair.. its in a very very small amount, unless I plan on washing it again after an hour or so.

Same here...We buy a quart of extra virgin unrefined organic coconut oil for the winter and use it on hands and faces and I like a tiny amount on my hair...about whats left on my hands after doing them. I use apple cider vinegar on my hair after a baking soda soak is rinsed off...I rinse off the vinegar too...but only once a week or so...otherwise I just use plain water. I know diet makes a difference in our hair also.
(And I love the coconut oil used like butter on cornbread.)

I haven't used shampoo or soap for over 5 years. I use baking soda about 1 tablespoon to a cup of water for hair washing and rinse with vinegar at the same proportions with lots of plain water rinsing in between and after. It took a month or so for my scalp to get used to the change and oil production to level out. If the ends of my hair were fly away or dry from being in the sun I used to use a little Weleda hair oil - basically rosemary oil - a few drops on my hands stroked onto the hair ends and bushed in. Later I started using shea butter on my hands and wiped them on fly away hair ends. Works great so now I use just one product.

I use a less strong baking soda and water solution for showering. Then I started using BS for dish washing and laundry with a water and vinegar rinse - the amount depends on how hard your water is. All of this works great and avoids chemicals and purchasing bs at a bulk store makes it very inexpensive. I could make my own vinegar with apple or any fruit juice although I have been using white vinegar. But where is my baking soda mine?

I have long hair and usually only wash it once a week when my scalp starts to feel a little itchy or the oil starts to smell a bit off. I like a fresh feeling head of hair and it is drying to wash long hair too often.

In this hot climate I shower everyday or even more if I've been working in the garden and then need to go out. When I lived in a cold northern climate I often showered much less often because my skin got dried out but I did wash pits, privates and feet every night. I think the amount of showering or bathing you do all depends on your climate and the work you do. And there is the issue of saving water. It is amazing how well you can wash with a squirt bottle or pitcher and a gallon of water.

As far as bacteria are concerned they are well washed off with strong solution of baking soda and water and a rinse with vinegar and water. There are many studies of how well vinegar kills bacteria and virus. So I just keep these 2 cleaners handy and they could be in squirt bottles at your sinks or the toilet to use like a bidet. This is true for farm work too. Why grow organic veggies or dairy and then use chemicals on your hands?

Transdermal medicine - use of patches and just skin application of medicines or herbs - should remind us that whatever we put on our skin needs to be something we would eat because our skin absorbs it just the same.

New podcast on going pooless:

https://permies.com/t/22356/podcast/Podcast-Poo-Shampoo-Soap

I just received an email with the subject "Just a thank you, no reply needed"

Paul,

Since I was about 12 years old I have been plagued by migraine headaches. I am now 32, so about 20 years.
Anywhere from once a month to 3 times a week I would get a debilitating migraine. They could cause short term blackouts and vomiting.
No amount of medication would help. I eliminated foods, tracked weather patterns and took pills.
Last December I listened to 1 of your podcasts about going pooless, and I stopped using antiperspirant, toothpaste and shampoo. I have only had one migraine since, and that was the one day I wore antiperspirant just to see what would happen.
I now use only 1 bar of organic soap to wash myself head to toe, I brush my teeth with peroxide and baking soda, and I put nothing under my arms.
This is the longest I have EVER gone without a migraine.
I just want to say thank you because noone in the medical community will tell you to eliminate toxins to control migraines.
Keep up the good work you do, God has His hand on your life

Clover Love wrote:
Now, what I'm finding is that I love how my hair looks in the morning the day after I've washed it, full of body and lovely waves (I have long hair). However, it does look a little unkept. Once I brush it, the body is weighed down, the waves homogenize, etc. I keep thinking, what did Great Gramma do? Do I need to braid it at night? Tie it up with little swatches of rags like Nellie Olsen in Little House on the Prairie? Wear a night cap? I feel like dropping the poo is only part of it.

If you want to get the waves just do a french braid right after you're done with your shower and towel dry. It takes a bit for longer hair to dry out after that, but it's worth it because it will hold [or at least it does with mine] for over a week or until you shower next. At least this is what I do. O! Or you could do the rag rolls thing I did when I was little. That was fun too. You use rags of about an inch by six inches and you roll segments of your hair up, however big or small you want the waves to be, and then you just tie them in place with the rag strip. Sleep in it then in the morning you're good to go. Still like the braiding better because you can have a day or two of having your hair completely out of your way before you let it out and it's just wonderful after that down. My fella thought it was natural XP Good luck in your old timy hair adventures!

Rane Wallin wrote:Has anyone tried soapberries? It's a berry from a sapindus plant. The fruit from the berries contains natural saponins. I haven't used them, but apparently they can be used completely unprocessed. Just put them in water and swish them around a few times. They are marketed for laundry, but I think you can use them as an all purpose home and body cleaner.

Probably not the place to ask, but can you use soapberries on those new HE washing machines? We got one this last fall and I'd really rather get something like a soapberry shrub in the long run. That and all the HE detergents smell like hell... So over powering.. Anyway. Can you? Or are they to sudsy?

Hopefully this is the right place to ask about this.

So how do you ease the transition? I live with someone who doesn't really understand the permy ways, though he's tolerant of my oddities. I get the feeling that if I just stopped soaping up he wouldn't exactly be understanding though. And from everything I've read there is a greasy stage you just have to work through. Is there a way to lessen the greasiness of said stage to make it less noticeable? I'm liking the vinegar idea since the water down here is hard. But is the only way to semi shampoo with acids and alkaloids?

I got the link to the "poo-less" podcast and really enjoyed it.
I had never heard of this "poo-less" concept before. Fascinating.

I have used vinegar rinses and they were too strong, I guess.
My whole system felt acidy afterwards.
So... after listening to the podcast, I thought... what can be used ?

Lately I have been watching videos about the uses of pine trees...
that you can eat the sprouting needles, and make a tea of the older needles.
Pine needles are full of vitamins... and Vitamin C.
I had heard of using "pine tar soap" for dandruff and psoriasis...
so... making a tea of pine needles started appealing to me.
So... I may try to make a tea of pine needles and aloe vera for body washing.
I wonder if egg whites would be a good medium for the pine needle tea.

One of the problems with going poo-less seems to me, is...
our bodies shed old skin. I've always heard that we should wash with
rough washcloths to help remove these old scales, or dry with rough towel.

Also... Vitamin A and D help our skin cleanse.
If a person increases these in the diet they may think it is giving them pimples.
Not so. It is your skin expelling impurities and you must let this cycle finish.
And those impurities need to be gotten off of the skin.

Baking soda is considered to be anti-fungal... and thus would be the preferred wash
and not the vinegar. Our system should be slightly alkaline for best health.

But... I really enjoyed this subject, and have decided to adapt it to my own preferences.
Thanks.