Hair without shampoo, 4 week update

It's now been about 4 weeks since I've used shampoo or conditioner on my hair so how am I finding it?

It's been a bit trial and error but I think I've finally settled on a system that works for me. I've had to adapt my first methods that I outlined here. I think it's been a bit trickier because I'm also trying to treat psoriasis on my scalp. 

Initially, I was using bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar (ACV) as a hair mask. I had read good things about this and after a patch test on my face (without psoriasis) I gave it a go. The patch test ended up being a full on face mask as I have to admit, my skin felt amazing afterwards. It was a little pink for about 10 minutes as the clay exfoliates as well but it didn't last long. I'm definitely keeping the face mask for when I need a bit of pampering. ;)

When I tried the clay on my hair as a mask I found it to be too difficult to do. It was messy and with long hair I wasn't able to get it onto my scalp very well. My hair tangled a LOT and that's not a good thing as my hair falls out exceptionally easily, and this was one of the things I was trying to avoid. It wasn't pleasant and I felt like a family of rats had made a home on my head. Yuck!

My next attempt at using bentonite clay was as a dry shampoo. This worked better overall. I applied a light dusting to the roots of my hair with a makeup brush (as my salt shaker kept blocking) before bed the night before I washed my hair. 

The dry shampoo method worked better as it kept the oils more under control. Then it occurred to me that dry shampoos were not going to let my skin naturally adapt to producing less oils in the long run if I kept on sucking them up with bentonite. Hmmm. Also, my scalp started to hurt after the bentonite had been washed out as it was too gritty for my injured skin to cope with. 

Hiding my greasy roots under a scarf.

For the first 2 weeks I took to hiding my scalp under my trusty head scarves again while I tried to figure this out. The length of my hair was fine as the ACV was doing a great job but the roots were looking (and feeling) pretty grotty. 

After some more research I decided to stop the bentonite treatment and instead I switched to washing my hair with about a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in half a cup of warm water. This is working far better for me. 

Bicarb has to be kept in an airtight container, especially in a damp bathroom, as it absorbs moisture from the air and turns to rock! I have a small tub in the bathroom, which I take a teaspoon from into a clean glass. I take this into the shower with me now and use the warm shower water to mix it up as I was a wimp with the cold water that ran down my back. Brrr. It's not summer any more! 

First I wet my hair, then pour the bicarb water slowly into my roots. I massage gently into my scalp to cleanse my damaged skin. It's far gentler than the bentonite clay but still a mild exfoliator. It's pretty darn good at getting the dead cells off that are caused (excessively) by psoriasis. I leave it on for a minute or two then rinse thoroughly with water as the next step is the ACV and you do NOT want to have bicarb and vinegar reacting together on your head! I doubt it would do any harm but I don't think I'd want to try it and risk it getting into my eyes. Ouch! 

Since the weather has got cooler I've also started to take concentrated ACV into the shower. I pour about 2 tablespoons of ACV into my glass and half fill it with the warm shower water so I dilute it in the shower now. Again, this is my wimp factor and not liking cold water going down my back. Such a wuss! It works for me. 

I haven't changed the ACV rinse as it's worked really well. I gently pour the diluted mix through my hair and massage it along the length of my hair to the tips. Don't get it in your eyes. That will hurt. If you do, rinse immediately with water. I stick my face under the shower head a bit quick. I only did it once! I then leave the ACV on my hair for about 3-5 minutes while I continue to wash my body. 

Incidentally, I have only used water to wash my body for several years as soaps were aggravating my skin. This is why I'm now ditching shampoo too. I can safely say that I don't smell without soap. I have repeatedly asked Hubby and Missy just to check! On hotter days in the summer I did on occasion spray a bit of diluted ACV under my arms to kill any bacteria that could cause the body odour smell. ACV doesn't smell once it's dry so simply hold your arms up for a minute for it to dry. ;) Now the weather has cooled I haven't needed to use anything and Hubby still says it's fine and I trust him. I actually sweat less since stopping deodorant.

Sweat only smells when it goes stale. I wash under my arms every morning with water alone and that's usually enough. Sometimes on hot days I might need to wash again by evening (or use a little vinegar in the morning to prevent it). Either way, my skin and body are happier because I'm not using chemicals that make me sick and no one has ever indicated, politely or otherwise, that I smell. I'm usually the first one to notice at which point I splash some water again. It's only noticeable when I'm not well as sweating is different then and a sign of illness. These days I'm stuck in bed anyway when sick so not offending anyone with my smell. I also have bigger things to worry about than a little bit of odour so I cut myself some slack on these days. 

About 2.5 weeks ago, I did use a bit of soap on my hair after spending all day and night in A&E after a chemical exposure (to air freshener) made me collapse in the doctor's office. When I got home I was long overdue treating my skin and the psoriasis was so bad that I was forced to use steroid creams on it. The next day I needed something a bit stronger to wash out the creams. I opted for Castille soap that it chemical free. A tiny amount was all I needed, then I rinsed again with ACV. This was my only blip. They happen. Since then I haven't used the steroid creams but it's good to know that this works for when I can't avoid them. 

So after 4 weeks I've learnt a lot. I now have a routine where I wash my hair every other day with bicarb and rinse with ACV. I tried to go longer between washes and just rinse with water in between but this simply isn't possible with psoriasis, at least until I can heal it. 

I'm happy with this routine. My skin is feeling a lot less irritated and is less scaly. My hair is clean and shiny. Moreover, I'm using far fewer plastic bottles than I did with shampoo and conditioner as I bulk buy the bicarb and ACV that last so much longer as such a small amount is needed each wash. And a great bonus is that it's costing me pennies now. (They are affiliate links.) I also use them both for other things like making cleaning products and cooking with. Don't worry, they are kept in the kitchen not the bathroom! :) 

Here's a pic of my hair as it is today. Also, I haven't washed it today so I'm pretty happy. 

4 weeks without shampoo and conditioner.
I need to smile more. I think I was concentrating!

Can I give up shampoo?

Can I give up shampoo?

I'll bet that's not a question that's heard very often. So why do I want to give up shampoo?

For a long time now I've suffered with psoriasis. I've got all the lotions and potions from the doctor, many of which I react badly to. I can kind of keep on top of most of it but I really struggle with scalp psoriasis. It's hard to get at, unsightly, and worst of all down right painful.

I've been working out in recent years what the triggers are for my autoimmune problems (psoriasis is autoimmune) and in the last year it's become painfully (literally) obvious that chemicals are not my friends.

So far, I've switched to making my own laundry products, soap, cleaning fluids and some hygiene products. Each move has eased my flares a bit, so long as I live in a bubble to avoid chemicals on others. What I've failed to make is shampoo. I've tried various recipes and shampoo bars (ouch!) but nothing has been a success so I've gone back to the one brand of shampoo that I could sort of tolerate. I mean, who really wants to be a greasy, smelly mess? I definitely don't.

One of my headscarves

It has been obvious over the years that the psoriasis on my scalp is far, far worse than anywhere else on my body. I've always thought that this was because it is so hard to get at the skin under my hair. Two years ago I cut off my long hair so that I could get at my scalp better but that didn't help. In fact, it made me feel even more miserable as everyone could now see just how bad my skin looked. It was painful to touch and bled all the time, not to mention the bald patches where my hair had fallen out. I resorted to wearing head scarves out of embarrassment and also to try to stop me from scratching so much.

Last week it occurred to me that with my intolerance to scents and perfumes, that maybe the shampoo itself was why my scalp is always so bad. I don't use scented products to wash anywhere else but have you ever seen a fragrance/perfume free shampoo? I haven't. This is why I tried to make my own.

I took to the internet to do yet more research. I found a few no shampoo methods. It pretty much means training your hair and scalp to adapt to washing with plain water. It's pretty gross for a few months, but I still have the head scarves. It gets itchy as well. This could be a problem as I already struggle with this and I'm driven to almost ripping my skin off as the itching gets so bad.

So figured, why not give it a go? I'm mostly housebound anyway and can't have visitors so who's going to see me other than Hubby and Missy?

I've just washed my hair with shampoo (I know, but bare with me). I wanted to first wash out all the prescription products on my scalp and hair as I'm going to stop them as well. It's not like they have worked anyway and they are even more harsh than shampoo!

I didn't use conditioner today. I usually have to condition as my hair tangles without it and causes me to accidentally pull out a lot of hair when brushing. Really, it doesn't matter how careful I am, my hair is extremely brittle from harsh prescription potions. Just ask Hubby how much hair is in the drain in the shower!

Instead, I've rinsed my hair with apple cider vinegar. It's an old school way of conditioning hair that our grannies would have known about. I massaged it through my hair and scalp and left it on for about 5 minutes before rinsing it out with water.

I am very pleasantly surprised how well it detangled my hair. Better than any conditioner I've used! It was so much easier to comb out after. It's air drying as I type. I hope it's not a complete mess when dry!

In place of shampoo, I intend to use mostly plain water although I'm going to try a hair mask made from bentonite clay once or twice a week in the hope that it will help my skin to heal. (Affiliate link) I'm not sure how often it will be needed yet and I haven't done my patch test yet to know if I can use it. I'll have to report back. Then I intend to rinse with apple cider vinegar to remove all residues like I did today.

I was careful choosing the type of vinegar. I already use white vinegar for rinsing laundry and as a rinse aid in the dishwasher where it works very well. However, for my skin I've gone with cold-pressed apple cider vinegar with mother (all the good microbes). (Affiliate link) This is recommended for its health benefits for so many conditions, including autoimmune and dandruff (if used on your scalp). It seemed like a good choice. I have bought food grade so I will also use it in the kitchen. I didn't realise that the supermarket-bought apple cider vinegar I had didn't contain the mother (microbes) so it would be nice if it also helped calm my gut (as recommended in numerous places) by using it in my food instead of the supermarket bought ones.

This is a complete experiment and I have no idea how it will work for me. I am prepared for it to be horrible for a while in the hope that firstly, the scalp psoriasis will calm down without the chemicals in shampoo on it everyday, and secondly, that my natural oils will adapt over time to not needing shampoo that strips them out of your hair.

Think about it, how many years have humans lived quite happily without all these products? I'm pretty sure my cat doesn't need shampoo and conditioner. His fur is stunningly soft and always meticulously clean. Besides, have you ever tried to bath a cat!!

Suki doesn't need Vidal Sassoon. He's purr-fect!

Edit: Here's my 4 week progress update if you are interested in what I've learnt. Enjoy!