Got A Question!
Posted by Treyn on June 11, 2002 at 17:53:32: Previous Next
I have decided to take a long leave of absence from shampoo all together(like four years or forever maybe) and rinse out my hair with warm to medium hot water each time I shower to get out the dirt and stuff without stripping out the natural oils. Here's my question: Will using conditioner each time I rinse out my hair be a pro or a con? Is conditioner alone a bad thing? ....thanks in advance!
Re: Got A Question!
Posted by Victor on June 11, 2002 at 23:46:25: Previous Next
In Reply to: Got A Question! posted by Treyn on June 11, 2002 at 17:53:32:
: I have decided to take a long leave of absence from shampoo all together(like four years or forever maybe) and rinse out my hair with warm to medium hot water each time I shower to get out the dirt and stuff without stripping out the natural oils. Here's my question: Will using conditioner each time I rinse out my hair be a pro or a con? Is conditioner alone a bad thing? ....thanks in advance!
This is like asking if it's OK to keep adding oil to your car's crankcase without ever changing it (this part corresponds to the shampooing). Well, it depends upon the oil, and it depends upon your hair. Conditioners are basically oils and/or silicones and/or miscellaneous items. The viscosity, adhesion, rate of decomposition, etc., all play a role.
If you intend not to shampoo, I would stay away from silicones. There are probably some that are safe, but I couldn't tell you which. So that means avoiding anything with "cone" as part of the word. Don't use heavy oils. Use light oils. Also, avoid waxes and parafins.
You can also use vinegar in lieu of shampoo in a pinch. In fact, one of the longest-haired ladies in China uses only vinegar, flour (!), and water in her hair. She claims that is the secret to her hair's health.
On a related (in my opinion) note, I'd like to remark that the staff at the Straight Dope did an experiment some time back on the effectiveness of the plastic device that supposedly can be used in lieu of laundry detergent. The claim was that these devices used some sort of ion-encouraging action to clean the clothes. Anyway, in order for the device to work, you were supposed to soak the clothes for 30 minutes prior to washing.
Anyway, the experiment consisted of having 3 groups of clothes. One was washed typically using detergent. Another was washed using a disc, following the instructions included. The third used only water, but otherwise following the instructions that came with the disc.
The result of the experiment was that the disc washed the clothes just as well as the detergent did. OTOH, it washed the clothes no better either. The surprising result was that washing the clothes using only water by simply presoaking for 30 minutes outperformed both the disc load and the detergent load.
I've been using this water-only technique on my own laundry ever since. It really works.
The bottom line for this conversation is that if you want to really clean your hair without using shampoo, maybe you just need to take a long, warm bath.
Caveat: human hair attracts grease far more eagerly than clothes do, so the analogy is probably not sound, but at least it's worth considering.