Four weeks ago I stopped using shampoo and conditioner and now I just wash my hair with warm water.
The theory is that your hair will find its own natural oil balance and you will never need to use products again. Thus far it is proving to be true and my hair is as nice and smooth and shiny as ever.

It would be a huge bonus and save weight if I didn't need to cart extra toiletries around Oz... however, all the anecdotal evidence online is very positive from normal people doing normal everyday things - NOT shoving a helmet on your head for 6-8 hours a day.

Has anyone else stopped using shampoo whilst on the road and has your hair been "normal" or has it just turned totally feral?

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Postie Notes - "you're not seriously going around Australia on a postie bike??"

It's a case of how long you are out for, in the way of how much you carry. I can't for the love of me work out why people take big bottle's of any thing. Many small one. Will pack in easer space. If you have four or five of the same thing but smaller. The chance's are you are going to find one soon. Rather than search for just the one bottle or packet. Tip. I get them urine simple bottle's from the chemist. Free. Fill them with shampoo. Can carry four or five of them at a time. Once one is empty. Just bin them.
John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

Tiny bottles of Pantene seem to be universally available so we but as we go. I have very long hair but I only use a bit on the scalp it's more concentrated than most shampoos. I didnt wash for 3 weeks when we trekked EBC and my hair was foul & dreadlocked. Took a couple hours to sort that out! I do think diet has something to do with it too. If you are stuck with lots of processed food your hair (and skin) will detox unpleasantly.

It's not such an issue for the folically challenged. My advice, cut your hair really short before a trip - or better yet, just shave your head bald! ;-)

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Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

I thought this was a joke until I realised you'd posted it Jacqui! But its true, it does sort itself out if you don't strip it of oil. We didn't wash our hair for about a month in Kaz and Mong last year because we were living rough. We had shampoo but no water, so that was that. It got pretty dirty - dust and bits of twigs mushed together with sweat from wearing a helmet all day - but we brushed it out after about a week and once you get over the 'this is nasty because I usually wash it everyday feeling' it seemed to settle down. My hair was short then and did get a bit sticky uppy, but Nads' was long, and looked OK.

My hair is also fairly short and curly - so it's very forgiving and easy to fake a "style" after removing one's helmet.

I did some further research and found this:
"Richard Glover, a radio host in Sydney, interviewed Matthew Parris, a columnist for The Times of London who hadn’t shampooed for more than a decade.

“So many people called saying that they wanted to try it, too,” Mr. Glover said, that he decided to challenge his audience to go without shampoo for six weeks.

Eighty-six percent of the over 500 participants who reported results said their hair was either better or the same. One participant, Emma Rowles, 22, blamed her former “itchy scalp” on shampoo and declared: “There’s no way I will ever let a drop of shampoo anywhere near my head again.”

Mr. Glover had another reason why some Australians just say no: “We’re tired of feeling like cogs in the machinery of consumption. There’s this feeling of liberation to be able to say no to an entire aisle of the supermarket.”

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Postie Notes - "you're not seriously going around Australia on a postie bike??"

I plan on trying this soon, when I do I'll report what I find. I did a lot of reading of people's stories and two things seem to really stand out:

Rinsing the hair daily (water) is important. Hard water causes problems, at least with some people.

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Traveling The World Since: 2011
Blog: The Seductive Life (General Travel)

I'm finding the opposite.
I've been rinsing only once a week and the day after I rinse my hair it feels "thick" and a little oily but then day two and three are great ... really soft and shiny.

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Postie Notes - "you're not seriously going around Australia on a postie bike??"

Have no experience living shampoo-less but sounds good! When I travelled 'light' in the 80's and 90's I used 1 piece of soap for everything: laundry,shaving, hair,mounting a tire and even for washing my hands. I was told it would be bad for my hair (have used it for 17 years) but being 52 now I am still far from bold so it can't be all that bad either.

Hi, i do not carry soap or shampoo (not really need for almost baldies), i use shower gel for all body and often clothes cleaning. works for me. Andy

I am pleased to report that after two months without shampoo or conditioner, my hair is completely normal - shiny, manageable, clean and not at all oily.

I'm thrilled with the results on many levels - not least the money I will save!

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Postie Notes - "you're not seriously going around Australia on a postie bike??"

Scootergal wrote:
Great news. You are nearly ready for your next trip then carrying less.

Now another issue, hair cutting.
I've been scooting about Europe now for three months and normally have my hair, or what's left of it cut very short.
I thought somewhere along the way I would either get it cut or just buy a cheap cutter for around €10 that I could leave behind at a camping.

But I held back and have become less concerned about the extra fluff.
Now it's grown a bit more it tends to settle down, except of course in the morning when climbing out of the tent first thing.

Not sure yet what I'll do when I get back to Aussie land shortly, maybe let it go wild
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Paul

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I don't think this would work on medium or long hair. My wife tried it and the oils from the scalp don't reach the ends and in her case died. Depends what type of hair you have though.

To quote a time worn phase, "the media is the message" shampoo is but one cog in the ever changing wheel of mass marketed products , enforced by ever increasing, ever more effective media campaigns specifically designed to separate good wholesome people from their hard earned money.

I am in my mid sixties and have only shampooed during quarterly hair cuts (that is 4 X a year) This only with PH neutral shampoo with no fragrance and done just prior to having my hair cut, not because my hair was dirty or smelly, but because of salon regulations.

A couple of years ago I went to my high school reunion, GC Marshall Dependent's High School, Ankara Turkey....and I was literally the only man not suffering baldness. I have a full head of very thick, healthy hair - my fellow classmates look as if they were auditioning Yul Brynner's role in the King and I.... I jokingly asked them if they all went to the same bad barber...

The clue here is that I was raised outside the reach of modern day western world advertising. Before graduating high school in Turkey, I lived and studied in Tokyo, Japan this was about ten years after WWII - mercifully I was spared TV there was no TV - once I returned to the States for university, no TV was available to me there either and I had no money budgeted for shampoo, I had no idea shampoo existed, after university, I joined the Peace Corps and took jobs in the third world for many years.

Needless to say there were no computers and most folks had no phones or party line land lines - but I will leave that until another post.....

I am proud to count myself among the shampoo challenged. I do warm water wash my hair about every second shower,( I shower each day) more often if riding, because my BMW helmet, as comfortable as it is and depending on climate - might cause my head to sweat.

This may be unique to some of you in 2013,,,,, I am repulsed by 99.9 of add on smells , including woman's perfumes. Several woman I have been intimate with, have told me that my particular smell, "pheromones" I guess was in part responsible for their attraction to me. Personally, my opinion, the way one smells is a product of what one eats....

I am a taster, meaning I have above average number of taste buds on my tongue and I could qualify as a professional wine taster. My ability to smell is also well above average - this I attribute to not using shampoos, perfumes nor deodorants of any type. It is my opinion that chronic use of either product or all together damages one's ability to taste and/or smell.

There you have it, I was not "conditioned" if you will, by an ever more effective avalanche of advertising during my youth, yet I am alive and well - yes I know male baldness is genetically related to the man's *Mother's Father's genes, but if that was all it is - this might not have been such an intriguing read.

* Should read: Maternal Grandfather

Nepoleon has been quoted as instructing his wife not to bathe , for he was soon to arrive in Paris. I get this totally...... Other interpretations welcome.....

xfiltrate

PS: Don't know why I didn't mention this, but I have a hot tub/japanese bath, that I really enjoy often. and I also enjoy a sauna whenever possible. Guess I just assumed everyone takes hot baths....

I am glad I found this thread, I've been wanting to get rid of shampoo but wasn't sure of the results. Looks like it's an unnecessary product that has been forced upon us by advertising and materialism. It's definitely going to be hard to give up as it's like a habit now, but if the results are positive,then why not?! Also, I like the idea of getting your hair cut really short, there's just something liberating about it