So, I decided I want to start blogging again, and I knew exactly what my next topic would be. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to make this an expository or an FAQ, but I suppose I'll try to do both. Any questions I may have left unanswered are welcome in the comments :)
When I was fourteen, I had cut my hair very short. I had skipped one night of washing my hair. I noticed my hair was much easier to style and manage after one night of doing without shampoo. Then, I made it a habit to wash my hair every other day. I liked how my hair felt and looked when I didn't wash it. Then there was curiosity; "Why don't I just stop washing my hair?"
So I did.
And yaknow what?
Nobody noticed. Nobody.
No one commented any funky smells from my head. No one asked what was different about me. No one had any idea that I had stopped washing my hair.
More curiosity; "If I don't need shampoo, do I need soap?"
Turns out I did not. And again, no one had any idea. I smelled just fine. I didn't feel oily. I didn't feel dirty. In fact, I felt better about myself all over when I didn't use any soaps. I attended School, went to Church, lived with my Mother/ Grandparents, and not anybody could tell I was soapless.
This is not to say that I didn't bathe; I've always showered. I just go about a different procedure than most everyone else. But the procedure is not that much different at all. Instead of using soaps, I just stand under the showerhead and scrub. That's it. No big secret to how I stay clean. Are you amazed yet? I'm not done.
I never wash my clothes. Well, not unless they're dirty, which, really, is hardly ever. I decided to stop washing my clothes pretty soon after I realized how super pointless it is to wear clothes once and then throw them in the wash. How dirty can I possibly be? I dressed myself, went to School, and came home. I didn't sweat. I didn't handle anything dirty. And, really, I didn't let anybody get near me at all today, so why am I having to wash what is already clean?
Albeit, I do have some bouts of pretty stanky BO. Then that's when I know it's time for me to wash what stinks. It's really that simple. Haven't you heard "don't fix what's not broken?" This applies. Don't wash what's not dirty. Not only is this good for the environment [1], but it's making my clothes last longer.
I have come out to tell people about my abstinence from soap. Some think it's great and really interesting, but others are not so open- minded or accepting. I first told my Mom about my discontinuation of shampoo a few weeks after I made the decision. She was disgusted. I received a long, embarrassing lecture about how it's important for me to use soaps and how I'm a developing woman, so my body needs soap if I want to stay clean, ect, ect. But I was unconvinced. So I didn't listen to her warnings. Later, it would become a habit for me to exit the shower and see her waiting on the other side of the door, so she could smell my scalp to find out if I was up to her standards of "cleanliness." If she couldn't smell shampoo on my scalp, I was sent back into the shower until my head reeked of lilacs and lavender. This made me more rebellious and defiant of Society's standards of what "clean" is. I was happy with the way I felt. I smelled just fine. How come "just fine" is totally un- okay? Am I supposed to smell pretty, because I'm a girl? Who do I need to smell pretty for? My natural smell never offended anybody before, so why should I care if my standards of clean don't match someone else's?
My friends were mostly pretty sketchy at first. Most of them were actually really shocked. Not even my best friends could tell I had changed my hygiene habits. Of course, with sketchiness came questions. "How can you do that? My hair gets so oily when I don't wash it!" Oilyness is totally natural. After washing my hair regularly for fourteen years, then suddenly stopping, my scalp was a little confused. First, my head made a whole bunch of that good ol' natural oil; this remained for about two weeks. Then, after everything equilibrialized, my head went back to making its natural oil at its natural pace. The reason for this phenomenon is because the human body is completely capable of taking care of itself. When we wash it with chemicals, this strips our head of its protective oils and replaces it with smell goods [2]. Now, if my scalp can take care of itself and leave my hair looking just fine all by itself, why should I use chemicals to treat it?
I will admit: I've had some pretty stinky days, but not because I didn't wash properly, but because of my eating habits or excessive sweating. But even on my most stinky days, I've had a couple of rather interesting people tell me that really like the way I stink. Which is completely natural. The human body reeks of pheromones when left to do what it does naturally. Our natural pheromones are what got us a lifelong mate millions of years ago. Our natural pheromones are still such an important part of Life; we are using our natural smells all the time, and we don't even know it [3]. But "clean" people are so quick to wash away the pheromones, because humans are arrogant enough to think that we're not primitaves.
As I mentioned, sometimes the food we consume is a factor on how we smell. I've noticed this. The unhealthier the food, the stinkier I am. This is true for everybody [4]. The human body is like memory card, full of history containing everything we've put in our bodies. Our pores ooze all that stuff we drink, smoke, inject, and used up. So, naturally, if you eat stuff that was stinky before it was processed, you're going to smell worse. I find it's much easier for me to eat as healthy as I can than to eat whatever I want so I can, just because soap is at my disposal.
Of course, I do receive flack for my hygiene choices. I would bring it up casually around "clean" people, disgusted comments ensue, and only sometimes, I was met by curious people, who only had questions, rather than comments such as the all too common "that's fucking gross." Sure, the laughing at me and the jokes made about my hygiene choices are hurtful and innaccurate, but I can feel good about keeping myself healthy, protecting the environment, and making people think "what is clean?"
[1]: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/21/are-you-slowly-killing-your-family-with-hidden-dioxane-in-your-laundry-detergent.aspx
[2]: http://www.examiner.com/review/why-shampoo-is-bad-for-you-and-homemade-shampoo-recipe
[3]: http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/news/20000828/animals-use-pheromones-to-communicate-do-humans
[4]: http://www.naturalnews.com/004417_body_odor_nutrition.html
