SUD THAT

Could you ditch the shampoo?

YOU’LL have seen the lockdown hair disasters by now – the shaggy self-chopping, the uneven shaves. Others, meanwhile, are attempting to give up shampoo – the so-called ‘no ’poo’ lifestyle has gained plenty of traction with those fully embracing the more ‘natural aesthetic’ demanded by this new normal. The book Happy Hair, which details how to do just this, has shot to the top of Kindle’s beauty and fashion charts, with sales increasing fourfold since lockdown.

No ’poo means not using traditional shampoo, conditioner or dry shampoo and instead finding alternative ways to clean your locks. Advocates believe the chemicals found in commercial shampoos are damaging not only to our hair but our health in general and instead favour natural alternatives – a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda mixed into a cup of water and massaged into wet hair (as you might do with regular shampoo) or a spoonful of apple cider vinegar added to a cup of water to condition. Hair brushing must be with a tough-bristled brush… the list is seemingly endless.

I want to try no ’poo for a clutch of reasons – saving time, saving money (I’m a sucker for the types of shampoo that require remortgaging the house in order to buy) and the fact that achieving natural, bouncy, glossy hair that would make Rapunzel green-eyed has thus far evaded me.

‘No ’poo is a method of grooming that works with the science of your hair,’ says Happy Hair author and natural beauty expert Lucy AitkenRead, 37, who is originally from Camberwell, south London, but now lives in Waihi, New Zealand. She has been living the no ’poo lifestyle for nine years.

‘It’s about shifting the production of sebum – actually a brilliant, protective, conditioning, gently antibacterial hair oil that would be worth billions if it could be bottled – along the hair shaft but doing this with ingredients that are

By the second week, my hair was deeply unattractive on all levels

non-toxic and pH-balanced to bring out the very best in your hair. I hear from people every few days who say giving up shampoo has transformed their hair.’

People with short hair can undergo the same process as those with long but because there is simply less length to their tresses, there is less space for excess oils to accumulate and look unsightly.

My personal process started with a week of cold turkey – not touching my mid-length hair at all. By day seven it was absolutely hideous. I wanted to dry shampoo it to give it a little pep but instead opted for a sprinkling of cornflour – which in fact absorbed well, making for a pleasant surprise.

AitkenRead agrees that people can and do relapse to actual shampoo. However, she claims this because they are using the wrong alternative ingredients or relying too heavily on bicarbonate of soda. Although this is the primary ingredient for weaning off shampoo because it is great for shifting sebum, it can be harsh on hair over time.

‘It’s the people who don’t persevere with other ingredients – including rye flour, cornflour, apple cider vinegar or egg yolks – who return to shampoo,’ says AitkenRead. ‘Once you’ve tried the wonders of other things in the pantry, you don’t turn back.’ Except, perhaps you do. By the second week of my experiment, my hair was deeply unattractive on all levels. I did a bicarb wash and an egg yolk condition, which was fairly effective, but the experience was not the refreshing cleanse I might get from some Kérastase. While going shampoo-free might be bearable when we are all housebound, the quest for no ’poo perfection can take up to 90 days – by which point I hope to be a free woman again and desperate for some normality.

Happy Hair is out now