Blogger Sean Bonner went an entire year without using soap or shampoo.
Yes, you read it right – 365 days – and no he has not been quarantined somewhere stewing in a cesspool of dirt and bacteria. He’s actually quite healthy, sharing his experience with BoingBoing – here’s an excerpt:
I stopped using soap a year ago and it was easily one of the best moves I’ve ever made in my entire flippin’ life.
About this time last year I saw an article extolling the virtues of a soap free bathing experience. Basically, your body is designed to regulate itself and smearing chemicals all over it wrecks it’s own built in processes and screws with naturally balanced pH levels. This actually made a bunch of sense to me and I thought I’d give it a shot for a month.
I didn’t stink at all (confirmed by friends, family and random people I ended up sitting next to on various forms of public transit), my skin felt better, oily and dry patches had all but disappeared and the light dandruff I’d had my entire life was almost gone. I was pleased with the results of my month experiment and decided I’d run with it for a while longer. As of January 1st it’s been a year and I can’t imagine ever going back.
My first thought was “Ewww,” but then I thought more about it.
I actually know women with beautiful hair who don’t use shampoo and instead opt for conditioner or apple cider vinegar rinses. As for soap? Some believe it actually dries out our skin by removing natural oils. Some naturals opt for skin brushing, using soap or other cleansers for “the bits.”
Would you consider giving up soap and shampoo? What would you use in its place?
15 comments
Kiki says:
Jan 5, 2011
I could see giving up shampoo for a year and co-washing, using ACV or a clarifying type conditioner but giving up soap? Like, body soap? What the heck WOULD you use in its place??
NewNaturalista says:
Jan 5, 2011
Maybe warm water and a good scrubbin’ with a washcloth or a loofah? LOL! I don’t know honestly.
cleanqueen says:
Jan 5, 2011
I actually cut back on soap showers years ago, alternating soap showers with baby lotion showers. A long time ago I read that your skin would be less dry if you use less soap in the Winter. I use the lotion just like soap and then rinse. Lotion shower 3 times a week, soap shower 3 times a week and moisturizing oil baths once a week. This is a minimum, some times I take evening lotion showers to get ready for bed. I do think my skin is less dry. Now I need to find a more moisturizing soap.
Ruth says:
Jan 5, 2011
I don’t ever use soap for bathing, I use any available shampoo (usually sulphate-free)… Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is sulphate-free and economical.
I hate scrubbing the shower and using soap causes the event to come around more quickly. Germophobe that I am, I have to give everyone who visits their own bar, then they end up being thrown out when they leave.
Shampoo cleanses without the build-up… and sulphate-free works just fine. (Interestingly – for hair – I co-wash, ACV rinse or use Bentonite Clay… never shampoo of any kind. Yep.)
*end of epistle* Amen.
Ann says:
Jan 5, 2011
I don’t know about this. I use Trader Joes organic sulfate free soap and it has made my skin softer and itch less. Hey, if it works for you why not.
Shantau says:
Jan 5, 2011
I would like to research this further, but it sounds like something I would like to try.
Justine says:
Jan 17, 2011
I would defintely give up soap and shampoo. In the place of shampoo, I’d use ACV and bicarbonate powder, coconut oil, and herbal-infused water rinses. In place of soap I’d also use herbal rinses, lemon-infused water, and most importantly milk! Milk (goat or cow’s milk) has lactic acid, which softens and brightens the skin, while removing impurities and dead skin cells. I’ve tried this on my face, and the thought to apply this regimen to my body, only crossed my mind while reading this post. Thank you new…;-)
Olivia says:
Jan 26, 2011
I would not mind giving up soap but what did he use as an alternative? I barely use shampoo as it is in order to keep my hair moisturized but I never thought about doing the same for my body wash routine. I’ll check it out.
No soap??? « Deep Background says:
Jan 26, 2011
[...] of funky, I was just jumping from blog to blog starting with New Naturalista, leading to this piece on Boing Boing and ending up here. Actually, I ended up here when I was [...]
NewNaturalista says:
Jan 27, 2011
Such a good question, he never says. I think he honestly just used water!
benica says:
Feb 10, 2011
lol lol maybe i’ll try the bathing thing for one day and see if i stink cuz i have serious perspiration problems and the shamppoo i already gave it up before i saw this blog probly about 3 weeks ago but to tell u the truth my hair is itching me like hell!! but it does make sense….. that bathing thing…. it does make sense
thelivingpoet says:
Feb 27, 2011
i use black soap in the place of soap and shampoo
Demetria says:
May 16, 2011
soap doesn’t actually get you clean….i remember some chemistry experiment in one of my classes, it is WATER that cleans you. You can literally scrub yourself clean with a cloth and water, warm/hot water is best because the hotter water breaks down dirt particles easier. People have been made to THINK they need quite a bit of stuff that they don’t. It’s called marketing & we’re immersed in it 24/7. I wouldn’t be surprised if we even needed all of the conditioners, moisturizers, leave-ins etc that we use for our natural hair. The body will generally produce what you need IF you take care of it. You really are what you eat, I’ve changed my diet and exercise and have noticed that I use far less product, my hair and skin are retaining moisture on its own. I have literally gone from wash-n-go with products to a shake-in-go without.
anonimus says:
Jun 4, 2011
I have lots of itch after i wash my hair,i have tried all kinds of shampoo,so,i d love to try it,but i need replacement to stay clean,what would you recomend me
William Kvrtis says:
Apr 23, 2012
I’ve been no-soap no-shampoo for a week now and I feel better and less stinky than I ever have in my life.
(I am a 26 yo man with long hair)
Since I was a kid, I’d occasionally get this situation where I’d feel greasy/oily and generally dirty and smelly between my legs, and I’d ‘need’ a shower (with soap!) to ‘fix’ it. Sometimes this would occur within 24 hrs of showering/soaping. Illogical!
Also, I’ve never been happy with my hair. Curly in all the wrong places, wispy and stringy, overly dry immediately after shampoo, yet oily and limp and gross by the end of the day. the next morning? Of course I’d ‘need’ to shampoo to ‘fix’ the problem.
Well, after a week of bathing with just water, using soap only for tough cleaning or washing hands, I can testify that it’s all true: no more chafing between my legs, no feeling clammy or oily anywhere ever, and my hair is stabilizing into a silky soft and manageable form that I never knew it had! I’m ecstatic, I should have done this years ago.
Every morning, or whenever I feel like it (I don’t have to “wait” to take another shower since my showers aren’t damaging my body with harsh chemicals anymore), I just get in, rinse, rub myself all over with a washcloth. Then I wet my hair, and kind of rub/pick/comb through it with my fingers, feeling out the oilier areas and working them through. When I dry off, I put natural “crystal” deodorant on my pits and anywhere I think I may sweat. That’s it!
I DON’T stink. In fact, I smell much better than I did before, and my skin feels fresh and clean pretty much all the time. If it doesn’t, I jump in the shower and literally 5 minutes later I’m fresh as can be again!
Thanks for listening. This is the way to go, people. It takes a brave soul and an open mind to come to these conclusions but I don’t think anyone in their right mind could deny my results or their own if they just give it a shot.
William