"No matter how fast the light travels, it always finds
darkness has got there first and is waiting for it."
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darkness has got there first and is waiting for it."
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Offered for consideration:
1. In the 1950s, we washed our hair once a week or so. For once a month conditioning, we used (real) mayonnaise, eggs, or beer. Our hair was not oily. In fact, it tended to be dry, flyaway, and generally unmanageable for a few days after washing. We brushed it every day - the famous 100 strokes. For school photos, we were cautioned not to wash our hair for at least two days before the photo session. Split ends were not a common problem. They mostly happened to people who spent a lot of time in the sun, or who bleached their hair.
Sometime in the late '50s, Tame, the first commercial conditioner, became available. It was used mainly by mothers on children's hair, to make the comb out after washing less painful.
2. There was some super expensive "hairdresser to the stars", complete with unidentifiable accent, on TV a few weeks ago. He said that the way we treat our hair today is silly. We wash all the natural oils out of our hair, and then replace it with "product". He said that we really need only rinse our hair thoroughly with hot water - at first maybe on the same schedule as we have been washing it, then as our scalps get used to not being stripped, gradually less. We might go through a rough adjustment period, but after a few weeks we will have consistently smooth shiny hair with no breakage and no static or fly away.
3. It's a fact that your scalp is self-regulating. Unless you have a medical condition, your scalp produces exactly as much oil as your hair requires. Brushing is necessary to distribute the oil to the ends. When you wash your hair every day, the scalp produces more oil to replace what has been washed out, which means that when you miss a day, there's an overabundance of oil produced. (Any woman who has ever breastfed is familiar with the phenomenon of the body producing what it thinks and has been taught is necessary, no more and no less. The scalp works the same way.)
4. There was a discussion this morning on TV about self-diagnosing and self-treating based on information from online medical sources. The expert says you have to do more research than just looking up your symptoms. You should be very suspicious of any website that wants to sell you something based on what you read on their site.
5. Now, who told us we have to wash our hair every day? Who told us we must then replace the oils (repair our hair!) with conditioners and other products? Answer: The very people who want to SELL us the shampoo and conditioners. And the more they can convince us we need to use, the better - for them.**
So, I am going to try an experiment. I have been washing my hair with a mild shampoo every three to four days and using a conditioner.
I am going to stop using shampoo and conditioner, and start just rinsing with hot water.
I used just hot water this morning, and my hair looks fine. (BTW- I went back in last Tuesday and got it cut much shorter. It's a pixie now.)
I'll let y'all know how the experiment goes.
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**The most profitable thing in the world of shampoo marketing was the discovery of the word "repeat". That one word alone nearly doubled sales of shampoo. I don't remember exactly when it began appearing on shampoo bottles, sometime in the '70s, I think, but I do remember that women remarked on it, and then, like sheep, followed instructions.
Somewhere in the '90s, women discovered that they didn't really have to repeat to get the same effect (especially since young women were by then convinced that they had to wash their hair every day), so the shampoo companies tweaked the formulas. I have no "hardcopy evidence" of that tweaking, but have you noticed that the stuff won't lather with the first application? You don't get any lather until the second application - the "repeat" is now required.
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21 comments:
I cannot stand to leave my hair unwashed for a day. I feel filthy. I also likely should not shower every day, can't stand that either.
Z
Yes, yes, yes. I have never been a proponent of every-day hair washing. For one thing, it takes just too much time. And yes, I do the 100 strokes and I can usually go for about 4 - 5 days before I need to wash my hair.
My mom used Tame on my hair when I was a kid. And when I was a teenager, I used stale beer. Now I use a cheapy shampoo to get the lather going and then I use the expensive T-Gel stuff.
I have to add that people are vastly different. Unwashed hair sometimes has a really bad odor. My mom, who was essentially part bloodhound, would complain about other office workers who did not wash their hair frequently enough, for her taste anyway, and said it made her nauseous. She could also smell other people's butts. Fortunately I did not inherit her nose. I have to wonder if my feeling of being "filthy" and having a need to wash my hair every day comes from that experience of listening to my mom talk about others.
And like BNG I get itchy bumps if I let things go.
Remember Psssssst?
Z
I have been off of all hair products for the past 6 months and loving it. I rinse very well in warm water once a week and my hair has never been better. My hair was always flyaway or flat greasy with split ends, now I have body with slight waves and no splits for months. I will never wash my hair again! As for stink, my mother-in law washed my daughters hair 2 weeks ago and it stunk to high heaven of cheap perfume for a solid week. I could not stand to be near her hair it smelled so strongly. That will not happen again. Some people think they smell good with all that perfume that makes my head pound.
I guess I should point out that a lot depends on whether your hair is close to your head, or stands out. And whether you live in a city or the country. Back when I used to go to Chicago on business, I was amazed at how dirty my hair, feet, and fingernails would get in one day. There was actual grit and greasy black soot (from smog?) in my hair.
When the woman cut my hair the first time, she used gel and hair spray. That night, I couldn't sleep because of the stink. I was desperate to wash it all out. (I had to wash the pillow case, too.) Now, with the water-only plan, I am a little worried about odor, because I smoke, and I had mentioned that certain foods will come out in my facial oils - probably the scalp, too.
But I'm smoking a LOT less now, about half of what I'd been buying in NY, and I smoke only outside, never in enclosed places, so maybe that won't be a problem.
I have a "hot spot" in the back of my throat - maybe a sore throat starting. Daughter recommended gargling with vinegar (warning - it BURNS!), and it seems to be working. Vinegar is good for a lot of stuff, because it's antimicrobial. Stale beer rinse is good for the scalp because of the proteins and mild alcohol. Vodka would be a stronger alcohol.
Chriz, thanks for the vote of confidence. I've noticed already that my hair has stronger curls.
I fully understand doing something in adulthood left over from Mother's influence. My mother never complimented my appearance, but often said, "You look like a bag tied in the middle!" I had a large bust, wide hips, and a tiny waist. To this day I never wear belts. I keep buying interesting ones, but can't bring myself to wear them.
Hair, huh? Well, let me add my two cents.
I have waist/but length hair. My ends do not get scalp oil no matter what. I henna my hair every couple of months, and it conditions my hair beautifully, leaving it sleek, strong, and very thick looking.
I wash my hair every other day, on weekends, it's every third day. I used to shower and wash my hair every day as a teenager and in my 20's, because I felt icky if I didn't. Somewhere along the line, I guess when I started working for myself, I didn't feel the need to shower/wash my hair every day, and I started the every other day thing. I'm plenty happy with it now.
I recently started using expensive natural shampoo and conditioner, because of the SLS (sodium Laurel/laureth sulfates) in the products, which are horrible for the environment and bad for your body. SLS-free shampoo doesn't lather as much, but is WAY too expensive to "repeat". I always thought the repeat instructions were bogus, even as a teenager. Without the lather, my hair doesn't feel "stripped" of all of the oils. It even feels as though there's some oils left. Then I condition, but only the lower 1/2. I don't need conditioner on my scalp, only the ends. I get terrible static in the winter time, even if I go days without washing my hair.
My husband probably only washes his hair twice a week, if that. His hair is short, but it's gorgeous, strong and shiny, if very fine. He never uses conditioner, and believes exactly what you said in this post. Your body will over-produce oils if you wash the necessary oils off. Your body is self-regulating. On weekends, I often don't wash my face, as my skin has gotten dry, and any and all facial products (nevermind soap) leave my skin dry and scaley. So, not washing leaves the natural oils on my face, making my skin look soft and supple.
As for people who can "smell" other people and get grossed out by that, they really need to get over themselves. I am sick of people who cannot stand the smell of other people. Yes, people might smell a bit frowsey after a day or two of not washing, but honestly, we're HUMAN. We're ANIMALS! It's natural. We've been so conditioned by the media and peer pressure to not want to smell like anything but flowers and vanilla. We've completely lost touch with anything natural in this world.
There is a "famous" bellydance teacher in CA, with the initials "SS", who says in her class (and I saw this in one of her ONLINE classes), "Someone didn't use deodorant. You HAVE to use deodorant before you come here, *and not the stuff from the health food store*". What the heck? I am personally offended by that, because I do NOT use deodorant ever. EVER! It's poison! Nor does my husband. Neither of us ever smell bad. My husband can go 3-4 days without showering before he has underarm odor. My 13 year old son uses health food store deodorant because his teachers in school insist that they use deodorant. I've told him about the SS comment, and how poisonous deodorant is. So, he understands our reasoning for the health-food brand for him and none for husband and I.
I would bet that if people stopped using deodorant for a while, their body would self-regulate and they would stop smelling like strong BO after a while. But god-forbid you go somewhere and you actually smell like a ::gasp:: human being/animal. Because you know people will be offended. I say. LET THEM BE OFFENDED. Don't force me to use poisonous products on my body because of your stuck-up offended-ness!
And my code word below is so appropriate right now "fockin". Go me!!!
P.S. I hope you are not bothered by the long comments I have been posting in response to your posts. I'm going to use my Google sign-in so that I can get e-mail responses from you, if there ever are any.
(Willow - Blogger doesn't have a "reply to comments" facility like LiveJournal does. You have to come back to a post to see if there's a reply.)
I haven't used deodorant in years, either. Before adolescence, children don't need it, and postmenopausal women don't need it. Underarm odor simply isn't a problem for either groups. Has to do with sexual pheromones, I guess. (Well, it's more than a guess. Fresh (FRESH!) male sweat makes me pant and get weak in the knees, which is Nature's plan.) However, either group can have a problem with a yeasty odor developing - not so much in the armpits as in all body folds and crevices. Deodorant doesn't help with that. Only soap stops it.
Re Psssssst. I had to go look it up. Dry shampoo (actually talc) in a spray can. Never heard of it. But in my youth, we used baby powder or scented talc (Avon's "To a Wild Rose" was popular) as a dry shampoo. I couldn't use it so much because my hair was very dark back then, and the talc showed. But these days, with the very light hair, I might try baby powder again, not so much to tame oil as to make it smell nicer if I'd been eating curry or BBQ. (Note - Baby powder has been almost my only "perfume" for the past few years.) I'll have to see if it helps. It might just make the odor strange, like a baby in a garbage can.
I have no objection to very long comments from anyone! Go to it, folks. All I ask is that commenters pretty much stick to the topic, because if you say something interesting, and it's off topic, and I want to refer to it again, I'll never find it.
Actually, blogger asks if you want to subscribe to the thread when you sign in using an e-mail account. I've gotten both of your comments since mine by e-mail this morning.
I really don't think my departed mother could "get over" herself with respect to her sense of smell. It was what it was. I for one cannot abide those who reek of perfume or cigarette smoke. (If you only smoke outside I doubt anyone is going to smell it on you Silk.) Incidentally I haven't worn deodorant for years. I sweat like a field worker while on the job though so showering is mandatory. If I ever get any time off I might try to deregulate my hair though, if I can get past the itchies.
Z
/mediator hat on/ I think the "get over it" referred to people objecting to people smelling like people. I think it's probably ok to object to people smelling like ashtrays or French whores. /mediator hat off/
The problem with people smelling like people is that it can be pretty awful. I have what I would consider a below average sense of smell. Years ago I worked for the state doing child welfare investigation and then worked doing food stamp intake. I got my first whiff of BO during that period. I used to keep breath spray handy because it would kill my smeller so I would not be able to smell folks. I had to go tell parents they were going to have to clean up the kids because the school administrators were complaining about the odor. Additionally smelling that way targets the kids for bullying.
So really it depends on just how funky one gets. One who goes forth with the intent to smell human must be prepared for the social consequences that will go with it.
z
I went to high school in the mountains. Only one other of my classmates had an indoor bathroom, everyone else had outhouses, and I think I was the only one with a furnace instead of a wood or coal stove in the living room or kitchen.
Full-body baths (as opposed to a daily swipe with a washcloth) were a once-a-week affair, in a tub in the kitchen, in water hauled from the pump and heated on the stove, and these kids worked HARD - milking the cows or running traplines before school (for the dinner table and some cash from the furs), and chopping wood after school. The classroom was scented with manure and sweat, and --- nobody threw up. It was ok.
In fact, I like the smell of horse and cow manure. It's an honest smell, a sign of hard work and caring.
BO is not the odor of sweat, by the way. The odor comes from bacteria growing on the exuded oils and dead skin cells, on the body or in the clothing. Fresh sweat is not offensive. Bacterial overgrowth is, and that's a natural built-in defensive reaction, to be offended by the odor of bacterial overgrowth, same as with the odor of vomit, feces, or rotting meat, for the same defensive reasons. It says, "Stay away. Not healthy here."
Hey! I just noticed that "Email follow-up comments to ..." down there. That must be new(ish). I swear I've never seen it before (or I'm so used to the comment area I never noticed it when it appeared).
Oh, so the point I was going to make up there is that those kids who smelled bad didn't smell like people. They smelled like excessive bacterial overgrowth. Not the same thing at all.
I remember Psssst. Never did a thing for me. I have too much hair. It was such a pain to brush it all out that I might as well have gone ahead and washed my hair.
As for not using deodorants, just trying standing in a line at Disney World on a broiling July day, behind a very large family, from a country where apparently they never use deodorant. Gah. They should hand it out at the airport. Welcome to America! Here's some Ban!
Was at work all day and couldn't respond properly too all the conversation that was going on today.
Here's my point about people needing to "get over" the smell of other people. Here in Luxurious America, people go out of their way to be offended by things these days. They look for things to be upset and rant about. So, if someone doesn't smell artificially scented, or have no scent at all, if someone smells natural, people are naturally offended by that.
It's really not that difficult to stomach the smell of other people if you just decide not to be offended by it. It's all about the way people think. I'm not saying people who smell very strongly of body odor should not wash. What I'm saying is that most smells that people are offended by are really not that bad. We've been conditioned by billion-dollar advertising campaigns to think that anything that smells natural is bad and that masking odors, using air fresheners, deodorants, Febreze, perfume and all that is good. If people would only stop being so offended by everything and just accept things as they are, it wouldn't be such an issue. Just change the way you think about things. Really, it's that simple. This is a recurring theme in my comments and posts recently. People just need to stop being so willfully offended all the time and the world would be a much better place, body odor and all.
No one really thinks about how horrible all of these artificially scented products are. Both of my grandparents had lung cancer. My grandfather died 21 years ago and my grandmother "supposedly" has less than a year left. They used spray cans of air freshener in their bathrooms my whole life. Could that have anything to do with the lung cancer at all? Perhaps just a little? Could all of the aluminum in the deodorant/anti-persperant have anything to do with the senility that my grandmother is experiencing? Maybe just a little?
I use unscented laundry detergent and cannot stand perfume and artificial scents. I get headaches from perfume. When I'm out in public, it's the artificially scented people who bother me more than the people who smell natural. I know I"m not going to get a brain tumor from body odor. Can't say the same thing about perfume.
My friend has dreadlocks. She says she can only wash her hair when she knows she won't be around people for a few days, because her hair smells like dirty dog when it's wet. Well, she should really chop all of her dreadlocks off, because they are filled with smelly bacteria. But she uses scented oils to mask the scent of her dreadlocks. I'd rather smell the dreadlocks than the scent she uses to mask the smell of her hair.
Americans are spoiled brats. If people could only get over their "me" centered-ness, and accept things for what they are, people would be much happier. Too bad about the sweaty foreign family at Disney. They are doing what they were brought up to do. Perhaps there's some merit in not using horrible artificial products to cover up natural body smells. They may live longer and have a better quality of life for it. Too bad if people are offended by that. Too freaking bad!
'It's really not that difficult to stomach the smell of other people if you just decide not to be offended by it'
Good lord. That's rather akin to saying it's not that difficult to deal with pain if you just decide not to be bothered by it.
As biologically similar as humans are on the surface we all process things differently. This includes smelling things. What may smell wonderful to one individual may impact another quite heavily in a negative manner.
Nothing like an exercise in futility to raise a stink I says.
z
Well, yes, that is what I'm saying. Everyone has a different tolerance level for different things. But it's rather an exercise in discipline to tolerate a bit of discomfort. Rather even more than a bit of discomfort. It's one method of Buddhist meditation, to sit in an uncomfortable position, even a painful one, to develop mental fortitude and inner peace.
Do you think professional athletes or dancers are great because they don't tolerate pain? Quite the contrary. They tolerate much pain, persevere through it, discipline themselves not to be crippled by it, and they overcome adversity to become great. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Tolerating pain - mental or physical - also builds character.
In my not-so-humble opinion, it's the same with tolerating smells. Just discipline yourself not to feel it as pain, don't see it that way. It's a natural thing. We're so removed from anything natural as a society. Americans need to stop being so soft. Obviously other countries are not so brainwashed and soft that they cannot tolerate someone's natural scent.
Americans in general are effete.
Oh, Silk, thank you for introducing me to a new word. I like it and I will use it.
Husband and I were having a discussion about raw art vs. fine art just this morning. I"m going to have to write about it over on my end, since it is completely unrelated to the topic at hand.
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