What Happens When You Don't Wash Your Hair For a Month?

I didn't wash my hair for a month, and this is what I learned from my experience.

by Neha Anwar

I tried the No Shampoo method also known as the No Poo technique to cleanse my hair for a month. To put it simply instead of cleaning your hair with the traditional shampoo, you can only use water. Shampooing is believed to strip your scalp of natural protective oils or sebum. This leads to your hair producing even more oil to compensate, leaving it greasier than before. This over-cleaning perpetuates the cycle of over washing.

Sounds simple enough. No harm in trying it right? What's the worst that can happen, I asked myself.

Week one was a breeze, I had the week off and I barely went out, so I wasn’t exposed to the elements like dust, wind, or heat. I only rinsed my hair with water when I needed to. My hair wasn’t greasy and was mainly in a bun.

After my first week, things went downhill…fast! Washing my hair after a workout outside felt like I was doing nothing to my hair. There was a visible clumping due to the oily texture, this was topped by dust settling and sticking to the surface. No amount of washing helped. I wanted to soldier on as all my online research said that this oil production would subside after 15 days. I did not experience this levelling out. I felt like it got worse each day.

I tried going to the beach hoping to have the seawater would cancel out the grease. I promise you this did not work. I started to wonder if my hair had an odour, luckily, I had no complaints. Although I work with the politest women on the planet, so I will never truly know. I felt self-conscious, nonetheless.

One more week went by, and my hair situation wasn’t looking any better and I finally caved in. The feeling of washing my hair properly felt like a privilege. My head felt lighter, and I felt like a new person. Full of hope and promise. I didn’t know how hair care could have such a massive impact on me, both socially and personally. I feel so much gratitude for the little pleasures in life that I never valued in the past.

Would I try this again? Absolutely. Maybe when the weather is colder, I can truly say I gave this No Poo thing a fighting chance. For now, I will stick to my simple and effective, shampoo and conditioner routine.