I haven’t shampooed my waist-length hair in 12 years & get so many compliments on it – I’ve trained it to clean itself
A WOMAN who hasn’t washed her hair with shampoo in 12 years has revealed how she managed to train her locks.
Harper explained that she decided to ditch shampoo, and other hair products, in a bid to keep her hair in the best condition possible.
And it seems it’s worked, as it’s become her most complimented feature.
She explained in a video on her Instagram page, as she revealed she also no longer uses a hairdryer after washing it with solely water.
Instead, she leaves it to dry naturally, or uses her dressing gown belt to create overnight curls.
“I haven’t used shampoo in over 12 years and my hair is also by far my most complimented feature,” she said in the clip.
“It’s long, it’s thick, it’s kind of curly – it’s very eye catching.”
While she doesn’t use shampoo, she does take hot showers regularly to keep herself clean.
And when she is in the shower, she really scrubs her scalp “and sort of pull the natural oils through the rest of the hair”.
“But that’s all you really need to do to balance that sort of oily, greasy feeling in the scalp,” Harper added.
She also wears her hair in plaits a lot, as well as doing the dressing gown curls, and concluded: “And that’s it!
“I don’t use any product in my hair, and people comment on it all the time.”
In another Instagram video, she used the caption to reveal her technique of not shampooing the locks is colloquially referred to as following a “nopoo” routine.
“NO MODERN PRODUCTS hair care,” she wrote.
“I haven’t used shampoo in over 12 years. No curling irons, no gels, no mousse, NOTHING.
“What you see here is just water, technique, and time.”
Despite Harper insisting her hair is healthier than ever, the comments section was almost immediately filled with people questioning how she stops it smelling if she isn’t using shampoo.
“As a stylist, I have had a couple of clients do this,” one person wrote.
How often should you be washing your hair?
Anabel Kingsley, Consultant Trichologist and Brand President at Philip Kingsley spoke exclusively to Fabulous.
You take your hair and scalp to the same places you take your face, and it gets just as dirty.
Your scalp is also a living tissue; it sweats, produces oils and sheds skin cells.
You wouldn’t leave two days between washing your face, and you likely wouldn’t wear the same outfit more than a few times before washing it – apply the same thinking to your hair.
It is a myth that washing your hair too often causes your hair to get greasier.
“I do not appreciate it, because it stinks. Sorry, but we can smell you!”
Another stylist added: “I had a client tell me he hasn’t shampooed in FIVE YEARS for the same reason.
“When I was done with his hair my clippers were JAMMED because of all the oil.
“He smelled UNBELIEVABLY horrid and was flabbergasted at the fact I told him it was unsanitary.
“This is disgusting.
“If you’re worried about hair health or chemicals, use an all natural plant based shampoo – they exist!”
“As a hairstylist, this is NOT healthy for your hair,” a third insisted.
Sorry, but we can smell you!
Stylist's comment on video
“Your scalps build up bacteria and your hair needs a healthy microbiome (aka a clean scalp) to be healthy.”
“I don’t get why people don’t use shampoo,” someone else mused.
“They think they’re doing something, but really they’re not.
“Imagine if you never used soap to wash your hands!”
However, others were more on Harper’s side, with one writing: “My grandmother have never used shampoo in her life and her hair was thick even her 60s.
“And in her 50s she didn’t have grey hair!”
“All you people have you looked at her other content?” another asked.
“Does her hair look bad or greasy – no.
“Her hair is wet in this video, in the other ones it looks good.
“Her routine maybe wouldn’t work for everybody’s hair but it does for her.”
As a third added: “We all like shampoo, me especially, but do you think we were made with Herbal Essences in mind?
“This is the natural process we were intended for.
“No hate for a difference of personal practice.”