I was playing with my hair one day when I realized how damaged and dry it was, but I didn’t know what I could be doing wrong. I usually don’t do anything to my hair except shampoo and conditioner it. Then I started asking myself—what if that was the problem? Could the chemicals in hair products be affecting my hair?
I decided to test this by not washing my hair for two weeks. Going into the project I was a bit skeptical. After all, I’d been using shampoo and conditioner my whole life, but the results were more
than surprising.
Day 1
I’m feeling excited to give my hair a break from all the chemicals. I washed my hair yesterday to prep for this experiment, and I’m ready! Bring it on.
Day 4
My hair is already getting oily, so I decide to use this opportunity to spread my hair’s natural oils around and give my ends some lovin’.
Day 6
I’m starting to regret this decision. Every time I look at myself I can’t help but think that I look like I’ve been dunked into a tub of oil. I’m wearing hats all the time to hide the shininess, and people are starting to ask questions…
Day 8
I can’t take it anymore, I need to wash my hair. But I tell myself not to panic. I’m only using water—no chemicals involved. Although when it dries, I notice that my hair doesn’t smell like my usual fruit punch shampoo, and that makes me a bit sad.
Day 12
I’m counting down the days until this project is over—I don’t feel comfortable being in public anymore because my hair is so oily. The only thing I can do is put it in a bun and hope that people think it’s the ‘wet look‘. Fashion points for me.
Day 14
Two weeks have come and gone and I am beyond excited that I can lather up my greasy, smelly hair. Once I get home from class, I run straight to the shower and scrub my hair. I only use shampoo since my hair has more than enough moisture and oil without conditioner. After it dries, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that my hair is super soft. Softer than when I was using shampoo and conditioner regularly. There’s something different about my hair and I love it. It feels stronger, softer, and shinier! Totally worth the oily experience.
Shampoo and conditioner might be advertised to fix all our hair problems, but sometimes we have to take a step back and accept that nature knows what it’s doing. By washing less, you’re not only saving money on hair products, but also saving the earth by using less water. Win, win.