For the past forty years, or thereabouts, shampoo has been regarded as an indispensable item of everyday life. Though a high school student might consider forty years ago ancient history, it is really very recent in the grand scheme of things. Homo sapiens has existed for hundreds of thousands of years without the use of shampoo. A human in the 21st century may very well wonder how our ancestors coped without this seemingly very necessary modern product. The answer is simple: our ancestors coped fine. Although it is not commonly known to the public, shampoo is not the cure for oily scalps, but the cause of it.
To state that using shampoo is the equivalent of putting detergent in one’s hair is not an understatement. Shampoo cleans hair by stripping it of everything, including the natural oil (sebum) produced by the sebaceous glands on the scalp. The glands react to this by producing sebum at a higher rate to compensate, hence the oily appearance on the hair and scalp within only a few days of the last shampoo use. Shampoo is then used to remove this oily presence and so the cycle repeats itself. Clever advertising during the 1970s succeeded in persuading the public that it was “unhealthy not to shampoo several times a week”. Their assertions were further “proven” by the fact that their hair began to feel overly oily within a day or so of not using shampoo. It was not until 1998 that such cultural perceptions have been challenged.
The logical conclusion proceeding from this knowledge is to stop using shampoo altogether. If shampoo use were to end, the sebaceous glands, after a period of adjustment, will decrease the rate of sebum production into a normal level; hence, the scalp will no longer feel oily. However, going cold turkey, to quote the common phrase, is easier said than done. The period of adjustment lasts two to eight weeks and during which time the hair will be very oily and though one may be inclined to wash it with more than water, it is essential that a person does not use shampoo or any other hair products which may threaten to hinder the restoration of equilibrium of sebum production.
The entire experience varies for different individuals but I view my experience of giving up shampoo largely in a positive light. Not using shampoo benefits me economically as well as sparing me from a time consuming activity. My readjustment period was a mere fortnight and my hair during the period of readjustment was only slightly oilier than usual and this was not noticeable. However, I must admit that I am the exception rather than the rule: a schoolmate very kindly told me that I didn’t have much oil in my body. Teenagers in general suffer an excess of oil in their skin and, therefore, it is understandable that many of you who are now aware of the ironic cycle of shampoo use are content to continue buying and using this unnecessary product in order to avoid momentary discomfort.
Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shampoo.jpg