Beauty Tips

Here's What Happens When You Stop Showering for a Month (See the Pictures)

Could the secret to perfect skin lie in giving up soap, shampoo and all beauty products? We threw hygiene out the window for 30 days to find out

by Jill Provost | COMMENT

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Day 25: No Poo, No Problem? Since hair is already dead, there's no need to grow a culture in our strands -- just our scalp. Technically, we could have been washing the ends of our hair without ruining our experiment, but the beauty editors in us want to know if we actually even need shampoo. Up until the late 1800s, people washed their hair monthly; daily shampooing took off only in the 1970s. Shampoo-free advocates (no 'poo for short) claim baking soda and apple cider vinegar, or even just water, is all you need. We'll see about that.

I kneel on the floor alongside my tub, dunk my head under the faucet and work water through my hair for the first time in over three weeks. My hands become slick with grease. When I put a hand on the bottom of the tub to steady myself, I slip from all the oil. My hair smells like a wet dog.

Later in the afternoon, I can't tell if my hair is still wet or just greasy. It's ropey and tacky, like a dirty mop, and looks that way, too. My husband gets home from a business trip, pulls me in by the back of my head for a kiss and recoils. "Your hair feels like seaweed -- off a dead person."

SEE NEXT PAGE: Day 30: Our Last Day of Not Showering

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