Logging my journey to use (way) less soap

Times I have washed my hair since mid January:

I define “wash” as scrubbing with shampoo.

• January 19th, our last morning at a campground
  • 11 days in between
• January 27th, at a friend’s apartment before dinner out
  • 13 days in between
• February 9th, at a friend’s apartment after swimming
  • 10 days in between
• February 19th, at a campground in the everglades
  • 20 days in between
• March 9th, at a friend’s apartment
  • 21 days in between
• March 30th, at a vacation house with family

How long I used to be able to go without shampoo before my hair felt unbearably greasy:

When we first moved into the van, my maximum was two days. That’s it. I remember visiting a coffee shop on the morning of day three once, the weekend we hit the road, and feeling absolutely disgusting.)

In summer, I could stretch to maybe three or four days, especially if I was able to take a dip in one of the beautiful Canadian lakes we drove by on our trip to Alaska.

By early fall, five or six days was possible, though braids (or a baseball cap) definitely felt necessary at the end of that period.

In late fall and early winter, I worked up to about a week on average. When we got to Florida and I read Clean: The New Science of Skin by James Hamblin in its entirety (I’d previously been inspired by a shorter interview with him) I decided to really “go big” and experiment with fewer and fewer washes. What did I have to lose, especially in a humid beachy climate?

Times I have washed my face since arriving in Florida:

• Not once

I could dub this section “the story of going off hormonal birth control, fighting adult acne at 25-26, over-scrubbing my face raw in the fall of 2023, and finally completely giving up… to the tune of eventual success”. Because life doesn’t make sense. And skincare companies have lied to me.

If I get particularly sweaty after a run or trip to the beach, I’ll splash some fresh water on my face. I put an SPF 30 moisturizer on every morning (and often again in the early afternoon). Once or twice a week I apply a retinoid called adapalene before bed. My skin is clearer than it’s been in nearly two years!

Times I have washed my body since arriving in Florida:

• Not at all intentionally. Suds run down at the times that I shampoo by hair, but otherwise I just rinse with plain water.

Times I have applied deodorant since arriving in Florida:

• Once every three or four days on average. Less after lots of ocean swimming, more after sweaty runs.

I switched to a natural deodorant that is not also an antiperspirant. It felt very weird at first. Very. But being in such a humid environment actually made the transition easier, I think — when you spend a hot day in Florida, your skin feels damp no matter what you do. Eventually it becomes an “oh, big whoop” kinda deal.

Times I have washed my hands since arriving in Florida:

• Multiple times a day, every single day.

Just because I’m using less soap on my hair and skin overall doesn’t mean it’s not still vital to stop the spread of germs! I wash my hands after using the bathroom, (sometimes) after petting Scout, before eating… you get the gist.

Times I have felt embarrassed or worried

about how my hair looks, how I smell, how I’m coming across in general as a person who wants to be perceived as a socially acceptable version of “clean”:

• At the end of January I started physical therapy to improve my posture. The office was a casual environment full of people in workout clothes — you come to exercise, after all! — but there was one appointment where I donned a hat because I couldn’t bear for anyone to see my scalp. (I also applied my natural deodorant immediately before each visit just in case, though I don’t think it was necessary every time.)
• I had a dentist appointment in March, more than two weeks since my last shampoo and immediately after a morning run. I braided my hair in a two-low-bun style to hide the oiliness… and was pretty concerned you could still tell it was greasy.

When my family visited us in Florida for my mom’s spring break week, it was day 14 since I’d used any shampoo. I didn’t shower properly until our last morning at the vacation house — and I was happy to hear no one thought I was smelly! 😉 We spent a lot of time outside (much of it near or in a body of water) so that’s a confounding variable. But if anyone would be willing to tell me I stink after a hug? It would be my mom.

I’m calling it a success.

Some caveats that have made this experiment possible:

I’ve been swimming in the ocean regularly (once or twice a week minimum on average) and have taken some short rinses, either in our van or using the public beach access shower stations. Being near the beach makes this experiment easier than I imagine it would be anywhere else, especially because it’s totally appropriate to go into the coffee shops and bars near the shore with wet hair, a funky hat, athletic clothes, a swimsuit top… Most of the immediate coastal areas aren’t very polished environments.

During some of these intervals, my scalp has gotten oily to the point where braids or a hat have felt necessary. The most recent times I’ve stretched two-plus weeks, though, this has been significantly less of an issue. (At the time of writing I’m sitting at a kombucha brewery with Sean on day 12 since shampoo, with my hair down and no concerns that it sticks out as dirty. At the time of editing it’s the same story on day 19, though I did swim plenty this past week.)