So I've been thinking about trying to go shampoo free, or at least going longer without shampooing.  I typically shower every day and always shampoo and condition each time.  However, I've noticed that my hair looks better in the morning before I take a shower.  In other words, if I went two days without showering (ew! :D), my hair would look better on the second day.  Except that the hair at the scalp looks greasy and gross.  I've read that people who think their hair is greasy actually find out that their hair is greasy because of the hair's reaction to over washing.  Has anyone had experience with going without shampooing and found that your hair's oil production slows down?  Did you condition only, or just rinse with water, or any combination of these?  Maybe just rinse with water, then use a leave in conditioner?  How long did it take to adjust?  There are so many options!

I've tried showering and conditioning only, and that's ok for a couple of days, but my hair doesn't feel clean.  I guess that's just a different feeling I have to get used to.  I would also like to try not wetting my hair at all on certain days, since that's when it looks better.  The off side to that is that the moisture from the shower makes my scalp feel even more greasy and sticky, even if I try to take a cooler shower to avoid steam.  Does anyone have any suggestions for going without washing their hair?  I've heard of spraying a dry shampoo on the scalp to help with this.  I would love to know if anyone's tried this and has product recommendations.  

I found this website about going without shampoo.  They recommend using baking soda on the scalp and rinsing the ends with ACV.  Hmm...now where have I heard that before?  ;D

http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html

I may try the baking soda (with and without honey) and the vinegar on the ends.  I still want to try a dry shampoo for days when I don't want to wet my hair at all.  

I also found this website.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-394226/Could-survive-shampoo.html  
It has six different women telling their no-'poo stories.  Some loved it and some hated it.  But none told how they actually did it.  Just rinsing with water?  Conditioning only?  Just rinsing, then using a leave-in?  What??  

Michelle,

I started stretching my hair washes a couple of months ago because I read it was better for my hair (read: washing my hair, not washing myself).  I go about 3 days between washes now, and day 2 is my best day.  Your scalp really does stop producing so much oil after a week or two.  I do take showers in between hair washes; I just put my hair in a shower cap.  I've found that CO washes & straight rinsing make my hair 'clump' and look dirtier.

I battle the greasies with cornstarch (put a little on with a fluffy powder brush, leave it for a few minutes, then brush it out), or I French/Dutch braid, especially the front, since my bangs are the worst.  

Hope this helps!

Thanks YIR!  

Today I showered and only rinsed my hair with water, then put conditioner on the ends only and rinsed.  We'll see how I like it.  Thanks for warning me about water only and CO rinsing; I'll pay attention to see if I have the same problem.  

The other thing I'm trying is not combing through my hair after I towel it dry.  I have some natural wave in my hair, and I have always brushed my hair straight after a shower.  I am wondering if leaving it alone (I did finger comb slightly) will result in more wave/curl.  

Yep, that's the website I was going to recommend.   :)  I tried going 'poo free a couple of months ago.  I didn't have success but I suspect it was my lack of patience in finding the right combination of ingredients rather than the experiment itself.  I wish you good luck and please keep us updated about your results.   8-)