Going cleanser-free

It has been some time since I tried a dubious personal experiment, and I am getting cranky and restless. So here's the latest.

While discussing the ill-effect of shampoos, someone online made the excellent point this morning, that you never see a bald homeless guy.

My idea for an experiment is born. Starting from today, I go cleansing-agent free. Now, you've probably read about my going soap-free. I switch between home-made scrubs and carbolic soap, and for my hair, I've used home-improved shampoos and herbal cleansers.

Now I am talking about going completely cleanser-free. Before you decide to delete my name from your acquaintance list and clear out of the neighborhood, pay attention to the fact that I didn't say wash-free. I said cleanser-free. That means no soap, "bathing bar" (scam), body wash gel (SLES), soap-free face wash, homemade bio-degradable scrub, shampoo, herbal hair wash powder/ paste, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Henceforth, until I decide to end the experiment, washing shall merely involve showering twice a day, with tap water and a good brush.
 
Also, seek temporary comfort from the fact that this is not (yet) a lifestyle decision, it is just an experiment based on some interesting reading I've been doing.

Furthermore, rejoice in the fact that I am not eschewing toothpaste, and shall continue to use soap / sanitizers thoroughly and regularly for my hands, at all the standard intervals that polite society requires; after the loo, before handling food, and so on. Hand sanitizing is my gift to you, gentle world.

First, let us start with arguments AGAINST going cleanser-free.

1. Soaps are decent people. They do clean you out sufficiently well. Much of modern health / infection-free wellness and perhaps even longevity comes from the salutary effects of soap use. Do not demonize the soap.

2. "Our ancestors didn't use soap" is a lame argument in my view. Our paleo ancestors also died at the ripe old age of thirty.

3. Culture requires it. People seek solace and comfort in the fact that your person, whilst circulating amidst them, is not a smelly germ bag (at least not obviously so, and not from the outside).

Now for arguments in favor of the CF lifestyle (cleanser-free, not child-free, which is a whole other bag of goodies):

1. How much cleaning do you need? If you have a regular old white collar job, you spend little time in situations where you get truly dirty. Most of us don't get grease, grit, grime or nasty bugs on to ourselves as part of our work life. The usual doses of sweat and dust, water will wash off, with a loofah to help along.

2. If you have dry / flaky / irritated / splotchy skin, your product probably has something to do with it. The skin is a self-cleaning organ and secretes oils that do the required maintenance. Do help with water and a rub down, but products that strip your skin of oils are likely hurting, not helping.

3. Use a cleanser, and you will likely need its friends - moisturizers. Shampoo, and you will likely need conditioners. You are going to have to replace the oils that your soap just stripped, and you are doing it with parabens and propelyne glycol. Hmm.

4. Soap clearly does not deodorize. Ergo the existence of the deo.

Why I decided to try it:

Let me clear my name by saying it is NOT because of admiration for the paleo lifestyle, of which I have precious little. I am grateful for modern science and what it has done for the daily health and wellness that most of us take for granted.

However, I have had hyper-sensitive skin all my life. On the average day, I have an oily forehead prone to pimples, dry cheeks and yawning pores, rough elbows and chapped knees, ashen legs and leathery feet. My skin breaks out in itchy rashes. My scalp erupts with little provocation, and gets flaky and irritable if it quarrels with my shampoo. If you have read my previous posts, I've switched to home-made herbal scrubs. They are bio-degradable, work reasonably well, though are messy and a bit tedious to prepare and use.

The minimalist in me is now questioning the need any of this at all. My lifestyle exposes me to very little dirt. Chennai is dusty, and god knows we all sweat profusely here. But apart from that, there tends to be no true grease or grime on me that just water wont take care of. Moreover, my shopping bags are lighter and my wallet heavier because there is less snake oil to buy. Travel is a breeze, and best of all, I dream of a stark bathroom - a rainshower and a block of alum. That is it. Just picture that. No mess of bottles crowding the counter. Just a serene, functional little space. Isn't it beautiful?
 
Today is day 1, and this is the plan. I shower twice a day in just water. I scrub thoroughly with a natural fibre loofah (Rs. 20 in any chennai provision shop, Rs. 100 for the flattened, tailored version from Health & Glow).  Post showering, I use alum as usual, for deodorizing.

As for hair washing, I thoroughly wet hair and scalp, rub with finger tips, use a wide toothed comb on the scalp. It feels like a massage. Caveat: some people complain that this causes hair fall - I have straight tangle-free hair so this works for me. Use the comb gently, untangle hair with fingers first. You could alternatively try massaging your scalp with a round brush with short fat stubs, like the one below.

Maybe once a fortnight (or a week, it depends on how the scalp holds up), I will add lemon / beer to the hair wash ritual. We shall see.

I am quite confident that I will have no trouble with the skin, but I expect the hair to be a bother for the next couple of weeks, while the oil and PH levels recover. I plan to wash my scalp out once every day, but it is going to take me some time to adjust to the oils that my scalp will now start secreting. My hair will feel different from what I am used to.

I will post updates here.

Full disclosure: I will continue to use a mix of aloe vera gelly and propolis cream for my facial skin. It is helping with some pigmentation issues that I am having. it is probably mostly snake oil too, but I am liking it for the moment.