Raw Food Blogger Gives Up Shampoo and Conditioner

Freelee the Banana Girl is a dedicated raw foodie, commencing her raw food journey nine years ago, consuming up to 40 bananas a day, and eating cooked food only after 4 p.m. But this month, Freelee took her raw diet to the next level, abandoning all cooked food and giving up shampoo and conditioner. Instead, she’s taking cold showers for her hair, occasionally using warm water to break down her scalp’s natural oils.

“My hair is really good [at the moment] actually,” Freelee said in a recent video, nearly 30 days into her monthlong challenge. “It’s certainly gone through different stages. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Holy s***, I need to wash my hair; there’s so much oil.’ But then when I brush my hair, it brings the oil from my roots to my tips and it moisturizes them.” Freelee claims that her raw diet is helping other aspects of her beauty as well. “Skin is getting better and better,” she said. “Hair, nails, everything is improving. It was really good on Raw Till 4 as well, but this brings my health to the next level.”

Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow are also fans of minimal shampooing, sometimes going weeks without washing their hair, saying that it makes their hair look and feel better. But is forgoing shampoo healthy for your hair and scalp? “In general, not washing frequently will not maintain ‘healthy’ natural oils, as the oils will get dirty from general pollutants in the air and so will become dirty and even cause flaking or itching,” trichologist David Kingsley, PhD, told Yahoo Beauty. “Just as her face would get dirty if she washed it infrequently, the scalp is also skin. I find washing more often will help, as you would also condition the hair more often as well.”

If you’re still interested in ditching shampoo, instead replace it with a nonfoaming cleansing cream to ensure the health of your scalp.

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