Would you try the 'No Poo' technique?

Have you ever wondered what people did beforethe advent of these fancy bottles? We are sure grandma’s lustrous whitemane can still outshine your ‘overloaded with products’ tresses. Sowe present to you the no-poo technique!It is basically aproduct-free approach towards hair care. The rules are simple: No shampoo andabsolutely no conditioner. You can rinse your hair with lukewarm water everydayor use dry shampoo or baby powder if your hair gets excessively greasy inbetween washes. Instead of shampooing hair, you rinse hair with water and brushthrough the wet hair with a washcloth in long strokes from the roots to the end.This helps to distribute the sebum (naturally produced oil) that accumulates atthe roots throughout the length of the hair. The result? Sleek, shiny hairwithout the aid of products laden with chemicals.Shirley Cook, CEOof fashion label Proenza Schouler, maintained this regime for three wholemonths, while one fan of this technique on the internet claims to have gonewithout shampooing her hair for the past six years, and both are totally in lovewith the no-poo technique!But what do experts think of thistechnique? We get you thelowdown.I think this is just a gimmick. And I seriouslydon’t know if this can work in a country like India. The weather andpollution do not permit us to go without washing our hair for an extended periodof time. If you try this out in our city, you might just end up with an infectedscalp! Maybe this regime works fine for people living in countries withtemperate climates since the sebaceous glands work slower in cold weather. Thenatural oil produced by the sebaceous glands are the best oil for your hair.People might find this regime beneficial since it allows hair to soak in thenatural oils. Also, Indians have a ritual of oiling hair before washing whichwesterners do not follow. Not oiling hair combined with slow working sebaceousglands leads to dry hair. Thus the climate, genetic make-up and also pollutionlevels greatly determine what works forwhom.Not only the scalp but even hair becomes oily when leftunwashed. Living in a city like ours with its dust, pollution and of course,humidity, is quite stressful for hair. Even if you live in air-conditionedsurroundings, this is not a healthy regime. Air conditioners tend to to suckmoisture from your hair and skin, and if you have dry hair, you need to apply aleave-in conditioner once a week. If you don’t condition your hair,they’ll resemble the witch’s broom in no time. And think about it,the dandruff formation due to a dry, flaky scalp will leave you with anacne-ridden face. Our body produces oil to naturally condition hair andkeep it healthy. Using shampoo daily upsets the natural balance and producesmore oil than necessary to compensate for the loss of natural oil, so maybe thistechnique could prove beneficial for some. However, the ‘shiny and glossyhair’ result could vary in people because of the genetic differences inevery individual. Also, in this technique water is used instead of shampoo tokeep the scalp clean, so you will be saving on the cost of shampoo as also avoidthe use of chemicals. Environmental conditions that cause the scalpto be dirty/ flaky and the initial time period taken for the hair to adjust tothe new regime could be problematic though.When you stop using shampoo,you will probably experience a transitional period when your body graduallyadjusts to produce just enough oil to keep your hair healthy. During this time,which can range from a few days to a few weeks, you’ll probably have someextra oil and grease that you may want to take care of to lookpresentable.Is it something one should dare to try consideringMumbai’s climate? There’s no harm giving it a shot, isthere?