Remembering the “no wash” years

For centuries, hair care was a time consuming, uncomfortable process that often did
more harm than good. Before shampoo was invented, harsh soaps, often made of
animal fats, were used to scrub the hair in much the same way as you scrub your
hands today to clean them. The washing process left scummy soap deposits stick-
ing to the hair, which made it look dull. Scrubbing got the dirt out, but with varying
degrees of damage in the process.
Because hair washing in the old days was a major ordeal for many people,
particularly women with long hair, it wasn’t unusual to avoid the process until such
a time as it became impossible to ignore. The unwashed hair built up sebum
(grease), which stuck to the 100 to 150 hairs shed daily and flakes of shed skin.
This all resulted in the hair becoming matted overnight. Tossing and turning in one’s
sleep resulted in a semi-permanent “bed head” as mats of hair became cemented
to each other.
The result not only looked bad, but it also smelled pretty ghastly. People tried to
manage the problem with powders to hide the visuals and perfumes to mask the
odors. These powders added more particulate matter to the mats of hair and sebum,
making the problem much worse in the long run. So if you’ve ever lamented the fact
that you need to wash your hair regularly, be thankful that you can do just that!