Blog about nopoo

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+rss = "To Poo or Not to Poo"
+date = Date(2021, 5, 23)
++++
+@def tags = ["hair", "poo", "lyf"]
+
+# To Poo or Not to Poo
+
+Late April 2021, Việt Nam witnessed the beginning of the fourth wave
+of SARS-CoV-2 after a few months without any community case.  Soon enough,
+students are told to not come to their schools' campus.  This happens
+when I was an intern at [USTH][] [ICTLab][], so I was advised to work remotely
+as well.  I asked for this at the start of the internship but my supervisor
+was rather reluctant, since there was multiple interns working together
+and communication in person might be most effective.  Working from home
+was beneficial to me in a few important ways:
+
+1. I had a three-monitor setup at home and a more comfortable space.
+2. I could have be more flexible working hours at home.
+3. I did not have to bike back and forth to the lab (which is 4 km away)
+   twice a day[^1], which could be exhausting in the hot summer.
+
+Thanks to the last point, I also sweat a lot less and as I no longer
+had to maintain a public appearance, I decided to give `#nopoo` a try.
+I had been aware of such practice for quite a few years, but had never
+thought of actually implementing it until I saw [Johnny Harris' vlog][],
+which I can only describe as *intriguing*.  TL;DW the journalist
+maintained that generally shampoos washed away *his* scalp's natural oil,
+and in combination with other hair products made the scalp itchy and unhealthy.
+*His* solution was to drop the use of all products completely and so far
+it had been working *for him*.[^2]
+
+Well, my head was itchy sometimes (still itchy at the time of writing),
+alors, [pour la patrie, les sciences et la gloire][X], let's do it!
+
+## Day One
+
+I was going full no poo, no soap, no baking soda, no vinegar, *just water,
+raw water*.  Everything was going as expected, my hair was not as fluffy
+as usual after washing, but it was easier to get in shape.  I didn't really
+style my hair.  Not as a fashion statement, I was (still am!) just rather lazy.
+Usually this wasn't an issue, unless when my hair was long, it tent to cover
+my forehead, ears and eyes, which was arguably an uncomfortable experience.
+Having the hair stay in place was indeed a blessing!
+
+## Day Two
+
+My hair started to feel thicker and running hands through it no longer
+felt simulating.  On the bright side it looked fabulous and did not itch.
+
+## Day Four
+
+My hair and scalp began to feel greasy.  I guess it was because I did not
+wash it thoroughly that day.  With just water one would need to take more
+effort scrubbing the hair and especially the scalps to return them
+to a comfortable state.  Plus my mentality got worse so my perceived
+experience could be exaggeratedly negative.
+
+## Day Five
+
+I worked out and paid more attention to the hair washing process.
+It felt noticeably better.
+
+## Day Six
+
+The brief revival of my mental health did not last very long:[^3]
+later that day I was completely autopiloting and accidentally poo'ed myself.
+It felt fluffy again but I was disappointed that things did not go as planned.
+
+## Day Seven
+
+I decided to cut my hair.  I had been doing so for a decade when I wrote this,
+but I got neither better nor faster at it, so it only happens twice or thrice
+a year.  Of course I had to poo myself after to get rid of all the tiny pieces.
+
+## Day Eleven
+
+Fast forward a few days it started to feel greasy again, but this time the hair
+was shorter so it was less of an issue.  I began to apply [saline] to the hair
+after washing and somehow it helped a lot in improving the situation.  Saline
+was also my solution for face acne in my teenage year (along with finger nails
+and pillowcase hygiene).
+
+## Day Fifteen
+
+At this point the experience had become more stable.  My scalp
+still itched occasionally but seemly less often than when I was poo'ing
+more regularly.  The hair stayed in shape with merely any effort
+(I didn't even use a comb).
+
+Overall, the difference is barely noticeable otherwise but I think I will be 
+continuing holding my poo for another while, probably in long term.
+Do not let my experience speak for you, however, try it yourself if you are
+interested, but keep observing the effect objectively.
+
+[^1]: I usually had lunch at home with my parents.
+[^2]: Emphases *his*.[^4]
+[^3]: I later discovered that this was due to the lack of [sunlight].
+[^4]: He stressed that this might not be the case for everyone.[^5]
+[^5]: OK, I get it, footnotes are distracting.
+
+[USTH]: https://usth.edu.vn
+[ICTLab]: https://ictlab.usth.edu.vn
+[Johnny Harris' vlog]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-_HKFjxVl0
+[X]: https://polytechnique.edu
+[sunlight]: https://www.sunlightdish.com
+[saline]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saline_(medicine)