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+++
rss = "Me experimenting with #nopoo"
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)
|
