‘I Tried This Shampoo Replacement for 2 Weeks—Here’s What Happened’
From at-home dye jobs, to years of excessive bleaching, to frying my strands to a crisp with a crimper and straightening iron, I’ve done some pretty heinous stuff to my hair over the years. And at 27, I’m starting to see (and feel) the effects of prolonged hair abuse in the form of severely split ends, a depressing matte finish, and a flaky scalp.
Despite the terrors I’ve inflicted on my innocent strands since junior high, I have made an effort in recent years to reverse that damage by first opting out of an all-bleached dye job and then trying to limit my hair washes to once or twice per week. And although I’ve seen an ever-so-slight improvement in luminosity and growth from these efforts, I’ve also experienced some annoyances—namely, the embarrassment of sticky, white residue buildup after several days of dry shampooing. I needed a hair care routine that was more sustainable (and less gross).
Of course, when I read about an all-natural shampoo replacement buzzing on beauty blogs called Hairstory New Wash ($40, shophairstory.com), I was skeptical. Although technically a washing tool, the product is tagged as a jack-of-all-trades in terms of hair care, doubling as both a shampoo and conditioner. But at $40 per bottle, this isn’t that jumbo-sized two-in-one variety your penny-pinching dad would be proud of. It contains no silicones and is laced with a string of nourishing oils and ingredients, including aloe leaf juice, jojoba seed oil, evening primrose oil, sunflower seed oil, and peppermint oil. It’s also made by Michael Gordon (maker of Bumble Bumble products), so it boasts some additional street cred. But despite those positive attributes, however, the notion of life without conditioner sent a shiver down my spine.
With my hair in dire straits, I didn’t have much room to be picky. If I was to maintain at least shoulder-length hair into my thirties and forties, I’d need to get serious about hair care. And with so many positive reviews surrounding New Wash, I opted to take the conditioner-less plunge for five washes and document my results along the way. (Add volume to your hair without harsh chemicals with this organic voluminous hair spray and refresher from the Women’s Health Boutique.)