My hair looks so much better when I don't use shampoo/conditioner.

[Woodyy]

I know it sounds disgusting but it's true.

I never used to shampoo my hair as a kid, I've always had blonde, fine hair which I mostly quite like but after shampooing it goes really blonde, unmanageable and looks thinner. I still showered daily but instead I just washed my hair with water. During the time when I thought I was losing my hair (I slightly was but I way overreacted, propecia has sorted it out) I started shampooing my hair daily with volumising shampoo in a desperate attempt to make it look thicker. All it really did was make it look like crap.

Fast forward to a few months ago when I was comfortable most of my hair has grown back I reverted to just washing my hair with water again. After getting past a rough few weeks where your hair produces a lot of oil because it's used to getting its natural oils stripped daily through shampooing my hair went back to how it used to be. It's easier to hold in place without using any products, it looks quite a bit thicker and looks noticeably darker (this is only a bonus for me, a lot of people probably don't want darker hair). I've never once been called out on my hair looking dirty/smelling.

Looking online there are quite a few people like me but for the most part it's seen as unhygienic and even just straight up disgusting. I guess I'm just wondering if this is something at of you guys do?

[Notcoolanymore]

I use minox so if I didn't wash my hair everyday the build up and smell would be disgusting. I always wash my hair every day. I just would not feel clean if I didn't, but that's just me.

[Aeroes]

I find if I just use shampoo without conditioner it looks thicker.

[greatjob!]

I've had somewhat of a greasy scalp and so I always washed my hair everyday, some times twice a day because I usually take two showers. I know it seems counter intuitive that washing less would actually decrease sebaceous oil, but it does. By washing your hair everyday you send your sebaceous glands into a constant state of hyperactivity and they produce too much oil. Like you said you will have to deal with about a weak where you're washing less and still producing excess oil, but after that it will even out. I find that washing my hair once every other day is a perfect balance for me. It reduced the oil and doesn't get to the point where my hair looks or smells dirty.