I Work at MECCA and Don’t Use Shampoo (and Neither Should You)
September 1 | 5 minute read
Words by Romy Erdos
I bleach it from scalp to tip every six weeks. I blow-dry, hot-iron and straighten my curls into oblivion daily – sometimes twice daily. And I’ve done so for at least 20 years, if not more. I should have about two hairs left on my head at this point, but the reason I don’t… is the one thing I do do right for my hair: I don’t use shampoo.
Washing your hair is among the simplest pleasures in life, alongside fresh sheets on a Sunday or the fix-anything nature of a good coat of fake tan (not together, obviously). Give a girl clean hair and she can change the world. So, the thought of giving up shampoo might give one the ick.
We’ve been conditioned (pun intended) to shampoo all our lives – we even align our schedules to it. But let me introduce you to Hairstory and its revolutionary New Wash.
A New Way to Wash Your Hair
Created by Bumble and Bumble alums Michael Gordon and Eli Halliwell, Hairstory is the radical haircare brand calling ‘myth’ on everything we know about our everything-shower to be true. Where regular shampoo can strip the hair of all that is good and oily – meaning that conditioner, masks and treatments are required to replenish all that’s been taken – New Wash cleanses, conditions and balances in one single step.
It’s a first-of-its-kind cleansing cream that cleans hair without detergents. The result? Hair that can go longer between washes and colour appointments, and just sits better – more defined, without that first-day frizz.
“The biggest [hair] myth is that we need to use detergents to clean our hair. When Hairstory developed New Wash, it did so in collaboration with hairdressers that – perhaps surprisingly for the first time – professed that shampoo was never the best way to clean hair,” explains Hairstory CEO Dina Rosenbloom. “We identified that the use of shampoo and conditioner encouraged a strip-and-repair cycle.”
The brand launched in New York City in 2015 – where I lived at the time – fatefully coinciding with my decision to strip my long, naturally blonde hair to a very particular shade of white every six weeks. I was told long hair and peroxide blonde have an inverse relationship, but I enjoy a challenge and, armed with New Wash, managed to maintain both for just shy of a decade.
Moving back to Australia, I bid farewell to NYC’s midweek nightlife, 24-hour delivery of just about anything and my access to New Wash. I chopped a bob shortly after. Coincidence? I think not.
Fast-forward a few years and a few cycles of different shampoos later – plus a newfound sensitivity to heavy fragrances in haircare – and I was longing for my old pal. I’d order it online (international delivery had been switched on by this time) and wait by the mailbox. After a few weeks of diligent New Wash adherence, the next time I went for a haircut, my hairdresser exclaimed, “What have you been using? Your hair is in the best condition of its life. All your breakage has grown out!”
So, How Does New Wash Actually Work?
Critics will call it a 2-in-1, but while simplify your routine it will, such blasphemy does not apply: “New Wash is an all-in-one. It’s a cleanser that’s strong enough to remove excess build-up but gentle on the microbiome and scalp, and delivers results people care about,” says Rosenbloom.
Its conditioner-like texture uses oils (and fatty alcohols) to remove oil, dirt and leftover product without harming the scalp – but you need to really get it in there. Massage it in liberally and scrub with your fingertips (or the very satisfying Scalp Brush), then leave for three minutes. Note: the product can only clean what it touches, so be generous! There is an adjustment period, but after a couple of washes, you’ll have a whole new head of hair!
“Physically, our hair and scalp are so used to over-producing oil, and it can take a few washes to stop this overproduction. Hair will not feel ‘squeaky clean’ and this is intentional – our microbiome is left intact to survive and thrive. Hair will also not feel ‘weighed down’ by a separate conditioner,” explains Rosenbloom.
The result? You can go longer between washes, there’s less fluff, better air-drying and easier styling. It won’t strip the colour or toner from your hair, and it might even start growing instead of breaking (that’s my personal experience, anyway).
Long story short: you can only imagine my excitement when I learnt that Hairstory was coming to MECCA – and bringing its styling range with it. Rosenbloom says that the hair-curious come to the brand to try New Wash – but its effects ending up rippling across their routine. Many retire their styling products completey, and for those that require “a little helping hand” - for heat styling, or hair type – they employ other Hairstory products to support.
If you’ve ever envied the effortless, undone hair of every cool girl you know, this styling range is the shortcut: no muss, no fuss, no 50-billion variations of the same product – just an air-dry balm, a texture spray, a hair oil and dry shampoo powder. Kate Moss, Suki Waterhouse – pick one and channel that vibe.
“A low-maintenance haircare routine that delivers frees up time for other pursuits. When we fill our cups, we feel better, and when we feel better, we look better too!” says Rosenbloom.
So, skip shampoo. I dare you.
