A raw vegan who hasn’t used shampoo for six years has laughed off those who claim she’s dirty, saying ditching conventional products has left her hair looking healthier than ever.
Laura Ashley, from Riverside, California, is a champion of the ‘no poo’ method – a movement where people don’t use shampoo – and claims she’s regularly complimented by strangers on her long curly locks.
The 27-year-old claims the secret to her luscious locks is avoiding ‘corporate’ shampoos and simply brushing her hair and then washing it with water.
Vintage clothing business owner Laura shared her hair care routine on social media where it was met with a mixed response.
Some praised her ‘gorgeous’ hair while others branded her locks ‘greasy’ and begged her to wash her mane – but Laura laughed off those who criticise her choice and welcomed people to all have their own opinions.
Laura, 27, from California, stopped using shampoo six years ago. She says strangers regularly compliment her on her locks
The vintage clothing business owner shared her low-key hair routine on TikTok, where it was met with mixed reviews
Some commentators on TikTok were critical of Laura’s locks – with one saying it looked both greasy and dry, and another branding it ‘crunchy’
Laura, said: ‘I’d seen some things online about some people weren’t using shampoo and the more I started diving into it, the more I wanted to take everything into my own hands and have as much responsibility as I could.
‘It’s kind of a DIY experimental thing. [I remember thinking] “Can I make my own shampoo? Do we really need to rely on all these products?”,
‘My hair looks so much healthier now. It used to be pin straight and I was constantly using heat on it and weighing it down with products.
‘Now I’ve let all of that go, I’ve got curl in my hair. It’s nice – I wake up, take a shower and I like my hair.
‘It’s mentally healthier too, because it’s important to be comfortable. It’s not a 40-minute thing to get my hair ready in the morning.
‘It feels healthier and it grows faster too.’
Laura initially made an all-natural concoction to wash her hair – using baking soda and vinegar.
But as time passed, Laura even ditched those products and simply relied on a wide-toothed comb and water to freshen up her locks, before massaging some oil into the ends.
Laura said: ‘I really wanted to see if I could do it myself. I did some natural products for a while, like apple soda, baking soda and vinegar.
‘I used those products in the very beginning when I switched from traditional shampoo. They didn’t really work for me, but maybe my hair was still transitioning.
Raw vegan Laura initially tried using her own all-natural concoction to wash her hair – a combination of baking soda and vinegar. But she soon ditched that in favour of water
Now her hair has some curl, says Laura, who says she spent a lot of time and product styling it before to make it very straight
‘Right now, my hair routine is for me to brush my hair before a shower. I get in the shower and wash it out with my hands and water, massage the scalp to stimulate it and put a wide-tooth comb through my hair.
‘Once I’m out, I wrap my hair up in a towel for half-an-hour and then put some argan oil or rosemary oil in. I stopped using shampoo from the shop because there’s so much stuff added.
‘My thing is if I can’t pronounce it or I don’t know what it is, I’m going to try and stay away from it.
‘There’s no way that we’ve been living all this time throughout history and suddenly everybody needs a corporate shampoo with 50 ingredients in it.’
Raw vegan Laura believes her diet of six years is also a contributor to good hair health. She said: ‘A lot of hair issues stem from diets – what goes in must come out
‘A lot of people having these greasy hair issues, who need these products, it’s because their diet is doing that to them.
Pared back routine: Laura says she washes her hair in the shower, using just water, before massaging argan oil or rosemary oil in to the ends
Laura believes her raw vegan diet of uncooked fruit and vegetables helps keep her hair healthy and looking good
‘I think a decent amount of people have tried to go no-shampoo and they do it for a month or two, and think their hair feels terrible.
‘I felt like that for a long time, but it’s a hurdle you have to get over. If you’re eating poorly and not using shampoo, it’s going to come out on your scalp.
‘I don’t necessarily correlate giving up shampoo with veganism necessarily, but I do think it is linked to being more organic.
Laura’s raw vegan diet means that she doesn’t cook any of her food, in order to preserve nutrients.
‘Being a raw vegan, everything I eat is fruit and vegetables, so not a lot of junk can be released from my body.
‘I eat very clean so I don’t have all that build up or grease. I don’t shampoo or conditioner, but I also don’t put heat on my hair. I don’t put any texturising creams, gels or mousse in it either.
‘I just let my hair do its thing. I try to embrace what my hair is. I don’t feel a need to style it. I just let it be.
‘I think a lot of people aren’t used to that. They’re walking around with their hair heated and styled. People don’t even know what natural hair looks like anymore.
On top of ditching commercial shampoo and conditioner, Laura also avoids using heat on her hair, which she says helps keep it in good condition
Laura shared her minimalist hair routine on TikTok in a bid to inspire people to try moving away from commercial products themselves
‘By sharing it to TikTok, I wanted to inspire people but also have a little bit of a shock factor. I wanted people to have the confidence to try and take their health into their own hands.
‘TikTok, in some cases, is based a lot on product pushing. I want people to know they don’t have to keep up to date with the latest moisturiser.’
Social media users were split down the middle when it came to Laura’s hair-care routine.
Laura said: ‘The comments don’t bother me in the slightest. Whatever people’s opinions on me and my hair are, I’m reading the comments cracking up.
‘There were people arguing, people defending me going, “Why are you being so mean to her?”.
‘Dude, I’m laughing. They’re doing nothing but boosting my page and getting me tons of interactions. I don’t care.
‘If people want to comment that I look musty or sticky, by all means go for it. Because everyone has their own opinions on hair, so whatever.
‘I’ve never been told I stink. Honestly, I get a lot of compliments on my hair. I’m not fazed by the comments on TikTok at all, they’re hilarious.
While some commentators criticised Laura’s hair, many were quick to defend her, saying she looks great
‘Whenever I go out in public, it’s probably one of the only things I get complimented on. I get stopped frequently as people say “Oh my god, your hair is so pretty”. I’m just like, “I just use water”.
‘I do a hair mask once a week. It’s still washed, it’s just not done with a shampoo or a conditioner.
‘So it’s not like I don’t put anything in my hair, that’s a big misconception that people got from the video.’
Several TikTok commenters slammed Laura for her hair care choices.
One wrote: ‘How does it look dry and oily at the same time?’
Another commenter said: ‘It looks crunchy’.
One wrote: ‘Please teach me how to be dirty.’
Other commenters jumped to Laura’s defence.
One wrote: ‘What’s with all the negative comments???? You are stunning.’
Another admirer commented: ‘You are beautiful and your hair is gorgeous.’
One wrote: ‘I don’t know why everyone is being so mean, she looks so good.’
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