On longer trips, we think it is a real luxury to wash our hair. I am the expert at this, and manage to wash my hair in just about one cup of water. Here’s how I do it, using only a washrag, comb, Dawn, plastic cup, and towel.
1. Soak your head in water—get it very wet. This has the added value of making you scream out loud when the water is cold enough. Get the washrag wet as well.
2. Fill the cup full of water, and take everything on the list to an isolated spot far (200 feet or more) from the water. Sandy soil is best.
3. Put some Dawn in your hair and lather up. We like Dawn because it is very concentrated, and it is used by environmental agencies to remove oil from birds during oil spills. It’s gentle.
4. Facing down, use the washrag to rinse/rub the soap out of your hair.
5. Use the comb to comb as much of the soap out of your hair as you can.
6. Now take the cup of water and slowly pour it, a little bit at a time, over your head to rinse your hair. Scream again, if you’d like. Repeat until the entire cup is gone, and your hair is rinsed.
7. Dry your hair with the towel.
8. Comb out the tangles. More screaming. Use your mirrored sunglasses to see where to part your hair.
9. Arrive back in camp looking like a million bucks, and ask innocently: “What was all that screaming about?”
10. Feel good for days afterwards.
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