I Spent Six Months Trying to Break a 25-Year-Old Habit

Shampoo, Docs, all the same, right?

For most of my life, I’ve had very long hair. Long enough that washing it wasn’t just part of my routine—it was a production. While I’ve spent most of my life doing the bare minimum- shampoo & conditioner- to maintain my hair, that’s changed in the last couple of years, as I’ve toggled between pregnancy (which gives you lush, thick hair) and postpartum (hello, hair loss). About a year ago, I decided to change a core part of it: transitioning from shampoo in plastic bottles to shampoo bars.

The decision wasn’t sudden. For a while, I’ve been trying to be more conscious of the waste I create. Shampoo bottles stood out as an easy target. Yet, it wasn’t until my sister gifted me a shampoo bar from Ethique last year that I felt ready to dive in.

Changing the Habit

Here’s the thing about switching to shampoo bars: it’s not just swapping one product for another. It’s about breaking a 25-year-old habit. For as long as I can remember, my hair-washing process has been the same. Grab the bottle. Pour shampoo into my hand. Lather. Apply. Rinse. Repeat if needed. Shampoo bars require a different approach entirely.

I had to learn not just how to clean my hair but how to make it feel clean. And while those two goals overlap, they are not the same. The first couple of washes were, frankly, frustrating. Shampoo bars don’t lather like liquid shampoo, and distributing the product through my hair felt awkward and uneven. It wasn’t until I realized I needed to rub the bar on my hands for a while to generate the lather then apply with a scalp scrubber-thing that things started to click.

But here’s the kicker: I only wash my hair twice weekly- sometimes just once. So, every attempt at mastering this new process had to wait three or four days before I could try again. It wasn’t just a new habit but a slow, deliberate unlearning of an old one.

Breaking the “This Is How We’ve Always Done It” Mentality

As I worked through the transition, I kept hearing an internal refrain: “This is how you’ve always done it.” It was true. My old routine had worked well enough for decades. Why change it?

That phrase—“This is the way we’ve always done it”—isn’t unique to personal habits. It’s something we encounter in work settings all the time. Sometimes, the established way of doing things is solid. It’s efficient, effective, and worth preserving. But other times, it’s simply inertia—a reluctance to question whether the current process is the best.

Switching to shampoo bars forced me to reflect on my hair-washing routine critically. Was it working well? Sure. Was it working at its best? Not necessarily. The transition taught me that we should regularly evaluate our habits, processes, and workflows. Even when the change feels complicated or awkward—or takes six months to feel natural—it’s worth it if the result is something better.

The hardest part is getting past the discomfort of starting over. Habits, by nature, are easy. Breaking them requires effort, self-awareness, and a willingness to embrace short-term friction for long-term improvement.

Lessons in Change

Reflecting on this process, I realized it was more than just hair care. It was a microcosm of how we approach change in life and work. Change often feels inefficient at first. It slows you down. It introduces uncertainty. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing.

In work, as in life, transitions often come with growing pains. It’s uncomfortable to rethink an established workflow or adopt a new tool, especially when the current system seems “good enough.” But good enough isn’t always the goal. Sometimes, the goal is better—or even best.

Rethinking Habits, Building Better Ones

Six months into using shampoo bars, the effort was worth it. My hair felt clean. My routine felt intentional. And I’m contributing, however slightly, to reducing plastic waste. But the biggest takeaway wasn’t about shampoo—it was about the power of critically evaluating habits and being willing to change.

So the next time you catch yourself thinking, “This is the way we’ve always done it,” take a moment to pause. Ask yourself: Is this way still the best way? Could a change, even one that takes six months to master, lead to something better?

The process of unlearning and relearning isn’t easy. But the growth that comes from embracing change—whether in your personal life, your hair care routine, or your professional workflows—is always worth it. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is let go of the past and make room for something new.

P.S. Here is what I’m currently using as part of my hair care routine (not all at once):

• Pre-wash serum: https://www.thenueco.com/products/supa-thick

• Clarifying shampoo: https://www.kristinesshair.com/products/deep-clean-clarifying-shampoo

• Scalp massager: https://www.conair.com/en/scalp-care-massage-brush-for-thick-%26-long-hair/95257.html?lang=en_US

• Shampoo bar: https://ethique.com/products/mintasy-solid-shampoo

• Conditioner du jour, right now just using Dove

• Conditioning mask: https://loveamika.com/products/soulfood-nourishing-mask?variant=1619180093458

• Deep conditioners: https://naturallclub.com/products/fresh-froze-hair-treatment-deep-conditioner-bundle