The Founder of Bumble and Bumble Wants You to Never Shampoo Your Hair—Or Your Dog—Again

Your bathroom likely reveals a clutter of problem-solving hair products: shampoos, conditioners, hair balms, styling products—and of course, special shampoos and conditioners for your pets too; dogs and cats suffer from a lot of the same hair problems that humans do, among them dry or oily hair and skin, itchy patches, dandruff, and more, so that’s another couple bottles to add to the pile.

Michael Gordon, the founder of famed hair empire Bumble and Bumble, aims to change all that with New Wash, the foundation product of his hair care company Hairstory. And it’s revolutionary. Our shower now contains a single bottle of New Wash—no shampoo, conditioner, leave in, dog shampoo, nothing—just New Wash.

But let’s back this up a minute. Michael sold Bumble and Bumble to Estee Lauder in 2010 and then took a bunch of time to reflect, do yoga, and make a film about Vidal Sassoon. During this time, he came to realize that the counter-full of hair care products people were obliged to buy were necessitated by one thing: a sudsing detergent called sodium lauryl sulfate, used by pretty much every company that makes cleansers. Michael says this is the root of most hair problems, drying out your hair and creating the need for an endless array of other products.

New Wash, in contrast, is a blend of essential oils and detergent-free cleaners designed to wash, condition, detangle, and repair hair using only one product. And it’s safe and effective for dogs, cats, and babies too. One product for the whole family!

“To put it really simply,” Michael told Forbes, “the magic here is not what’s in New Wash, but what isn’t in it. What people don’t realize is that what’s in shampoo, no matter the price, is essentially water and some version of sodium lauryl sulfate or a derivative of that. Surfactants that are used—whether they are sulfate free or not—if they foam, they will dry your hair out.

“New Wash is a combination of aloe vera and essential oils and doesn’t have detergent, doesn’t foam, doesn’t strip hair but effectively cleans hair and scalp. It’s not a co-wash; it cleans hair thoroughly, simply, but leaves hair feeling much better than before without the use of conditioner. When you touch your hair after using New Wash you can immediately feel a difference. The other amazing part is that it works equally well on any hair type.”

This includes dogs and cats, as attested to by Hairstory team members Theo the Pom-Chi cross and Bug the Tabby mix, as well as Modern Dog team member Esther the Miniature Dachshund. Bug in particular, who suffers from allergies, had difficulty finding a hair care product that didn’t cause a reaction. With New Wash his fur now looks lovely and luminous and his skin is happy. Get ready to free up some counter space!