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“I don’t wash my hair.” Last week, some people from Minnesota were trying to explain the concept of not taxing “necessities” to people from Illinois, which led to a conversation about what a necessity is. Somebody said that shampoo doesn’t have to be a necessity. To which I responded with the above quote. Everyone stared at me in shock, but it’s true. I have stopped washing my hair. And I’ve moved past just the “no poo” definition of not washing. I just straight up don’t put anything in my hair, a practice called “Water Washing.”
Why I started water washing
Many women have found that baking soda shampoo eventually damages their hair. It worked well for me for months, but then I, too, started to see signs of damage. My ends were dry and scraggly. My hair was difficult to brush through. There seemed to be a weird build up. This occurred slowly enough, though, that I didn’t really notice there was much of a problem. I mean, it’s not like my hair ever looked that great before. I spent the summer working in a factory, with my hair braided and tied up tight. I decided to take this opportunity to stop washing my hair, just a baking soda shampoo once a week. It couldn’t make my hair that much worse, could it? But by the end of the summer, I just had this gross build up I couldn’t get rid of.
Right before school started, I got a haircut and I let them wash my hair. In preparation for the haircut, I had washed my hair multiple times with baking soda, and it was better, but still a little gunky and a lot damaged. After the wash and removal of damaged hair, my hair was so light and soft! It was amazing! Clearly there was an issue with using my baking soda shampoo, even with the apple cider vinegar rinse.
I went off to school and, for fun, decided to see how long I could go without washing my hair. I made it 3 weeks before my hair really needed a wash! Just giving myself a scalp massage in the shower was enough. It’s been a month and a half, and my hair has settled into a pattern of needing a wash about every two weeks. I have tried the baking soda shampoo again, and it made my hair very dry and in need of oils added to the end. So instead I’ve been washing with honey. More on that later. Update: After just 3 months water washing, I am already down to needing a wash less than once a month!
Finally, Hair Health
Since I stopped washing my hair, my hair’s health has been amazing. I have never seen it act like this so long after a hair cut. It is growing fast, it is soft, the ends are hydrated. If you had seen my hair before, you would understand how amazing hydrated ends are for me! I am 22 years old, and I have never seen my ends look or feel this good 6 weeks after a hair cut. Occasionally I have to apply some oil to the tips, but overall the health of my hair has increased exponentially. It is bright and clear and I have never been so happy with it before. You, too, can have happy, healthy hair that you can love, and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg! I calculated it, and it will cost me less than $4 a year to maintain my current hair routine. Less if I can even further reduce washings.
The Water Washing Method
How do you get to this point of hair bliss? Well, it’s not easy. Just remind yourself about the hair health and the huge economic benefits of no hair products and shorter showers. If I’m in a hurry, I can be in and out of the shower in 3 minutes because I don’t do anything with my hair other than scrub a bit. Water washing is exactly what it sounds like: you don’t wash your hair with anything other than the shower water. Occasionally you may use some natural shampoo, but for the most part, you just let your hair do its thing. However, as you would expect, to get to this point, there is a transition period. If you are able to tie your hair up everyday, I recommend doing that for your transition period. Put it in braids, or under a scarf. Whatever you need to make you comfortable with how your hair is. Because my hair was braided and then twisted up into a bun, no one had any idea what my hair looked like through this process.
Let your hair get gross. Your oil production will not reduce if you strip oils from your scalp every time your hair gets a little oily. Do wash it with a gentle shampoo if needed, or baking soda if you really need to remove build up. In her book, Mommypotamus has a recipe for a hair detox that I have heard is great for transition periods. Be Patient. I cannot recommend this enough. Something very valuable that I have notice is that about a week after shampooing, my hair gets rather gross. It is really tempting to shampoo it. DON’T! If I continue to let it go, after just a day or two of gross, everything balances out and my hair looks and feels good for weeks. This is a newer development, but one to keep an eye out for! Unless you have an interview or big social event, I highly recommend waiting it out for a few days.
Pamper yourself with a final cleaning. I did this transition for a whole summer, and my hair was out of control by the end. I got a hair cut and thorough wash, leaving my hair clear and clean for the first time in a long time. The removal of that build up and damage let me start fresh and feel good about my hair. It finally made my hair look good and allowed me to go weeks without a wash with no adverse appearance effects. I now only need a simple homemade shampoo to cut through weeks of oil and build up. In other words, I don’t really have any.
Brush smart. Don’t damage your hair. One thing that has really helped me is not brushing anymore when my hair is wet. Use a brush that is gentle on hair and helps distribute oils throughout. A boar bristle brush is great for this. Allowing these oils to coat the whole hair, down to the tip, is what has made my hair so healthy!
Treat it when you need. I have noticed that when my hair is out of balance (happens less and less as I progress in my water washing), my ends are very dry regardless of what my scalp is feeling. If this happens to you, so not hesitate to use your favorite conditioning treatment or oils on your hair. However, the best way to combat dry ends is to not strip oils from your scalp. When I do this, I notice the difference in my ends by the next day, and I always have to add a conditioning oil.
Honey shampoo. When I do need a wash, I use honey shampoo. It’s so easy and I use little enough that I just make it up before my shower. A 1:2 ratio of raw honey to water is all you need, about 2-3 tablespoons total based in your hair length. As you can see in the image, I marked lines on a tiny container for where the honey should be filled to and where the water should be filled to. My “brave bot” domino is there for size comparison. I also add a couple drops of lavender essential oil to the mix for hair health. (Learn about essential oils here) Mix up, apply and work into hair while in shower, and rinse out! Super easy. Follow with an apple cider vinegar rinse (diluted) on your ends. This leaves my hair very soft. It doesn’t always cut through everything, so I may decide to alternate with baking soda. It is important for you to experiment and find what your hair likes for these occasional washes, which hopefully will begin to happen less and less frequently. For more shampoo ideas, check out Mommypotamus’s book.
What do you think? Are you brave enough to even chuck the “no poo”? Women (and men) seem to use shampoo as a safety net, insisting they could never go without. I was there just over a year ago, and now I am water washing! I challenge you to try it out!
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I think one day I’ll get there but I’m just nervous about the transition period. I can’t stand for my hair to feel gross! I’ll get there though I’m sure
The transition period can be really hard. That’s why I was only able to finally do it when I didn’t have to feel my hair for a whole summer! And now I’m just too stubborn to go back.
Transition definitely is the worst part, but in my case at least it was SO worth it. I started no-poo in July 2013 with castile soap and ACV, switched to Baking soda for a week or two in September and have now been Rinse-Only (Water Washing) for about a month. I had about 4-6 weeks of rough transition, I just wore a lot of buns and ponytails and headbands–no one else noticed, just me! Now I am so happy with my low-maintenance (not too mention silky and fast growing!) hair that I would never go back to store bought shampoo. Everyone’s transition is different, good luck and I hope you get there and love it!
Tip for anyone else doing water-washing, I found that if I didn’t deep condition often on this method my hair was un-manageable. Now I do an avocado egg mask every week or two and it’s been working perfectly!
Thank you for sharing your experience and advice! A conditioning mask sounds like something my hair would love!
How long do you keep the avocado mask on your hair?
I don’t know how long this reader leaves her hair mask in, but I usually see 15-20 minutes recommended for most hair masks.
Hi Taylor- Thanks for sharing your hair mask recipe. Does that mask wash out with water only? I’ve been avoiding oils and hair masks on my super fine and thin hair because they don’t wash out with water.
Hi, i have a question. i have been battling a strange weird build up … no matter what i do.. my hair is gunky!! you said that you experienced this to a degree and then went and had your hair done and its was better… how did you get rid of the buildup?? i am beside myself with this hair of mine…
Using baking soda, I was able to get through a lot of the gunk, but not all. I got my hair shampooed where I got my hair cut, and that cleared everything up. Obviously the commercial shampoo at Fantastic Sam’s isn’t great, but I was happy to have my hair feel so clear for once!
If you want something more natural, you could try the detox hair mask in Mommypotamus’s book that I linked to (under “Let your hair get gross”). She may also have information about that on her blog. I have not done that personally, but I have heard it can be good for that kind of thing.
Baking soda is an old beautician trick to strip color fast out of hair… so beware if your hair is color treated…
I have “no-poo” style of shampoo/cream rinse for years and my hair is the best its ever been. I wash my hair about every 4 days, mainly to restyle it because I have very curly hair….
I am really curious to try the honey shampoo.
Thanks for the tip about baking soda! I have fine, straight hair that I neither color nor use product in, so I’m always happy when readers chime in with information about those cases.
Actually, the gunk is probably from hard water, undissolved baking soda and dead skin from the scalp. I had so much yuk in my hair until I read that, with hard water, you need more baking soda, 2Tbs to 1 cup hot fliteres water that should fizz to dissolve, and that should help. Cleared my hair excellently. I am looking to use the honey method for my scalp as I am now headed for a scalp psoriasis flare up, (weather, stress, diet?) Hopefully, honey will help!
That was probably the case! We had very hard water. But the baking soda, used regularly, really dried out my hair and it was time to stop. I only wash about once every 3 months now, but I love honey when I do!
Did you use any kind of conditioner each time after water washing? I don’t like the way my hair feels without conditioner….but then I’ve never used just water to wash it.
When I do wash, I use a rinse of diluted apple cider vinegar (about one tablespoon per cup). You could also try a variety of at-home conditioning treatments using ingredients such as oil, eggs, or avocado. Here is an example of one: http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/04/coconut-oil-hair-treatment-with-egg-yolks-and-honey/
A lot of this process is figuring out what works best for your own hair.
Hi there! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Do deep conditioners (honey, yogurt, egg, avocado, oils) come out of your hair with water only washes? I have fine and straight hair too. I find that oils really weigh it down.
I haven’t tried recently. I apply oils to the ends of my hair every few days, but that is just a light application and the hair soaks it up just fine. For deeper treatments, I would probably use baking soda to wash it out.
I know this was left 8 months ago, but wanted to say for other readers that come across this that I have curly hair and the honey washing is amazing! I do not need to add on any extra styling product when i do this and my hair is soft and shiny while my curls stay together well. Yeay!
Thank you for sharing!
Will this also work for people with super fine hair? I can’t wear my hair in a braid because all my hair braided is only the width of my thumb, and I have small fingers :p So I’m nervous about the transition period, since my hair is already “gross” by day two of no wash.
Yes! I have incredibly fine hair as well. My hair in a ponytail is the width of my thumb, maybe. Before I transitioned to using baking soda (http://www.howweflourish.com/2012/08/03/phase-one-shampoo-and-conditioner/), my hair would feel greasy by the second day without showering. Maybe the third if I was lucky.
So, yes, it can be a rough transition period, but it works fabulously for my very fine hair and has beautifully taken care of my oily scalp problem.
I only wash my hair every two – three weeks as it is.. normally .. Only rinse my hair 1x a week.
Very nice!
Let me note that diet plays a huge role in skin and hair health. I wash my hair once every couple weeks and its basically a hot water rinse which removes any dirt or oil.
But this works because I eat healthy and avoid processed foods, and am pretty much vegan and vegetarian (do eat my hens eggs) and drink lots of good Sierra water.
If you eat processed foods, sweets, junk etc it may not work for you.
Good point! A healthy diet is SO important to external health as well as internal!
I am on day 6 of water washing and lovvvvvvving it! I don’t know if I just don’t produce a lot of oils naturally or if the worst is still to come, but so far I am pumped that it’s working out. It felt a bit gross around day 4, but when asked if it looked as oily as it felt, a co worker said not at all. Today it feels awesome and soft. I can let it dry and wear it straight, which was never something I could do before. I am hopeful that this continues and I can continue without shampoo in my life. I like the idea of the honey rinse as opposed to baking soda (which I’ve never used but was considering it when I decided to just go water only.)
That’s so awesome! I’m glad you took the plunge and it’s working out well. Thanks for sharing!
So happy to read that.. Im on day six right now of WO method and already loving it too. My hair already feels softer and healthier and I’m trying to be very good about moving around the oils with boar brushes etc.. I am excited to see what happens within the next weeks. One question for whoever has an andwer… Should one wash WO everyday? This is the part of the it i’m unsure about… I take a shower almost daily (after the gym) and am hoping getting my hair wet that often wont cause any issues..
Glad to hear you love it! How often you should do it will depend on your hair. I used to water wash every day, but I have since cut down on how often I shower and my hair prefers not being “washed” as much. But my hair is also super dry. If your hair feels fine after your showers, keep doing that. If it starts feeling dry, you can try adding some oil to the ends or wearing a shower cap.
So, my water-only washing experience happened by accident- I went on accutane (I know, so toxic, but so worth it for my self-esteem and professional appearance) and found that I didn’t really need to wash my hair every day…. or every other day… or twice a week! So now its been three weeks since I’ve used shampoo! Still in transition period i think (people say it lasts a little longer if you have fine hair), but I’ve found that using the Boar Bristle Brush REALLY helps! My only problem is, before I straighten my hair, the texture looks great, but once I put the straightener on it, it looks like there is a waxy coating or something to it! I’ve tried cleaning my straightener, but no luck! anyone have advice?! Is this still the transition period?
Hello. I have thin, fine hair with a flaky scalp that also gets very oily. I feel like I’ve tried everything. I stopped “normal” shampoos months ago, switched to “low-poo” (shea moisture), and then castille/acv. I really want to try the honey shampoo. Do you know if it is helpful for dandruff / oily scalp? I read through your post, and I wash my hair every 2-4 days, depending on what I’m doing that day and if I get away with having dirty hair. Should i expect a huge transition?
Thanks!
If you were to switch to full no-poo or water washing, you probably would not have as rough of a transition since you already are not washing your hair as frequently as most. The honey shampoo should be very helpful for dandruff, as are diluted apple cider vinegar rinses. Of course, everyone’s personal chemistry responds differently, so try it out and see if it works for you!
Hey, I know you posted your question awhile ago and technically I can’t answer it as I haven’t tried washing with honey. I just wanted to chime in being someone who has for years suffered with greasy flaky itchy and yes even scaly and painful scalp and I’ve been using nothing but water and arrowroot powder the last two months (aside from one slipup I used a bit of shampoo cause my hair felt icky in the shower and god it itched for a week after, don’t do it!!!) Anyhow my scalp has gotten healthy just without using anything but water. Not to mention the fact that for the first time in my life my hair has body and style!! Good luck
That’s great to hear! Thanks for sharing!
I have a question I hope I can get some good answers. I went no-poo back around the end of December. My hair was in such bad shape. It was tangled and super dry to the point I couldn’t brush it at all. So I started with Castile soap and cocnut milk shampoos and then baking soda and acv after about 2 weeks. It went great. I was used to the transition period already and not even 2 weeks later(so one month total) my hair was past the transition period. It felt awesome and was super healthy!! I only had to wash like once a week. Then march 1st we moved and went from soft water to hard water and my hair is fried!!! I had hair down to the middle of my back and had to get it cut up to my shoulders to get rid of damage. It’s awful. My hair is naturally VERY thick and course. my baking soda and acv isn’t working at all anymore. My hair is so sticky near the roots and dry on the ends. Will water washing eleven work with hard water?? There’s so much build up on my hair from the water it’s insane. Anyone have any tricks for that?
Ouch! If you can’t fix the hard water with a water softener or a showerhead filter, I have heard that ACV can be very good for helping balance hair. If baking soda isn’t helping with the buildup, I would maybe try water washing for a bit and see if your hair adjusts. Look for ways to nourish and balance your hair, such as with hair masks using clay, avocado, honey, oil, egg, etc. I find argan oil to be particularly helpful when my ends are fried. Unfortunately hair is so individual, it is hard to know what will help best.
I hope you find something that works for you!
I am water only washing (done one baking soda) for two weeks now and my head literally looks like its been dipped in a deep fat fryer! its so oily and grassy and feels so bad but i really want to keep ploughing on! did anyone else go through this stage? or is my hair just way to oily for this!
I have been CO (conditioner only) washing for years and about 3 months ago I switched to strictly water. I have found that you must wash your hair in a shower not just a faucet (no matter how much water pressure you have, and I have a lot, my hair comes out gummy oily) and you need to scrub, scrub, scrub… kind of like how you used to be told to rinse twice then rinse again. In this case the more you rinse and scrub (I dont mean dig in.. just rubbing your entire scalp thoroughly) the cleaner your hair will feel.
Some people need to water wash every day for a little while due to the scalp being used to producing soooo much oil to make up for stripping the oil out for so long with shampoos. Your scalp will get used to it and slow down the production of oil. Just stay with it. If you have very oily hair anyway it may take longer than average. Keep at it and if you need to wash with water twice a day then do it. Whatever makes you feel that your hair is clean. I rinse and pull the oils down the shaft of my hair as I wash and keep scrubbing an pulling until I feel that it is really clean. It is amazing the way it feels versus doing just a quick wash. I also do a cold/cool rinse to close the pores in my scalp just before getting out.
Let us know if that helps…
I’m totally new to all of this and I just want to get some of the finer details. Do you wash your hair with water everyday or only when your hair gets oily? When you us the honey should you rinse with apple cider vinegar afterwards?
I wash my hair with water whenever I shower. For me that is 3 times a week. I always use the ACV rinse when I wash my hair with honey or baking soda.
Thanks for the info. I’m not sure if you mentioned but how often do you wash your hair with honey or baking soda?
As needed. Sometimes I can go a month and a half before my hair needs to be washed, sometimes it gets really gunky and I need to wash it after 3 weeks. It’s up to your hair and comfort level how often you choose to do it.
Hi, I am also doing water only for about 2 weeks. But the next day after my scalp gets reallllyy dandruffy at the top only. So I’ve been using a bit of honey. Do you know if this is part of the transition period?
It may be for you. You could also try diluted apple cider vinegar to help with the dandruff.
I have been using baking soda for a few months now and love how my hair stays clean for up to 2 weeks! I did notice that it is getting a little stiff recently and will definitely try this next. What do you do when you go to the salon for hair cuts and they insist on using regular shampoo…. any tips?
I’ve only gotten my hair cut once since I started this, and I let them wash my hair. Is having them not wash your hair an options? Maybe someone else has a suggestion!
Usually if you just ask them to use water only it’s fine. You can also say that your hair is sensitive to chemicals, they’re typically pretty cooperative, as long as your hair is clean!
Thanks for the tip! I will use that suggestion next time I need a hair cut 🙂
Meg, I wanted relay to you that I have had a significant problem with dandruff. It gets to the point that my entire head is on fire and I have sores on my scalp. I did ACV rinses and natural shampoos but have not tried the water washing or honey shampoos. Nothing helped. I finally went to the doctor unable to bear it any longer and they said I have a fungus on my scalp. So I used that shampoo but it seems to just treat the symptom because it comes back. I don’t know of any natural remedies as of yet, I am currently researching that now, hence my visit here 🙂 Anyway, I just wanted to relay another possibility. Good luck, Jessica.
Wow, that’s awful! I don’t have any personal experience with dandruff, but I heard recently that lavender essential oil can help. I think there are a few others that help, too. If nothing else the lavender could help calm the itching and soothe your scalp.
I’m no expert, but her are a few things I have learned over the years. I too have suffered from dandruff, it used to be really bad but has settled down over the years, mind you it is still there but not too bad so I haven’t been super proactive about treating it.
First off I did use lavender and it works wonders. I diluted a few drops into water and poured it all over my scalp and let it sit for 60-90 min before showering. Also Melaleuca should work as well and might be better depending on what your scalp needs, but it doesn’t smell that great try one or the other or mix them see what works. Peppermint essential oil enhances the properties of other oils so try mixing it with one or the other or both to see it that helps.
If you have tried all this and then some and it still is not helping your problem may be deeper. If your body is over loaded with toxins or fungus the last resort your body does to get rid of it push it out through the skin. The fungus may be because your body has an overabundance of yeast or candida, your body can’t handle it and so is trying to get rid of it through your skin, in this case your scalp.
I think what really helped me was diet change. As mentioned before what you eat really effects your body. You don’t want to feed the yeast so, for a time at least, avoid bread and anything with yeast in it, plumbs, grapes, and raspberries (these fruits have natural yeast on them). Eat tortillas, muffins biscuits and pasta instead. Also avoid sugar, sugar also feeds the yeast. I would suggest eating yogurt and or taking a pro-biotic daily. (If you feel this is the root of the problem I would suggest looking for other advise concerning yeast or candida) Over all eat healthy and drink plenty of water to help your body get rid of those toxins.
Now this doesn’t have to be something you avoid for the rest of your life, just until you get the yeast back under control then you can start slowly introducing things with yeast back into your diet but still eat healthy and eat sugar sparingly, Be sure to eat lots of fruits and veggies. Also my sister suggested internalizing a drop of lemon essential oil daily to help get rid what ever is inside that is causing the problem. Best of luck to you.
Hi! I have the same scalp condition. I think it’s called seborrheic dermatitis, and most doctors agree that it is a life-long condition that must be managed for.ev.er. I used to keep mine under control with frequent washing with head and shoulders (the only thing that worked), but the chemicals in that stuff are so far out of my range of acceptable ingredients for my body that I decided something had to change. I have been water only for 11 days and have had no new crusty sore patches! I was really worried about the flakes and sores because they have spiraled out of control in the past, but my scalp is doing great! I have read about some other people with SD ditching shampoo and having success. I wonder if the chemicals in mainstream shampoos could have been causing my scalp problems before?
Anyways, I use a honey solution to wash my hair once a week, focusing on my scalp. If I have a sore/crusty spot, I put a little honey on it for an hour before I rinse my hair in the shower. It’s soothing and breaks down the crust.
My hair is very oily now, which is discouraging, but the improvement in my scalp is encouraging me to keep going. Good luck 🙂
Hello. In the last 6 wks I’ve thrown out – quite literally – my hair straightener and I have started using conditioner and olive oil as a deep treatment, once per week and a small amount of conditioner when I shower which is almost everyday, unless I’m having a veg out day. My transition from straightened hair to curly was tough at times and still is but boy oh boy am I loving my curly hair. I have stopped using shampoo, which I would never have considered a short time ago. I am investigating the harmful effects of the chemicals to my health and I am slowly but surely steering towards going au natural completely. This water washing info is fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I have had many negative reactions to my curly look and in the beginning it was hard to take now I don’t give a flying fiddlers (as we say in Ireland). It feels great to be free and getting back to natural. Now I do have a massive issue and that is my hair is completely over-dyed. I’ve been dying it for many many years. I have no idea just how grey my hair is or what shade of silver/plantinum (wishful thinking) and I’m not ready to find out just yet, maybe when I’m 50 I’ll give myself the gift of being totally free and nuturing rather than destructive to my body, but right now I’ll continue being destructive: Does anyone know how I can colour my hair as naturally as possible. I like a warm red tone to my hair and right now I have in my home two box dyes – one is Garnier gorgeous vibrant red, it’s a fab colour and the other is a Naturtint dark blond. We’ve had exceptionally good weather in Ireland over the last few weeks so my highlighted red hair is now quite bright and the highlights are blond, my roots are starting to show and my hair definitely looks washed out. I’m afraid to use the dark blond because I’ve no idea what colour my hair will turn out and if I use the red, which suits my complexion, then I’m back to that warm red colour which can be high maintenance. Any advice/feedback, etc would be greatly appreciated. By the way I would like to mention I tried Burts Bees shampoo and conditioner and was very disappointed with how it left my hair, maybe this type of natural beauty product really only benefits natural chemical free hair, I’m not sure but for the cost I was expecting it to nourish my hair, instead it leaves it matted and dry. :-((
For natural hair dye, you should try henna. You may have to shop around a bit to find the colors you are looking for, and it may not be as permanent. However, the dye my mom used to use was $5 for two treatments and 100% natural. This is the brand she used: http://www.light-mountain-hair-color.com/
Thank you very much for replying – 🙂
You can also but henna in Lush… or any Indian beauty shop.
I have been washing with water only for at least 4 months now. It is going well. I only have to “wash” every 3rd day or so and my hair looks good. But I seem to have a dry scalp and a buildup of flakes. I’m constantly having to check for flakes, and since my hair is now coated in its natural oils, removing them is sometimes difficult.
I don’t have dandruff. I read that dandruff is caused by a fungus and will create large yellow waxy scaly flakes. I just have a dry scalp and get small white flakes which don’t seem to wash out with water only.
The buildup is annoying. I do scrub my scalp with my fingertips (not nails) under a shower of warm (not hot) water, but it never goes away. My hairbrush looks pretty gross after just one use. What can I use to get my scalp really clean, and wash the excess flakes out of my hair without stripping the oils?
I’m on day 3 of WO washing. I did baking soda and acv for a little over a month, but didn’t like how my hair felt. It felt soft in the shower after using the baking soda wash and dry like straw after the acv rinse. I washed daily, so maybe this was why. Anyways, I decided to just stop everything. I have fine hair but a lot of it. It’s daily long and straight for the most part with a few waves. I used to shampoo/condition my hair daily due to my hair looking greasy after just one day. Since doing WO I’ve noticed my hair looking a little greasy today (day 3), but not like usual. However, my scalp is a little scratchy/itchy today. I guess I just have a few questions. When doing WO washing do I 1. “wash” my hair with water only daily while I shower and massage my scalp to clean it, 2. let my hair go a few days without getting it wet at all, 3. get my hair wet while I shower, but don’t do the massage to clean my scalp or 4. Do something entirely different that I completely missed? I’ve been letting my hair air dry before brushing it with a wooden brush (not sure if it’s boar bristles, but they’re not plastic). It feels really tangly while air drying. Can I comb it in the shower with a wide tooth comb so it feels smooth while drying? Any tips for the itchy scalp? Or maybe some of the answers to my other questions will fix the itchy scalp problem. Thanks!!
As far as how you do the water washing, you can try different things and see what works for your hair. I massage my scalp whenever I shower. If it feels okay on your hair, you should be fine to use a wide tooth comb – but if it feels like you’re pulling your hair too much, then I would stop.
For an itchy scalp, depending on the cause honey may be quite helpful. I also find lavender essential oil to be the extremely helpful for any type of itching.
Alex’s blog on ROM is a pretty thorough resource. I highly recommend it! I would guess that the reason your hair was so nice vs. so crappy after going to the salon is that they used shampoo that contained wax or silicone that coated your hair. After that stuff sloughs off you get to see how unhealthy your hair is and some deep conditioning might be in order. BS didn’t work for me; it dried my hair out waaaaay too much. Now I occasionally rinse with ACV and some tea tree oil, and condition with a dab of coconut oil. i’m working on being water only, but I’ll probably need a good brush for bringing the oil down my hair.
http://almostexactlyblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/tips-for-rom-success/
Thanks for sharing!
I have actually noticed that my hair feels worse now if I get it washed at the salon. It prefers a “hair detox,” like in Mommypotamus’s book, if I need to get junk out: http://www.howweflourish.com/2013/09/30/book-review-diy-organic-beauty-recipes/
I am surprised no one has mentioned this but Tea Tree oil works amazingly for dandruff, it kills fungus and bacteria. It also gets rid of itchy scalp.
Every second wash I just mix a little Tea Tree oil with honey and water and leave it in for two full minutes.
I’m not an expert having only been doing this for three weeks, but it is working well for me – much much better than my ‘natural’ shampoos!
Thanks so much for sharing this! I have been trying to make the water only method work for me, but I ran into trouble with dandruff. I wanted to try the honey method instead of the tea tree oil shampoo I was using … I hadn’t thought of putting tea tree essential oil into the honey! It’s a great idea 🙂 Maybe this will be just the dandruff solution I’ve been looking for …
Do you water wash your hair daily or every other day?
I do it whenever I shower. This is every day or two, sometimes longer depending on the season, what I’m doing, and how I feel.
Hi,
I need a little advice- I’m three weeks (just) into Water Only Washing. I dove straight in (no transition of using Baking Soda/Vinegar) and my hair is still incredibly greasy. I never had the greasy hair issue before (in fact it was quite dry) and so I’m struggling a little with the change. I currently water wash my hair every/every other day just because I don’t feel clean otherwise.
I know it takes a while for your hair to adjust but it just doesn’t seem to be changing and even though my hair is in a graduated bob I can’t wear it down anymore!
I think I just want reassurance that eventually I’ll get somewhere!
Thank you x
You will! For some people the transition period can be a month or more. It just takes time for your scalp to balance.
Going 3 weeks right out of the gate with no shampoo is huge! That’s awesome! However, you probably need to just clean off your hair at this point. I bet you will see a big improvement in how long you can go without it getting greasy like that if you do a hair detox. My favorite is the clay detox from Mommypotamus’s book (http://www.howweflourish.com/2013/09/30/book-review-diy-organic-beauty-recipes/). You may be able to find something similar on the internet if you don’t want to buy the book.
I’m actually a 20 year old male who does this as well! After going through transition my hair did get very oily but it wasn’t very noticeable. I had exceptionally long hair for a guy (it is now like this http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/cd/32/65/cd3265521610dced91f43946f605add5.jpg) My hair is soft and really strong. I noticed that my hair would fall out less too. The most convenient thing is how easy it is to style. I do not use any hair product unless i want to get a look i can only achieve with some styling putty. I also use shampoo on the occasion when i decide to do a coconut hair oil treatment; however i do use a silicone free shampoo that isn’t harsh on my hair (Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Shampoo) to wash out the coconut oil.
I haven’t shampooed in years, my daughters hair has never been shampooed. It rarely gets nasty anymore unless I sweat and my daughter’s scalp seems to be the most well regulated thing on the planet. She needs nothing but water ever. The only issue is that our hair is so soft hair ties always slip out almost immediately. Clips also slide out. I end up braiding then twisting into a bun and securing with a clip, even then I have to redo mine 2 or 3 times a day and my daughter’s hair is always down by her feet when I pick her up from kindergarten. Her repunzel hair is a huge hit with the other kids.
That’s so awesome that your daughter has never been shampooed! I’m sure her hair is beautiful!
I have been using only conditioner for a couple months and I’m thinking about ditching it. My scalp still gets dry at the front and crown of my head. Any suggestions on how to combat the dryness without undoing the time I have been going without shampoo?
You could try using oil treatments, or going without the conditioner. Depending on what kind you are using, there may be chemicals that you are sensitive to and causing the dry scalp. What will be best really depends on what is causing the dry scalp – lack of moisture (unlikely), irritation, infection, eczema, etc.
Hey thanks for the reply!! I’m using Suave Naturals because that is what I have read is the best because it doesn’t have all the silicones. It’s just so annoying to have all the flakes still. I’ll give no conditioner a try and see what happens.
Hi! I have a question for you. After washing with only water and drying your hair, do you have clean-looking hair? I mean, I can never get the hair near the roots to look nice, it still looks greasy, even though it is freshly washed. Is this normal? I have been experimenting lately (after going no ‘poo) with BS/ACV, raw eggs, honey and some shikakai powder, all with great results for the scalp region. Hair looked better than it did using shampoo, cleaner. But with water-only, I can’t seem to tame that sebum. Does it get better in time? Is it just the transition period? Thank you and good luck in all your endeavors!
It depends on how long it has been since I washed my hair with something other than water. It does get better, and it is part of the transition period. However, since all hair is different, feel free to keep experimenting with what works for you. You may need to wash your hair more often than I do.
My hair is long and a bit on the fine side, and used to look very oily if I didn’t wash it every single day. Now two months into this no shampoo thing I usually wash with only water, or sometimes with an aloe vera/ honey mix.
Washing with only water leaves my hair looking good for the first two days and just ‘fine’ for the third and fourth days. But it took me about six weeks to get to this point!
I’m not sure if it is the same for everyone, but at first I had to wash my hair for maybe 7 minutes (gently massaging it in warm water) before it would look clean. Now I am finding that I can wash it in 3-5 minutes and it’ll look good.
Keep it up!
I started water-only washing about a week ago, going from washing my hair about 3-4 times a week. I haven’t had much of a transition yet (having started just a week ago) but there’s one thing I don’t understand. During the transition, should I rinse my hair as normal (3-4 times a week) or go for as long as I can without doing anything with it? So far I’ve rinsed my hair as normal, but I don’t know what’s best. I have curly/wavy hair. Thanks 🙂
Whatever works best for your hair. Sorry that’s not helpful. 🙂 Some people need to scrub their scalp every time their shower, some just need to get it wet. Because my hair is really dry and prone to buildup, I find that it works best if I only get it wet once or twice a week now that I’ve completed my transition. While you are going through the transition, you’ll likely want to rinse it whenever you shower. Good luck!
I am 50 years old and I have long hair. I have had great success using a combination of very warm rinsing and light scrubbing on my scalp and using a light Suave Conditioner to “C0-Wash” the bottom half of my hair about 2 times per week. This way I still get the light scent of clean hair and the noninterference of the balance of my scalp oils as a built-in conditioner for the length of my hair as well. My hair is as beautiful and healthy as it was when I was a teenager. I tried the Baking Soda/ACV route and it damaged my hair almost immediately. I also tried the pure water rinsing, but my long hair always looked straggly. It’s amazing how the right conditioner actually does clean your hair without leaving it weighed down. You have to use the cheaper brands though, Suave brand is the best….because they don’t have all the heavy oils in them to weigh your hair down. This process, along with the beautiful oils that our scalps already produce, leaves my hair looking beautiful. I never thought my hair would look like this at my age…It looks better now than it did in my 30’s and 40’s, when I spent a fortune trying to make it look as good as it did when I was younger. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner!
Thanks for sharing. I’ve heard a lot of people prefer Suave over more expensive brands. I’ve found that I can’t use anything on my hair in order to keep it nice, and I won’t keep traditional products in my house. But everyone needs to find what works for them.
How often do you get your hair cut at a salon? I have been water washing for 4 weeks. I really need a hair cut, but am worried my usual stylist will find it gross. Many years ago I did baking soda ACV washes and my hair ended up looking like straw after a while. So I hesitate even trying it before I go to the salon. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I actually don’t cut it at the salon; I have my husband cut it for me. I’m sorry I don’t have any advice!
I don’t know If anyone will see this question seeing as this post is from quite a while ago, but I was wondering, how does swimming affect any part of this process (transition period or after)? I swim 4 days a week and am not sure how the chlorine would change any part of this process. Thanks for making this post and getting the idea in my head!
Hi Natalie! I’m sure that swimming will affect the process, but unfortunately I can’t say how. You will probably need to add something to your routine to combat the chlorine, but I am not sure what. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
How I solved my sticky, waxy, gunk buildup after trying no-poo: I had this, especially on the back of my head, and it was worse after a wash. I was also having a lot of dandruff-looking white particles in the scalp that made my hair look gross. I had stopped using BS and ACV a few months back as I found they made my hair brittle and falling out, so I was just using water. I finally have solved the gunk and the dandruff stuff by doing the following: I washed once with lemon and tea tree oil while scrubbing my scalp with a rubber scalp scrubber. Then, I spent a couple of hours with a boar bristle brush (aka BBB), brushing and brushing, then washing the gunk out of the brush. At the end of the day, it was SO MUCH BETTER. Then the next day I just did a more normal brushing routine, 2x a day about 100 strokes. My hair is not gunky any more!!! My best guess is that the stuff is sebum, it had built up over time, and it needed help to coat the hairs. I hope this works for some others of you out there 🙂 To clarify, I am a water-only washer, and I wash about weekly. I currently live in an area with very hard water.
Great, just what I needed to read. I have been without any washing products for 18 days now. No soap for my body and no shampoo or whatever for my hair. No bakingsoda or vinegar. And guess what? I don’t stink! Ok, I did use a doedorant but later on I will try what will happen when I throw that out as well. My hair right now is greasy and hardly gets wet when I waterwash it. But it doesn’t smell bad. I wear hats and caps to cover it when I have to go outside and nobody noticed anything. I won’t give up! Oh, and I have dark roots, letting my bleaced hair grow out as well. Gray will be the new blonde! I hope….
Warm greetings from the Netherlands, and keep up the good blogging! 😀
Thank you so much! That|s great that water washing is going well for you. Isn’t it crazy how you don’t smell? It makes things so much easier and cheaper.
I have Been doing no poo for about a month and a half now. I was hoping to see some results but i have not seen any which is horrible. Especially after I did the baking soda wash it’s just gone dry and rough and won’t brush through at all. My scalp is so oily I can wipe oil onto a paper towel. I was really hoping this would work because I was spending so much on hair products as my hair would be so oily the day after I washed it. Very disappointed in this method but I’ll keep going. I think I may go and get some organic shampoo and conditioner to just give it a once over every month or so
I’m sorry it isn’t working well for you. I wish I had a suggestion. I hope you find something that works. There is definitely nothing wrong with washing your hair more frequently if it needs.
I have 42 food allergies, I cannot even touch things I am allergic to with that being said, I was having problems with shampoo making me break out in blistering hives which left holes in the bottoms of my feet and a red ichy scalp. I had tried using organic, sulfate free shampoo but, had the same problem so, two years ago I had been doing research on what I could use instead like homemade soaps and shampoos but, I was allergic to most of the ingredients to go homemade as well. I had found websites about “No Poo” shampooing, I had done that for a year and a half, the baking soda left my hair and skin dry, especially in the winter. I was having a hard time brushing my hair and I noticed that my hair was getting shorter and I hadn’t had a hair cut, I cried because I didn’t know what to do, much like I had the first few times I had showered with baking soda, mostly because I felt like a freak because of my problems. I tried going every few days using baking soda for another six months, things just got worse, I did more research on homemade shampoos and soaps, I made a honey shampoo but, honey is still high in alcaline, just not as high as the baking soda. After two and a half years I had found a few websites on hair and body washing with water only. My skin is no longer breaking out with acne, my black heads are gone and as far as my hair it has grown about 8 inches from July to November, I have had a hair cut about a week ago, got all my split ends cut because my hair is now healthy after all the damage from the baking soda and honey. It is soft and is no longer greasy or waxy, there is a transition period and I just had to live with it until my hair adjusted. I will tell you I am 37 years old and at work I was made fun of me both behind and in front of my back for the past two years, this made things a lot worse for me since I was already dealing with an incredable amount of problems. Since my hair has adjusted and I have a better hang on all my allergens. The reason I told this story is to make people who choose to do this, have gone half way and gave up as well as those that ridicule this method realize that there is at least on person on the planet that did/does NOT have a choice but to do this, and NO I don’t stink. These methods work and my wavy hair is now beatiful for the first time in my life, no more friz, just soft, shiny hair.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and experience. That sounds really frustrating and difficult to deal with, but I am glad you finally found something that works for you and you were able to stick with it.
Naet helps with allergy.