Product-free hair washing involves using a boar bristle brush, water and plenty of scalp scrubbing to clean hair without chemicals.
A few hundred years ago, the idea of washing your hair sans chemicals would have been commonplace. Today it seems strange or even unhygienic; yet some people are turning back to traditional methods of haircare. Whether stemming from a desire to reduce consumption, avoid chemicals, relieve conditions such as excema or dermatitis, or simply experiment, shampoo-free washing (known affectionately as 'no-pooing' or 'water-only washing') can be very effective in maintaining clean and healthy hair.
Why Washing Hair Without Shampoo or Conditioner Works
Hair becomes dirty because of two factors: trapped particles, such as dust, and sebum, a natural oil produced by the scalp which makes hair look greasy.
Washing the hair frequently with shampoo strips the hair of its natural oil, sebum. To compensate, the scalp will begin to overproduce sebum to make up for the lack, resulting in a cycle of overcleansing and overproduction of oil. Once the cycle is stopped, the scalp will eventually regain its normal equilibrium, resulting in the need for less frequent washing. A transition period of about six weeks is required to accustom the scalp to lower sebum production.
Trapped particles of dust and dirt can be removed to some extent by washing with water. To further clean the hair, a boar bristle brush can be used to brush the dirt right out.
How to Wash Hair Without Products
True water-only washing uses no products at all. In this case, the hair and scalp are simply washed vigorously under water, using the fingernails to 'scritch' at the scalp to remove any particles. Some people find that alternating hot and cold water helps to break through the sebum. Finishing the wash with a blast of cold water will lock down the cuticle of the hair, keeping it shiny.
Some people, while refraining from commercial hair products such as conditioner, like to facilitate washing and conditioning with natural products. Baking soda, vinegar, herbal teas, natural oils and butters, egg yolks and even yoghurt can form the basis of commercial product-free hair washing.
Using a Boar Bristle Brush to Clean Hair
Washing the hair is only one component of productless cleansing. A boar bristle brush is used to spread the sebum from the roots to the hair shaft, where it can do its job of moisturising and protecting the hair. Boar bristle brushes also trap dust and dirt in their closely-packed bristles, helping to clean the hair.
To prevent hair breakage, the brushes should only be used on detangled hair. Long strokes from the scalp to the tips of the hair should be used, to move the sebum down the hair shaft. Depending on the length of the hair, it may take several days for the hair to become coated with sebum.
Easing the Transition to Water-Only Washing
The six-week greasy period, during which the scalp learns to produce less sebum, can be frustrating. Greasy hair can be hidden under a hat or bandana, or disguised in braids, which hold particularly well in greasy hair. A boar bristle brush will polish the surface of the hair, which can make sebum look like hair product rather than grease.
It is possible to wean the scalp off shampoo. Alternating diluted shampoo washes with water-only washes will make the transition period longer but less severe. Alternatively, conditioner-only washing can be used for a few weeks before attempting water-only washing.
Some water-only hair washers experience a renewed greasy period some months into their new routine; this eventually settles down.
The copyright of the article Pros and Cons of Water-Only Hair Washing in Hair Care is owned by Sarah Tennant. Permission to republish Pros and Cons of Water-Only Hair Washing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
All true. I threw away all my hair products/shampoos and now my hair is way
healthier and less hair loss than ever after one month only. So happy now.
:)
Dec 8, 2008 9:43 AM
Guest
:
I'm trying this after trying the conditioner only method. My hair was
really greasy then, and it is still greasy with just water. My mother even
told me it was looking pretty bad. I really want to stick with this both
for my health and because I hate being a slave to products. Any advice for
hanging in there? The holidays are coming up and I don't want to look a
wreck!
Dec 8, 2008 12:14 PM
Sarah Tennant :
Don't give up! The first few weeks are a bit of a mission, but it gets
easier from there. :) If you really hate the greasiness a little baking
soda dissolved in water will clean your hair (rinse with diluted apple
cider vinegar afterwards to restore the pH balance); but this will make
your transition period longer, so I don't really recommend it. Can you
braid your hair? Even short hair looks good in a crown braid.
Dec 21, 2008 9:47 AM
Guest
:
wow...nice article.. i recently came to know about the ill effects of
SLES on hair... so,just thought of going natural and trying some
natural ways to clean hair..
Mar 10, 2009 9:15 AM
Guest
:
i wash my hair every other day..... once i dilute 2-3 drops of shampoo in
250 ml water and the next time i wash my hair with just water......it
worked great for me..... keeps your hair squeaky clean.......... but be
sure ....... 1.never use hot water....should be somewhere between warm and
cold 2. rub your scalp not your hair with finger tips gently and
thouroughly 3. make sure your shower is gentle on your hair...
Mar 12, 2009 8:23 AM
Guest
:
I have never had luck with water washing. Water washing your hair is just
like trying to wash beef fat off your hands with hot water. The water's
never going to penetrate it to actually clean it. I recommend apple cider
vinegar for a good cleanse.
Mar 18, 2009 12:01 PM
Guest
:
Great article. My only comment would be not to "scritch" your
fingernails on your scalp. You can gently massage your scalp with your
fingertips, or even better, use a scalp massager while rinsing. Studio 35
makes a nice scalp massager, you can get one for a few bucks at Walgreens.
This will help loosen oil and build-up at the scalp, and help the water
rinse it out of your hair. Feels great, too. But scratching your scalp
with your fingernails is a big no-no.
Mar 29, 2009 8:06 PM
Guest
:
what do you think about water only washing for the face? instead of using
cleanser just using water.
Mar 29, 2009 8:14 PM
Sarah Tennant :
Why not? :) I've used water-only washing on my face before, and know
several other people who swear by it. I think it's a highly individual
thing - people who wear lots of makeup, for instance, might find the extra
time and rubbing required to get all the gunk off with just water too
labour-intensive. But certainly the principle of overcleansing leading to
excess sebum production holds true for the face as well as the scalp;
that's why so many cleansers advertise their 'mild' properties.
May 22, 2009 10:12 AM
Guest
:
I tried only water washing my face and found that it was fine for a while
but eventually my skin was really dry and would have break outs of spots.
In retrospect this might have been because I was using products in my hair
that could also harm my skin. At the moment I am trying to move away from
products, so will try to avoid products for both skin and face and see how
it goes!
May 25, 2009 3:08 AM
Guest
:
Hair will also turn greasy if washed with stone-cold water. The cold water
closes the pores in the scalp and forces all the oils to stay on the hair.
However, hot water is damaging to the hair, similarly to blow dryers and
straighteners. Best thing to use = lukewarm water. But do
experiment
May 25, 2009 3:07 PM
Sarah Tennant :
I'm not quite sure about your reasoning here. Cold water does make the wash
more time-consuming, just as it takes longer to wash oil off your hands
with cold water than hot. This isn't related to the pores, though - using
hot water doesn't mean the oil flows back into the pores, after all. I
believe the reason people use alternating hot and cold water is because
heat and massage can stimulate the pores to produce more sebum. So hot
water is used initially to soften and "melt" the sebum, and then
cold water is used to close the pores (as you say) and prevent the scalp
from producing more grease.
I've heard that hot water is bad for
hair too, but I'd be interested to hear the scientific basis behind the
claim. Does it temporarily weaken the keratin, just as hot water can soften
fingernails? Hairdryers and curling irons cause damage by drying out the
hair's natural moisture, which is not an issue with hot water.
Jun 7, 2009 7:56 AM
Guest
:
I recommend trying baking soda. Mix one cup of water with one tbs. of
baking soda and mix well. Then pour onto dry hair on the scalp and massage.
Don't leave it in too long. Wash out and rinse with one cup cold water and
one tbs. of apple cider vinegar. Make sure you don't rinse that out. Then
towel dry your hair. Add essential oils to both the wash and rinse if you
like. I add tea tree oil to my wash and rosemary to my rinse. Make sure you
only use the ACV rinse once every 2-3 washes. If your hair is too greasy
than only put it at the ends. It takes awhile to get a good routine. Check
out this website for troubleshooting.
http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html Good Luck and have fun!
Jun 10, 2009 9:23 AM
Guest
:
Dose this work for men as well?
Jun 11, 2009 3:08 PM
Sarah Tennant :
Most definitely! My husband has used WO for over a year now. He has short
(inch-long) hair and just rubs his scalp for a minute under the shower as
if he were using shampoo - very quick and painless. Since he started his
hair has thickened up noticeably - I suspect he had a mild reaction to the
SLS in shampoo, which was causing his hair to think (not like male pattern
baldness, just a general transluscent effect!). He's very happy with WO.
Jun 16, 2009 6:16 PM
Guest
:
I tried the baking soda and apple cidar vinegar routine, but my scalp is
still flaky, itchy and dry. I'm going to try just the water now and see
what happens. All those dandruff, coal tar, psoriasis shampoos made it
worse. I hear you're supposed to fine comb out the flakes as well, so I
bought a fine tooth comb. Olive oil helps too.
Jul 22, 2008
