Pros and Cons of Water-Only Hair Washing

How to Wash Hair Without Shampoo or Conditioner

Jul 22, 2008 Sarah Tennant

Product-free or "no-poo" 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 eczema 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.

Water alone can clean hair very effectively

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51 Comments

Comments

Dec 7, 2008 1:58 AM

Guest :

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.

Aug 28, 2009 12:56 AM

Guest :

I like shampoo and conditoner. It makes my hair feel so clean and smell fresh. I cannot imagine how my hair will smell if I washed it with water only after a while. In the old days people did this because they didn't have the polution in the air that we have today. Back then it was practical and even then people still used soaps to wash with. I think I would go for the condition wash only though because at least my hair will have some kind of nice scent to it.

Aug 28, 2009 1:15 AM

Sarah Tennant :

Less diffused pollution certainly, but more localised pollution in the form of woodsmoke - which definitely scents the hair! Of course, "back then" WO wasn't universal by any means - some people used soap on a very infrequent basis, some used herbs and so on. Brushing with a boar bristle brush, the "hundred strokes a day" rule, was also in effect, which would have helped with dirt.

You're definitely not alone in enjoying the smells of shampoo and conditioner. When I was WO washing I used to spray my hair with rosewater so it still smelled nice - or more accurately, so it smelled like something. It didn't smell bad, it just didn't have that nice conditionery fragrance! I know some people who use essential oils in their washing routine, but I'm not sure if it leaves a noticeable scent.

Oct 27, 2009 8:32 AM

Guest :

I'm loving your articles, Sarah. After my hairdresser told me to wash my hair at most once a week (and trying that for some time), I decided to go completely WO 6 weeks ago. Your articles have helped me very much. Same for the whole routine. My hair is extremely dry, I used to put large amounts of fats (such as pommade and oil) in my hair before, and still, my hair was extremely static and dry. Even throughout this routine, I found out that 'scratching' (not with nails!) my head in the shower is also not good, my hair was still very dry. And now I'm even considering the no water, just BBB routine, since brushing no longer makes my hair smell like sebum, the way it did before (the smell I always associated with sebum, that rather dull smell (I'm not native English, do not know the English word for the smell)). Actually, now it smells rather sweet... And it is much less static (this has been a big ordeal for me: to reduce the static, I have to let my roots get 'very' greasy before distributing the sebum in order to reduce staticity).

But now I have another problem. I'm a natural blond, and my hair used to be very light (a few shades darker than white, I have the blonde colour most women try to buy in hairpaint :)) Unfortunately, it has turned darker now :( And I really loved my colour!!! Any ideas on this? Might it become better over time?

But in a whole, for me, this routine is such an improvement over the current haircare routines advertised.

And I'm also wondering, everybody is about: SL(E)S are bad for your hair and scalp, but what about our shower gels etc? They all contain SL(E)S too!! For some reason, nobody seems to mind... I'm reducing the use of shower gels too, my skin is also very dry and itches a lot after using them... Instead, I rub myself with a washing cloth every other day. And I'll think of a way to clean my body properly without shower gels if I ever expand this experiment too...

Oct 27, 2009 1:39 PM

Sarah Tennant :

I agree with you about shower gels - never use them myself. :) Brown sugar makes a nice exfoliant scrub to use in the shower, and for a moisturiser I often use jojoba oil, or emu oil if my skin feels dry or flaky.

About your hair colour, I'm afraid hair usually darkens over time and lightening it without damaging is very difficult. Some people swear by applying diluted honey and sitting in the sun for a few hours - the honey releases a very weak hydrogen peroxide which lightens the hair without damaging it as much as a stronger bleach. Then again, I know other people who've tried it without success (it doesn't work for me, but I henna, which may change things). Other people find a diluted apple cider vinegar or lemon juice rinse helps prevent their hair darkening further. The other option, of course, is sun; but sun tends to dry and damage hair, so it's a trade-off!

I'm glad WO washing is working for you. I only know a few women who do SO (sebum-only) cleansing, but their hair looks great!

Oct 28, 2009 12:34 AM

Guest :

Hello Sarah,

Thank you for your quick reply :) I've read about the (brown) sugar as a scrub, but since I'm allergic to suger (at least if I eat it, not deadly though) I'm considering making a scrub out of salt mixed with oil. I saw some recipes on this site.

About the hair colour: it has turned darker since the WO routine. Not much darker, but a bit. I know (from experience) that once I wash my hair using commercial products (or maybe even with baking soda/acv? not sure there, never tried it), my hair will instantly be high blonde again. Back in the day when I washed my hair once a week with commercial stuff, my hair would be darker in the morning too, to become light again after wetting in the shower. I'm still hoping that, once my head and hair settle with the routine, the hair gets lighter again too. Brushing helps a bit. So I think it's the sebum (and dust?) that make my hair darker. Ah well. Time will tell.

Oct 28, 2009 4:12 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Ah, OK, so the darkening is more of an optical illusion? My hair gets darker when it's greasy too, although it's not too noticeable as I have darker hair to begin with. One thing you could try if you don't want to wet your hair every day is brushing talcum powder through your hair. It sounds odd (and I've never tried it myself - it only works on light-coloured hair), but apparently the talc absorbs the grease, and then brushes out. It's the same principle as dry shampoo, but cheaper. :) But it's probably worth waiting it out a bit for your hair to adjust some more.

Yoghurt and oatmeal makes a really nice body scrub too! :)

Nov 2, 2009 3:09 AM

Guest :

Water only washing is a very good way to keep clean hair. I stopped washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner when I was 17 (15 years ago), it took a while to adjust but I wouldnt even consider using any chemicals now.

Nov 2, 2009 12:41 PM

Guest :

This is all so inspiring! We're living in a caravan (doing the full-on eco-living-thing) so I'm very interested in the sebum-only method that you mention, ie. just using the brush, without water washes. Do you have any advice on that? Also I saw you refer to vegan alternatives to the boar hair brush - can you recommend any? Thanks so much for helping me get going with all of this...

Nov 2, 2009 12:49 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Sebum-only washing isn't for the faint of heart - it requires a fair amount of upkeep by grooming with a boar bristle brush, and has quite a long transition period. One of the women I know who does it wears her hair in a kerchief, which cuts down significantly on the dust factor. It's certainly possible, but seems to work better on some hairtypes than others. WO washers often stretch out their washes - effectively going temporarily SO - on long camping trips or the like.

I use a regular boar bristle brush, but I believe the Body Shop sells a vegan version.

Nov 3, 2009 2:29 AM

Guest :

Hi Sarah,

The natural blonde is back again. You're probably right about waiting out, last weekend I had my high blonde hair again, without any trouble and without any special treatment. But I think my scalp still has to settle, now it is darker again... But I'm only 7 weeks in the routine, so I guess I have to remain patient :) About the sebum-only, not sure if I really want to try it. I read on a forum about it (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/tags.php?tag=sebum+only), most people into that routine tend to wear their hair in updo's, I refuse to do that. I love my hair when I wear it loose. Maybe I'll try the talc if I feel like it, it can give my hair also a nice baby-smell, haha! :)
Thanks for the scrub recipe, I'll try it out :) (But I'm not sure how my boyfriend will react when he sees me in the shower with a bowl of his breakfast :) )

Nov 3, 2009 12:48 PM

Sarah Tennant :

The Long Hair Community is great. Those people have tried EVERYTHING! It's where I first learned about WO. I do keep my hair in updos 99% of the time, because hair long enough to sit on plus a toddler... not a good combination! The fun part is when I let it down once in a blue moon and people gasp and say "Your hair is LONG!" Why, yes... that's how I manage to make large braided buns on the back of my head. :)
Don't worry, your boyfriend will get used to it. My husband's used to seeing me with green eyebrows and a plastic bag on my head (I henna), not to mention riffling through the cupboards saying in an irked voice "Did you take the honey out of the bathroom?" It's good for his character. I even got him onto WO and it thickened his hair up noticeably!

Nov 7, 2009 1:33 PM

paulette87 :

Have you any suggestions for washing the body with a natural product. I don't want a scrub, just something I can use safely, under the armpit and between the legs? In addition, any suggestions for a natural under the armpit deodrant?

Nov 7, 2009 6:22 PM

Sarah Tennant :

I just use water for washing, so I'm not too up on natural body wash - I'd avoid anything that altered the body's pH (such as soap), but I'm not sure what options that leaves you!

I've tried several natural deodorants, including aluminium-free essential oil based deodorant (a New Zealand brand) and crystal deodorant in spray, roll-on and stone forms. The stones are little rectangles that you wet and rub under your arms; I found they sometimes chafed as they became less smooth, so I prefer the kinds that work like regular deodorants. A lot of people find natural (and even regular) deodorants only work for a while, and then switching brands is required. It's a bit hit-and-miss, I think! Definitely worth trying a few things though, as the aluminium in regular deodorant has been linked to breast cancer. Baking soda patted under the arms is another natural deodorant: it didn't work too well for me, but some people swear by it.

Nov 26, 2009 8:40 AM

Guest :

This all sounds very good. I tried the 'no-poo' method for a while and since I have short hair it didn't bother me, but even after a few weeks my hair still looked pretty greasy and the smell put my boyfriend off :-) Does anyone else have that problem? I have resorted to mixing up egg, honey, and vinegar to make my own home-made shampoo but I'm not sure it's doing a great job at either washing or nourishing my hair, so now I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to go back to shampooing but I'm not exactly happy with what I've got now, especially since my hair is growing and it's easier to notice when it gets greacy :(

Nov 26, 2009 1:40 PM

Sarah Tennant :

So you're still after natural haircare in some form? Maybe baking soda and vinegar would work for you:

http://hair-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_wash_hair_with_baking_so da_and_vinegar

It's fairly easy to adjust - the baking soda cleanses, the vinegar conditions, so you can gradually alter the ratios as required. This is the method I switched to after WO washing became too high-maintenance when I had a newborn.

Do you use a boar bristle hairbrush? They're really good for spreading sebum through your hair to condition it; they can help take care of the greasy look.

Hope you find something that works for you! Conditioner-only washing is another option; or you could experiment with Indian herbal haircare, using herbs like shikakai and amla. There are plenty of options to explore if you don't want to go back to regular shampooing.

Nov 29, 2009 3:08 AM

Guest :

Hi Sarah,

Interesting article - I am going to try water-only hair washing.

I have never been keen on shampoo as it always leaves my hair dry. What is the point of shampooing hair to sandpaper and then trying to "put life" into it with conditioner. Shampoo always seems to get in my eyes as well.

I am a bit confused by some the abbreviations here - I've got WO but what is SO?

One question - in the water-only method does one wash one's hair every-day?

Nov 29, 2009 12:41 PM

Sarah Tennant :

SO stands for sebum only washing, also known as waterless washing. It means the only form of cleansing comes by grooming, often with a BBB (boar bristle brush) to spread the sebum over the hair shaft.

You don't have to wash your hair every day with WO - one of its benefits is getting to stretch washings out. When you're starting off, however, you may have to, simply to ease the transition from a harsher to a gentler method of hair care. It all depends on how greasy your transition period is, and/or how much you like hats!

Good luck. :)

Dec 17, 2009 2:35 PM

Guest :

Hi Sarah! I was just reading your article, and I am thinking of doing the WO method..... The thing is, I don't have any apple cider vinegar and don't want to mix up my own so what should I do? Would the WO method still work for me?

Dec 17, 2009 3:18 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Vinegar can give hair a bit of slip and shine, but it's not necessary - plenty of people do water-only washing with... water only! If you do want to use vinegar, white vinegar or red wine vinegar should work fine. Some people use lemon juice. It's all about finding a mild acid that doesn't dry sticky.

Dec 19, 2009 10:44 PM

Guest :

Paulette87-
I've found that diluted apple cider vinegar (I put a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of mint in a bottle of it, then steeped it in the fridge and use tiny amounts whenever I need it. Tastes good to put in water too) is excellent as an underarm/private part wash. As someone who's always had problems with sensitive skin down below, I've been told water-only is the best way to wash. But spraying a little bit of diluted apple cider vinegar is super gentle, I haven't had any problems since using it as a cleanser (for about 4 months now) and it gets rid of any and all odors that might keep you from going product-free down there. Don't worry about the vinegar smell, it goes away. Same if you use it as a hair rinse. Hope that helps you and/or anyone else who may have been wondering about the same thing!

Jan 2, 2010 12:01 AM

Guest :

I'm four days into a WO 'experiment'... so far, nobody has noticed and my hair hasn't gotten too greasy. I have used SMALL amounts of soap and shampoo for the last two years and after reading several articals on it, decided to 'go WO'. any tips for the transition?

Jan 20, 2010 7:32 AM

Guest :

Minimalism drove me to go without shampoo.
I don't want to be buying products anymore. and I have noticed how my curly hair becomes frizzy and dry with washing.
I'm on 1 week and 6 days of no shampoo and i gotta say every now and then i'll have the urge to use shampoo, lol but i'm still going for it.

I do have a question though, what are your thoughts on Dr. Bronner's castile soap on hair? Should I use that as a shampoo substitute once a week for the first few weeks?

Jan 20, 2010 12:06 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Shampoo-free washing is supposed to be particularly good for curls! I've never used Dr Bronner's, I'm afraid: the question is whether or not it is a milder cleanser than shampoo. If it is, you can use it to transition - it'll make your transition period longer, though. If it isn't, you'd be more or less starting from scratch after every wash, so I wouldn't recommend it. If you've used it before, did it feel as harsh/cleansing as normal shampoo? Did it make your hair feel overcleansed?

Sorry I can't be more help on this one - maybe try Googling the product to see how other people regard its strength or harshness?

Jan 21, 2010 12:21 PM

Guest :

The reason i ask about Dr. Bronner's soap is because it contains no sulfates. just oils. I guess i'll do some research about what castile soaps really are and how they work.

It's only been two weeks and i can see my curls holding their shape and being ALOT less frizzy. =]

Jan 26, 2010 5:15 PM

Guest :

Great..!
i have choosen shampoo to water only washing. but cud please explain in detail how to wash only with water?
As we all know rubbing wet hair vigorously lead to hair breakage. So wat exactly we r suppose to do?

Jan 26, 2010 5:19 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Don't rub the hair, rub the scalp. You can smooth the hair firmly down from the scalp to the length to help coax the sebum down the length and away from the roots. It's somewhat tricky to explain online, and different people find different techniques work for them. I used a fair amount of scalp massaging. WO washing will require more manipulation of the hair than washing with harsher cleansers, but it can be done gently.

Jan 29, 2010 8:00 PM

Guest :

Hi, could you give me some advice? I've been shampoo free for about six months - mostly water only although I occasionally use bicarbonate of soda. My hair is a lot better than it was in the original disgustingly greasy transition period, but it still always looks like it could do with a proper wash - a bit greasy and dull. I'm starting to feel like I ought to go back to shampoo - but everything I've read on the internet extols the virtues of water only. Am I doing something wrong or do some people just have the wrong sort of hair? If I keep trying is it likely to change?
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

Jan 29, 2010 8:06 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Some people definitely have more success with it than others. If you want to stick with water-only, trying using the boar bristle brush more often to spread sebum down the length of your hair. If you want to give up on WO without switching back to commercial shampoos, there are plenty of other natural options. I'm currently writing a series on Indian herbal haircare (check the topic homepage) - would you be interested in trying amla, shikakai and so on? Shikakai's quite a gentle cleanser.

Jan 29, 2010 8:31 PM

Guest :

Thanks very much - I really appreciate your advice!

Jan 30, 2010 3:01 AM

Guest :

Thanku Sarah for ur precious reply...
One more Question Sarah sud we daily clean our scalp massging with fingrtips?

Feb 1, 2010 8:48 AM

Guest :

Many thanks for all this Sarah.
I came across this article back in November 2009 when I was in despair with my chronic itching scalp and alarming hair loss brought on by general anaesthetic. It occurred to me to dump shampoo (that tar stuff) and I saw this article as my hair was drying under the towel, and it was a great comfort. Great advice too, as I remembered my (deceased) dog's old boar bristle brush, cleaned it and it's still going strong.
I am so pleased I did this. My hair loss stopped immediately, it is far less tangled, and after seven weeks, it smelt of nothing.
I also just wash my face in water, and condition it with olive oil. I only use olive oil soap now, and alun stone as a deodorant.
I can honestly think of no down side.

Feb 8, 2010 3:35 AM

Guest :

hey, could you explain more about SO only? is it quicker and more effective? im at school and really finding it hard to resost the will to wash my hair... thanks:)

Feb 8, 2010 12:38 PM

Sarah Tennant :

Sebum-only washing means relying on grooming alone (usually with a boar bristle brush) to spread the sebum: no washing the hair at all. It works for some people, but definitely not for all hairtypes. If you're interested in an alternative type of natural haircare, check out my other articles - maybe baking soda and vinegar washing would work for you, or washing with Indian herbs such as amla and shikakai.

Feb 9, 2010 5:05 PM

Guest :

Hi Sarah,
I've been doing WO washing for about 2 1/2 weeks now and I live near the beach. I've been swimming in the ocean. Do you think this will have an impact on the 6 week WO time frame? Am I back to square one whenever I swim in salt water?

Feb 9, 2010 5:10 PM

Sarah Tennant :

I don't think salt water's so much more cleansing than plain water that it'll affect your transition period. Salt can actually make your hair soft, as long as you rinse it out. Letting salt water dry on your head probably isn't a good idea, WO or no WO.

51 Comments