How I wash my hair without SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER for AMAZING hair | Natural hair wash No Poo method
I quit shampoo more than three years ago. It was supposed to only be a little experiment, because I simply couldn’t imagine how this could even work. Since then I have tried shampoo bars, hair soap, castile soap, rye flour, bentonite clay, and I just started testing the water-only method. And you know what? The only thing I regret is not having started earlier.
There are many good reasons to ditch shampoo. Mine was because I was tired of the plastic waste it left behind. After learning that most of the shampoos I had previously used contained micro beads, I simply couldn’t.
Did you know the average woman applies more than 500 different synthetic chemicals to her skin—every day? And the exposure adds up!
I’ve had to deal with atopic dermatitis (and a 
load of allergies) all my life. Trust me, if a product contained anything that was said to be bad, my skin would tell me. My skin has always been dry and flaky, and that includes my scalp. Yes, I’m talking about dandruff. Story of my life!
At that time I simply didn’t know things like shampoo bars or hair soap existed. So I searched the internet for alternative methods. I stumbled over rye flour. “Gross!” I thought, “Are you telling me to make sourdough or to wash my hair?” But well, I felt I was running out of options, so I took a deep breath, gave it a try—and LOVED it! It was the first thing that managed to actually get rid of my dandruff! I managed to go from shampooing my hair almost daily to going four to five days without having to wash it. That’s when I knew there was no going back…
Shampoo Bars
There are two kinds of shampoo bars. Which kind you use can make a huge difference!
Liquid shampoo uses SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) or the milder SLSA (Sodium Lauryl SulfoAcetate) as surfactants. Imagine stripping your shampoo off its water content and compress it to a bar. I like to call these kinds of shampoo bars “solid shampoo.” So if you want to enjoy the health benefits of quitting shampoo, this one is not for you.
The other one is actually a real soap, i.e. saponified oils, but designed with the needs of scalp and hair in mind. So they are often supperfatting and contain many beneficial essential oils.
In order to avoid confusion, I will call this one “hair soap” and the surfactant-based ones “solid shampoo.”
)Solid Shampoo
Technically solid shampoo isn’t a no-(sham-)poo method. However, I wanted to include shampoo bars in this list because it is a great plastic-free option to buying shampoo in a plastic bottle. What’s more, it is the easiest swap for most people who don’t want to bother too much. There is no transitioning period, no reading up on it to know whether or not you are doing it right, no worrying about hard or soft water.
However, just like with other shampoos, the quality varies. Lush is probably the most prominent manufacturer of solid shampoos. Do bear in mind that despite the hefty price tag, Lush products are not all-natural and are oftentimes not for sensitive skin, as I had to learn the hard way. I should have known just by the strong smell of their products. Even essential oils can cause sensitive skin to break out if used too generously. Do pay attention to the other ingredients too, folks! Read the labels. The solid shampoos Lush sells are SLS-based, the same surfactant found in regular shampoos. SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) is an allergen and can cause skin irritation, especially in individuals with chronic skin hypersensitivity (yup, that’s me). I have seen many Lush products with glitter and metallic additives too, wondering if that was microplastic. I have no idea though, they might use something biodegradable after all, I never asked. If you happen to know, please let me know in the comment section below!
While I myself don’t use solid shampoo, we sometimes have these kinds of shampoo bars at home for guests. We also like to gift them to loved ones, because we know they have no interest in quitting shampoo and this is basically the same but without the plastic waste.
When we do buy solid shampoo for these reasons, we go for all-natural shampoo bars that use SLSA (Sodium Lauryl SulfoAcetate) instead of SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate). SLSA is a milder surfactant derived from coconuts.
You can wash your hair 40 to 60 times with a single bar by the way!
Hair Soap
Hair soap is a “real soap”, i.e. saponified oils. Hair soaps are bar soaps with ingredients that are especially good for scalp and hair. It’s usually a great option for people with short hair. I myself have tried hair soaps and they were okay even with my long hair. The effect was pretty comparable to shampoo in my case at least.
Please note hair soaps are alkaline, like all “real soaps”. This is part of why they are effective. Naturally, our skin has a slightly acidic PH value of 5.5, so using alkaline cleaners isn’t for everyone. Even though I have hypersensitive skin, real, all-natural soap has always worked well for me—a LOT better than conventional drug store body or hand wash. I feel my skin and scalp bounces back a lot faster with real/hair soap compared to shampoo or body wash.
If you want to give hair soap a try, do look for a local soap maker. If there isn’t any where you live and you want to order online, consider asking friends and family members so you can place a big order to reduce packaging waste and transportation emission. Tiny Yellow Bungalow (affiliate link*) is a sustainable online store run by fellow zero waster Jessie. This means you support a fellow zero wasters and you can be sure not not get any unpleasant plastic surprises. Click her to check out her hair soaps (affiliate link*).
* Affiliate link: This means if you click on this link and buy something in Jessie’s store, I get a small comission.
Aleppo Soap/ Traditional Olive Oil Soap
Aleppo Soap is said to be the first soap and has been made the very same way for thousands of years by the same few families in Aleppo, Syria. It is made by saponifying only olive and a bit of laurel oil (no palm oil). The beauty of simplicity!
With the waging war in Syria, the soap makers had to flee the country. However, even in exile they have set up shop and continued to manufacture their soap. Makes sense, seeing that it is their livelihood after all.
However, this kind of olive oil soap can be found in other Middle Eastern countries as well as Turkey and Greece. Olive oil soap has also been fabricated in Marseille, France. However, the French version usually contains palm oil.
You can find traditional olive oil soaps at Middle Eastern grocery stores, they are a common staple. However, if you have a local soap maker that makes palm-oil-free soap, you might want to consider supporting them instead.
My partner Hanno has been using Aleppo soap and soaps from our local soap makers for about three years, and he prefers them over shampoo. I also use (Aleppo) soap when traveling for convenience. While I do prefer it over shampoo, I like rye flour a lot better!
Light Rye Flour
Rye flour is a very mild hair wash. It is is packed with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and even contains Omega 3 fatty acids! It does not disrupt the natural PH balance of our hair and scalp, so if you want to make sure to not upset your scalp, rye flour is for you. It contains a lot of Vitamin B5, too. Because of its regenerating and anti-inflammatory effects, Vitamin B5 is often used in antiseptic ointments, baby care products or other products targeted to people with very sensitive skin.
I used to shampoo my hair every day or every second day. With rye flour, my hair has learned to balance itself. Now I only have to wash my hair every four to five days. Whenever I use (hair) soap, I am instantly back to washing my hair almost every day, and I immediately get dandruff too!
Do make sure to use light rye flour though! Whole rye is a pain to rinse out!
The only down side to using light rye flour is the fact that it can be very difficult to buy in bulk or even plastic-free. I was overjoyed when I finally found a grocery store in Vancouver that carried bulk light rye flour! Too bad they refused letting me use my own jar 
. But hey, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness then permission, right? 
Bentonite Clay
Bentonite clay isn’t just a great face mask, it’s also great for your scalp and hair. It removes dirt and grease reliably. However, compared to rye flour it can strip your scalp and hair off more of its natural oils, but I feel it’s less aggressive in doing so than shampoo and (hair) soaps.
Personally, rye flour is my favorite hair wash method, but I prefer bentonite clay over (hair) soap for sure. But even if bentonite clay was my favorite, I wouldn’t use it to wash my hair because it’s expensive and I’m on a budget.
Baking Soda
“No poo” is often confused with using baking soda to wash your hair. However, baking soda is only one of many no-poo methods, albeit the most well-known one.
I myself haven’t tried using baking soda because it is said to irritate the scalp and make your hair dry and brittle when used long-term. Blogger Kristen’s experience is only one of many.
Water Only
To be honest, when I first heard about using only water to wash your hair, I thought there was no way it could work. Sure, water can remove dirt, but how is it supposed to remove grease?
It was definitely Ariana who changed my mind! She is one of my favorite zero waste content creators and you gotta love her dry humor! At first glance, her blog Paris to Go (IG @paris_to_go) looks like a glossy fashion and lifestyle blog, and Ariana like a model with perfectly styled hair to die for! Her secret? Well, she has been washing her her hair with water only for more than three years!
Ariana’s hair after a year of using only water to wash her hair 
©Paris to Go
“Hair is like a delicate garment—it wears out more quickly the more you wash it and loses softness and strength.” – Ariana, Paris to Go
This made so much sense! I had been eyeing her water only progress for a very long time, reading her updates like this one year update, which also includes a troubleshooting. After two months of traveling around giving talks I am taking two months off public speaking. So this was the perfect time for me to finally give water only a try! I started four days ago, and my partner Hanno got so curious he also took the plunge (pun intended 
) the day before yesterday!
. But it seems all-natural brushes with vegan bristles work fine too. Ariana recommends a hair brush with natural vegan bristles 
for fine hair, and a wooden pin brush for thicker hair, and a fine toothed comb for curls.
