How to Wash Your Hair Without Shampoo

Shampoos are effective hair cleansers, but can have some side effects, such as chemical buildup and damage to hair. Whether you’re out of shampoo or want to switch to a more natural lifestyle, consider washing your hair with water only. However, you should also be aware that the hair will need 2 to 16 weeks to adapt to the change.

Table of Contents

Prepare before shampooing

Start the process 8 to 12 hours before shampooing. While you can prep your hair before showering, it’s better to prep your hair 8 to 12 hours in advance. This is a way to let the oil secreted during the preparation process flow down the hair shaft and make the process easier. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you’ve just washed your hair, wait until it starts to get greasy. Washing your hair is not something you should do every day.
Make sure your hair is dry and tangle-free. If your hair is tangled, you need to use a comb to gently comb it from the ends. That way, the rest of the preparation process will become easier.

Use your fingertips to massage the scalp. Run your fingertips through your hair and touch your scalp. Gently massage your scalp with your fingertips in quick, short but rhythmic movements. Remember to massage your entire scalp. ^{[2] X Research Source}

This is a “stimulation” process that helps the natural oils below the scalp to secrete.
Make sure you only use your fingertips, not your nails.

Use your fingers to smooth thin sections of hair. Take a thin section of hair and hold the roots with your fingers. Next, stroke from the roots to the ends. Repeat this for the whole hair. This is the manipulation of oil distribution in the hair. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

It will be easier if you start from one side of the hair, then smooth the hair and work the other side. That way, you can be sure that you don’t miss any hair.
You can do this while combing your hair – comb your hair with a boar bristle comb, then run your fingers through it.
Think of these sections as big ribbons. You will take sections of hair that are relatively thin and slightly shorter than the length of your fingers.

Comb your hair with a boar bristle comb. Make sure it’s a clean and good quality comb. You will be working on small sections of hair, starting at the ends; Do not comb your hair in a straight line from the top down before untangling the ends and the middle of the hair. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

This is a way to help distribute the oil evenly throughout the hair, besides it also has a slight detangling and smoothing effect.
If you have long and very dry hair, apply some oil to the ends of your hair. Coconut oil or shea butter are great options.

Head washing

Wet your hair with warm water. Temperature is important because warm water helps open the hair cuticle. However, you should not use too hot water to avoid damaging your hair. In addition, water that is too cold is also not a suitable choice because it is difficult to remove the amount of oil on the scalp. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You should do this 8 to 24 hours after massaging your scalp, stroking and combing your hair. If your hair is tangled while waiting to wash your hair, remember to untangle your hair.
Hard water may or may not work. This is not good water for everyone. If you don’t see results when using hard water, use a water softener filter.

Part your hair to reveal your scalp. This is extremely important when you have long or thick hair. You will massage your scalp again, but this time with more water. Parting hair is a way to help the scalp absorb water.

It doesn’t matter where you part your hair from, because you’ll be doing it all over the scalp!

Massage the scalp and let the water run directly down the scalp. Place fingertips on scalp and massage gently. You should stand under the shower so that the water flows directly to the scalp. Here’s how to remove oil and dirt from your hair. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Swim your hair in the water when you have oily hair. This won’t be necessary if you have dry hair, but if your hair is often oily or you sweat a lot, brushing your hair in water is an effective solution. You just need to hold a thin section of hair between two fingers, then stroke from the roots to the ends. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Divide your hair into two sections and process each section in turn.
If your hair is very oily, you should do the brushing in the water.

Repeat the above process for the whole hair. It’s better to treat your hair systematically so as not to miss any hair. Treat a section of hair first, then work on the rest. Finally, finish the hair at the back of the head.

Concentrate on treating the hairline and areas that often pour a lot of oil.

Rinse hair with cold water. If this makes you uncomfortable, you should not stand in the shower; Instead, step aside and lower your head so that the water runs down your hair. This way, you will feel more comfortable. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Dry your hair

Use a t-shirt or microfiber towel to dry your hair. Do not scrub your hair vigorously or use a towel as this can cause tangles. You just need to use a T-shirt or microfiber towel to absorb the water on your hair. ^{[9] X Research Source}

You don’t need to completely dry your hair right now.

Comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb, and then apply some oil, if needed. When combing your hair, you should brush from the ends first. After untangling the ends and the middle of your hair, you can comb your hair from the roots. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If your hair is tangled, apply 1-2 drops of the oil to the ends and middle of your hair. This is how to smooth the hair and reduce tangles.
Do not use a regular comb. Wet hair is very weak, so it is easily damaged when combed with a regular comb.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/68/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-13-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash- Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-13-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/68/Wash-Your-Hair-Without- Shampoo-Step-13-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-13-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:259,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:410,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Let hair dry naturally, if possible. You can use a T-shirt or microfiber towel to absorb the water from your hair, but don’t rub it vigorously. Many people find their hair often dries faster if they just wash it with water.

When your hair is dry, you can style it however you like. However, it is best to avoid using too many styling products so that your hair does not accumulate chemicals.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/f8/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-14-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash- Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-14-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/f/f8/Wash-Your-Hair-Without- Shampoo-Step-14-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-14-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:259,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:410,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Wash your hair every 3-7 days. Again, you shouldn’t wash your hair every day. The reason is simple: the more often you wash your hair, the more oil it produces. Conversely, if you reduce the number of shampoos, the scalp will produce less oil, which means less dirty hair. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Wait 2-16 weeks for your hair to acclimate to this method.

Try another method

Use a baking soda mixture to gently clean your hair. Stir 1-2 teaspoons (15-25g) of baking soda into 1 cup (240ml) of warm water. Pour the mixture on your hair and massage your scalp. Wait 3-5 minutes, then rinse your hair. Next, use conditioner or apple cider vinegar to rinse your hair again.

For a deep cleaning effect, you can try using 1 part baking soda and 1 part water. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Mix water and apple cider vinegar for a gentler hair cleanser. Exact proportions will vary, but many people recommend 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup (240ml) of water. Once your hair has adapted to the mixture, you can use 1 part apple cider vinegar and 1 part water. You just need to pour the mixture on your hair, massage your scalp and rinse your hair. ^{[13] X Research Source}

While this mixture is gentle on the hair, it is not gentle on the eyes. You should be careful not to get the mixture into your eyes!
Don’t worry, the smell of the mixture will disappear when the hair is dry. You can use this mixture alone, or use it right after using the baking soda.
This blend effectively tackles dandruff, oily hair, dry hair and chemical build-up. In addition, your hair will become shiny when you use the mixture with hard water.
For best results, you should use pure apple cider vinegar with residue at the bottom of the bottle.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/e/e0/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-17-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash- Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-17-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/e/e0/Wash-Your-Hair-Without- Shampoo-Step-17-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-17-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:259,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:410,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Replace apple cider vinegar with diluted lemon juice. While neither product is effective at softening or polishing hair, it can help remove oil. Simply squeeze a lemon into a cup (240ml) of warm water, then pour the mixture over your hair. The rest is to massage the scalp and rinse the hair.

You can also use lemon juice to lighten your hair color naturally.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/7e/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-18-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash- Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-18-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/7e/Wash-Your-Hair-Without- Shampoo-Step-18-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo-Step-18-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:259,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:410,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Wash your hair with conditioner if you have dry, curly, natural, or wavy hair. The operation of shampooing with conditioner is the same as when washing your hair normally, only the difference is that you use conditioner instead of shampoo. Although you usually use conditioner on the ends of your hair, when you do this, you will be massaging the conditioner on your scalp. After rinsing your hair, you don’t need to use more conditioner. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Shampooing with conditioner is not suitable for oily hair, because conditioner does not have enough detergent to remove the oil.
You will have to massage your scalp longer than usual to have clean hair.

Advice

Stimulating the scalp with your fingertips or combing your hair with a boar bristle comb for 5-10 minutes a day. This is how to make the oil hidden under the scalp evenly adhere to the whole hair.
If you must use the product to clean your hair, consider using a conditioner. You will wash your hair as usual, but use conditioner instead of shampoo.
You can try washing your hair with natural ingredients like apple cider vinegar.

Things you need

Wild boar hair comb
Hair oil (optional)

Try another method

Baking soda
Apple Cider Vinegar
Lemonade
Water
Conditioner

Steps

Prepare before shampooing

Head washing

Dry your hair

Try another method

Advice

Things you need

Try another method

Related Posts