At the end of this year I will have been in essence doing “water only hair washing” for two years. Actually it has never ever been water only. I’ve used natural cleansers, herbal hair rinses, deep conditioning treatments, and leave-ins that I’ve made from all natural ingredients pretty much the entire time, just not as often. It makes me wonder why I (as well as others) even call this hair care method water only!
As many of you know I have been using herbal and DIY hair care for years now. There are simple recipes throughout this entire website. When I started to experiment with water only hair washing, I literally thought I would be free of DIY herbal hair care forever more. Water only hair washing actually isn’t much different than herbal hair care outside of how much and how often of DIY hair care to use.
The main difference with water only hair washing compared to herbal hair care is a month or more of retraining your scalp to either produce more sebum if your hair is dry, or decrease the amount of sebum your scalp produces if your hair is oily, and using less products overall.
After that initial month’s time, I used herbal/vinegar rinses, herbal cleansers, Ayurvedic treatments such as henna, clay washes, oils/butters, natural hair gels, and other simple DIY concoctions, yet in moderation. I do believe that retraining your hair and scalp to balance can also be just as effective while using herbal hair rinses instead of just water. Yet by sticking to just water initially, you learn a lot about your hair as well as free yourself from all of stigmas we have around different hair care methods.
Those doing water only fear using certain DIY hair care products because they may strip their hair of sebum as if our scalp will never produce more. There tends to be a lot of anxiety around this. I had this same anxiety, yet I realized that many of my DIY hair care recipes don’t remove much sebum at all in the way commercial shampoos and conditioners can.
Water only hair washing is one of the best ways to create balance with scalp oil production for all hair types.
If you have excessively dry hair, water only hair washing will train your scalp to produce more of these natural oils. With a dry scalp, rinsing daily is how you encourage more sebum production. Daily scalp massages also help to increase sebum production. Daily preening helps to moves these oils down the strands of your hair. Do you have to rinse daily forever? No. It just depends upon your styling methods, how much sebum your scalp produces, lifestyle, and personal preferences.
Daily rinses initially help to retrain your scalp to produce more natural oils if you have a dry scalp.
If you have an oily scalp, stretching out your washes in general as well as incorporating water only rinses will encourage your scalp to stop overproducing these natural oils. The transition takes time and patience. If you are starting from using commercial shampoos and conditioners, your experience will be very different than someone who had been on a no ‘poo hair journey for sometime.
I personally transitioned to simple hair care methods over time. Just like many curly girls, I used conditioner only for awhile before deciding I wanted to use stick with only 100% natural hair care without any lab created ingredients. Most “organic” hair care on the market is not 100% natural. These “natural” products are filled with lab created ingredients and sometimes even toxic chemicals.
Later experimenting with herbal hair care and water rinses helped me to maximize the health of my hair while realizing that my hair didn’t need as many products that I initially believed that it did.
After a year and nine plus months of doing predominately water only, I have a new awareness with how to care for my hair that wasn’t there before. I’ve also learned that my dry scalp produces a lot of natural oils just like other hair types that help to condition my hair. Now I am at a place where I feel comfortable returning to DIY Herbal Hair Care full time. There are too many amazing herbs that promote healthy hair that I want to use again. Since I’ve experimented so much already, I do plan to keep my new regimen streamlined and extremely simple.
What has been your experience with simple DIY hair care or water only hair washing?
(Image by Dawn Michelle)
Elizabeth says
First I have to say that I really enjoy your blog. You’ve inspired me to pursue a minimalistic lifestyle. I’m an oily, straight hair girl and am still trying to figure out what works best. Currently, I’m washing my hair with a clay & vinegar mixture twice a week and using aloe vera juice (love!) as a conditioner. I shower everyday, so on non-wash hair days I only wet my hair with water then use arrowroot powder to soak up any extra oil after I dry it. I’ve experimented with banana, coconut milk, and slippery elm bark for conditioning, but so far aloe vera juice makes my hair the softest without being too heavy.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for the compliment! I love using clay as a hair wash and it’s good to know that you’ve discovered aloe vera to be your best hair conditioner. Keeping it simple really helps you to learn more about your hair versus relying on commercial products. Best wishes with everything that you are doing!
Lisa says
Its so strange that I would find this blog on the day you decided to update your water only washing journey! You write so well, and your posts are super helpful to me on my own water washing journey. I’ve been water only washing for about a month now. I made the mistake, about half way through, of washing with a shampoo I thought was natural, but it turned out to be very drying. I am now having to go through the oil distribution process again. I’ve been using coconut oil to help with it, but I try not to because it usually leaves my hair very oily. All throughout the process though, My curl definition was never that great though? are there any natural products/oils that you can recommend? I love the way my hair feels, but not how frizzy and fuzzy it always looks.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lisa,
Once my hair reached full coverage of my natural oils, my curls clumped easily and had amazing definition on their own as long as I finger detangled my hair. It took about 3-4 weeks of daily rinsing before I was able to reach full coverage. I also usually added a tiny bit of oil for shine. Now I use flaxseed gel. This gel never removed my natural oils, yet my scalp produces a lot of sebum. Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m glad you found my blog. I hope that this is helpful to you!
Annie frost says
It’s been almost one year since I dropped all commercial hair products! I realized even after trying so called “organic” hair products my hair continued to be unmanageable and didn’t feel as great as I thought hair should. Since my transition, I have learned that the regulations for beauty products (maybe just in the U.S.?) are quite loose so like you said Dawn Michelle, organic beauty isn’t always natural beauty.
Even though I’m still learning to tame my curls in natural ways, it has been a surprisingly easy transition. I am finding herbal hair rinses that work best for my hair type and also henna treatments. It’s all been positive thus far. I’m now trying to convince my husband to follow suit. Maybe not so much the henna, but we will see how it goes 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experiences! They have helped me in so many ways!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Annie Frost,
I have also noticed that Europe and Japan are much better at regulating the ingredients in cosmetics than the US. It’s great to hear that your transition to natural hair care has been very smooth for you. Henna and herbal rinses are definitely winners! Wishing you the very best and thanks for your comment!
Gertie says
I have this problem with shampoos because every time I use one that isn’t a herbal product my hair is greasy the next day. But using herbal products is great, I have no complaints. My hair is naturally curly and I hate it when it flattens out! I tried using this coconut based conditioner and that’s all I used for a week. It worked wonders!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Gertie,
I’ve also had great experiences using herbal hair cleansers. I’ve never liked shampoo. I’m at a place where using an herbal cleanser and a moisturizing DIY gel is enough. I’m glad you’ve found a simple hair care regimen too!
Ayesha says
Hi Dawn,
I’ve WO hair washing for about 8 months now and still love how soft it makes my hair. However, I’ve been experiencing significant hair breakage and I’m starting to get concerned. I don’t brush, I only my fingers as detangle. I rinse every day. I do an apple cider vinegar wash every two weeks or so. I’ve tried fenugreek and the henna/coconut mix. Any suggestions as to what to try next?
Much appreciated,
Ayesha
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Ayesha,
Scritching, scalp massages, and preening the oils down the strands and especially to the ends of the hair helps a lot. Clay washes are clarify and help more moisture to penetrate the strands if you have too much sebum on your strands. You may have to rinse daily for a few days following to build up a nice layer if that is your preference.
Also see how your hair responds to rinsing every other day in general or every two days. Also do you use any type of leave-in? I have had great benefits with flaxseed gel, yet this gel has had mixed reviews when doing WO. Also don’t discount using a few drops of oil on the ends of your hair to keep them moisturized. Lastly if you live in a colder climate you may need to protect you ends with protective styling if needed. I hope this helps some.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Ayesha,
Scritching, scalp massages, and preening the oils down the strands and especially to the ends of the hair helps a lot. Clay washes are clarify and help more moisture to penetrate the strands if you have too much sebum on your strands. You may have to rinse daily for a few days following to build up a nice layer if that is your preference.
Also see how your hair responds to rinsing every other day in general or every two days. Also do you use any type of leave-in? I have had great benefits with flaxseed gel, yet this gel has had mixed reviews when doing WO. Also don’t discount using a few drops of oil on the ends of your hair to keep them moisturized. Lastly if you live in a colder climate you may need to protect you ends with protective styling if needed. I hope this helps some.
Sandy says
I agree that simplicity is the key. I’ve experimented with the water only method and it worked well once the sebum balanced out.
But, I enjoy using herbs for satisfying the senses. I also heard that some people use water only methods for body cleansing. They swear their skin, overtime, remains moist without the use of additional oils or moisturizers.
However, I’m still hesitant to use Water Only for bathing for the same reason: Herbs are relatively cheap for the pleasure they bring to the body, mind and soul via the olfactory sense.
But, it’s nice to know that water only does work.
Enjoying your new fall blog posts.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sandy,
I also enjoy how herbs satisfy the senses, yet I adore them for their healing benefits as well. Thanks for sharing this and it is always great to hear about another enjoying simple beauty. <3
Elena says
I have straight hair and has been alway using regular shampoo and conditioner, every other day. Today wa the first day I tried using baking soda only and the result turned out to be the same as if I washed with shampoo/conditioner. I expected my hair to be left greasy after baking soda, but my hair looks nice and clean. Is baking soda ok for your hair? Do I need to use anything in addition to that? I didn’t blow dry my hair today, so I do t bead any heat protection.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Elena,
You can find a bunch of natural alternatives to shampoo here. I’m personally not a fan of baking soda for hair care which I explain here. I hope that this info is helpful to you. Best wishes!
Nekea Bryant says
I did this with my fro for years before locking. Nothing but water and a little aloe afterwards. My texture is like pen springs. Now w locs for almost 9 years, i wash every 2 weeks, spritz with a tea tree and lavender eo mixture after working out (on my scalp) and moisturize w a light water based moisturizer every 3 days or so. Locs work so well w simplifying my hair life altogether. Im a writer and abstract painter so i dont anticipate getting rid of them lol. Anyway i said all of this to support your point, keep the scalp free of proucts and the sebum will adjust.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Nekea Bryant,
Thanks so much for sharing this! I don’t use half as much of the products that I used to now even having gone back to DIY herbal hair care full time. It is allowing your hair and scalp to adjust that makes it all worth it now. Have a beautiful day!
Nicole says
Awesome blog! I’ve been experimenting with the water only method for almost 2 months. I see a difference in my curl pattern, but haven’t noticed much of a change with moisture retention. I’m a natural redhead and my stylist is beginning to believe that dry hair comes with my natural color. I just began experimenting with washing my hair with oat water. Have you tried oat water yet? I learned about it from a study that Natural Haven did on different cleansers (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2015/05/hair-science-how-well-do-mild-cleansers.html?m=1). I like the results and my hair seems softer and shinier. I was also considering experimenting with a natural shampoo bar made with soap nuts (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/products/details/for-the-hair/shampoo-bars/ayurvedic-herb-shampoo-bar), but I heard that soap nuts may be too drying for my already dry hair. Now I just need to figure out a DIY deep conditioner that my hair likes or I’ll have to go back to my fav SheaMoisture masque.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Nicole,
I have tried oat water or I refer to it as using colloidal oatmeal for hair. I have literally tried so many different hair care methods over the years. Much of it is documented on this site. I am actually back to just using herbs and making my own natural hair gel/moisturizer.
I love steeping whole soapnuts/aritha to make a shampoo which is a completely different experience than using aritha powder as a cleansing hair mask. The hair mask was always drying to my hair but steeping the whole herb works exceptionally well for me. You can find some great DIY conditioner ideas here too if you are interested! I have found that what you wash your hair with really sets the tone for conditioning and styling.
Best wishes!
Alisha says
First of all I really enjoy your blog. You inspired me to keep things simple especially my hair cair routine. Since September after using a henna treatment (with Picrament sodium) I can´t handyle my hair anymore. I tried many different products (natural and industry) but I can´t hold moisture in the strands. My hair always feel brittle, dry like straw. I have 3c-4a hair, low porosity and my hair is very protein sensitive, so it doesn´t like any kinds of proteins and also no aloe vera, nothing with coconut or jojoba, no wheat etc. no oils because only grape seed oil works out a bit for me. At the moment I only use water for my hair care regime and now and than a bit of grape seed oil but that doesn´t keep my hair moistured.
So would be happy to get some recommendations for my natural hair care regime.
Thanks in advance
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Alisha,
I’m a bit confused about what picrament sodium is, but I do understand how frustrating dry hair can be. Having low porosity hair isn’t a bad thing though. I also have low porosity hair and my major source of moisture comes from water + humectants and plant based gels like flaxseed gel. I no longer use heavy butters in my hair.
There are many forms of humectants such as agave, glycerin, and honey, as well as other ingredients. Each one of those natural humectants are very inexpensive and worth trying out for yourself to see if your hair likes it despite the stigma especially with glycerin in the winter. Add a small amount to water and use as a moisturizing spray similar to this recipe obviously minus the aloe for you. Modify as needed. Also adding a humectant to flaxseed gel is another great option.
Also it is important to remove all product build up and use very small amounts of products and light oils. After almost two years of water only, I am very clear that my hair does not need heavy leave-in products or even shea butter which can coat the hair and prevent water entering if not removed properly. I think I will write more on this for my next article.
Hope this helps some!
Alisha says
hey,
my hair is very sensisitive to any kinds of proteins. it doesn´t like aloe vera, wheat protein, coconut oil or henna treatments or other proteins.
does someone have any recommandations for natural products?
please help me!
thanks in advance.
Alisha
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Alisha,
You should definitely take a look at the chemical-free hair care series where I shared a ton of natural hair care and DIY options. It consists of four articles which include herbal hair cleansers, deep conditioners, leave-in, as well as building a regimen. I hope that it is helpful to you! Best wishes!
joann williams says
can you use clay to wash Henna out instead of conditioner???
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Joann Williams,
I’ve personally never used clays following a henna treatment and instead would use a DIY deep conditioning treatment such coconut milk. If you add conditioning ingredients to your clay it could be effective yet I can’t say for sure.
Lisa Hanna says
Hi Dawn,
I truly love your blog. I check it weekly now for tips on how to work towards a minimalist lifestyle. I have to admit I found it bacause of your water only washing, but have since also moved away from it. I’m trying to move to herbal haircare, but can’t find something I can use to add moisture to my hair on a daily basis. I use Flaxseed gel after i cleanse my hair, but what do you use in between washes (although that may only be a day or two)?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lisa Hanna,
I have been adding small amounts of oil to my hair daily at night to keep my hair flexible. I’ve actually been also using small amounts of shea butter again. I’ve decided to wear my hair up while I’m at it too since shea butter can sometimes break me out especially wearing bangs and hair down all around my face. Shea butter is amazing for my hair though and I’m trying to find a way to keep it in my life even if I have to live that bun life in the meantime. If your hair likes shea butter definitely give it a try. Hope this helps!
Michelle says
Hi Dawn Miclelle,
I found your site a few weeks ago and really enjoy your posts.
I gave up all products, including shampoo and conditioner just over two months ago. It is absolutely the best thing I have ever done for my hair which is a mix of type 3 and 4. I thought I would be faced with unruly knotted hair and it’s been the opposite. My routine includes a shampoo made with raw honey, aloe gel from the leaf, and 2 drops of peppermint oil. My conditioner and leave in is organic avocado oil.
So far I have very little shedding and no breakage so have not deep conditioned. Is it necessary to deep condition if your hair is not dry or breaking? What are your thoughts?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Michelle,
You new regimen sounds like heaven for hair! If you don’t feel you need to deep condition then you can got longer without it. Usually breakage comes from rough handling and dehydrated hair. Your regimen in terms of products only moisturizes hair, so if you are handling your hair with care you should be fine. Just pay attention to when you need to protective style and when you may need to deep condition down the line. It’s all about listening to your hair!
Stacey says
Hi Dawn! I first want to say that you inspired my Rhassoul Clay & ACV hair cleansing routine, which I am very grateful for. I find your blog to be an amazing source of simplistic personal care and I sincerely hope you’ll continue to share your insight for as long as you are able and willing 🙂
I’m currently transitioning to water only washing right now (you inspired this as well!) and I would greatly appreciate some advice. I have extremely dry, big, wavy/curly hair and am used to going 3-4 days at least between washes. I read on one of your posts that you recommend washing your hair every day while transitioning to WOW, but that seems to have dried my ends out quite badly.
My instinct is to wait as long as possible between washes to really coat my ends in the sebum—what are your thoughts? Thank you in advance!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Stacey,
It helps to rinse your hair daily to increase sebum production and move it down the strands of your hair faster. Use large twists to make this easier. Also putting shea butter or oil on the ends of your hair after the rinse helps with dry ends. It takes time as you are training your scalp to produce more sebum during the first month of transitioning. After the first month you will notice the difference and can modify as needed.
Stacey says
Thank you for your quick & helpful response. I appreciate it 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
You are so welcome Stacey!
Stacey says
I have one more quick question. I have a hair steamer and am wondering if you have any recommendations for incorporating hair steam sessions into a WOW routine. Thanks so much in advance 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Stacey,
I don’t have a hair steamer so I can’t really say too much about them. I have heard great things about them though.
Stacey says
Hi Dawn! Thanks again for all of your help. I was wondering how you can tell when you no longer need to water-wash your hair daily.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Stacey,
You are so welcome! I honestly think that rinsing daily is a preference as well necessary the first month or so. It also depends greatly upon how your hair and scalp is behaving. For a while I was rinsing everyday, then every three days because my scalp would feel itchy otherwise. Now I’ve added a pure olive oil soap 2X a month to my current curly hair regimen and I am again rinsing daily as it works for me. It honestly is trial and error and learning what your hair responds best to. I hope this helps some!
Kara says
Hello! I’ve been water-only washing for about 4-5 weeks now, and would love your insight on washing with water infused with herbs or essential oils—rosemary, lavender, or tea tree for example. Does that have any impact on sebum production? Is that still considered water-only washing? Thanks so much in advance 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kara,
Using herbs and essential oils add more benefits to the hair. I wouldn’t worry about if it is considered water only. When I tried extreme measures it was limiting and created issues. Do what works for you. My current zero waste hair regimen uses water rinses along with other methods/products to create a consistent regimen for me. I hope this helps!
Kara says
Is it normal to experience an itchy, flaky scalp during the first 2 months of water only? Is that part of the transition? It’s a total pain and kind of discouraging. I’d love to avoid using anything but water & herbs, so not sure if you have any advice that aligns with that. Thank you so much 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kara,
Focus on eating a whole foods diet with lots of raw fruits and veggies. Our skin and scalp show imbalances within our bodies usually from stress and diet. You are really able to see these imbalances on water only hair washing.
Last spring when I was detoxing, my scalp produced excessive thick sebum as part of my body’s healing process. It made it very difficult to do water only. You can’t hide behind products on this regimen. You body is most likely signaling an area that needs healing from the inside out.
To ease the fluctuations our body sometimes goes through, I’ve incorporated bi-weekly hair washes followed by an ACV rinse. My regimen details are in this article. Over time you will find what works for you. Don’t give up and keep us posted on how things turn out.
Kara says
To clarify, I’ve dealt with itchy, flaky scalp for years, but, in the past, I could usually go 3 or 4 days without issue. Now I’m experiencing it on day 2—frustrating!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kara,
In this case your scalp is detoxing from products and possible body imbalances. You may want to do a bentonite clay/ACV treatment and also do consistent ACV rinses 1-3 times a week. I hope this helps with the transition.
Kara says
To clarify, I’ve dealt with itchy, flaky scalp for years. But, in the past, I could usually go 3 or 4 days without washing before my scalp would get itchy/flaky. Now I’m experiencing it on day 2 of water only washing. Frustrating!
Kara says
Thank you so much for your help! xoxo
Dawn Michelle says
You are so welcome Kara!
Nicole says
Hi dawn!
Your blog seems to be one of the go to stops for all thinks WOW.
I love the idea behind this. I completely agree with the theory behind this method and desperately want to be one of the success stories. So after reading your blog and some other websites I decided to give it a go.
My problem is that I’m nearing the end of week two and I’m producing very little sebum. I understand that full sebum coverage takes a while but a) I don’t have that much hair (like 6-7 inches) so I don’t see why it should take that long. Although my hair is very kinky/curly so maybe thats why… and b) I’d be less worried about the full covereage if I was 100% confident that I was producing any sebum at all. When I dry rub my scalp I only get a tiny little sheen on my fingers – not enough to run through my hair. Still haven’t gotten that waxy feeling when wet 🙁
So basically, is it possible for someone to have like, a sebum deficincy (as silly as that might sound)?. All my efforts at research always bring up people with an over production of sebum and not the other way around.
Whatever advice you might have will be greatly appreciated.
p.s. I’ve been washing every day.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Nicole,
This method takes time to transition into. It takes up to a full month to reach full coverage even when rinsing daily because your scalp is adjusting to finally being able to produce sebum properly after so many years of being clogged with products or being dried out with stripping cleansers.
Use an oil or butter on the ends of your hair, keep you hair styled in twists with the ends tucked away, and finish the initial first month of this transition.
Patience and consistency is key. Everyone will produce a different amount of sebum for sure. Also focusing on eating a whole foods diet while eliminating processed foods will improve the quality of sebum your scalp produces. I hope this helps!
Gwyn Tezeno says
I am so happy to have found your site. I am almost 3 months into water only. I am having graying which im understanding may be due to my water quality or lack there of after reading your site. I plan to due a lemon rinse. I hope that helps. If not im sure i can get some help from your site!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Gwyn Tezeno,
When the hair has excessive sebum buildup you will notice greying. Usually it’s a sign for a good cleansing treatment. Bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar is a good option or even using a shampoo bar followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse. Yes both treatments will remove probably more of your natural oils than you want, but every once and awhile it is necessary.
The oils will build back up again because your scalp is now accustomed to producing them. Having a shower filter helps too if you have hard water in your area. I hope this helps!
Celine Dupre says
Hi,
Wow your website is like the Ali baba cave of natural hair beauty 🙂
I have a question if you can help me understand what i should do, so i stopped using any kind of shampoo 2 years ago, my hair were like straw and they actually haven’t really changed aspect.
I did come back to clean my hair with chemical free conditionner to try to give some softness but my hair will be amazing until they dry completely and then they will be straw like.
I don’t blow dry my hair, I tried to put some oil in like coconut, argan but nothing is helping. Even when I put a little bit they look oily.
The only time my hair look amazing is when i go for a surf, I have finally my hair back with beautiful define curla and so soft. It can last a couple of days and then when I water wash it’s all straw texture again.
I use rain water, we have a water tank so it’s not a problem with the water.
Do you have any suggestion?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Celine,
Thanks for the compliment! It is possible you are experiencing build up on your hair. I would use a bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar mask to remove the build up. When moisture can not penetrate the hair there is usually a coating of some sort on the hair strands. I shared more on this here. Let me know if this works for you.