Kinky Wavy Natural Childrens Hair
  • Decrease font size
  • Reset font size to default
  • Increase font size

Search

Newsletter







Bookmark Us

No Shampoo Routine

No Shampoo Routine

The no-shampoo method is a concept explained in Lorraine Massey's book entitled Curly Girl. There is a section for black hair, but unfortunately it doesn't cater to unaltered coily hair. It touched on straw-setting, twist extensions, texturizing and "type 3" hair.

However, there are three sections in the book I found interesting which includes "towel-scrunching", the homemade hair recipes, and the "no-shampoo method" (or "no-poo" which is short for "no-shampoo") in which I will discuss this routine in detail on this page.

If you find that after shampooing, your hair is hard, tangled or take a few days to 'recover' back to normal, you'll definitely want to read this page or buy the book.

Note - I've received tons of e-mails from women (and men) of all racial backgrounds and hair types and with/without chemicals who said that this routine works for them as well.

 

Highlights

Here are some highlights from the no-shampoo section of the book:

1. Curlies should not use shampoo. There are a few mild shampoos out there, but most contain sodium laurel sulfate and/or sodium laureth sulfate. These ingredients will dry out your hair. Hair needs moisture - especially curly/coily hair. You can use a conditioner to "wash" your hair and it will get your hair clean. Her theory is that using friction from your fingertips along with water and conditioner gets the hair and scalp clean.

2. Instead of using shampoo, try using doing a "Conditioner Wash". This a gentle way to cleanse your hair and to get rid of product buildup. For better results, try using light, inexpensive conditioners such as VO5, White Rain, or Suave. As long as the conditioner it is not heavy, it should be fine to use since there are enough detergents in them to cleanse the scalp & hair. (Also you can simply rinse your hair with water).

How to do a Conditioner Wash:

  1. Thoroughly soak your hair with warm water. Work out the tangles with your fingers.
  2. Take your conditioner (don't use too much), place some in your hands and apply it to your hair and scalp (in sections if you have 'longer' hair). Let it sit for a bit then massage it in as if it were shampoo. Be sure to concentrate on your scalp. Use your fingertips, not your nails. Gently work out any knots in your hair with your fingers.
  3. Rinse very well with cool water.
  4. Some may use more conditioner and rinse that out after doing the "conditioner wash". I find that this is not necessary for my hair, but experiment and see what works for you!
  5. Lastly, style your hair. The book calls for using a clear gel...I don't like gel so I don't use it. I usually apply a leave-in to soaking wet hair, gently towel-scrunch and I'm done!

3. Try to avoid silicones. These are any ingredient ending with "cone". They weigh down and coat the hair shaft so moisture can't get in. Silicone products may look great at first (shine/softness), but they may cause a nasty buildup that's hard to get rid of without shampoo.

Here is a link that give definitions on various cones and check out this link on ingredients you should try to avoid.

4. Stay away from blowdrying. Try towel-scrunching, air-drying or wear styles that don't require heat like twists/twist-outs etc.

5. Lastly, try to accept your curls/coils & work with them instead of frying them. 'Nuff said. ;)

This is the theory: This routine *may* work since you're not drying hair out with shampoo, you're keeping hair well conditioned, removing build-up of styling products in a gentle way, and you're using products that do not weigh hair down.

 

Here's an interesting quote from the book:

"You'd never dream of washing a good sweater with detergent. Yet most shampoos contain harsh detergents (sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate) that one finds in dishwashing liquid. They're great for pots and pans because they cut grease so effectively.

You're hair on the other hand, needs to retain some natural oils, which protect your hair and scalp. Stripping them away deprives the hair of necessary moisture and amino acids and makes it look dry and dull."

The truth is that lathers don't cleanse at all - manufacturers put lathering agents into products so you'll buy into the joy-of-suds myth."

 

Clarifying Treatments

Click here to view the restrictions on the discount

You may need to clarify you hair once in a while to remove build-up. If your hair is starting to look dull or not responding to products, try using anyone of the these hair-clarifying treatments. It will help bring you hair back to life, get it clean and most importantly they are all gentle on the hair.

I always clarify before doing a deep conditioning treatment. Otherwise you will be deep conditioning over product buildup which really won't benefit the hair. These are all great alternatives to those harsh clarifying shampoos:

  • Mix about 3 parts conditioner to 1 part lemon juice. I use bottled lemon juice instead of juice from a real lemon. It's much easier and I don't have to deal with pulp and seeds.
  • Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup of warm water (use 1 tbs to 2 cups of warm water). For longer hair, use 2-3 tbs of baking soda with 32 oz of warm water. You can place the mixture in a spray bottle or just pour it over your hair. Massage it in, rinse out well and use a conditioner afterwards. (I mix it in a cup and pour it over my head over the sink and I always deep condition after using this treatment.) It makes my hair feel so clean without that dry, squeaky feeling. The mixture is liquidity - not pasty. (Note - I find this cleanse my hair the best.)
  • Mix a little baking soda with your conditioner.
  • Use a 'clarifying conditioner', such as VO5 Kiwi & Lime.
  • If you need to exfoliate your scalp or combat itchiness, try a Scalp Scrub: Mix 2 tbs conditioner with 1 tbs brown sugar. It is not harsh or abrasive as it may sound. Don't use regular sugar, it will just dissolve.

Benefits

There's quite a few women on many hair message boards with kinky hair that tried this method and had success. Some reported the following:

  • Softer hair.
  • Less dry hair
  • Cleaner scalp
  • Super moisturized hair
  • Having more curls/coils
  • No more flakes or itchy scalp
  • Less breakage and minimal shedding
  • Not having to comb-out as often (since it's softer)
  • More elasticity (which leads to less breakage)
  • Not having to use as many hair products since it's not as dry or hard as before

 

This method may not work if:

  • You use a lot of oils and/or hair grease
  • You don't like to wet your hair often (at least every few days when wearing your hair out)
  • You don't like mixing basic ingredients together
  • You use chemicals often (hair color, texturizer, relaxer etc.)
  • You use lots of products and pile them all on your hair
  • If your scalp or hair is oily
  • If you have severe dandruff
  • If you're concerned with shrinkage because your hair may *appear* to be shorter. My hair has gotten so much more coily/curly since I stopped using harsh shampoos. (Lorraine speaks about this in her book.)

 

Here is a comparison pic taken 2 months after starting this routine:
sorry it's not clear, but you can still see the difference :)

No Poo Rocks!

 

My Experience

When I stopped using shampoo, I wasn't having any specific problems with my hair. My routine at the time was working for me. However at times my hair seemed a bit dry at times or after shampooing my hair needed a few days to recover. I never thought it was from the shampoo though. I just dealt with it by piling on oils.

When I first heard about the no-shampoo method I was like 'that's gross!' After reading about it and realized the method is not about promoting dirty hair (lol), I decided to try it because of the simplicity of it. Also, the concept made sense to me. I figured...I have nothing to lose. It's free and it won't damage my hair. If l liked the results, it's just one less product I need to buy. If I didn't like the results, I can always go back to shampooing.

For those of you who are concerned with doing this method, I have no problem keeping my hair clean, it doesn't smell and it's not itchy. I go to the gym at least 4-5 times per week and I don't have problems with cleanliness. It did take me a few tries to actually go through with this. It's so engraved that bubbles = clean, which is not really true. It may take you a few tries to wean your hair from using shampoo and seeing bubbles.

I noticed changes after the first two weeks (so did my friends and family). After being on the "no-poo" routine for almost 4 years now, my hair seems to get better and better. It's much more bigger, softer and moisturized than ever before. Since I don't use any chemicals, I don't think I will ever use shampoo again, I really don't need it! In fact the conditioners I use has a little sud action going on when I massage it in my hair. Here are my experiences:

  • It has made my hair softer.
  • I am able to detangle much faster and easier.
  • I have more curls/coils than I did before.
  • I have less frizz, (I was never concerned with that though).
  • I use way less products than before.
  • I'm saving a lot of money from not buying shampoo, extra hair products and oils.
  • My hair has become much more flexible and "elastic" thus less breakage and knots on the ends.
  • It may sound crazy, but my hair is cleaner than it was when I used shampoo.

 

  1. How are conditioner washes different than rinsing your hair with conditioner? Think of a conditioner wash as your old shampoo days, except you are using conditioner instead of shampoo. When shampooing, you scrub your scalp with your fingertips and concentrate on getting your hair clean. The only difference is that you are using a light conditioner to get your hair and scalp clean. When I just rinse with conditioner I apply it in sections, let it sit, then rinse out.
  2. Are you doing a daily conditioner wash in the winter? No, not daily. How often I do conditioner washes depends on my hairstyle and the outside temperature. During the winter I rarely wear my hair out, so I could go up to a week. However, whenever it's warmer outside I always do a daily conditioner wash.
  3. Are you using your heavier conditioner on days that you do the lemon aid rinse and the lighter one of other days? Actually it’s the other way around. When I used to do the lemon/conditioner mixture, I used a regular V05 conditioner mixed with lemon juice. On non-conditioner wash days I use either Suave Humectant or Aussie Moist which are both very heavy and helps my hair to behave.
  4. When do you do the baking soda or scalp scrub? I only do the baking soda/water combination when I need to clarify my hair for a treatment (like deep conditioning). I rarely do the scalp scrub, but when I do, it is very refreshing!
  5. What products do you use on this routine? Visit my regimen page to view my detailed hair routine.
  6. Will this method cause build up? It may cause build up if the conditioner is loaded with "cones" or if you use a heavy conditioner (like deep conditioners or conditioners that are very thick in consistency). If you use a light conditioner you should be fine. If you use a lot of heavy products often (gels, pomades etc.), this method may not work for your hair. I don't get product build up because I don't use much of anything on my hair and when I do it is very little.
  7. If I coloured my hair and used lemon juice or baking soda, will that it will strip the color out? I did a little research and discovered that baking soda WILL change your hair color over time. Lemon juice works with the power of the sun. So it would depend how often you are in the sun (just guessing here). If I colored my hair, I still would not use lemon juice, I wouldn't want to take a chance in messing up the color. You can always do a 'modified no-poo routine' and only shampoo after you color and once every couple weeks or so or try an ACV mix.
  8. Are you on the "no-oil" routine as well? I guess you can say that, but not on purpose. Before (without knowing it) my hair was really dry, so I'd compensate by using oil. Now that my hair is not dry anymore (from not using shampoo), I don't need oil. :)
  9. What do you do about deep conditioning? I usually shampoo first the deep condition, but I want stop using shampoo. What do you do and how often? I usually do one or two things. Either clarify with water and baking soda first then deep condition, or go product free for a couple days, then deep condition (after rinsing really well with warm water first). I use to do a conditioner wash then deep condition. I found that doing that weakens the benefits of the deep conditioner (since the hair is already coated with conditioner). Also, it was too much conditioner for my hair and made my curls limp. Now that I stopped doing that, my hair is very happy. I clarify then deep condition once a week in the cooler months (depending on my hairstyle) and every three weeks in the warmer months. (I really don't need to deep condition this often, but it keeps my hair VERY moisturized and happy!)
  10. Is all that manipulating the hair while doing conditioner washes damaging? It's not at all damaging on my hair it's nothing but beneficial to my hair. In fact, I rarely see hair strands in my hands or in the shower unless I fingercomb or detangle. Also I focus on the scalp and when I rinse, I just rinse. You need to observe your hair to see how it reacts, you may not need to rinse or condition wash as often as I like to. Everyone's different.
  11. How does a clarifying conditioner work and how is it different from using regular conditioner? There are acidic ingredients in clarifying conditioners that cleanse the hair. It's like buying conditioner with lemon juice already in there. (It doesn't dry the hair out either).
  12. I am currently transitioning. Is it okay if I did this even though most of my hair is relaxed? Sure you can, just be careful with hair products. If you use heavy items, you may need to shampoo that out.
  13. What are some conditioners I can use for conditioner washes? Here's a list of conditioners either I have used or have received thumbs up from other naturals:
  • V05 Conditioners*
  • Pantene Pro-v Hydrating Curls*
  • Daily Defense Tender Apple*
  • Physique Deep Hydrating Conditioner
  • Suave Tropical Coconut
  • Biolage Detangling Conditioner
  • JessiCurl Aloeba Daily Conditioner
  • Redken All Soft
  • Aveda Curessence Conditioner

* Conditioners I've used or currently use for conditioner washes.

 

 

Alternatives

If you're not ready to give up the shampoo completely, here's a list of some alternative things you do or use instead of using traditional shampoo:

If you use shampoo, lookout for these ingredients in your products:

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) - very harsh
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALES)- harsh
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - harsh
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - milder, but still harsh
Sodium Myreth Sulfate, TEA Lauryl Sulfate & TEA Laureth Sulfate - decent choices
Coconut Soap, Olive Oil Soap or Cocamidopropyl Betaine - BEST CHOICE
 
Northwest Scents
ghairwrap.com
PonyPinz
curly hair guide
essentious
Beauty by Donna Marie
Vitamins For Fast Hair Growth
BeeMineProducts
hairfinity
mariposa-import.
komaza care
haircarediscounters
AfroKinks
qhemet biologics