I could interview 100 no poo-ers and there is a good chance that not a single one of them follow the same routine. Everyone has different hair types and wants different results. Here is my current routine (I have low porosity hair):

About once a month, I wash with baking soda and condition with apple cider vinegar.
In between the baking soda wash, I will wash using another method about once a week. My preferred method is rye flour. But I occasionally use bentonite clay, egg, or kefir.
I use a dry shampoo in between washes (see my recipe here) as needed, usually about twice a week.
About once a month, I do a deep conditioning mask, usually coconut oil.
I use argan oil with essential oils as a hair serum once or twice in between washings (see my recipe here).
In general, I do not wet my hair unless I am washing it.
I scritch and preen with a boar bristle brush 2-3 times a week.

You can follow along with exactly what I am doing here in my no poo diary.

There are a lot of different options below. This is not even close to an all inclusive list. These are some of the more widely used options. Other washes I have heard of include beer, flaxseed, honey, and cucumber. That’s just a few of what I remember. There are lots of different natural products that wash, nourish, and condition hair. Experiment & have fun!

For More Info

For more info, be sure to check out my ebook, The No Poo Method.

Baking Soda & Apple Cider Vinegar

This is by far the most popular no poo method and combination. This is how I started no poo (you can read all about that here).

Baking Soda: Use a good quality, natural baking soda (find out what to look for in your baking soda here and buy it here)
Apple Cider Vinegar: A raw, unfiltered vinegar with the mother is best (read more about that here and buy it here)

How much of each you use will vary from person to person. The baking soda is what cleans your hair and the apple cider vinegar is what conditions your hair. If your hair is dry, increase the amount of vinegar. If your hair is oily, increase the amount of baking soda.

Paste method, baking soda: I keep a small plastic container of baking soda in my shower. When I first started the no poo method, I would put about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon in my palm and then massage that into my scalp. For the 1st 6 months, I did that about every 4 days. Then for the next 6 months, I did that about once a week. Now, I use about 1 teaspoon of baking soda about once a month (I do other washes in between my baking soda washes).
Spray method, baking soda: This method is more popular. Mix about 1 tablespoon of baking soda in about 1 cup of water. Store in a spray or squirt bottle (non-plastic is best). This amount is 1-3 applications (depending on your hair).

For either method, be sure to focus the application of the baking soda to your scalp, not the shaft of your hair. Rinse completely.

Follow the baking soda wash with an apple cider vinegar rinse.

Mix vinegar with water and store in a spray bottle. I use a ratio of about 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. You can adjust to your needs. Some people use as little as 1 tablespoon of vinegar per cup of water.. But more than a 50/50 ratio is not recommended.
Spray generously on your hair focusing on the ends, let sit for a minute or two, rinse. The vinegar smell is gone before your hair dries. If you are worried about the vinegar smell, see the FAQ page for tips.

Too much baking soda will damage your hair. If your hair becomes dry or damaged from using this method, then you are using too much baking soda, too often. I currently use about 1 teaspoon once a month. It’s also very important that you use an acidic rinse after washing with baking soda to balance the pH levels of your scalp.

Egg Wash

If you are new to no poo, you are going to see quite a few “odd” cleansers in this list and egg is the first one. Yep, egg washes your hair. And it also conditions and strengthens it. I do an egg wash about once every month or 2. It makes my thin hair so much thicker. Eggs have a lot of protein and that protein adds volume to your hair. The most important thing to remember when doing an egg wash is to use cool water from start to finish. Warm / hot water will cook the egg and you will have scrambled eggs in your hair that seems impossible to get out.

It is also important not to do egg washes too often. If your hair becomes stiff from an egg wash, that’s an indicator that your hair has overdosed on protein. Some hair types do not respond well to any additional protein (like low porosity hair). Most people can do a couple egg washes a month without any problems. If you do overdose on protein, deep condition your hair.

Beat an egg and apply to wet hair (be sure to use cool water; apply from the scalp to the ends of your hair). You can add about a tablespoon of water and/or honey to the egg if desired.
Leave in for 5-15 minutes.
Rinse completely with cool water.

A conditioning or acidic rinse afterwards is optional. I sometimes use an apple cider vinegar rinse.

Rye Flour Wash

This is one of my favorites! A rye flour wash leaves my hair very shiny and smooth. Rye flour has lots of vitamins, minerals, & nutrients and most hair types respond well to it. You can use any kind of rye flour (dark, light, etc) but the more finely it is ground, the better. I use this one.

Mix 2-4 tablespoons of rye flour with 2-4 tablespoon water, stir until it is lump free
I add about 3 drops of essential oils (optional, rosemary is my favorite)
Massage into your hair and scalp (I wet my hair first)
Leave for 5-15 minutes
Rinse completely

It does feel a little slippery, waxy, and slimy as you apply it. But don’t worry, your hair will not be any of those things. If you are unable to rinse the flour out of your hair, try diluting it with more water or using a finer ground flour. Rinsing your hair very well is important. Make sure your hair is tangle free before you wash. Tangles will trap the flour and make it hard to remove. Some people sift the flour before using to make. If you have thick or easily tangled hair, it may be more difficult for you to rinse it out. It can be done, just might take some more effort. The flour does have to come out by rinsing before it dries. I thought I would be able to brush it out after my hair dried. That is not the case at all.

A conditioning or acidic rinse afterwards is optional. I do not use any rinse.

Note: Rye flour is NOT gluten free.

Water Only

Although I will do a water only rinse in between washes occasionally, I have never gone full water only. But I have chatted with many ladies who love it. Most of them transitioned to no poo using the baking soda / apple cider vinegar method and then converted to water only.

Water only is exactly how it sounds. You rinse your hair with water only and don’t use any hair products. Most people who use the water only method scritch and preen with a boar bristle brush.

Run warm water over your hair in the shower. Hot water can damage your hair.
Scritch and preen (info in the next section) your hair with your fingers while the water is running over your hair.
Be gentle with your hair while it is wet. Don’t brush it, scrunch it, scrub it with your towel, etc. Pat it dry and lightly detangle with your fingers if needed.
Let it air dry. Do not use a terry cloth towel to dry. Use fabrics made from natural materials like cotton or silk. An old cotton t-shirt is the most popular option.

You can wash with water as often as you like. Many water only people scritch & preen nightly and do a water wash weekly. Some only scritch & preen prior to washing. And some only wash twice a month. Like all of these methods, it all depends on personal preference and your hair.

Note: Water only does not work well with hard water (see more in the FAQ page).

Boar Bristle Brush and Scritch & Preen

Boar bristle brushes (BBB) range from inexpensive to super expensive. With this brush, you “scritch and preen.” The BBB is used to distribute your natural sebum oils.

Detangle your hair with a comb or your fingers
Scritch your hair. Scritch is massaging your scalp with your fingers. This takes 5-10 minutes. Massage your entire scalp with your fingertips. This encourages oil / sebum production.
Preen your hair. Use your BBB to “pull” the oils down your hair. Section your hair into small sections and brush all the way from the roots to the ends. This distributes the oils down the length of your hair and moisturizes. This process takes 10-20 minutes depending on how much hair you have.

I do the scritch and preen process a couple times a week. Some people do it daily. Some people do it only on days they wash their hair (either water only or with products). It’s important to wash your brush regularly to remove the oils. Soap and hot water works.

Clay Wash

There are several types of clay you can use to wash your hair:

Bentonite clay is volcanic ash. When it is mixed with a liquid, it swells and forms a sponge. This sponge has a natural negative electric charge that attracts excess metals, hydrogen, toxins, and impurities, pulling them out of your hair & scalp. It replaces the toxins with naturally occurring minerals in the clay. I first tried using bentonite before I started no poo. I did not like the bentonite clay then at all. Bentonite is a powerful detox. So before I started no poo, the clay would detox my hair, leaving it feeling dirty and dry (which was a good thing for my hair in the long run, just difficult to manage during the detox phase). But now that my hair is fully detoxed, the clay leaves my hair very soft, clean, and manageable. Bentonite is best for oily hair.
Rhassoul clay is mined in Morocco. It contains a lot of minerals (including magnesium, iron, and potassium) and silica that are good for hair. It improves elasticity, moisturizes, exfoliates, and detoxes. Moroccan women have used it for beauty care for centuries with earliest know use during the 8th century. Rhassoul clay is best for dry and/or curly hair.
Kaolin clay is the most gentle clay and good if you have a sensitive scalp. This is a good clay to use if you have not transitioned to no poo. As I mentioned, when I used bentonite clay before I transitioned to no poo, it was too strong of a detox. However, if you are in the middle of transitioning, you can use bentonite clay to help speed up the detox process. Kaolin clay stimulates circulation, gently exfoliates, and cleanses. Kaolin clay is best for dry and/or curly hair.

To use:

Mix about 2 tablespoons (more or less depending on how much hair you have) clay with an equal amount of water, aloe vera, or apple cider vinegar.
Massage into your hair, from scalp down the entire length of your hair.
Let sit for 5-15 minutes. The more frequently you wash your hair, the less you will want this to sit.
Rinse.
It’s important to do an acidic rinse afterwards to balance pH levels. Apple cider vinegar is most popular.

You can use this mask as an occasional deep cleanser and detox. You can use the same method on your face for a face mask (I love bentonite clay face masks).

Soap Nuts

Soap nuts are a berry that grow on a tree and they contain, of course, soap. This natural soap can be used to clean just about anything from laundry to glass to skin to hair. You can make an all purpose cleaning spray or a dish detergent with them It’s very soothing for your skin and great for skin issues such as periphrasis and eczema. And of course, use them to wash your hair.

First, make liquid soap:

In a saucepan, boil about 6 cups of water with about 10 soap nuts.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Let cool.
Remove the soap nuts. Let them dry out. You can reuse them later.
Store the liquid soap in the fridge. It will keep for a few weeks.
You can add about 10-15 drops essential oils to the liquid soap (optional).

Use about 2-4 tablespoons of the liquid soap to wash your hair. Massage it into your hair just as you would shampoo. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse.

Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a no poo-ers best friend. And even if you use commercial shampoo, you can extend your wash by a day or 2 by using dry shampoo. I started using dry shampoo years before I had ever heard of no poo. Now, I use my dry shampoo between 4-8 times a month. Get more details and recipes here. In general, mix any combination of the following to get your desired color:

BASE
- Arrowroot (find it here)
- Talc Free Baby Powder (see why to avoid talc here and find it here)
- Non-GMO Corn Starch (find it here)
- Baking Soda (use a natural brand – find out what makes a good quality baking soda here and find it here)
- Ground Oatmeal Powder (very finely grind rolled oats in a spice/coffee grinder or blender; find it here)
TINT
- Cinnamon (find it here)
- Cocoa Powder (find it here)
- Red Moroccan Clay (find it here)
FRAGRANCE & MORE
- Essential Oils (find the oils I use here)

Select your base. You can stop there and just use your base. Or add up to an equal amount of tint. You can add fragrance with essential oils. Store in a shaker jar.

Applesauce Mask

This is great for wax buildup / waxy hair. You can use any natural applesauce with the least amount of ingredients or make homemade. Make sure it is very finely blended and I recommend running your applesauce through a blender so it’s easier to remove from your hair.

Apply room temperature or warmer applesauce to dry hair. You can warm it up if you want for comfort or if you have low porosity hair. Use enough to generously coat your hair from root to tip.
Leave for an hour.
Rinse.
A conditioner rinse is optional. Apples are acidic, so if you follow with a rinse, don’t use anything too acidic.

This works great for hard water buildup (see more about hard water in the FAQs). Depending on the amount of buildup, you may have to do this multiple times. You can do it as often and as close together (meaning daily) as you like until the wax buildup is gone. Your hair will likely get worse and waxier before it gets better. That’s a sign of detox and means it’s working.

Kefir and Kombucha

I have heard some people say that kefir and kombucha make their hair oily. My hair loves it. Milk kefir and kombucha are both fermented products & easy to make (find recipes here and here).

Milk kefir is similar to yogurt. Kombucha is fermented tea. Both are acidic and full of probiotics (which are great for conditioning your scalp).

I use milk kefir as a shampoo / hair mask. I use about 1/4 cup, massage it into my hair and scalp, leave for about 20 minutes, rinse. Be sure to rinse very, very, very well or you will smell like sour milk.

I use kombucha as a conditioner. I use this instead of my apple cider vinegar rinse occasionally.

Aloe Vera & Epsom Salt

Epsom salt adds volume to hair. Aloe vera is moisturizing. I like to use this wash when my hair feels a little dry and/or flat.

Mix about 1 teaspoon epsom salt with 2-4 tablespoons aloe vera gel.
Add a little water to get the desired consistency (optional).
Massage into scalp and hair.
Rinse.

This rinse does cleanse my hair and leave it very soft & bouncy. But I have heard that for some, it moisturizes great, but does not clean very well. So if it doesn’t cleanse your hair, you can wash with another method and follow with this rinse.

Castile Soap

Technically, castile soap and products with castile soap (like shampoo bars) are low poo. But I am including it here because it is widely used and a great option for many people.

There are many different flavors of castile soap. I use castile soap for my face and body wash and love it. I do not love it for my hair (as with all of these options, it’s all a personal choice).

It is too harsh to use straight on your hair. How much you dilute is up to you. I’ve heard a 50/50 ratio of soap and water all the way up to 1/2 teaspoon soap per 1/2 cup water. Mix and use like regular shampoo.

An apple cider vinegar or conditioning rinse is recommended afterwards.

Castile soap does not work well with hard water (see more in the FAQ page).

DIY Recipes

There are a ton of diy no poo recipes online. Most of them use ingredients from this list:

Honey
Castile soap
Essential oils
Vegetable oils like coconut, olive, almond, etc.
Coconut Milk
Apple Cider Vinegar
Aloe Vera Gel

You can play around with those ingredients to find your perfect recipe. Here are a few recipes:

For More Info

For more info, be sure to check out my ebook, The No Poo Method.

Be sure to check out the FAQ page!

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