Hi! I’ve received an overwhelming number of comments from readers asking questions and sharing water-only hair washing experiences. It is wonderful to hear such positive results about the water-only method from so many of you! I’ve been trying to answer every question that I can in the comments, however I noticed there are a few questions that keep popping up regularly that I haven’t covered in my posts yet. So I will start making posts answering the most frequently asked questions to help as many readers possible. At the time of this post, it has been over 11 months since I switched from low-poo (sulfate-free shampoo) to water-only hair care, and I swear it is the best thing that has ever happened to my hair! I still practice water-only hair washing, and I am even more thrilled with the results I get now than when I started. I hope I can help you be as thrilled with your results as I am with mine.
FAQ: “I have been water-only for a while, but my hair still feels oily or waxy!”
This can be frustrating, but there may be a simple fix. The issue could be caused by a few different reasons, so let’s figure out when and where the issue arises in the process.
First off, water-only hair washing should give clean results immediately after washing hair. If hair doesn’t seem to get clean immediately after water-washing it, the issue could stem from either the actual washing process (see this post for tips), hard water, or caused by Reason #2 listed below.
However, if hair is getting clean immediately after water-washing it, but it later becomes excessively oily (like a day or two after washing), hair could still be in the initial oily transition phase, and in that case, I refer to the tips in my How to Transition to No-Poo Without Looking Oily post to get through the transition as quickly as possible. But if you feel you should be out of the oily transitional phase by now, then keep reading.
Reason #1: Oily hair may be caused by silicone buildup
Symptoms: Hair is clean after a water-only hair wash, but during the time between washes, scalp natural oils don’t seem to be soaking up into hair strands (even after boar-bristle brushing). Natural oils seem to just sit on top of the hair, making it look very oily.
Cause: This may be caused by silicone buildup on the hair from styling products that were never properly washed out of hair before starting no-poo/water-only. Or you might still be using silicone-filled hair products without realizing it, which is a big no-no. Silicones and no-shampoo do NOT mix.
Why silicones should be avoided on no-poo
Silicones can be found in most hair styling products, including heat protectants, conditioners, serums, pomades, gels, dry shampoos, hair sprays, etc. Silicones are added to hair products to hide the drying effects of sulfates. They creating a waterproof barrier around hair shafts, which gives hair a sleek, shiny, and frizz-free effect. Silicones don’t heal or nourish hair– hair is still dry, damaged, and tangly underneath the silicones from shampooing; the silicones just temporarily hide these symptoms until the next time silicones are washed out and reapplied. (Ever use shampoo and skip conditioner? Not a pretty sight.)
Here’s the bad part. Silicones stay stuck on hair shafts until they are washed out with a sulfate-shampoo. If silicones are not properly washed out, they will stay locked on hair and prevent water from penetrating the waterproof barrier they create. Over time, this will leave hair dry and brittle, and hair won’t be able to absorb natural oils (which actually DO hydrate, nourish, and make hair shiny, frizz-free, elastic, bouncy, sleek, and luscious). So silicones need to be washed out in order to have happy, nourished, and grease-free hair in the long-term. (More on silicones here.)
How to know if no poo hair has silicone buildup
Look at the ingredients list of products used, and compare it with this guide to see if it contains silicones. If any silicone-filled products were used since the last sulfate-shampoo hair wash, the issue is probably silicone buildup. And silicones can only be washed out with a sulfate shampoo. It’s also worth noting that some shampoos (low-poos or sulfate-free shampoos) don’t contain sulfate cleansers, so using these gentler shampoos in combination with silicones will most likely lead to silicone buildup, since the silicones aren’t getting washed out. The guide also lists common sulfate ingredient names, so you can check shampoo products for that info, too.
How to fix silicone buildup on no poo
It is widely recommended by natural hair care advocates to clarify hair with a sulfate-filled shampoo one last time (any cheap, sulfate-shampoo will do). And make sure to scrub it in really well through the length of hair, not just at the roots. Then completely stop using any hair products containing sulfates or silicones. I also recommend cleaning brushes and combs with sulfates and rinse them very well. Afterwards, hair should start absorbing natural oils a lot better.
If you are sad to part with a favorite silicone-filled hair product, I’d like to add that there are many natural & inexpensive alternatives that work just as great. But I found I no longer need styling products as my hair’s natural oils give even better results (shiny, sleek, manageable, hydrated, bouncy, natural hold, etc) than the silicones ever did. (Also see: How to properly start No Poo to avoid silicone buildup.)
Will washing with sulfates mess up no-poo progress?
One sulfate-shampoo application shouldn’t reset all of the progress made so far with training the scalp’s oil production. It will strip all of the oils off the hair and scalp though, which is very drying, but hair will be clean and oil-free and ready to continue with no-poo or water-only. Use a clean boar-bristle-brush to distribute scalp natural oils through the hair every day for one week to coat it in hydrating oils and restore the hair back to its no-shampoo glory.
Reason #2: Waxy buildup from the no poo initial transition phase
Symptoms: Hair doesn’t get as clean as it should with water-only washes anymore. It feels like there is a lot of oil or waxiness left on the hair even right after water-washing it.
Cause: Water only does a great job of washing away excess oils once the scalp’s oil production has normalized. If you went through a particularly oily initial transition phase when switching from shampoo to a no poo method, it’s possible there is leftover oily/waxy buildup that needs to be washed out. Once the buildup is washed out from the initial transition phase, water-only hair washing should be able to get hair clean and keep up with washing away the natural oil production.
How to remove waxy buildup on no poo
Use a gentle low-poo (sulfate-free shampoo) or co-wash (silicone-free conditioner) to clarify hair of the leftover buildup. Refer to this guide to determine which products are sulfate-free and silicone-free. Make sure to scrub it into roots and through the length of the hair and rinse it out really well.
*I’d like to add that I had to do this, and I had a great experience with Calia’s Organic Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner (a Canadian brand but it can also be purchased online). Looking at the ingredients, it contains only essential oils, flower extracts, and glycerin. It was very gentle on my hair, and left it feeling very soft and clean, and then I continued with No Poo. I recommend using a gentle, natural product if possible.
Will this mess up my no-poo progress?
One clarifying wash with a gentle (sulfate-free) cleanser won’t strip hair of its natural oils and likely won’t mess with scalp’s oil production (but more than one application might). One wash should just get rid of the oily/waxy buildup and allow you to continue water-washing with a head of clean, buildup-free hair and finally allow you to get the most out of your water-washes! You may even be able to notice your scalp’s oil production has slowed way down, you just couldn’t notice it before with all of the buildup in the way. I hope this tip works for you! It worked for me (and a few commenters on this site). I haven’t had an issue with buildup since. (Also see: using dry shampoo to remove oily / waxy buildup.)
Leave a comment below to let me know which questions you would like me to address in the next FAQ post!
Check out these posts next:
When clarifying with a sulfate shampoo, should it be silicone-free? Clarifying with a silicone-filled shampoo seems to kind of defeat the purpose, but I’m unsure whether sulfate shampoo without silicone are actually sold?
Yes! The shampoo should be silicone-free… It’s not common to find a product that contains both though, since the sulfates wash out the silicones. That’s usually why shampoos contain just sulfates and conditioners contain just silicones. You can always check the label to be sure.
Is it possible to have both issues? I’m nearing a month since I last shampooed, but I didn’t clarify properly. (My shampoo lied to me and I didn’t know about the problems with silicones in conditioner). My scalp is through the transition, I think. It gets quite clean, but my hair seems to be staying greasy (though that is somewhat improved with each water wash).
I’m not sure which problem I have, so I’m not sure which type of shampoo I should use to fix it. :/
Help?
Hi, I’ve been no poo for a year now (definitely out of transition phase) but am STILL struggling with oily hair. I did fine with water only when I was staying at my parents house for the summer (they have well water) but now I can’t seem to ever get my hair clean. I think I have hard water? I’ve tried a filter but it doesn’t seem to help. Right now I’m experimenting with a bentonite clay wash and rinsing with filtered water, and my hair feels cleaner than it has in awhile, but it only lasts about a day. Any suggestions?
Hi Amy, If you had a good experience with WO at your parents house with different water, it may just be that your current water isn’t working for you. I recommend trying a different no poo method for a while: one that cleans a bit stronger than just water, but won’t strip your scalp of its natural oils. Use that method to allow your scalp’s natural oil production to slow down (since you’re experiencing oiliness after one day), and then when you feel your scalp can go several days before getting oily again, you can try WO again with a less oily palette to work with (so to speak). I recommend trying to stretch the time between hair washes (even by just half a day each time) to help your scalp stop over producing oils. CO-washing (conditioner only, silicone-free) and honey washing are great no poo methods to try.
Hi. First of all thank you very much for your websites, they are the best about no poo I have discovered :) I am into no poo for a little while now and I have long, thin and very oily hari. I startet for about 4 weeks with the BS washing, but then I read that the BS was no good for hair/scalp in the long term so I decided to go WO . Been on WO for about 2 weeks now and probably am in the worst transition phase. And have some questions. Before I started the BS I used regular shampoo with silicone. So I might have silicone build ups, without knowing. Do you think it is suficcient to wash the hair one time with baby soap instead of buying a very expensive natural shampoo which I only will use once? And the next question is: I dye my hair with chemical colour (dark red). Do you think I can dye it with chemical colour again without getting a major setback? I think about colouring the hair with natural henna eventually, but I still have a package of usual hair colour left and I was thinking of using it. Again thank you very much for sharing all your experience with us.
Hi Elisabeth, It’s possible it will just take you a while to get out of the oily transition phase, everyone’s bodies are different, and how out of whack your scalp’s oil production is also depends on how often and how harsh your old hair washing methods were. You probably have silicone buildup if you never used a shampoo containing sulfates to wash it out. Baby shampoo could work if it contains sulfates (check the ingredients list) since sulfates is what you need to wash out the silicones. Don’t use a conditioner afterwards if the conditioner contains silicones (most do). Then stop using any products that contain silicones, and wash your brushes/combs. I will write a post about hair coloring & no poo soon.