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!
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I have an additional tip! I hope this doesn’t get buried in the comments, lol. I’ve been struggling a lot with getting clean hair from water only washes, until now. So if this is you, I hope I can help.
It’s simple, really. In the shower, I take the greasy parts of my hair between my two palms and rub them together, adjusting sections as I see fit.
(I used to mainly rub my hair around, rather than rubbing /on/ my hair. It was like trying to get a stain out of a shirt by putting your finger on the stain, and moving both finger and shirt around without friction between the two. By just pulling my hair straight with one hand and rubbing over my hair with the other, it sadly doesn’t really get clean as it’s only getting to the top layers of hair.)
A note for if you struggle with dandruff: You need to hydrate your scalp. I used to scrub my scalp like crazy when washing my hair, which further exasperated the problem. Now, I barely touch it. Additionally, I went for some hydrating hair masks, and had my boyfriend rub hair oil onto my scalp. My hair looked oily but my scalp felt amazing. That went for a couple weeks, and I’m almost dandruff free now, with zero (!) itch. I really hope that helps! I really wish I had had this when I was starting out, so I’m posting it now :)
Most people in my area have no knowledge of the fact that fast hair growth amino scalp therapy shampoos (of course with no sulfates, no parabens and no DEA) are even a thing. Individuals can now enjoy longer hair and enjoy more possibilities. For sure worth investigating.
If you’re dealing with hair loss, damaged hair, avoiding scalp disorders, hair growth, hair and scalp care generally, almost the same principles become relevant.
In most cases, you will want to steer clear of hair treatments and products that contain chemicals such as parabens, DEA and sulfates.
What’s healthy for your hair is good for your skin also.
For obvious reasons the content here hits the nail in the head for multiple reasons. It avoids the usual pitfalls and mistakes so many fall into- utilizing horrible alternatives. Keep it up!
Is an apple cider vinegar rinse once a week good? Can that get rid of build up?
Hi!
I am 6 weeks into no poo wash only but my head isn’t clean after the wash. I followed closely your washing tutorial so I think my issue is the cumulus of sebum caused by the transition.
I have two questions :
Can i use baking soda to wash it just once? Would it alter my results?
Should i wait a bit more to low poo wash it?
Thank you very much
Chers
Hi Blanca, If you don’t want to use a low-poo (sulfate free shampoo) just yet, you can try using a natural dry shampoo (like arrowroot powder) to soak up the excess oils on your hair about an hour before your water hair wash. It won’t strip oils off hair, but it absorbs oils and can wash them away as you wash the powder out of your hair. See the dedicated post for this. I have done this and it worked really well for me. I can’t recommend using baking soda as the pH is very alkaline compared to the human scalp pH, and I have read others’ experiences of it damaging hair over time.
Hi again, I’ve just spent more than an hour researching four products I could of used on my hair before I went no poo. It was very complicated and I still really have no idea – despite using the curly girl checker – if they have silicon in them or not.
My hair is still waxy.
So I figure there’s every chance I still have silicon in my hair so I want to wash it out.
Can you recommend an easily available product to do this? A link perhaps?
What about neutrogena soap?