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Best Natural Hair Care Products

I am always asked about the best natural hair care products on this blog and also on my social media handles. I have been tired of repeating the same answer every time individually. It was high time that I listed everything in one place so that it becomes easier for you and me both.

Please note that I have personally used each and every product mentioned below. But do take into consideration your health choices and judgment before using them since it is not necessary that what worked for me would work for you too. But please do not hesitate to get back in case you have questions regarding the use of any products. 

All the best for your Handmade Hair Care Journey. Do let me know if you make and sell Handmade Bath and Beauty Products. I would love to feature you on my website.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

For Hair Wash

1. Soap Nuts
2. Shikakai
3. Amla Powder
4. Fuller’s Earth (Multani Mitti)
5. Castile Soap
6. Soulflower Shampoo Bars
7. Filter Extensions 

For Scalp Massage

1. Castor Oil
2. Argan Oil
3. Coconut Oil
4. Pumpkin Seed Oil
5. Neem Seed Oil
6. Tea Tree Oil
7. Lavender Oil
8. Peppermint Oil
9. Rosemary Oil
10. Clary Sage Oil
11. Jaborandi Oil

For Conditioning Hair

1. Aloe Vera Gel
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
3. Hibiscus Rinse
4. Green Tea Rinse
5. Coconut Milk

For Coloring Hair

1. Henna
2. Indigo Powder
3. Radico range of Hair colors

For Styling Hair

1. Neem Bark Comb
2. Hair Friendly Hair Ties
3. Hair Friendly Curling Gadgets

For Further and Thorough Understanding of Natural Hair Care

1. Natural Hair Care Book
2. Natural Hair Care Video Course
3. Making Natural Hair Care Products to Use and Sell

Is there some specific question related to handmade hair care that you are interested in? Then, comment below or read all the articles here.

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Using water only to wash hair seems to be the simple and obvious chore. But if you have never heard of the no poo movement. Then, the idea of using nothing but plain water to wash hair might daunt you.

What Is Water Only Hair Washing? 

It is nothing but the process of washing hair with nothing but water. It could be rainwater, seawater, spring water, or from the lake/ river or any natural water body. Rather, it could be straight from the tap as well. 

As you can imagine, water differs as per the source. Thus, the results of washing depend on the source. 

Since water plays a 100% role in washing hair. It is important to know its quality to determine its effect on the hair.

Why Do a Water Only Hair Wash? 

If you are years into a no poo routine. Then, most of your hair issues must have resolved. One of the benefits of a no poo is getting rid of the common hair issues. Thus, the next progression becomes using plain water to keep the hair clean. 

Moreover, if you are worried about the nasty chemicals in the shampoo. Then, avoiding shampoo and other parabens, silicone, and sulfate loaded products makes sense. You can try no shampoo for a month to see if you can manage the no poo lifestyle. 

How to Maintain Wash With Water Only Hair Routine? 

Remember when you began doing no poo, it seemed a little overwhelming. But with time and experience, you must have gotten better. 

That is how it happens with any new hair washing method. You got to start it once and be consistent with it. Then, within a month or two, your scalp and hair will adjust to this new hair care routine. 

But you need to factor in the impurities and dissolved mineral in water, and also your lifestyle. 

Water in my geography is hard, and I live quite an active life. That is why I was apprehensive about washing my hair with water. But I took the plunge and dealt with the challenges step by step. 

The following resources were helpful: 

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

• Neem Bark Comb 

I love this one. Without this comb, I would never have thought about going water only no poo. 

The beauty of this natural handmade comb is that it soaks up the oil from the hair. Also, it distributes the oil from the roots to the ends. 

No other fancy comb made of plastic could achieve this feat. 

Among natural handmade combs,  boar bristles, and sandalwood are the other popular options.  

But I am not comfortable using the one made of an animal body. This is even though I am a complete non-vegetarian. I have heard wonderful reviews of the boar bristle brushes. But the idea of using a body part of a dead animal freaks me. 

The other option of a sandalwood comb sounds fantastic. Sandalwood is cooling and being wood, it will distribute and soak the oils well. But I have not yet found a trustful value for money resource of this aromatic bark. 

That is why I am gung ho on the anti-infection properties of neem bark. It is efficient and also economical.

• Soft Water Tap Extensions 

Water being the cleaning agent, has to be pure. Else the impurities in it will make the hair dirtier instead of cleaning them. 

You will get an idea about the purity of your water by looking at your metal taps. If they have a corroded green tint and white salt deposits, then you are safe to go no poo. 

In that case, you could do the following : 

1. deploy a water treatment system
2. deploy a soft water shower/tap extension
3. use a filtering bottle 

• Silk Scarves 

There is an adjustment period from traditional shampoo to a low poo shampoo. Likewise, there is a transition time from low poo to no poo.  

Water only washing being the extreme form of no poo also involves some time to get used to the change. 

During this transition period, you could experience no poo waxy hair. But since you cannot avoid it, the best way to deal with it is to hide it. 

For that purpose, scarves work best. I use silk scarves to wrap and tie my hair. They do not tangle the hair, plus, they provide a sheath to the head.   

How to Deal With Water Only Transition Period? 

If you use the above mentioned 3 resources. Then, the switch to water only from no poo will be easy.  

But the hair care regime cannot be the same for everyone. So, you might or might not face that exhausting and irritating phase when you want to give it all up. 

But the good part is that if you stick through the cold turkey period. Then, you might end up having the most liberating experience.  

You can wash your hair with water twice in a day if you end up with no poo greasy hair. Else you can cheat with the following methods: 

• Rice Water 

Rice water is wonderful for hair. It not only cleans the hair but also helps in increasing the elasticity of hair. Thus, the hair breaks less. 

You can collect the water from soaked clean rice. Then, after 2-3 days of fermentation, it becomes the hair rinse.

You can use this rice water to scrub your scalp and pour over your hair. After leaving it for about 5 minutes on your hair, you can rinse it with plain water.

• Rosemary and Green Tea Rinse

I love the aroma of rosemary. When combined with green tea, it gives a nice detox to the scalp and hair.

For my waist-length hair, I steep about 5 g  of dried rosemary leaves with a green tea bag. The boiled tea when cools becomes a wonderful hair rinse. 

This tea rinse will leave your hair smelling fresh and clean.

• Soap Nuts Rinse 

This is the most common cleansing conditioner among the no poo generation. 

It is a must after baking soda shampoo. But it works solo as well. Apple cider vinegar and water ratio will differ from everyone. 

For me, a 1:5 ratio works the best. Unlike the previous two rinses, I do not wash this one-off. Mild acidity helps prevent scalp itchiness. 

This acidic rinse is best for hair loss due to tap water. It helps loosen the gunk stuck on the scalp that blocks the follicles. 

You can pick up any of the above rinses to add some creativity to your shampoo routine. Do let me know if you notice a beautiful shine after using these rinses. 

Conclusion

Living a minimalist hair care routine is a pleasure for sustainable living enthusiasts. 

Who would not love a 5-minute ritual to clean the hair? 

The ability to wash hair with water only is the ultimate nirvana for a no poo lifestyle. Since the time I have got into it, my hair care routine has simplified. I no longer worry about what to wash hair with. 

Now it is no more worrying about packing any hair care products while traveling. All I carry is my bottle with a filter and my neem bark comb. And that is all! 

I would love to know where are you in your natural hair care journey. How are your water only hair washing results?

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Do you need to use shampoo might sound the dumbest question? But the harsh truth is that you need not use it. Though this truth is not as harsh as the plethora of nasty chemicals that are inside a shampoo bottle. That is why since starting no poo for the last 5 years and a few months, I have never used a traditional shampoo.

No. Please do not judge me with an eww look. 

By shampoo I mean the commercial liquid packed in good looking bottles. The one that has a huge brand name and a price tag.

I know this would surprise you.

The thought of not using shampoo takes many by surprise. So, I am sure that people who are regular with the daily schedule of shampoo would be aghast by my admission.

Is Shampoo Necessary 

But before discussing anything further, let us find out if we even need a shampoo.

There is already a lot of debate on how often should you shampoo your hair. Most of the hairstylists would recommend every day. This should make sense as the hair shampoo manufacturers advocate the same as well.

Also, dust, dirt, oil secretion glands, and a whole lot of other stuff gets into our hair. So, you need shampoo to keep things clean.

But nothing can control our choice or the medium of cleaning hair.

This means that though you should wash your hair. But the choice to wash your hair should not be limited to chemical-laden products. There are several natural ways to wash hair. Though none of them harm nature or damage the hair.

Why Do We Use Shampoo 

Did you ever flip your current favorite shampoo bottle to check out its ingredients?

Most of them will be unfamiliar to you. The long list is a chemical synonym of potent toxins and cancer-causing ingredients.

For a moment if you leave all the complicated list of shampoo ingredients aside. And if you only google on SLS and artificial colors and fragrances, you will freak out.

If these chemicals fail to give you any dreaded disease in the long run. For your god sake, do not consider them safe. They are quite capable of giving skin allergies as a mild after effect.

I know you might laugh at that. On that note, I ask you to scratch your scalp. If no white powdered stuff gathers in your fingernails, then do not read any further.

I know your hands will not come out clean. White dandruff-like stuff is the scalp’s response to unwanted stuff. Now decide whether do you need to use shampoo?

Should I use shampoo in moderate amounts?

I know that you have grown a little skeptical about the insides of that bottle. Well, there was never a genie inside it. All that was there was a cocktail of detergents. Along with detergents were some cheap aromas disguised as a hair cleaning product.

But does that mean you will never use shampoo? Well that depends on how much interference you allow others to make in your life.

It is not an easy path for the no poo method. Along with a few lifestyle changes. You also get to adjust to discrimination and bias.

The moment you disclose to your social circles that you have stopped using shampoo. People begin to view you as unhygienic and weird.

It is true that no poo people are weird like me. Though the unhygienic part is untrue.

The no poo means of cleaning hair makes the hair and scalp squeaky clean. Though they all are non-lathering ones. Though by no means lather is a necessary unit of cleanliness.

Shampoos that you should never use 

It takes a whole lot of mental strength to make the shift towards a no poo regime.

If you cannot switch over to make that change. It is better to not think about it.

But if you are someone sitting at the fence. Then low poo is worth giving a try.

As the name suggests, low poo philosophy lies between no poo and commercial hair care.

Products in low poo are not crunchy. Neither are they a complete chemical toxic gunk. Though they are not raw and straight from natural substances.  But they are far better than the SLS, silicones, and parabens one.

Castile soaps made out of pure oils are the main base of low poo products. You can check out my shop to download an infographic to DIY low poo shampoo.

Low poo provides a convenient path for anyone not too brave to take the no poo route. Also, they best suit the ones who are not so gung ho on the salon products by FMCG goliaths.

In any case, if you are a strong proponent of commercial hair care products. Or, if you consider the entire no poo movement as crass. Then also, limit your usage of hair care products as much as you can. You can do that by reducing their frequency.

Instead of washing your hair every day. You can wash every alternate day.

If you have the habit of washing every other day. You can then switch to a hair wash every second day. I hope you got my point. You never know, you might even progress to no shampoo for a month.

Ditto goes for the other associated hair care products. I mean the conditioner, hair serums, leave-in conditioners, mousse et al.

Moreover, stay away from salon products as much as you can. They are the extremists of sorts for hair damage if I can use that simile.

I know that professional hairstylists would ban me from their salons for that comment.

All respect for those professionals certified by their respective brands. But I beg, borrow, and steal to differ from them. If at all the products that they prescribe were as potent as they claim. I am sure their innocuous customers never would have switched brands. Nor the brand wars between major shampoo brands would exist. The best shampoo brand would have wiped all the competition.

One or at the most 2–3 brands would have dominated the entire hair care market. But we all know that that is not the case.

This is not the case with the no poo people. They start with baking soda and then graduate to flours, soap nuts, and clay. Though many of them use water only to wash the hair. I am proud to admit that I have reached that stage after years of ditching the shampoo.

It is a fun fact to observe that companies have a dozen brands of shampoo within their hair care segment kitty. That makes me wonder if that leads to brand cannibalization?

Anyway, they are good at their job of brainwashing. I hope they were as good at cleaning the mane as well.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

Conclusion

Not using shampoo is a conscious choice. If you get concerned about the polluted water bodies, disrupted soil table, and your own body. Then, the thought of questioning what you use on your body becomes your second nature. 

No shampoo does not mean being dirty. But if you substitute natural cleaning agents to replace the traditional shampoo. Then, you will be amazed by all the possibilities available by mother nature. Fruits like lemons and gooseberries are excellent natural shampoos to clean oily hair. There are several other natural ways to clean the hair.

If you are further interested in the topic, you can dig an excellent book on no poo.

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Asking how often should you wash your hair sounds like an awful conversation starter. 

My experience of doing the no poo method since the last few years has got me into some awkward situations. 

Some have given me judgmental eww looks, while some have distanced themselves from me. 

Though in the first instance, no one could guess that I do not use shampoo. But the moment they get to know that I have been shampoo-free, they look for faults in my hair. 

Some find them not bouncy enough, not clean enough, or they find them messy and dirty. Though many expect my hair to smell gross. 

None of the above is true.  

My hair is clean, strong, manageable, and does not frizz. Though the best part is that I wash them once in 10 days. 

The last sentence might freak you out. But the truth is that in the last few years, I have never washed more than once in a week. This is when I live in a tropical country that is high on pollution, dust, and hard water. Plus, I have an active lifestyle that involves running and frequent travels. 

The truth is that how often you wash your hair depends a lot on how much you are dependent on SLS based shampoos. 

If you care to know more about the connection between frequency of shampoo and the health of hair. Then, you must read further. 

What Happens If You Wash Your Hair Every Day 

If you use a regular SLS shampoo, then, washing your hair every day becomes a habit. 

The strong cleaning powers of these shampoos wipe out the scalp’s natural oils. That puts the body’s ability to produce oils in a state of dilemma. 

That leads to the overproduction of oils, and thus, the need to wash hair daily. 

The truckload of elements in the shampoo piles up on the scalp as the buildup. Thus, the need to use shampoo to keep the scalp and hair clean increase. 

Moreover, if you have the habit of using a lot of products like conditioner, serums, mousse, gels. Then, the need to wash your hair every day is pertinent. 

So, long and consistent use of washing with a lathering shampoo leads to dry hair and a flaky scalp. That explains frizzy hair and an itch on the scalp. 

How Often Should One Wash Their Hair 

So, if you use a lathering shampoo, then try breaking the frequent washing cycle. That way you will train your scalp to calm down. 

This will produce less sebum and will cause less buildup. 

You can amend the cleaning cycle by going longer in-between washes. So, you can skip a day or two between your regular shampoo routine. 

Also, if you reduce your dependence on other hair products like conditioners. Then, adjusting to the less shampoo lifestyle becomes easier. 

With gradual skipping, you can bring down your usage to once or twice a week. 

But if you live a no poo lifestyle, then you can even manage once in a month shampoo. It also depends on your hair porosity, your lifestyle, and the environment where you live. 

So, soft water only weekly washing is fine for someone living most of the time indoors. While weekly clay/soap nuts/flour shampoo will work for someone with an active lifestyle. 

For geographies with hard water, soap nuts work the best. That is why I use them every 10 days to wash my hair. 

A no poo lifestyle simplifies the process. So, the dependence on conditioners and hairstyling creams also reduces. Thus, the usage of products loaded with strong chemicals becomes minimal. 

Thus, the hair of people who do not use shampoo does not get much dirty. So, they can afford to go weeks without shampoo. 

But as a general rule of thumb, do not wash your hair more than once a week. 

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

How Should One Wash Their Hair 

I am not sure if you wish to try natural ways to wash your hair. But if you are considering making a switch, then reading a good no poo resource will help. 

Else, you will waste a lot of time trying various products that may or may not work for you. 

But irrespective of your hair type and the quality of water in your location. You can always use soap nuts or clay to wash your hair. 

Both these 2 products give wonderful results on low porosity hair too. Moreover, they also work on hard water. That is why they both are my absolute favorite ways to wash hair the no poo way. 

But if you are not ready to take a plunge to no poo. Then, you can give low poo a try. 

Most of the low poo products are handmade shampoo bars that use oils as a base. They do not have nasty and unnecessary chemicals that are not good for the hair in the long run. 

But if you are stuck with sulfate and petroleum-based shampoo. Then, please try to reduce your usage to at least half. So, if you wash your hair every day, then try to wash every other day. If you wash every alternate day, then, reduce to every 3rd day. I hope you get the idea. 

Conclusion 

You would bother to know how often should you shampoo your hair only if you have some hair issues. 

Else, cleaning your hair seems like a trivial topic that does not even require a mention. 

In recent times, consumerism has made us dependent on a lot of hair care products. There a lot of complex ingredients in shampoos and conditioners. 

The use or the overuse of these lab-made ingredients in the shampoo creates problems. The complex sulfates rip off the natural oils making the hair frizzy. Furthermore, the scalp keeps over-producing the oils to overcome the lost suppleness. Thus, the cycle of over-cleaning and overproduction of oil continues. 

Furthermore, the corollary ingredients like serums and pomades coat more oils. That leads to more and more use of shampoos. 

To break this cycle, you have to reduce your usage of commercial hair care products. Natural hair care products make an easy replacement for the usual hair care products. Plus, they do not abuse the hair and scalp. That way you can reduce your shampoo usage to once in a week. After the reduction of shampoo, you will notice better hair and a healthy itch-free scalp. 

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