Here’s the thing with shampoo: the more we use it, the more we rely on it.
Commercial shampoos are often formulated with overly harsh chemicals that strip our locks of their natural oils. By removing these oils, we then cause the scalp to work overtime to replenish the stores and replace what was lost, leaving us with greasy roots and reaching for the shampoo bottle – again.
While breaking the habit is easier said than done, going shampoo-free is definitely possible. Replacing chemical-rich formulas with natural alternatives may result in the soothing of irritated scalps, reduction of excess oil production or boosting the shine of lacklustre strands.
What are the benefits of going shampoo-free?
Going shampoo-free, also known “no shampoo method” or “no-poo,” requires eliminating the use of traditional shampoos and relying on alternative methods (many of which can be found in the kitchen) to clean and care for your hair.
While it mightn’t suit everyone, there are a few potential benefits that come with ditching your bottle of shampoo:
1/ Regulate your scalps natural oils
The frequent use of a traditional shampoo can strip the scalp and hair of its natural oils. As a result, our scalp can begin to respond by overproducing oil in a bid to compensate. By breaking this cycle, the scalp’s oil production can begin to balance itself out. The result? A less oily scalp.
2/ Decrease dandruff
Funnily enough, our first instinct for fighting a flaky scalp is to lather it in an anti-dandruff shampoo. And while this method can be effective, eliminating shampoo allows the scalp to restore its natural pH balance and alleviate these issues without using shampoo as a Band-Aid for soothing scalp irritation.
3/ Cost
We’ve all been hit by the rising costs of living. And let’s face it, food and shelter are probably higher on our list of needs than haircare. If you’re looking to save some coin where you can, cutting traditional shampoo off your shopping list might sound appealing.
4/ Reduce your environmental impact
Small tweaks make a big difference. The production of each traditional plastic shampoo bottle contributes to water pollution and waste.
The best natural shampoo alternatives for dry hair
1/ Water
Washing our hair until it is ‘squeaky clean,’ often strips our locks of the natural oils that play an important role in reducing frizz and increasing shine. Try swapping out your shampoo with nothing but lukewarm water and finishing with a deep conditioning mask to seal in any moisture.
Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Masque, $60 at MECCA
You say: “I love this! I have only used it once the other day.. I washed my hair as usual then put this treatment on my coarse brittle fuzzy hair before hot yoga & left it on for 90minutes. After class I rinsed it off & my hair feels beautiful!! The smell is fresh & earthy but not strong or overpowering.” – Belindarella
2/ Egg
Believe it or not, eggs are one of the best natural shampoo alternatives available. They essentially act as both a shampoo and conditioner; the egg white plays the part of a surfactant, pulling dirt and oil from the hair shaft, while the egg yolk is hydrating like a conditioner. However, If you have oily hair, it’s recommended not to include the egg yolk in your cleansing routine.
How to use: Crack an egg into a squeeze bottle and shake it around to create your shampoo. Make sure to use cool water and leave it on for about three minutes before rinsing out.
3/ Coconut Milk + Olive Oil Mix
We all know that coconut oil makes a great hair mask, but did you know that coconut milk makes a great shampoo? This shampoo alternative keeps dry scalps and hair hydrated, smooth and thoroughly cleansed.
How to use: Mix one can of coconut milk, ¾ cup of pure castile soap, one teaspoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of coconut oil. Use in place of your regular shampoo.
4/ Water and Lemon Juice
Perfect for those with strands on the drier side, lemon juice makes a great hair cleanser thanks to its strong antibacterial properties. It even works as a pseudo-purple shampoo for blondes, helping reduce brassy tones and keep blonde hues bright.
How to use: Squeeze an entire lemon into a cup of water and lather onto hair. Leave it to sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing out.
The best natural shampoo alternatives for irritated scalps
Oat Milk
While the benefits of using oats on your skin have long been proven, the same goes for using oats – specifically oat milk – in your hair.
Using oat milk as a shampoo is ideal if you suffer from scalp issues like irritation or dandruff because of its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Oat milk is also rich in proteins and fats which can help to strengthen strands and leave hair silky and shiny.
How to use: Cover your roots in the oat milk. Massage the milk into your roots for two minutes and then apply to the rest of your hair. Let the oak milk sit for 20-30 minutes before rinsing out.
Herbal Tea
It sounds weird, but the next time you put the kettle on to make yourself a herbal tea, why not try washing your hair with it too?
Herbal teas are great for gently cleansing hair, with different teas being better suited for different hair types. For example, chamomile tea is best for blonde hair and rosemary tea is best for dark hair.
How to use: You can either make yourself a pot of herbal tea and quite literally pour it over your head, gently massaging your scalp, or you can mix it together with a few teaspoons of your favourite essential oil and some baking soda for a more thorough cleanse.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is arguably the most effective natural anti-dandruff alternative. If you’ve long suffered from psoriasis of the scalp, severe irritation or seborrheic dermatitis, try swapping out your shampoo for a tea tree oil rinse. Plus, if certain areas are in need of a little extra TLC, this tea tree mix works as a scalp-soothing spot treatment.
How to use: Mix a few drops of tea tree oil with water (there’s no exact measurement that’s right or wrong here!) and massage for 3-5 minutes into the scalp before rinsing.
The best natural shampoo alternatives for oily hair
Baking Soda
A natural clarifier, baking soda works to neutralise odours, remove build-up and offer an overall detox in a similar way that a scalp scrub would. However, baking soda can be abrasive if used too often and is therefore not recommended for sensitive skin or dry hair types. You might want to try the Sukin Naturals Natural Balance Scalp Scrub ($16.99 at Chemist Warehouse) as an alternative.
On the other hand, much like volume-boosting products, fine and limp hair types may greatly benefit from the body and texture that baking soda can offer.
How to use: Mix one part baking soda with three parts water. Wet your hair, then apply the mixture from the roots to the tips and let soak for one minute before rinsing.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Although frequently praised for its immune-boosting benefits, it turns out apple cider vinegar also offers relief from common hair issues like dandruff or excess oil.
How to use: Mix between two to four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (depending on how oily your hair is) to one and a half cups of water. Massage in from root to tip. We recommend applying with a spray bottle to avoid oversaturation. Allow the mixture to soak for five minutes before rinsing.
Rhassoul Clay
Rhassoul clay is rich in minerals like magnesium, potassium and calcium, which help to restore damaged hair by absorbing excess sebum and dirt from deep within the scalp and strands.
How to use: Mix two spoonfuls of rhassoul clay with just enough boiling water to create a paste. Let the paste cool, and lather on hair. Leave it on for 2-3 minutes and rinse thoroughly.
Main image credit: @gentlehairdos
Have you tried any of these natural shampoos? What’s your best DIY hair treatment tip?
Even if you co-wash, every now and then you still need to use a deep cleanse shampoo to ensure you are keeping your scalp healthy. As a curly girl, co-washing has proved to be a great way to keep my hair in good condition.
Have thought about trying some homemade recipes but after finding solid shampoo I am really happy with it.
What type of shampoo do you use? I used ginger shampoo from Body Shop. It helped my scalp to be less flaky and also I have no irritation at all. I see a great difference when I used it for a month, I realised my hair grew more faster using this.
https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-au/hair-care/shampoo/ginger-scalp-care-shampoo/p/p002450
ACV method would just make your hair look greasy. It is good to condition hair as a final rinse. I did in past BiCarb and ACV method. Though, Too much of an amazing haircare on the market atm that I like to try it all.
egg is a great idea!
I’d love to try Water + Tea Tree Oil ! I wonder if anyone has tried this for psoriasis before? And if it works
Some great Tips for Natural Homemade Shampoos. Thanks BH for the list.
I think you do read our comments BH writers!!! I went on a rant about the co-washing trend that first started in the African American community and now spread world wide. You essentially use conditioner as shampoo then use oils and leave in product to stop super dry scalp and hair that kinky, super curly and Afro hair suffer from. With my natural hair and Turkish/Jewish genes I have natural super kinky hair ( think The Nanny’s hair on steroids… Remember her screeching ‘Mr Sheffeld?’) That when long brushes out into an Afro. Not atm with alopecia I keep my hair super short, but it really works. The surfactants in conditioner can clean your scalp and hair. The dirt, sweat, skin cells etc slip off into the water leaving the oils that are natural or in the conditioner behind. It works!!!
I use apple cider vinegar on my hair occasionally , if I skip shampoo I will co wash. Some of these are just too wacky to try
I haven’t tried any of these.
Oh new way
I’ve tried a few methods…but love nice haircare, have weakness to masks and lush scented hair products.
Great options, even the egg one but I might not inhale
Yes she did. I really must remind her of this. It was really funny at the time.
I would possibly try the ACV and baking soda. The clay sounds good too but I have a feeling it would be hard to wash out
Omg that’s horrible, she inadvertently made scrambled eggs
Might stick to my favourite shampoo and conditioner thanks…..
Poor thing!
Can’t say I’ve ever tried any of these before
I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try this.
That’s so bad it’s sounds like a nightmare! Time for a trim?!
Yeah I’ve tried that a couple of times with flat beer as a rinse and I think it’s the hops in it that is the active and does work!
I bet it would be refreshing for the scalp in it’s own way! I used the Sukin teatree and eucalyptus body wash recently and it is fantastic!
I don’t mind experimenting a bit either – especially the tea one sounds good!
I’ve dabbled with a few – tried the egg one when I was a teen.
I’d like to get hold of some roussoul clay – but I definitely prefer to buy the Klorane Organic Clay product!
I have used beer as a rinse and my hair really shone – I am going to try the teatree oil and water and perhaps rosemary as I have a frw rosemary plants so would be easy to make -great tips thank You.
This has some useful information. I find I get too much build up if I dont wash my hair a couple of times a week.
I feel the same CaitMay
It took ages to get it all out of her hair. Eck
She had really lovely long hair. I didnt see this happen but she and her mother told me alllllll about it.
I remember mum used to wash my hair with lemon and I think egg but this was mainly to keep my hair blonde (I was the only blonde in the family), but I would have thought that lemon would make dry locks worse?
Just make sure to use COOL water to wash it out. If you use hot you will cook the egg and end up with a nightmare on your hands.
oh Miss19 it’s true! Your comment gave me a giggle! lol
I had forgotten about some of these alternatives. I hadn’t heard about the Oat Milk one previously. I reckon that’s worth a go.
Baking soda sounds like a good alternative for oily hair.
Haha thanks =)
I’ve tried a lot of different home made shampoo sub concoctions (inc. some in the article) and to be honest none of them worked. My scalp actually got worse and I had more build up and irritations. I went back to shampoo and I had to find the right shampoo but now my scalp is more settled and less reactive.
I think I’d stick to my shampoo 😀
Lockdown is a good time to try these. I feel lemon juice would be drying but herbal tea would be interesting, I have some I don’t like so I could give them a try. I think I would need effort to get my head around not using shampoo!
Has anyone tried that Hairstory? I’m interested, I have thin hair which is oily and looks disgusting if not washed every day.
Nope, I’ll stick to good old tried and tested shampoo and conditioner!
I only need to wash my hair once a week, so I think I’ll just stick to shampoo
Ditto, philippa!
I’ve used the Klorane one mentioned & it’s easy to wash out, Miss19 – not clayey at all!
That’s good to know! Maybe I’ll try it out then, thanks =)
Interesting but I think I’d rather just use shampoo. Sometimes used unrefined coconut oil as a hair treatment.
So many shampoos can be really harsh on the scalp and end up causing more scalp trouble rather than treating the scalp, but I can’t imagine any of these ways would cause further scalp irritability. The only one I haven’t heard of is the Rhassoul Clay.
Hmm, I have heard that apple cider vinegar isn’t good for the scalp. I guess it depends on what your hair and scalp condition is to begin with
I use so many products on my hair, I don’t think I can afford to skip the shampoo.