Does No Poo Make Hair Grow Faster?


No Poo can have many benefits for your hair, making it healthier, stronger, and more manageable.

Does No Poo make hair grow faster though, is often a query raised by those new to No Poo. This article takes an in-depth look into whether this could possibly be true.

No Poo removes sulfates and silicons from your hair care regime. Those transitioning away from traditional shampoos think their hair grows faster, which is not true. Removing chemicals that irritate the scalp from hair wash routines will make the scalp a more hospitable place for hair growth, making it appear as if hair grows faster.

Going No Poo can be a challenge at first until you overcome the transition phase. However, there are so many positives that the effort is definitely worth it.

Read on to discover the benefits that No Poo can have on hair growth.

Does No Poo Make Hair Grow Faster?

The No Poo Method has now been around for quite some time and is attracting more followers every day.

The main concept of No Poo is that we should move away from traditional shampoos that contain damaging chemicals, such as:

  • Sulfates
  • Silicon

No Poo’ers argue instead that we should introduce natural products into our hair wash routine, to keep our hair both clean and healthy.

So does No Poo make hair grow faster than traditional shampoos?

Let’s take a closer look …

First and foremost, the rate at which our hair grows is as individual as we are. In fact, there are many factors involved in determining our hairs rate of growth, including:

  1. Age
  2. Gender
  3. Hormones
  4. Pregnancy

According to Medical News Today, it has been recorded that the ‘normal’ range of hair growth is between 0.5cm – 1.7cm per month. This works out to be between 6cm – 20.4cm per year.

As you can see that is quite a variation between individuals! (source 1)

Whilst there may be a fixed rate at which your own hair will grow in perfect circumstances, most of us do not provide our scalp and hair with the optimum growing conditions. This is where transitioning to No Poo washing can help.

You might be asking at this point, why? …

Well, the simple fact of the matter is that if you remove the daily obstacles that your hair faces this is bound to improve your scalps chances for hair growth no end.

Individuals who are interested in helping their hair grow faster need to focus on their scalp and its overall health. This is important because it is where the hair follicles are located, and where you can give the greatest help to your hair. 

Does the No Poo method help hair grow faster than traditional shampoos is, therefore, a subjective question, and open to individual interpretation.

No Poo methods, when the right method is used in the right amounts, can definitely help your hair.

Like everything though, if you use too much (baking soda and ACV is a good example) then you are likely to damage your hair and scalp rather than help it.

Whilst No Poo can definitely help you provide the best environment for your hair to grow, it is important to understand that it cannot alter the rate at a hormonal or genetic level.

How Does No Poo Help Your Hair Grow?

Below are the key ways that No Poo can help your hair to grow:

1. Scalp

Scalp scrubbers and scritching are used in No Poo to loosen and lift dead skin cells and dirt from your scalp.

Leaving dead cells and dirt on the scalp can impede hair growth and also cause bacterial problems if left for too long.

2. Massage

The massaging process of scrubbers and scritching can also aid blood flow to the scalp which can promote hair growth.

3. Sebum

Naturally produced sebum moisturizes your hair and nourishes each strand to keep it healthy.

Once the optimum levels of production are reached your scalp will be healthier owing to the correct amount of protective sebum on your scalp.

4. Sulphates

Sulfates strip the hair and scalp of natural oils.

Going No Poo and rejecting sulfates can help your hair, and therefore its growth. This is because using sulfates stresses the scalp into producing excess sebum.

A stressed scalp does not perform at its best so it is likely that your hair will grow faster with a contented scalp

5. No Poo ingredients

There are many natural ingredients used in No Poo that can help aid hair growth.

If your scalp is irritated, tea tree oil, aloe vera, and honey (all of which are easy to get hold of) are brilliant for moisturizing, soothing, and cleansing your scalp.

These are just a few, as there are many other ingredients that you can use which also have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects that can help your hair grow.

What Is The No Poo Method?

There are many benefits of going No Poo, here are just a few to consider:

  • Dry hair: Traditional shampoos contain sulphates which strip the natural oils from your hair, leaving it looking and feeling dry and dull.
  • Breakage: No Poo can nourish and moisturize your hair so that it is less prone to breakage.
  • Oily Hair: During the transition phase your hair may appear more greasy than normal. Once your hair is free from sulphates and silicons though, it will adjust it’s sebum production and you will often find that your hair needs washing less regularly.
  • Nourished: As there are no silicons covering your hair when following No Poo, the scalps natural oils are allowed to penetrate deep into the hair shaft leaving it spectacularly nourished and healthy.
  • Scalp: No Poo uses natural products that are less likely to act as irritants to your scalp. Some products are also naturally antibacterial and soothe the scalp, which in turn reduces dandruff and aids the scalps natural bacteria.
  • Time: When going No Poo most people are able to reduce the frequency of washes to once a week. This obviously takes less time than the normal daily wash with traditional shampoos.
  • Environment: When we wash our hair with traditional shampoo the chemical residue almost always ends up going down the plughole, which isn’t the case for No Poo washes which are free of chemicals.
  • Landfill: Washing our hair less frequently means that fewer plastic bottles are being used, which consequently do not end up in landfill.

Factors Influencing Hair Growth

There are several important factors that can influence your hair’s growth. Some we can influence, others are set in stone and we must simply accept them as part of who we are.

Below are the key factors affecting hair growth (sources 1,2):

  • Gender: Males may find that their hair grows more quickly than females.
  • Age: Younger people tend to have faster growing hair than adults. Ageing individuals may also find that their hair growth rate reduces at the same time that their hair also becomes thinner.
  • Health: As you would expect, the healthier you are the closer to optimum hair growth you will achieve.
  • Hormones: When your hormones change, so will the speed of your hair growth i.e. pregnancy.
  • Scalp Health: Keeping your scalp in tip top condition will enable the hair that does grow to do so at its fastest rate.
  • Hair Treatments: Heat treatments can damage the hair that already exists. In some cases it may also damage follicles and therefore reduce the rate of growth. Hair treatments that also benefit the scalp such as No Poo hair masks can improve the scalp environment and thereby encourage growth.

No Poo Hair Loss

Whilst going No Poo should not lead to hair loss, you may notice more hair fall than usual due to the following reasons:

  • Harsh: If you are using a No Poo method that is too harsh for your hair, you might notice more hair droppage. In such cases, try to reduce the frequency of your washes or increase the dilution rates.
  • Natural: Whilst using traditional shampoos every day you probably did not notice the tens of hairs that were shed daily. Therefore, when you move across to a No Poo haircare regime and only wash your hair once every 10 days, the number of hairs shed might be fewer, but will likely ‘appear’ more as the hairs are shed in one go.

If you wish to learn more about No Poo hair loss, read my article ‘Can No Poo Cause Hair Loss‘ for more information.

Does Washing Your Hair Make It Grow Faster?

Regularly washing your hair is not only good for how your hair looks and feels, but also for your scalp health.

Did you know that regular washing and massaging of your scalp can actually help your hair grow at its fastest rate?

Does Dirty Hair Grow Faster Than Clean Hair?

Dirty hair is often associated with a dirty scalp.

An unclean scalp that has its follicles smothered in dirt and harmful bacteria is never going to be the best place for growing hair.

Does Wetting Hair Make It Grow Faster?

There are many old wives tales about how to make your hair grow faster. Unfortunately, most of these tales are not scientifically backed in any way.

Wetting your hair in itself will not make your hair grow faster.

However, if you wet your hair as part of your No Poo wash method then you are likely to also massage your scalp and rinse off any dirt and dead skin cells. This is what will maximize your hair growth, not the wetting of the hair on its own.

How Often Should I Wash My Hair To Make It Grow Faster?

Over-washing your hair is just as bad for hair growth as not washing your hair enough.

When you find the optimum frequency of wash for your hair, this will also be the best guide to your scalp health.

Does Oily Hair Grow Faster?

Leaving your hair to get oily and greasy does not make it grow any quicker.

In fact, it is likely that your scalp will not be in the best condition for hair growth if your hair is overly oily.

Does No Poo Make Hair Thicker?

This is a really interesting question, so make sure you read my article ‘Does No Poo Make Hair Thicker‘ for the low down on hair thickness and health.

Conclusion

No Poo in itself is unlikely to make your hair grow faster.

However, it can provide your scalp with the very best care so that your hair grows at the fastest rate it can for you.

Best No Poo Method For Fine Hair

Fine hair is possibly the most difficult to No Poo. It is easily damaged and liable to be weighed down by any product making it look dull and lacking in volume. Pre-poo’ing might be the best solution for you.

Katrina Stewardson

Hello! My name is Katrina Stewardson, and I've been obsessed for almost ever with discovering the best natural hair methods for my own hair. For years I longed for one website to tell me everything I needed to know about the amazing No Poo Method movement. I just couldn't find one though, so I decided to create it myself! I dearly hope this website will save all you lovely ladies (and gents!) from wasting hours scrolling the internet looking for natural hair-related information like I did.

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