No Poo For Indian Hair


There are many ways to No Poo, and many different recipes available for all types of hair; thin, thick, curly, and straight. No Poo for Indian hair though seems to have been overlooked. This article looks to redress the balance.

Indian hair can be successfully transitioned to No Poo, indeed, henna has been a mainstay for the population for centuries. Indian hair is often dryer than its European counterparts and therefore benefits from increased moisturizing and a pre-poo regime. Many of the recipes for curly hair are beneficial.

Indian hair varies from individual to individual, just like the hair of Caucasians and Africans.

One No Poo recipe will not work for everyone, but by using the concepts of No Poo, Indian hair can look and feel fantastic in no time.

No Poo For Indian Hair

No Poo is a way to keep your hair clean and healthy without using traditional shampoos and conditioners.

Traditional shampoos and conditioners are discouraged since they contain chemicals that, with regular use, can damage your hair.

The No Poo method gives everyone a way to use naturally sourced products to restore their hair to great health.

Whilst everyone’s hair is different, there are some common factors that can be identified and a successful No Poo method for Indian hair can be settled upon.

Indian hair is often thick and luxurious.

Many Indian women use traditional Indian methods of hair care which are No Poo in character. For example, henna masks and hair oiling are regular features.

Indian hair is particularly sought after for hair extensions as it is similar to Caucasian hair (source 1).

What Is The No Poo Method?

The No Poo method has evolved over the past few decades.

The original rejection of traditional shampoos came with the Curly Girl Method though. However, as the name suggests, this hair care routine was designed for those with curly hair and has very strict do’s and don’ts that many people find to be too restrictive.

By comparison, the No Poo method invites everyone to join in using natural products to keep their hair clean and healthy. It is far more relaxed and embraces many options, all with the idea of removing man-made chemicals from your daily and/or weekly wash.

Silicons And Sulfates

Excluding silicons and sulfates from your hair care regime can improve the health, and looks of your hair over time. This is because sulfates that are found in traditional shampoos are incredibly drying and if used too often they can be responsible for drying out your hair to the stage that it is prone to splitting and breaking.

Silicons are used in traditional shampoos and especially in conditioners, to seal the hair and add shine. This, however, does not address the damage that has been done underneath. Instead, it simply hides the damage that only becomes apparent once the silicons and sulfates have been removed from your hair care routine.

Just as they do not allow moisture out of the hair, silicons are reluctant to let moisture in. This makes for dry and brittle hair that cannot take in the moisture and nourishment that it needs to remain healthy and fabulous looking.

No Poo Recipes

There are as many No Poo recipes as there are natural ingredients to use in them, and then all the combinations, literally thousands of possible No Poo recipes.

This means that there will be one that works for your hair and your lifestyle.

Some of the most popular No Poo washes are:

Baking Soda

This is often teamed with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse to restore the hair’s pH.

Baking soda is mixed into a paste with water and massaged through the hair to dislodge debris from the hair so that it can be rinsed out.

For more information about this method read my article ‘No Poo Baking Soda‘.

Water Only

Scritching, preening, and regular use of a boar bristle brush to move the oil down the length of your hair, whilst using water to wash out any impurities is especially popular with those with dry curly hair.

The following articles I wrote all look at the water only method, and should prove useful to you:

How to Scritch & Preen Your Hair

Best Boar Bristle Brush For No Poo

Does Water Only Hair Washing Work?

Sebum Only

This is probably the hardest No Poo method to achieve, as only the naturally produced scalp oils are used to maintain and improve the health of your hair.

My articles, ‘The Sebum Only Method’ and ‘How Long Is The No Poo Transition Phase‘ looks in detail at the difficulties you might face if you move from traditional shampoos to No Poo.

Rinses

Many No Poo followers use herbal or essential oil rinses to wash and condition their hair.

Herbs and essential oils can also be useful in treating many different scalp and hair conditions.

The following articles that I wrote can give you more information on these particular methods:

No Poo Essential Oils For Hair

No Poo Rinse

Egg-Wash

This protein-rich wash can help to restore damaged hair.

Both the yolk and the white can be used separately, but also simply whisked up to use as a mask or a wash.

You can find some No Poo recipes that use egg; in this article No Poo Egg Wash Recipe.

Soap-Nuts

Soap nuts or Reetha, have been used for centuries to naturally clean hair.

Soap nuts have a very subtle foaming nature when boiled and the liquid they are boiled in provides a popular wash that can easily be stored.

Read my article How To Wash Hair With Soap Nuts to gain more information about how to achieve the right soap nut recipe for you.

Co-Washing

This method is very popular with No Poo’ers who use only conditioners to clean their hair.

For Can You Use Conditioner With No Poo looks at conditioner use.

Henna

You may think that henna is just for temporary tattoos, or coloring your hair. You would be mistaken.

Read No Poo And Henna to find out more.

Best No Poo Method For Indian hair

As Indian hair is often dry, using oils for pre-poo’ing, or trying a co-washing route may be the No Poo recipe that your hair is looking for.

Argan Oil is very popular for this very sort of use.

Massaging a small amount of oil through your hair before washing it just gives it a little more protection from the wash and also adds moisture.

A milk and honey wash is also popular.

The honey and milk mixture is wonderfully moisturizing, and honey has antibacterial properties that are good for your scalp health too. If you prefer, putting honey and milk into a warm bath is also amazing for soft and silky skin.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Simply mix full-fat milk with a couple of tablespoons of organic honey
  2. Massage mixture into your hair and scalp.
  3. Leave for a few minutes.
  4. Rinse it out.

Is No Poo Good For Hair

Going No Poo has a wide range of benefits for both you and your hair:

1. No Chemicals

Using only natural ingredients in preference to man-made chemicals can only be a good thing for your hair’s health.

2. Time

When you go No Poo you will not be a slave to washing your hair daily like is necessary with traditional shampoos.

Your hair will benefit from the lack of stresses put on it, and you will appreciate one less thing to tick off on your daily list.

3. Hair Health

Without being bombarded by man-made chemicals, your hair will start looking and feeling amazing.

Frizz often disappears, your hair will shine and feel more manageable.

4. Scalp Health

As your scalp is allowed with No Poo to regulate itself, it will gradually start to produce the optimum sebum amount to keep your hair nourished without you having to resort to conditioners to make it appear healthy.

How To Go No Poo In India

The best method to No Poo hair depends upon your hair type and the products available to you.

Many Indian markets provide a wealth of herbs that can be used to keep your hair clean and healthy.

How to No Poo your hair in India does not vary too much from anywhere else in the world.

Henna is a traditional Indian method for cleansing and coloring, but hair-oiling for conditioning is also popular.

Does No Poo Help Hair Grow?

No Poo can improve the health of your scalp:

  • Good scalp health in turn will therefore be able to provide the perfect environment in which your hair can grow.
  • Scritching and massaging the scalp will promote blood flow to the scalp and make sure that every hair has a chance to grow.
  • Healthy No Poo hair will break less making it look like it has grown more.

Although evidence that No Poo can help hair grow is anecdotal, No Poo will give your hair the best chance to grow well.

My articles Shampoo vs No  Poo and Does No Poo Make Hair Thicker hold more information about hair growth. Why not take a look?

Oil Hair – Indian No Poo Method

Hair oiling is a deep conditioning treatment.

Coconut and argan oil are often used, but any oil will work just as well. These are the steps you should follow:

  1. Warm Oil.
  2. Massage into scalp working from the middle outwards.
  3. Move oil down length of hair.
  4. Wrap hair.
  5. Leave oil in hair for 6-8 hours or preferably overnight.
  6. Lightly shampoo oil out of hair.
  7. Dry naturally.

Your hair should now be ultra-moisturized, conditioned, and incredibly soft and shiny.

Conclusion

No Poo for Indian hair is very much like No Poo for curly hair or those with a high porosity hair type. This is why oiling hair and co-washing are popular.

Traditional Indian henna has long been used for its cleansing benefits and is perfect as a No Poo option.  

Related Questions

No Poo Method Indonesia

Regardless of where you are in the world, or your ethnicity; working out what type of hair you have, and what type of water is available, will enable you to find a No Poo method that is right 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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