Rye Flour "Shampoo" Washing Method

[Reyn127]

Hello all!

I am hoping to create an ongoing thread for those of us who use or are interested in using rye flour (or similar) to wash their hair! There have been a few threads already started on this topic, but none which are recently active or serve as a great database for very much information, in one thread. I'm hoping this is allowed to stay on the Mane Forum despite being more of an "herbal" method, because threads over there get MUCH less traffic and easily go dead. And I've been clogging up the Water Only thread for a while, so here is our own!

The main idea is to mix water and rye flour, apply to your scalp/hair like any other "shampoo," rinse out as much as possible, and then let the remaining flour fall out as your hair dries. Technically you can use any low-gluten grain flour and it should work similarly - rice, chickpea, oat, etc. are all possibilities.

Now, does this really work???
For me, it has worked. For some, it doesn't. It depends on your individual hair, your goals, how you desire your hair to feel, and so on. Depending on your water to flour ratio, your technique while applying it, and probably a few other factors, you can end up with pretty different results, sometimes better than others.
Some common PROS I've encountered or heard about are:
-It's all natural. Doesn't contain chemicals,shouldn't cause irritation, eco friendly, etc.
-It's PH balanced, which is somewhat uncommon with alternative hair washing methods. There's nothing you need to do to balance back your scalp PH after using it.
-It doesn't strip your hair like a soap or strong shampoo would.

And some common CONS, as well:
-It's inconvenient. It takes longer to wash than it would with shampoo, and although it can be travel-friendly, it makes a mess which might be difficult to explain to travel partners.
-You are usually left with flakes in your hair that the water can't rinse out, they only come out when your hair is drying.
-Some people's hair gets dried out/frizzy/unmanageable after using flours/powders. Some people's sebum doesn't get fully washed away. So depending on your hair you may get varying levels of success or failure.
-Used alone, it is NOT conditioning, so you may need to figure out something to help you there.

Here are a handful of pictures showing my personal success. The "dirty" hair pictures here are taken after not washing my hair at all for 2-3 weeks, and the "clean" hair pictures are taken the day after washing, once it's all dry. It is very different lighting, but you should be able to see the difference in oiliness:
https://s25.postimg.cc/br2dsencf/IMG_2693.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/y306lsmgb/) https://s25.postimg.cc/ov7y537of/IMG_2695.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/ihiv1u2sb/)


https://s25.postimg.cc/uje8vz4b3/IMG_2729.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/qa9itt11n/) https://s25.postimg.cc/e8e4zncdr/IMG_2731.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/z5ad4baej/)


https://s25.postimg.cc/vlofeifen/IMG_2733.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/8wz8exy0r/)
There are still a few rye flour flakes remaining in my hair in those "clean" pictures. That is way more than I usually have left once my hair is fully dried, but that day I was in a bit of a rush and didn't get them all out right away. But as you can see, the flour can get a good deal of sebum cleansed away!

Overall, I have personally stopped looking for other no-poo methods after landing on this one, despite the challenges. After going no-poo about two years ago, I experimented with a bunch of things for a year before trying out rye flour, and since then, I have dropped every other cleansing method besides the rye flour and water only.

I hope this is a decent start to this thread. My next post here is gonna be my routine, aka basically HOW to do this method. Coming right up with that.....

[Reyn127]

Here’s my personal washing method, plus a few tips/tweaks I’ve discovered or heard about:

Just about any low-gluten flour should work. The finer the grind, the better, as bigger particles don’t rinse out as well. I learned that hard way that stone-ground flour is not ideal, although it works just fine.

Right before showering I mix up the “shampoo.” I used to mix it up about an hour before showering, but after learning a bit about breadmaking I learned that that is NOT a good idea - letting it sit in the water will make the gluten develop more, and we want to avoid high gluten flours as much as possible with flour washing. The gluten sticks, while the starch rinses out fairly well.

For my hair (since about hip length, high end of II thickness), I use about half a cup of dry flour, and as much warm water as it takes to make it around a thick shampoo consistency. Most people add more water, sometimes so much that it can be applied through an applicator bottle. I like the thick consistency personally, but it IS much harder to apply evenly on the scalp. I also add a few drops of essential oil, and mix thoroughly.

Once in the shower, I wet my hair and do a small amount of preening on my scalp to make sure everything is saturated with water. And then a basically scoop/pour small handfuls of the rye mush onto my scalp. I need to lift my hair away from my scalp to do this thoroughly. A lot of the time I will apply it from below as well as above, if that makes sense - I’ll come from down by my neck and smear it upwards, as well as putting it on top of my head and working it down. It’s during this time that I can really see why some people do it with more water and an applicator bottle.

Once it’s all applied, I usually let it sit on my head for a few minutes. It seems to soak in more and clean better if I leave it on for a bit. Near the end of those few minutes, I will add a tiny splash more water from the shower head and work it in, kind of like sudsing up regular shampoo. I actually get a little bit of a lather from it once I add more water after letting it rest on my head. I’m not sure if that’s also the case if you were to start with a more watery product in the first place, though.

Once it’s all on, rested, and lathered a tiny bit, I go right into rinsing. When I first started, I tried to rinse out as much flour as possible in the shower, trying to avoid getting the flakes out while drying. But after a while, I realized that you’ll just be wasting time trying to rinse beyond a certain point. Some flakes just do not come out in the water. Basically, as far as I’ve discovered, once the water from your hair is no longer flooded with bits of flour, you’re probably done. I used to rinse for a good 20 minutes before giving up, now I’ll rinse for maybe 5 minutes before I realize it’s as good as it’ll get in the water.

After that I’ll condition my ends, and get out. There are still usually a bunch of flour flakes in my hair, which I think is very common. But they DO mostly fall out on their own as your hair dries. Both airdrying and blowdrying work just fine, it’s simply a matter of your preference.

For me, the washing process takes about 30 minutes, plus drying time. So about an hour and a half with a cool blowdry to get the majority of the flakes out.

And that’s that! There are of course more tips and tricks and whatnot, but this is the gist of my own personal routine. I am super interested in hearing about all of YOUR experiences, experiments, and questions as well!

Let’s get this thread started and going strong!

[JennGalt]

Thanks for sharing your method. I assume this would work similarly with cornstarch? I have a bunch of the stuff that needs to be used up before I move across the country in a few weeks. I’ve used it in hair masks before and my hair seems to like it, but hates shampoo. I just never thought to use it to clean my hair until now. Any words of wisdom or routine tweaks from cornstarch users?

(Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask this. I don’t mean to hijack a thread.)

[TwilightMermaid]

Your hair looks super healthy in the clean photos! Also does anyone think it would be suspicious if you take some rye flour in a pot on a plane? Or will they not allow it because it's food, plant, etc. product. I'm sorry I. Just looking for a travel compatible no poo or low poo method. And I actually have a pancake mix of gluten free flour I'd like to us on hand.😋

[Reyn127]

JennGalt, no worries about hijacking, I think it’s all the same principle. I’ve never used corn starch myself, but I do know that it’s the starch doing the cleaning, so it should work.

TwilightMermaid, I actually brought an entire bag of rye flour on the plane a few months ago. They did do a little search of my bag because it looked weird on the x-ray, but they let me have it with no problem. I think as long as you don’t bring a ton like I did, you should be just fine.

[elfynity]

Yay Reyn, I am so excited that this thread is up! Washing with flour is such a legit way to shampoo your hair. I really had no idea how incredibly effective it was until I tried it myself. I am still amazed that something so simple can work so well. Rye specifically, from what I've researched, has a lot of minerals and nutrients that are very good for your hair when used topically - hence the reason to specifically use organic fine rye. I still haven't been able to get my hands on the fine ground one yet, so still using cornstrach when I need to.

One of my future experiments is to oil my hair and see how well the flour washes it out. But I will probably only try that early next year.


Thanks for sharing your method. I assume this would work similarly with cornstarch? I have a bunch of the stuff that needs to be used up before I move across the
country in a few weeks. I’ve used it in hair masks before and my hair seems to like it, but hates shampoo. I just never thought to use it to clean my hair until now. Any words of wisdom or routine tweaks from cornstarch users?

(Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask this. I don’t mean to hijack a thread.)

Jenny, I have used cornstarch shampoo in my hair to wash on a few occasions. I mixed 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into water and have made pastes with it and put it into a spray bottle. It works incredibly well! Cornstarch also is so fine that there is no visible sediment at all left in your hair. My hair was greasy before going in and clean when I left. It is not the sort of clean that shampoo leaves you with though. Shampoo dries out your hair and seems to remove it's 'life' so to speak. You will have to try it. I didn't specifically wash my ends with the mix as I didn't want too much drying out there, and just allowed the mixture to rinse out down my ends for a gentle wash. Hope that helps you make a decision.

[squirrrel]

I’m currently sat with a mix of extra fine ground besan flour and water on my head. I tried 1/4 cup this time, I think I might make it 1/3 another time.

I followed instructions I found on YouTube that suggested that if I sifted the flour before adding the water this would cut down on those white flakes. We shall see. I left it in for a bit as I’m not washing my body at this time, and decided to give it a little time to soak into my hair before rinsing out. I’m considering following up with a herbal tea rinse.

I shall report back when it is dry/tomorrow.

[MusicalSpoons]

Subscribing to this thread as cornflour (cornstarch) works well as a dry shampoo for me; cornflour wet shampoo is a no-poo method I might be tempted to try :)

[squirrrel]

Tomorrow has arrived. My hair has dried, and been brushed (tangle teezer) around half an hour ago. I didn’t specifically note many flecks of flour, but my brush definitely picked some up.

First thoughts... my hair is clean, soft, and fluffy. It doesn’t look hours since I brushed it, as often happens to me. Some of the condition could be due to the other recent washes, but feeling conditioned when I have only used one substance (decided to delay the herbal rinse as I want to Team that with a planned rice water soak) is a surprise.

Compared to other things I have put on my hair, the package of besan flour cost just over £1, probably around $1 for those of you in America, and the amount I used barely made a dent. I suspect I could get many washes from one packet. Plus, with only adding water to taste, it is simple and easy to make. It could well make the travel with no poo washing materials easier. Having just got back from a trip when I reluctantly took along some Shea Moisture conditioner to wash my hair with, that’s a big thing.

Overall, I would say that’s a good experience.

[ReptilianFeline]

I've been no-poo for a little bit more than a year now. My base is besan/chickpea flour at the moment with neem, henna, indigo and/or katam as a scrub. I sometimes add a bit of aloe vera gel to it and usually a bit of citric acid to keep the pH down. I have hard water so I need the acid to remove buildup, so I also rinse in magic water.

I've tried rye flour but didn't like the bits that stuck to my hair. Instead I let it ferment and just use the water from it.

I will try starch as a poo.

[elfynity]

I like how you ferment the rye and use the water, that is a good trick Reptilianfeline.

I have been using a lot of conditioners and moisturizers on my ends lately because they have been very dry. I'm not sure when, but my plan is to apply a bit of oil to my hair before washday - I've been thinking about trying out Neem or Avocado, not sure yet. And then use cornstarch shampoo to wash off. I don't want it to all come off, just a gentle washing to calm down the oiliness. I just really want to have a hair oil day at least once evey three months. So when I give this a try , I will let you all know how well the cornstarch removed the oil.

I tried to use cornstarch shampoo recently to remove coconut oil, but let's just say coconut oil has a life of it's own, and I put far to much on.

I haven't even tried rye yet, I cannot find the fine one here where I live, but I have also heard really good things about gram / chickpea flour - and I have seen the organic one in health shops here. I want to give it a try. Has anyone had good experiences with it? I'd love to know if the vitamins etc in the flours we use actually penetrate and benefit our hair. It makes me think that the fermented rye flour could have amazing benefits as fermentation breaks down good things in the flour to an absorbable form. Just wondering if anyone knows about all that, or some more info.

[MusicalSpoons]

[Glitched thread ... shoo gremlins!]

Edit: yay, it worked!

[squirrrel]

I have also heard really good things about gram / chickpea flour - and I have seen the organic one in health shops here. I want to give it a try. Has anyone had good experiences with it? I'd love to know if the vitamins etc in the flours we use actually penetrate and benefit our hair. It makes me think that the fermented rye flour could have amazing benefits as fermentation breaks down good things in the flour to an absorbable form. Just wondering if anyone knows about all that, or some more info.

I have been washing with gram flour. My hair seems to really like it. It even came up well when I used it as a dry sha, when I over oiled, and couldn’t get the oil out. I need practice in finding the correct amount to use, but I would never have believed my hair had looked so bad before I put the flour in. My hair transformed from an oily,p/plasticky, tangle prone mess, into soft manageable hair. It was great.

[rytiff]

I was intrigued with this idea and tried it the other week. I used corn flour and mixed it into a watery paste then scrubbed my whole head and length of hair with it and rinsed it out thoroughly with normal warm temperature water followed with a cold water rinse. My hair was the softest and shiniest it has been in a long time. I am concerned if it would cause problems if I continued to use it on a regular basis so I have been too chicken (or lazy?lol) to try it again. But I keep thinking back to that day and how I loved how my hair felt.

[ReptilianFeline]

I find chickpea flour to be the easiest to use. It works like a base and then I add some neem powder or mix it with henna and so on. I sometimes just mix the flour with water and sometimes with fermented rye flour water. I have tried corn starch/flour as well, but the chickpea variety works better for me at the moment.

My best find was the magic water rinse though, since it battles the buildup from hard water.

I need a good scrub for my scalp, so any herb might work, but neem, henna, indigo or the ayurvedic herbs all work well. Ground black pepper doesn't work because when wet, the small hard bits becomes large soft bits.

I tried fine sift oats flour as well, but the sift isn't fine enough, just as with the rye, so fermentation and using the fermented water is the only way for me. I hate little bits in my hair afterwards. It looks like dandruff and this is supposed to battle that, and for me it does... no dandruff when I'm no-pooing.

Water playes a huge part in this. Any hard water needs an acidic counter, and that can be done in many ways... the easiest is to add a bit of citric acid to the no-poo mix and to do a final rinse with magic water.

My hair is somewhat on the dry side, never greasy (unless on a hot summer after two weeks of not washing), and it was like that before I switshed from shampoo as well. I keep my scalp happy with no-poo and try to lock in some moisture with the help of pre-oiling the ends and sometimes adding coconut oil afterwards before it dries.

It does seem to work. I can now use Urtekram's childrens shampoo from time to time when I haven't prepared my mix, but I like the no-poo mixes better. I feel that when I get bubbles, I can't reach my scalp for a proper clean... it's kind of odd, but after more than a year on no-poo, I like the cream and scrub a lot better than bubbles.

[Ylva]

I'm interested in trying this method once I have gone through some more of my opened shampoo bottles. It will be well into the next year, but anyway. I just love the thought of this due to the pH advantage and also because rye holds such an important position here in northern Europe that it just feels right to use it on my body like that.

Would it be okay to mix the rye flour into fermented rice water instead of regular water? I am considering trying that for all of my hair, so if there's any benefit to it, it might be nice to properly apply to the scalp as well when washing. What about something like shikakai? Can shikakai stain blonde hair?

[elfynity]

Would it be okay to mix the rye flour into fermented rice water instead of regular water?

I don't see any harm in that since if you left rye it would do it's own fermentation and Reptilianfeline has used it successfully.

UPDATE to my hair oiling. I oiled my hair with such a teeny amount, but it was over a few days and only on my lengths, but my hair got to the point of saturation. I used such a small amount of cornstarch shampoo, about a half a teaspoon's worth in a cup of water, and sprayed it onto my roots and a bit on the front sections of my face where i get the most oiliness.

When my hair dried it was amazing! Clean yet not stripped, it still smelt a bit like honey, peppermint and lavender from the EO's I've been using. I have had a week's worth of really perfect hair - nice clean roots, but still covered nicely in sebum, beautiful glossy ends and my natural 2a waves are in full force. Very good experience.

I haven't had to condition my ends as much as usual, they seem to be holding the moisture better now. i have started to use preening to distribute the oils manually from root to tip which has actually been working sooooo well - it just takes a bit of time to get done. one episode of Game of Thrones and then it's done.

I am still uncertain about even thinking about applying any oils. It;s always so traumatizing when I land up with an oily mess, especially just before i need to look presentable - so I am thinking of oiling the length a slight bit just before i know I'm going to wash.

[MusicalSpoons]

I don't see any harm in that since if you left rye it would do it's own fermentation and Reptilianfeline has used it successfully.

UPDATE to my hair oiling. I oiled my hair with such a teeny amount, but it was over a few days and only on my lengths, but my hair got to the point of saturation. I used such a small amount of cornstarch shampoo, about a half a teaspoon's worth in a cup of water, and sprayed it onto my roots and a bit on the front sections of my face where i get the most oiliness.

When my hair dried it was amazing! Clean yet not stripped, it still smelt a bit like honey, peppermint and lavender from the EO's I've been using. I have had a week's worth of really perfect hair - nice clean roots, but still covered nicely in sebum, beautiful glossy ends and my natural 2a waves are in full force. Very good experience.

I haven't had to condition my ends as much as usual, they seem to be holding the moisture better now. i have started to use preening to distribute the oils manually from root to tip which has actually been working sooooo well - it just takes a bit of time to get done. one episode of Game of Thrones and then it's done.

I am still uncertain about even thinking about applying any oils. It;s always so traumatizing when I land up with an oily mess, especially just before i need to look presentable - so I am thinking of oiling the length a slight bit just before i know I'm going to wash.

That sounds very interesting - did you rinse off the cornflour mix or leave to dry? I'm considering going back to using cornflour more often to stretch washes because conditioning my scalp once a week seems to be taking care of the dryness, which was a large part of why I stopped relying on cornflour (it made my already dehydrated, flaky scalp even more dehydrated and flaky!) But if this could potentially be a viable option in place of shampoo scalp washes, that would be very cool indeed.

Related but sightly tangential question, do you know whether your water is hard or soft?

[elfynity]

That sounds very interesting - did you rinse off the cornflour mix or leave to dry? I'm considering going back to using cornflour more often to stretch washes because conditioning my scalp once a week seems to be taking care of the dryness, which was a large part of why I stopped relying on cornflour (it made my already dehydrated, flaky scalp even more dehydrated and flaky!) But if this could potentially be a viable option in place of shampoo scalp washes, that would be very cool indeed.

Related but sightly tangential question, do you know whether your water is hard or soft?

Hey Musicalspoons, I spray the cornflour shampoo onto my hair wet, rub my scalp and hair a bit with it in then rinse it out with water. My water is probably more on the soft side.

Perhaps consider using a very mild dose so as to not dry out your scalp too much? There's no reason why you also couldn't put some Lavender EO into the shampoo for more moisture and repair. What is the rest of your hair like moisture wise?

[Hairkay]

I have been happy using oats at times so I have never experimented with other grains and pulses. I have been wondering what the airport authorities would do if I was to travel with some colloidal oats and tell them its for my hair.

[elfynity]

I have been happy using oats at times so I have never experimented with other grains and pulses. I have been wondering what the airport authorities would do if I was to travel with some colloidal oats and tell them its for my hair.

You would have to tell them it is for your breakfast otherwise they might think you have gone nuts. If I tell someone i wash my hair with WO, they freak out, if I say I occasionally use cornstarch shampoo ... the disbelief is quiet classic.

[MusicalSpoons]

Hey Musicalspoons, I spray the cornflour shampoo onto my hair wet, rub my scalp and hair a bit with it in then rinse it out with water. My water is probably more on the soft side.

Perhaps consider using a very mild dose so as to not dry out your scalp too much? There's no reason why you also couldn't put some Lavender EO into the shampoo for more moisture and repair. What is the rest of your hair like moisture wise?

Thanks for that. Our water is very hard so has a tendency to dry out my skin and scalp anyway, but I could try it with miracle water.

The rest of my hair is moisturised enough - I double-condition and use ROO each full wash. Once a week (-ish) I'll condition scalp to tip, let it sit for 1hr+, shampoo scalp, ROO my entire length from ear/nape down, then condition from nape down. If I do another full wash in a week, I'll WCC with ROO between the conditioners. EDIT: I use a shower filter which makes the water a bit kinder to skin and scalp. /EDIT

I used to regularly use dry cornflour as a dry shampoo, and as fatigue has been worse lately I've gone back to it. My problem, especially last winter, was that it was drying for my scalp (probably to my hair as well but I didn't really notice!) but now I know how to effectively moisturise my scalp, it shouldn't be a problem. I do like the idea of adding EOs anyway, though!

[elfynity]

MusicalSpoons, is ROO - shampoo, oil and then conditioner?

I have the opposite issue, normal to oily scalp and dry ends. I am sure my water is more on the soft side.

[MusicalSpoons]

MusicalSpoons, is ROO - shampoo, oil and then conditioner?

I have the opposite issue, normal to oily scalp and dry ends. I am sure my water is more on the soft side.

ROO is an oil rinse after washing, so for people who shampoo and condition, yes it's between the S & C. In its most basic definition, it's an oil rinse after washing - whatever form that washing takes.

My scalp is oily, hence wanting to stretch washes with cornflour :) I perhaps should have said it dehydrated my scalp - cornflour as dry shampoo does a bizarre mix of absorbing the oil as well as making my skin 'dry' and flaky, yet to use it two days in a row requires a ridiculous amount of it because the scalp just keeps pumping the oil out :rolleyes: hence being very interested in perhaps using it as wet shampoo ETA for scalp washing, to maybe even stretch shampoo washes if possible.

[elfynity]

ROO is an oil rinse after washing, so for people who shampoo and condition, yes it's between the S & C. In its most basic definition, it's an oil rinse after washing - whatever form that washing takes.

My scalp is oily, hence wanting to stretch washes with cornflour :) I perhaps should have said it dehydrated my scalp - cornflour as dry shampoo does a bizarre mix of absorbing the oil as well as making my skin 'dry' and flaky, yet to use it two days in a row requires a ridiculous amount of it because the scalp just keeps pumping the oil out :rolleyes: hence being very interested in perhaps using it as wet shampoo ETA for scalp washing, to maybe even stretch shampoo washes if possible.

Thanks for clearing that up!

I have found that it is quite amazing that flour mixed with water is a much more powerful grease remover than just in it's dry form. You may be very surprised when you use it (if you haven't already).

For me I have the same issue, if I keep using dry shampoo, my hair is just as bad or worse the next day. It's almost like the oil goes back into your hair overnight. Definitly give it a try though and let us know the outcome. And hopefully your scalp decides to play nice, or you can figure something out with that that will work for you. I take it dry scalp is an issue besides just the dry shampoo?

[Flittingsis]

Hello all, I've been watching this thread with interest! I have tried oatmeal (ground at home, not colloidal ) and liked it but for the bits left in my hair and it never really touched the dried, waxy sebum build up on my scalp. I don't wash often and I'm growing my hair out, so oily hair is less of a problem for me at the moment. I just washed with arrowroot powder mixed with water (similar to cornstarch ) and it worked nicely on the hair, removing excess oil, but again, didn't touch my scalp. I now know that sesame oil massaged into my scalp does a wonderful job removing excess dry sebum, but I keep looking for a thing that will do both. I'm hoping that rye flour will, but I wanted to check to see if any of you had scalp build up and how you deal with it.

[MemeAimee]

I think I may give this a try!

[Flittingsis]

So, I experimented with chickpea flour yesterday. I oil massaged my scalp and preened the night before so there was plenty of oil on my hair. In the morning after my walk I took 2 tbls of chickpea flour and mixed in some water. It took a while to mix all the lumps in, but I eventually got there. As I put the paste into my hair the water became less noticeable and it got a little crumbly. I got it all on my hair (all 4 inches of it) and tried to even scrub my scalp a bit without making too much of a mess. The paste really didn't smell good at all!! I didn't let it rest for very long, maybe 5-8 minutes while I hopped in the shower and cleaned the rest of me. Then I started to rinse out the flour.... wow did it take a long time to rinse out!! I finally got it all out and rinsed with a little citric acid water, timely dried then air dried the rest of the way. My scalp feels great!! No build up, plenty of air getting to it. My hair is like I used sulfate shampoo! It is light and fluffy, no oil (and hardly any sebum) on any of it, and an unruly mop since I'm growing it out and trying not to cut it.
Things learned:
-put more water in the paste than you think, the hair will soak it up.
-put essential oils in it to make it smell better.
-rinse it out head down or better yet start in a bucket, finish in the shower.
-definitely finish with an acid rinse.

I have no idea how you actual long hairs do this, but it did work for me and I will continue to use it so when I get long hair again it won't be a shock.

[elfynity]

I have no idea how you actual long hairs do this, but it did work for me and I will continue to use it so when I get long hair again it won't be a shock.

Hi Flittingsis, I usually put 2 teaspoons of cornstarch flour into 250ml of water in a spray bottle and then use only maybe a 3rd of that and only on my roots - my hair is thinner than yours though so takes less to clean for me. i just stand in the shower and spray it on. I very often use EOs. My favourites being lavender (for moisturising), ylang ylang (just because) and peppermint (for a zesty minty smell - my fav!) Just 1 or 2 drops into this mix.

Once the mixture is in, I rub my scalp to clean it, then rinse it all off under the shower.

I never have extra flour in my hair, and cornstarch in my opinion has no smell, I don't know about chickpea - but I usually add EOs anyway.

My hair also lands up being very clean afterward, and incredibly manageable. It cleans so much nicer than sulphates. I love how your hair still retains it's texture and thickness, sulphates would just strip everything, flour shampoo for me just takes the dirt and excess oils off.

I'm so glad you gave it a good go. Perhaps get a spray bottle? It is much easier to apply. I am sure your next go at this is going to be alot better!

[elfynity]

I recently shampood my hair with organic shampoo and conditioner. I do feel like my routine is still evolving. My hair is so clean and has lost it's curls and weight. I feel that what I have been doing wrong is oiling my hair and leaving the oil in. Even a little bit of oil makes my hair very oily. So, I am now going to cornstach wash my roots, condition wash my ends for at least a month, and then at the end of the month i will do a thorough oiling and wash it off with organic shampoo.

If I did not oil my hair, I could definitly continue with cornstarch shampoo indefinitly - which I literally have been doing for 6 months. However, I really do feel I need to do at least a monthly oiling and cornstarch just doesn't take enough oil out of my hair.

It has been fun having super clean hair for 2 weeks, and now I am eager to get back to that natural feeling again.

[MusicalSpoons]

I'm giving cornstarch shampoo a go tonight for various reasons; my hair isn't quite *oily*-oily but it will be in the morning if I don't do anything, but my scalp has had more than enough dry cornstarch on it for the week and I don't have the energy to do a full wash tonight. I'm hoping because it'll just be spraying the cornstarch mic onto dry hair and rinsing out that I can get away with just one conditioning on my lengths, and that it looks okay tomorrow. Will report back!

Oh, I never addressed your question about dry scalp being a problem. Dehydrated scalp is an issue I have to manage but with a decent routine it isn't a problem as such. Knowing that if all else fails I can address it with conditioner if I'm less careful than usual means I don't worry about it, but I do enjoy not having flaky skin around my hairline! (My face does the same thing - oily but prone to the surface layer dehydrating, but it's a lot easier to keep clean and moisturised than the scalp.)

[Crazylazy34]

I don’t think I cold ever do that, I feel like my scalp would go mad since I have a scalp condition similar to sebhoreic dermatitis just with no flakes.has anyone used natural Clay masks to help with oiliness?

[MusicalSpoons]

Updating: I used ~4tsp cornflour in ~200ml miracle water. I tried spraying it but my fingers were having none of it and quite frankly I was never going to get my roots damp that way, so I sort of dribbled it over my scalp. Rubbed my scalp for a bit, but possibly not long enough because damp and dry hairs were sticking to each other and my fingers and I ended up losing some :-( in the end I just rinsed it all and used one conditioner on the lengths to be done with it.

Results: the top of my head looked reasonably clean, but the hair stayed in position just like when it's very oily. The sides of my head looked no bettee than before, and the rest of my scalp hair felt just as oily. I did like the fact there was no cornflour left from using it as dry shampoo before, but I could have just rinsed it for that. However, the fact the top of my head looked clean makes me think there is something in this method, and there might be a way it could work for me if I'm inclined to find it.

If I try it again I'll probably use an applicator bottle, or a different type of spray bottle might make enough of a difference. I'd probably up the proportion of cornflour so I can thoroughly wet the roots without it running everywhere, and it might have a chance to work better. Or ... I could mix up enough to fill a container large enough to dunk my head, and I could massage my scalp whilst *in* the mixture, like when I wet my roots for a scalp wash. It may not happen for a while though - fatigue is a beast and the entire reason my head was full of cornflour in the first place :shake:


Crazylazy34 I haven't, but I'm sure there are threads in the 'Herbal recipes / Henna' section of the forum if you search :)

[elfynity]

Musicalspoons, since I started putting my cornstarch mix into a spray bottle, I wouldn't even try doing it another way. It allows me to get the mixture on the parts that need it. I would try that next time.

I cornstarch shampoo'd my hair today and conditioned the ends. I am happy with the results and very pleased that my curls are coming back ( i used non-sulphate shampoo last week which made my hair wavy and fuzzy again ).

My hair is much drier overall if I oil, use no-sulphate shampoo and conditioner than if I don't oil, use cornstarch shampoo and conditioner. Now I know.

[MusicalSpoons]

Yes, I did use a spray bottle initially, but reading it back I didn't make that at all clear :doh: it's an old leave-in spray bottle which used to be fine but takes ages to actually dampen any hair, plus with muscle problems my hands/fingers disagree with it. I needed the mixture all over my scalp and I wasn't getting anywhere! But maybe a spray bottle designed to dispense more at once might be better :)

[elfynity]

I have 5 spray bottles in my house, and seem to collect them- one for every kind of spray I need! Maybe just buy a better one than suffer in slow silence?

I'm so bleek, my hair is still oily even after my last big cornstarch wash. I don't know why it isn't taking the oil out this time. Could it be that I am now dechlorinating my water?

[Jesmonster2]

How funny; I just watched few a German YouTube Videos on using rhye flour shampoo this morning. I think it's a little trendy in Germany among the all natural beauty types right now. One person mixed ACV right in with the ground rhye flour mixture.

[elfynity]

I have 5 spray bottles in my house, and seem to collect them- one for every kind of spray I need! Maybe just buy a better one than suffer in slow silence?

I'm so bleek, my hair is still oily even after my last big cornstarch wash. I don't know why it isn't taking the oil out this time. Could it be that I am now dechlorinating my water?

I am very pleased to say that the oiliness didn't last long, I woke up the next morning with non oily hair that had lots of body. I am very sure that the lack of chlorine in my water now is stopping my hair from being stripped as much as it used to be, which is very good news because I want the natural oils to stay in my hair, but be able to control it to some extent with the cornstarch. So for anyone who is interested, a quarter teaspoon of sodium ascorbate, or ascrobic acid (just plain old vit c) will neatralise chlorinated water and break up chloramine - and the chlorine will be forced to evaporate. I thought that it was the hot water that made me ill when i got out the bath, but now I don't feel ill anymore since I have been dechlorinating!

i am getting paid tomorrow, so i am hoping I can go buy my conditioner for my ends! They are always dry! That's my update!

[MusicalSpoons]

I have 5 spray bottles in my house, and seem to collect them- one for every kind of spray I need! Maybe just buy a better one than suffer in slow silence?

I'm so bleek, my hair is still oily even after my last big cornstarch wash. I don't know why it isn't taking the oil out this time. Could it be that I am now dechlorinating my water?

I am very pleased to say that the oiliness didn't last long, I woke up the next morning with non oily hair that had lots of body. I am very sure that the lack of chlorine in my water now is stopping my hair from being stripped as much as it used to be, which is very good news because I want the natural oils to stay in my hair, but be able to control it to some extent with the cornstarch. So for anyone who is interested, a quarter teaspoon of sodium ascorbate, or ascrobic acid (just plain old vit c) will neatralise chlorinated water and break up chloramine - and the chlorine will be forced to evaporate. I thought that it was the hot water that made me ill when i got out the bath, but now I don't feel ill anymore since I have been dechlorinating!

i am getting paid tomorrow, so i am hoping I can go buy my conditioner for my ends! They are always dry! That's my update!

Re: spray bottles, yes if it's something I still intend to pursue after upcoming changes in circumstances I will definitely look into a different spray bottle. It used to be fine; I even used it without huge problems a few months ago, but my body is oh so fickle nowadays :rolleyes:

That's so interesting that dechlorinating your water has made such a difference! I'm pleased it works so well for you. Ours is chloraminated and a shower filter works to some extent, but adding ascorbic acid into a jug of water releases the ammonia so I can tell it's definitely working then by the smell *wrinkles nose*

[elfynity]

That's so interesting that dechlorinating your water has made such a difference! I'm pleased it works so well for you. Ours is chloraminated and a shower filter works to some extent, but adding ascorbic acid into a jug of water releases the ammonia so I can tell it's definitely working then by the smell *wrinkles nose*

So interesting, I haven't smelt that ammonia smell yet, but our water doesn't have a high chlorination content in it. Apparantly the worst chlorination passing into your body comes in through the steam from a shower. apparantly hundreds of times worse than submerging in a bath - so very glad that you have the shower filter!

Totally addicted to Vampire diaries, watched 2 seasons in like a week! Elena, is that hair really all hers - probably not.

[lilelf]

Firstly, thank you for starting this thread! I think it is great to resurrect topics that have worked so well for others in the past. It brings them to the attention of those who are new to the community, as well as reminds those of us who may have forgotten. So thank you!!
Now, onto the topic at hand: I used to use rye shampoo several years ago, and just recently remembered how incresible it was, so I sucked it up and bought a bag. Oh! The Joy!!! Happy hair and scalp again!!
Since we moved to a house with well water, shampoo bars were not working. And over the last several years, I have become even more chemical sensitive. In comes scalp issues and MASSIVE hairfall...because I didnt have enough issues already. Lol. So I am back on the rye-flour train.
Musicalspoons, may I suggest a squirt bottle for application??? A nice soft one, perhaps, like those you buy for condiments. You could cut the tip down if you like a thicker paste as well.
Also, I have mixed the rye with besan, shikakai, reetha and beneficial indian herbs like amla with quite a bit of success, if anyone was curious as to whether or not it could be done. And as to a prior question, rye DOES remove a rather heavy hair oiling (at least for me), though it does sometimes require two applications.

[elfynity]

Lilelf, that is so good to know about the rye. I haven't been able to get my hands on a bag of fine rye, and am so keen to change to it. I am sure I will source it soon and then I can start oiling heavily again.

[Ophidian]

Hiya Reyn (et al) :)

Glad to see you're still on the rye train, and I'm happy to see a new alternative method thread in the main forum! I am mostly popping in to say hello, but I do have a few questions:

1) Reyn, in your initial post you mentioned conditioning your ends. Have you been added conditioner into your routine, or are you using something else?

2) All, I've used rye several times and really liked it. What tipped the scales towards herbs for me was that I experienced some tangling with rye whereas with the herbs I have virtually none. Has anyone else had this issue, and if so what helped with that? The best results I had were probably when I mixed some slippery elm powder in with my rye mix, which added some slip (my hair loves slimy herbs :p), but I couldn't get consistent results. I am happy with my routine now, but a part of me is drawn to the simplicity (and local-ness) of the rye method.

[elfynity]

I treated my hair ends with lots of conditioner packed into wet hair for a few hours yesterday, then ran a bath of coolish dechlorinated water to wash it out. I used 1 spoon of cornstarch dissolved in some filtered water and used a spray bottle to evenly spray it on my hair roots. Today I am having absolutely the best hair day. I had to condition wash all my hair last month, which worked for then and had a lovely result, but conditioner is not something i can constantly smother on my roots. My hair is soft, clean, and my curls are wonderfully bouncy. Also my hair is glowing. Very pleased with the result.

[ReptilianFeline]

2) All, I've used rye several times and really liked it. What tipped the scales towards herbs for me was that I experienced some tangling with rye whereas with the herbs I have virtually none. Has anyone else had this issue, and if so what helped with that? The best results I had were probably when I mixed some slippery elm powder in with my rye mix, which added some slip (my hair loves slimy herbs :p), but I couldn't get consistent results. I am happy with my routine now, but a part of me is drawn to the simplicity (and local-ness) of the rye method.

I seem to get the best result when I let the rye ferment and just use the water from it... it does seem to be best when there is this "being" in it that covers the entire container. I think it's similar to what kambusha is? It doesn't smell bad at all, just a bit soury and alive. My hair is always tangly... that is how the strands are. I've been experimenting with adding a bit of lanolin oil to my hair after squeesing out the water but before I wrap it in a towel.

[elfynity]

I let the rye ferment
This is very intriguing - you could also go ahead an make sourdough bread. Is there a positive result you are getting from the fermented rye water? Are you using it as a shampoo or a rinse out?

[ReptilianFeline]

This is very intriguing - you could also go ahead an make sourdough bread. Is there a positive result you are getting from the fermented rye water? Are you using it as a shampoo or a rinse out?

I have hard water so anything acidic helps. I use it as part of my poo mix.

[elfynity]

I have hard water so anything acidic helps. I use it as part of my poo mix.

Amazing, you may have found the most alternative shampoo ever.

[Reyn127]

Hey all. I hate to have to be saying this, BUT....

I did stop using rye flour shampoo and got some store-bought products recently.

Oof, there, I said it. Still doesn't feel great, but I want to be honest with you guys. It was a combination of all the tiny little problems with the method I was having a hard time fixing, and some personal life stuff that came at me, which caused me to make some changes.

For the haircare, I was just having a really hard time finding something that would REALLY work as a conditioner. My ends were just getting ridiculous, and nothing helped very much. As far as the cleansing, the rye flour worked great most of the time - but the past few months I was starting to get waxy sebum buildup again, which I had a huge struggle with last year. And it just isn't that practical now that my hair is classic length, and also considering any trips I wanted to take I couldn't wash my hair on.

In my personal life, I had to move 3 times in 2018, and my father passed away in September. So I've had to face a lot of stressors this year, and it has really changed my perspective on what I want and need in my life at the moment. After all that, I just needed something easy, something to happen smoothly, and bring me joy. So I bought shampoo and conditioner a month ago, so that my hair will be easy, and bring me simple joy, free of complications.

There's a few more details on my blog here if anyone is interested.

I do hope that this post doesn't necessarily discourage anyone from trying rye flour shampoo. It overall worked great for me for a solid year and a half. I do plan on still checking in on this thread as I feel like I did learn a LOT while using rye flour. Hopefully now that my life has settled a little bit, I'll be able to be more active here in general.

But for now, keep at it, you all! (If it works for you, that is!)

[ReptilianFeline]

Things happen, Reyn127! Sorry to hear about your father! I've been there myself and it hurts and part of what happend for me turned me towards no-poo.

Any kind of no-poo mix can be tried and tested and sometimes changed and changed again and sometimes you need to quit for a while and then maybe come back later or make a hybrid. There are times when I wish I could just pick up a bottle of shampoo that is kind to my scalp, but it isn't easy to find now that I'm used to my own mixes. The closest I've come so far is Urtekram's children's shampoo, but that needs a bit of help with a acidic rinse afterwards because of hard water. I might use it as a hybrid by mixing in something acid and add some henna as a scrub.

[Ophidian]

I’m so sorry to hear about your father Reyn, and I know how stressful moving just once is. I hope that you find many things that bring you that simple joy in the coming months and that things get better for you.

I think that for those of us using rye, or herbs, or stuff like that here, it can feel a bit like there’s something to prove once you’ve had some success, like yes this can actually work! I haven’t had as stressful a year as you, but for what it’s worth I recently bought some products too. My scalp still can’t deal with being herbs only so I’ve been doing scalp washes anyway, but I started wondering if maybe there was a way to avoid that hassle by finding something that my scalp and length can agree on for once. Anyway, all that to say there is zero shame in adjusting your routine to suit where you’re at.

[elfynity]

I have still been using my cornstarch shampoo, and now that it is summer, my hair is oilier which is making it a bit difficult. I have been using conditioner on my ends, and some of the conditioner gets onto my roots when i rinse in the bath water, but my hair feels great and is very clean considering i haven't used shampoo in a while!

I am very sorry to hear about all your moving and your father Reyn, and it is really good to hear from you, and hey, well done for sticking out rye flour shampoo for a whole year - that in itself is an incredible achievement!

[lilywolf]

Hey! I've been washing with rye flour once a week since May 2019, and I really like it, but I'm finding there is a lot of build up on my scalp. I don't think it's rye flour, though (I rinse very thoroughly and scrub my scalp in between rye flour washes).

Has anyone else found this over time? And has anyone overcome this problem? I am going to try an oat flour, brown sugar, jojoba oil scrub the next time I wash my hair to see if that helps.

[elfynity]

Bringing this thread back to lilfe, even if I'm the only one left on it as I am cutting back on shampoo for winter and am using cornstarch shampooing instead because my hair otherwise is a super frizzy mess.

My hair already has stopped being so static.

I have been cornstarching the roots and then conditioning the ends. I also work a drop of avocado oil onto the very ends.

My hair is so much more manageable and isn't too oily at this point. I will introduce a little bit of shampoo in the weeks to come just to maintain the non-frizz - clean balance.

[Fethenwen]

I finally came about to try this, and the results so far has been amazing! I can stretch washes from 3 to 4 days or even longer if I would want too, my scalp feels so clean! Love the volume and shine. +More managable hair.

Overall I am super stoked about it. I use fine sifted rye flour.

So my routine has been for the last two weeks: washing with rye flour, rinsing with water with citric acid added (I have very hard water). Then I do a ACV rinse, sometimes I do it twice until my hair feels soft. I leave it in. Then I add just a tiny bit of argan oil/grapeseed oil blend on my ends.
BB brushing in between.

My hair is very prone to build up, so I do think I need to use mineral removal shampoo at some point. Perhaps I will use it diluted on my ends, because I really like how my scalp feels right now and would not want to disturb the perfect ph balance I am enjoying at the moment.

I could post a pic soon!

[Fethenwen]

Ok, so I thought I'd post a new thread because I did not find a new one on this subject.

I have used rye flour as a hair was for a bit over two weeks now, and I am totally sold. :joy: This stuff works! The best part is that is it very local, organic, environmentally friendly and low cost hair care.
Love the way my hair feels, and it is just so shiny! My hair is very prone to build up and tangles, but right now that has not been a problem at all whatsoever. Oh, and as a bonus my hair seems to keep fresh and clean for longer. It is almost too good to be true.

I mix about 2-3 tbs of fine sifted rye flour in a little bit of water to form a paste. I let it sit for about half an hour or so. And then I massage it on my scalp after I have wet my hair. Rinse thoroughly and I follow with a ACV rinse. I have some leave in conditioner spray that I use and a hair oil that's a mix of argan and grape seed oil that I use on my ends.

Here's a recent pic (starting to have a little bit of roots showing, should henna soon!):

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42309&d=1597590014

[Feral_]

I’ve heard of rye flour being used to clean hair in the various no shampoo methods. I always have rye flour in because I bake danish bread each week.. but I’d be wary of using it on my hair due to blocking up pipes and my plumbing is old. I’ve heard of bakers having problems when they put dough remnants down the sink!
Your hair does look lovely though, very shiny and smooth :crush:

[Fethenwen]

Yeah, that was my first reaction, that what if it blocks our plumbing? Apparently it doesn't, the amount is small enough and watery enough that it just dissolves into the rest of the water.

Mmm, danish bread :) I bought the flour and thought I just give it a go with not much hope it would work that well. One can use it for baking if the experiment fails.

[Jane99]

Your hair looks very happy!! Do you find it difficult to rinse all the flour out of your hair? I have never used rye flour but it sounds like it must be very different than wheat.

[Fethenwen]

^ Not really at all that difficult, I do rinse it a bit extra carefully. At my first wash, I did use quite a lot of rye flour and I also massaged it in my ends, so that was harder to rinse out. I then used less, and was sure to only massage it on my scalp.
I just scoop the stuff from a small bowl, I don't find the need to use a squeeze bottle.

Here is btw a video on the topic:
https://youtu.be/EkP6oryimao

It has not many similarities to wheat. Rye has saponins which works as a cleaning agent. Chickpea flour and quinoa works with the same principle. I have tried chickpea flour as well, but I found rye to give more shine.

[Feral_]

Have you used rye flour to wash out oil treatments.. I’m wondering how that would work?

[Feral_]

Have you used rye flour to wash out oil treatments.. I’m wondering how that would work?

[Ylva]

Here (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=147423) is a thread about washing hair with rye flour. :)

[Feral_]

Here (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=147423) is a thread about washing hair with rye flour. :)

Thanks Ylva :)

[Fethenwen]

Have you used rye flour to wash out oil treatments.. I’m wondering how that would work?

Not that that well at all! :D I tried it today, while washing it felt promising, but now that my hair has dried it is still pretty oily. Darn, I would have to use either shampoo or indian herbs for washing out oil.


Here (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=147423) is a thread about washing hair with rye flour. :)

Great, thanks, I completely missed that one!

[Fethenwen]

Still on it! Still amazed!

Update on washing out oils, I did not have to go back to shampoo afterall. The next day my hair looked fine, somehow it seems that it absorbed the rest which was making my hair look oily. And after that, another two days of awesome hair without any lank, stringy or frizzy anything. I can stretch washes to 4 days now, before I _had to wash every 3 days.

I am enjoying so much less frizz as well. I will post a picture soon!

[helluin]

I'm using half cornstarch with some cocoa powder (to make it brownish) and it's sooo nice!

[Fethenwen]

Interesting that so many are using/tested cornstarch as well. Does it give that squeeky clean feel while washing? I get that with rye.

[Fethenwen]

Ok, here are some recent images. I am starting to be soon a month in this method. Still no build up, nor waxiness! In case you're wondering, those are layers I got cut recently (still not regretting it, lol)

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42463&d=1598985061


https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42462&d=1598985051



https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42464&d=1598985072

Softness is just unbelievable, I am not exaggerating :p Wish I had found this method sooner!

[Feral_]

Wow Fethenwen your hair does look good! Is that just rye flour & water with no conditioner?

[Jane99]

Yes, absolutely beautiful and healthy looking!!

[Fethenwen]

Thanks! Yes, rye flour mixed with water into a paste + ACV rinse. No conditioner other than a tiny bit of leave-in oil of argan and grape seed. I still have some leave-in spray conditioner left that I use from time to time, but it seems that I don't really need it anymore. BB brushing seems to do the trick.

[BorealBacchante]

I have just begun trying this method out.
The only rye I have at the moment is stone-ground, so...I will just be coping with The Dreaded Bits until it makes sense to buy more rye flour.
Since the idea is to not let it sit (unless using just the liquid/fermented liquid) I have noticed a huge difference between mixing the flour with cold water and hot water. With cold water I get more of an impression of the fine starches mixing in like a colloid and the larger bits easily falling out in a watery mix. With hot water, a more mucilage type thing happens, with the thin part of the mix seeming more translucent and mix being thicker, holding the big pieces in suspension. Hot breakfast?
Worth noting I'm using a lot of flour, about 1/3 cup then adding 1 cup water to it and shaking it up to mix. Still seemed very watery cold. I liked the texture hot, reminded me of washing with oatmeal mucilage and seemed to rinse out easier.
The hot mix felt almost foamy in my hair, in the way some conditioners feel almost foamy even though they are not really.

I am also really pleased with this method for my scalp. I have a dry, irritable scalp that might also SD (responds to antifungals). So I'm always dealing with the balancing act of medicated shampoos, and having my scalp dried out by those shampoos.
I have done two rye washes in 8 days, doing some light massaging and preening each day, and no sign of scalp flakes or SD irritation so far. Is it the gentleness and just luck I'm not having a flare up? I wonder, too, if the rye flora make my scalp happy? Can they compete with Malassezia?
I would like to try this with barley flour, as that is the big crop in my hometown!

[elfynity]

I'm actually still doing the flour washing, but I never actually used rye :rolleyes:, I used cornstarch mixed with water. I am actually very tempted now to go buy some rye flour and actually do the shampoo with it instead and see how it goes, but honestly, cornstarch shampoo (and dry shampoo) has worked for me all this time. I'm on a no poo binge at the moment, so only flour washing my hair for the foreseeable future. I'm just trying to give my roots a real holiday from being so squeaky clean. I honestly couldn't do it though without a few more aids, namely peppermint EO in water spray on roots a few times a week, BBB brushing from root to tip, daily, and standing under running water in the shower and really massaging my scalp clean and dusting with cornstarch powder and then brushing through maybe once a week. It is working though, my roots haven't seen shampoo now for about 2 weeks, just using the flour and they look and feel amazing.

[rytiff]

I have not been here in awhile, but I remember that I tried washing with cornstarch once a long time ago, and I liked the results, so I am willing to give it a go again. I don’t remember why I was so nervous about continuing it after that one and only time. I’ve always liked to try new things and I tend to seek out very basic natural ingredients in most everything in my life. And cornstarch is a fairly cheap and easily found ingredient, so what is there to lose? I’m curious what others have experienced if they tried or still use this method?

[Reyn127]

I'm actually still doing the flour washing, but I never actually used rye :rolleyes:, I used cornstarch mixed with water. I am actually very tempted now to go buy some rye flour and actually do the shampoo with it instead and see how it goes, but honestly, cornstarch shampoo (and dry shampoo) has worked for me all this time. I'm on a no poo binge at the moment, so only flour washing my hair for the foreseeable future. I'm just trying to give my roots a real holiday from being so squeaky clean. I honestly couldn't do it though without a few more aids, namely peppermint EO in water spray on roots a few times a week, BBB brushing from root to tip, daily, and standing under running water in the shower and really massaging my scalp clean and dusting with cornstarch powder and then brushing through maybe once a week. It is working though, my roots haven't seen shampoo now for about 2 weeks, just using the flour and they look and feel amazing.


I have not been here in awhile, but I remember that I tried washing with cornstarch once a long time ago, and I liked the results, so I am willing to give it a go again. I don’t remember why I was so nervous about continuing it after that one and only time. I’ve always liked to try new things and I tend to seek out very basic natural ingredients in most everything in my life. And cornstarch is a fairly cheap and easily found ingredient, so what is there to lose? I’m curious what others have experienced if they tried or still use this method?

I barely come on this site anymore, probably just about once every month or so, but I'm so glad to discover that a few of you are still popping into this thread I made! My hair was definitely its healthiest when I was using rye flour to wash, so I'm kind of sad that eventually life and the convenience of other, store-bought products ended up winning out during a difficult time of my life, and I've never gone back after.

But seeing a few mentions of corn starch gets me thinking.... from my time doing rye washes, and what little research and accounts I could find at the time, I do remember figuring out that the starch in the rye flour is what actually does the cleansing, and technically it seems like you could use ANY flour - as long as it's low in gluten, or even better gluten-free, as that's what makes it sticky. (And if the flour you're using does contain gluten, then to not let it sit for too long or mix it too vigorously so that the gluten doesn't hydrolyze [a fancy baking word that basically means to break down and develop gluten more over time]).

All that being said, I bet that corn starch works really well! Especially since it's easy to find, has no gluten, and it comes so finely ground already, it might even be a better choice than rye flour. If anyone has tried both a handful of times I'm definitely curious to know any differences you notice!

[rytiff]

So far I have washed twice with the cornstarch since I restarted using it. I was a little over the top with adding some essential oil to the cornstarch mix the first wash this week so I was a bit too oily but it smelled nice. The second wash this week I only added a few drops of essential oil to the cornstarch and my hair came out much better. Today I was noticing how bunny soft my hair was. I will continue and give updates if I notice any extra shedding or anything else that may occur.

[Reyn127]

Rytiff, does the corn starch rinse out easily for you? Are you left with any still in your hair once it dries? And does it seem to get your hair pretty much fully clean?

[rytiff]

I add about 1/3-1/2 cup of water to about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and a FEW drops of essential oil to make a slurry (don’t make the same mistake I did and over do the drops-LOL). After wetting my hair I pour the slurry on my hair lifting sections of it to get closer to the roots. I use my finger pads to scrub it in like a normal shampoo. Then rinse rinse rinse. Because the cornstarch is melted in the water prior to using it I don’t have to worry about clumps left in my hair. I’ve used it on days with normal dirty/oily hair including light exercise. I have not noticed any adverse reactions yet.

[Reyn127]

When I did the rye flour washes, that’s pretty much the exact consistency I mixed mine to - basically the same consistency as regular shampoo, and it seemed to work way better than when it was drier/thicker. And with cornstarch, you don’t have to worry at all about hydrolization, and it seems to work well for you, so I wonder if the corn starch is a bette choice overall?