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:
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.....
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