Since two months I am washing my hair mostly with rye flour. I've stopped using conditioner and use oil only at the ends. My hair looks great, stays fresh longer than ever. Also the rye doesn't wash out henna like shampoo does (it is the same with hair dye). Another side-effect I have noticed is that I am losing much less hair than before, and I'm talking like 90% less.
I started my hair care journey with very dry and damaged hair. In the beginning my hair was thankful for every bit of nourishment it got, and ate up all the hair conditioner, treatments and oil that I would throw at it. Gradually I switched to conditioner-only washing. As my hair stopped being very porous and dry (the porousity was mainly due to damage) I found that conditioner-only was often too much for my hair, it would look amazing on the first day, and limp and greasy on the second and third. When I used shampoo it felt light and bouncy but then I would get flyaways and frizz. I finally found the perfect balance between cleansing and consitioning with rye flour.
Rye flour hair wash isn't perfect. It takes a bit of pre-planning because it's best to soak it, and even after careful sieving it leaves flakes in my hair that I have to shake out. I haven't been able to get my hands on the finely-ground and non-whole-wheat version of rye flour yet, which I hope will not leave flakes at all. What does cut down on the flakes is an acidic rinse -- apparently it is the hardness of the water makes the flakes stick to the hair. I use diluted apple cider vinegar.
In the end my hair looks great and is healthy, so I'm saving time and effort and money on hair care as a whole. Finally... I stumbled onto this post about water-only washing, and it was the first one on the topic that actually made me really consider trying it in the future.
Another very important thing about cleansing with rye flour -- you need to really use your fingers to get your scalp clean. I actually count in my head to make sure I am actually rubbing my scalp for at least a full minute. A nice side effect of this is that scalp massages help with blood circulation and stimulate hair growth, it also regulates the sebum production and stimulates growth.
If your hair is really oily you can try adding a little bit of lemon juice A drop or two of tea tree oil will also keep the hair fresh longer. For hair that is very dry you can add two teaspoons of honey or half a teaspoon of oil into the mixture.
I have been recently experimenting in is mixing my rye flour with herbal infusions. You basically make a tea out of a herb that you like, and let it cool before you mix it with the rye flour. Salvia and rosemary is great for oily hair, chamomile brightens blond hair. Coffee, nettles help with hair loss. For neurodermitis or an irritated scalp, use black tea (let is brew for at least 15 minutes). If you want a nice smell, you can of course add a drop or two of essential oil, or use a fragrant oil for the hair ends.
Let me know if you have any questions, as I want to do an update about my general hair routine soon.
I started my hair care journey with very dry and damaged hair. In the beginning my hair was thankful for every bit of nourishment it got, and ate up all the hair conditioner, treatments and oil that I would throw at it. Gradually I switched to conditioner-only washing. As my hair stopped being very porous and dry (the porousity was mainly due to damage) I found that conditioner-only was often too much for my hair, it would look amazing on the first day, and limp and greasy on the second and third. When I used shampoo it felt light and bouncy but then I would get flyaways and frizz. I finally found the perfect balance between cleansing and consitioning with rye flour.
Rye flour hair wash isn't perfect. It takes a bit of pre-planning because it's best to soak it, and even after careful sieving it leaves flakes in my hair that I have to shake out. I haven't been able to get my hands on the finely-ground and non-whole-wheat version of rye flour yet, which I hope will not leave flakes at all. What does cut down on the flakes is an acidic rinse -- apparently it is the hardness of the water makes the flakes stick to the hair. I use diluted apple cider vinegar.
In the end my hair looks great and is healthy, so I'm saving time and effort and money on hair care as a whole. Finally... I stumbled onto this post about water-only washing, and it was the first one on the topic that actually made me really consider trying it in the future.
Another very important thing about cleansing with rye flour -- you need to really use your fingers to get your scalp clean. I actually count in my head to make sure I am actually rubbing my scalp for at least a full minute. A nice side effect of this is that scalp massages help with blood circulation and stimulate hair growth, it also regulates the sebum production and stimulates growth.
If your hair is really oily you can try adding a little bit of lemon juice A drop or two of tea tree oil will also keep the hair fresh longer. For hair that is very dry you can add two teaspoons of honey or half a teaspoon of oil into the mixture.
I have been recently experimenting in is mixing my rye flour with herbal infusions. You basically make a tea out of a herb that you like, and let it cool before you mix it with the rye flour. Salvia and rosemary is great for oily hair, chamomile brightens blond hair. Coffee, nettles help with hair loss. For neurodermitis or an irritated scalp, use black tea (let is brew for at least 15 minutes). If you want a nice smell, you can of course add a drop or two of essential oil, or use a fragrant oil for the hair ends.
Let me know if you have any questions, as I want to do an update about my general hair routine soon.
