Fine hair can be pretty tough to accept no shampoo methods. This might be because fine hair gets greasy faster, and most no shampoo methods can’t get rid of it easily.
I’m going to save you some time and energy: most no shampoo methods don’t work with fine hair. But, no shampoo can work with fine hair, just not as well as they do with other hair types.
This is based off of my own experience trying loads of different methods over weeks, months and years. Everyone’s hair works differently, and what works and doesn’t work with my hair is probably different from other people.
There’s no way to know which no shampoo method works for your hair until you try it yourself. This article goes over what’s special for no shampoo with fine hair, my journey and what methods might work best.
For a complete detailed run-down of my no shampoo journey with fine hair, check out No Shampoo Method for Fine Hair!
Why Does Fine Hair Get Greasy Faster?
It’s all in the name. Fine hair has a finer hair follicle so the sebum or oil—whichever you call it—will go down the strand faster. This is why many people with fine hair find their hair gets greasy soon after washing with shampoo.
There’s some variables in this, though. The more you shampoo your hair, the more it has to compensate and overproduce sebum, making it more greasy and faster. Balancing this out though is a lot harder with fine hair, because unlike other hair types, the scalp’s sebum will always be visually seen sooner.
Let me tell you a story. My blessed friend with thick, red, curly hair actually went an entire year without shampooing of any sort. She would rinse her hair, then apply an oil to moisturize. And, her hair looked completely normal, not greasy at all.
I dedicatedly followed everything she did to achieve the same results, and nothing worked. Nothing at all. Still after a day or so of not shampooing, my hair would be greasy, frizzy and sad.
Even after weeks of not using conventional shampoo in my hair and using apple cider vinegar, or just scrubbing my hair with water. My roots were almost chunky with stubborn grease. Sometimes my scalp would even hurt in certain places, which I can only blame on the oil build-up.
Although—I have to say—finally using shampoo after those weeks, my hair was incredibly shiny from such a deep conditioning!
What was I doing wrong? My hair isn’t the same as my friends. Not just the colour, but the texture and thickness. Different hair types have different results with no shampoo methods.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do no shampoo with fine hair though, read further for the different methods to try for no shampoo with fine hair.
Shampoo-Free Methods for Fine Hair
The trouble with no shampoo is those frustrating and sticky days dealing with greasy hair. This is why many people might abort the situation before figuring out what works best.
Why these specific methods are good to try is because it’s important not to impeded the scalp’s natural flow of producing sebum. Working with the hair rather than against it is what’s going to achieve those ideal no shampoo benefits.
Plant-based natural shampoos works best for me. My current favourite brand right now is A’kin’s Rosemary Daily Shine. Mainly because I love the natural and herbal scent, but also because it works great. Another staple in my life is Sukin’s Natural Balance Shampoo. Search in stores and online for what products are made locally to your liking for the best options!
Some people find soapnuts work well, instead of shampooing. There’s a different process to doing this, I recommend checking out Vita Lives Free for a recipe and directions on this.
What’s important to remember about soapnuts though, is it’s a plant-based solvent. This is the same concept as plant-based natural shampoos.
Loads of people with fine hair recommend baking soda and apple cider vinegar, usually both are diluted. The baking soda removes sebum and dirt buildup, while the apple cider vinegar works as a conditioning factor. Just remember baking soda is very abrasive and shouldn’t be used too often, if you do choose to go that route.
Those are a few of the most popular no shampoo methods for fine hair. Just remember everyone’s journey is different. Don’t take it personally if your hair continues to get greasy or nothing seems to work out. What seems as greasy hair now will actually be the most conditioned in the future!
My No Shampoo Journey with Fine Hair
What’s tough about trying a new hair routine is that a lot of refinement needs to happen. For my journey with fine hair and no shampoo methods, there were a lot of bad hair days.
After so many failed attempts, my regular routine is that I shampoo once a week, and brush every day with a boar brush. This can sometimes vary, such as in hot and humid climates, where I’m sweating often and my scalp is producing more sebum than usual. In which case, I might rinse my hair or shampoo more often.
I go more in depth in my other article about the different methods I’ve tried and why they didn’t work.
What I struggle with—and what my friend with thick hair doesn’t—is that no matter how long I go without shampooing, my scalp is still producing sebum. And that sebum is visible.
There’s a lot of different reasons for this. It could be because I’m relatively young, or how my hormones balance. Or, just the amount of exercise and sweating I do—I’m not completely sure.
This is why a plant-based shampoo works best for my scalp, instead of other methods. It also fits well with my lifestyle of full-time travelling and van life. Which means I choose not to dedicate too much time to hair care everyday. And, I don’t use hair products, aside from occasionally using argan oil.
What works for my hair, might not work with other people and their hair. But, after so many different no shampoo methods, using a plant-based natural shampoo is what works best.
Check out my other post about natural shampoos for more options than what’s on this list. And, for the full run-down on no shampoo for fine hair, check out this mega post that covers it all!
