Hello, awesome people! :) I see that you are interested in my rye flour shampoo journey. ;) No long introduction today, let’s get into it!
How it all began – why I decided to wash my hair with rye flour shampoo
Actually, the answer is easy – zero waste. I was sick of the hard plastic shampoo bottles and the fact that it is challenging to find a good shampoo that is cruelty-free, somewhat nature and body-friendly, AND with an OK price. I have quite long hair and I washed it once in two days, so the shampoo ran out quite quickly. Also, I had a feeling that the shampoo I used at that moment was making my scalp a bit itchy so I was really excited to try something natural on my hair for a change.
Have to tell you in the beginning – I am no longer washing my hair with rye flour shampoo. I did it for a month. I’ll explain why I didn’t stick with this method :), but I want to start with the benefits of washing hair with rye flour shampoo and what my routine looked like.
Let’s start with the rye flour shampoo routine
1. I took rye flour and mixed it with brewed coffee until the mixture had a kind of shampoo consistency.
2. Then, in the shower, I applied that mixture to my hair. I did it in small doses, parting my hair in different places and overall trying to apply it evenly on the scalp.
3. Then I waited for a while ( approximately 5–10 min) and rinsed it all out.
4. The rinsing was again for at least 5–10 min to get all the rye and coffee grains out of my hair.
5. After that, I rinsed my hair with diluted apple cider vinegar (I took 1 tablespoon for about 0.5 L or more) and let it sit for a few moments. Then rinsed it out too. And voila! clean hair with the rye shampoo method.
The benefits of rye flour shampoo and apple cider vinegar
One of the reasons to use rye flour as shampoo is the fact that rye is packed with B vitamins and it does absorb excess oils. In my recipe I used coffee and caffeine stimulates your hair follicles so your hair can grow thicker and healthier. Also, I was hoping the coffee would color some of my gray hairs. ;) And yes, I would not suggest using brewed coffee on your hair if you are a blonde, because coffee may tint your hair in a way you don’t want to.
Apple cider vinegar, on the other hand, is safe for all hair colors. Its biggest downside is the smell but I myself am not very bothered by that. And, at least for me, the smell, after washing my hair, didn’t stick and my hair smelled clean and not like a salad dressing. Apple cider vinegar gives your hair a shine, helps your hair to be more healthy, and other benefits you can read in this article. :)
My experience with washing hair with rye flour shampoo
When I went into this experience, I was aware that in the first months (up to 6 months or more), the hair situation would be tricky. That the hair could be oily ALL the time and not really clean. However, after a few months, it should go away and your hair would retain its natural beauty and cleanliness. Also, I was very much looking forward to washing my hair only once a week or so (I heard that with natural hair care, hair gets oily slower). Of course, I didn’t get to the part where my hair is naturally clean and nice, but here is my experience.
P.S. I was a bad blogger :D and didn’t take really good photos with my hair but I have this one. :) This is towards the end of the month of rye flour shampooing and right after a wash (dried naturally).
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How my hair felt after washing with rye flour shampoo
Even after the first washing with rye flour shampoo – my hair felt clean. It was kind of a surprise for me. I did have one oily spot right where you would make your bun, but except for that, it felt kind of OK clean.
One thing people said, was that when using rye flour shampoo, their hair was less static. I don’t know why, but for me, it was the opposite. :O My hair usually was not that static at all, but after washing with rye flour shampoo, they went crazy static as never before.
Diary entries about washing hair with rye flour shampoo
Also, I made little entries about how my hair felt after the 1st, the 2nd, and so on washing. I will insert them here:
The first wash with rye flour shampoo
After the first wash with rye, the hair is quite clean. Feels NOT completely clean though. The roots are a little bit flat and feel a tad oily but weirdly not in a gross way. On touch, the roots feel clean but look a bit oily. Overall I would go out with this hair and feel totally OK and clean. Feels like the hair has more volume (but I made a braid with wet hair at night and a bun in the morning, but still).
The second wash with rye flour shampoo
After the second wash, my hair got greasy really fast.
The third wash with rye flour shampoo
The third time, I added coffee instead of water to the rye and used a brush to apply it. Applied it closer to the scalp. The hair got greasy after 2 days. The most grease happens to be right in the middle of the scalp, somewhere where the part ends. Also, the second time I used a hair mask I bought from an organic cosmetics store. I used it JUST in the ends. Worked as a drugstore conditioner!
The fourth wash with rye flour shampoo
The fourth time had a little wash with a little bit of rye with essential oil. Used what was left after my BF wash. P.S. After using a bristle brush on dry hair, the hair got soooooo greasy that I had to wash them. At first, I thought I will just rinse with water but then added a little bit of rye. The hair feels fine the next day and quite clean!
A week of washing hair with rye flour shampoo
After a week of washing hair with rye flour – they are a little bit heavy – grease on the top and if I don’t use any oil, VERY fluffy in the ends. For me too fluffy. But I discovered if I use a pump of coconut oil on the ends on dry hair, it makes them shiny and smooth. Waiting to see how my hair will feel after a month of rye flour washing because at the moment they should be going through the self-cleaning phase.
So, now you know my experience with the process and that it wasn’t THAT bad.
Why I quit the rye flour shampoo method
1. I didn’t get through the self-cleaning phase
Yes, I was kind of fed up after a month that my hair is never really clean and always looks meh. Ok, not always. The hair was really GOOD and CLEAN in the first 24 hours after washing but entering the second day, they would get greasy and flat really fast.
2. It was a time-consuming process
The washing process was too much. I think I could live with making the rye flour mixture every time I wash my hair, BUT it took time to apply it. Then, I wanted to wait for it to soak in and absorb all the oils better. Then, I had to spend a good 10 or even 15 minutes rinsing the flour out. I mean, that is a half an hour shower every time I wanted to wash my hair. So, I washed my hair approximately once in three days but really wanted to wash them every day because they were not enjoyable.
3. Flour grains everywhere
Something I didn’t read anywhere when researching about rye flour shampoo – the long rinsing process is necessary because there are little grains in the flour and they stick to your wet hair like you wouldn’t believe. And if you didn’t rinse them all out (by the way, it was impossible to rinse them ALL out, just the majority), when drying the hair, they would all fall out to your clothes, floors, stick in the towel, etc.
MAYBE I just had some very rough rye flour with a lot of grains but I read that rye flour is used for hair washing because they have ‘stronger’ grains (wow, what a scientific language :D ) compared to wheat flour which is more sticky when wet and more in powder when dry.
4. The plumbing
I mean, flour in the drain? In time, wouldn’t the rye flour form some kind of blockage? When doing this routine in my apartment in Riga which we rent, I was kind of careless about this fact. But when I visited my parents for the weekend and did the method there (they live in a private house), I was more conscious of what the flour could do to the plumbing as I really didn’t want to block the drains there. I didn’t research this, but I felt that is not OK.
Pros and cons of washing hair with rye flour
In the end, I wanted to make a table comparing the good and the bad when washing hair with rye flour shampoo so you can see how it looks. ;)
| The Good | The Bad |
| A cheap method that overall works. | There is a shampoo preparation time before every wash. |
| Zero waste and natural option for hair care. | It takes time (5–15min) to rinse all the flour out of your hair. |
| Rye flour is packed with B vitamins and other goodies which are good for your hair. | This washing method makes ridiculously long showers because of the applying process, setting time, and rinsing. |
| Fewer chemicals in your hair and near your head which, I think, is a big PLUS. | The hair gets greasy faster (in the 1st month definitely!). |
| Hair could go crazy static. | |
| For me, the hair was more oily and flat on the top and very fluffy in the ends (1st month). | |
| Concerns about what regularly rinsing rye flour in the drain could do to the plumbing. |
So, overall, it looks bad. :D But keep in mind that there are people that do this daily and are VERY happy with the results. For example, these two ladies:
- Using rye shampoo for zero waste reasons – #NoPoo Hair Wash Using Rye Flour
- Someone who loves the rye shampoo method – Still “no poo” for over a year. Here, have some tips
What I’ve been using to wash my hair since I quit rye flour shampoo
I am not giving up on zero waste-y options. I was thinking of trying Castile bar soap as a shampoo and an ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse afterward because I liked the ACV. Haven’t yet done that though.
But I switched to shampoo and conditioner bars (as Maria in the comments section suggested). That said, at this moment, I am using shampoo bars and regular shampoo interchangeably. Why? Sometimes I feel like the shampoo bar builds up in my hair, but most likely I just apply too much of it. Read more about my experience with shampoo bars vs regular shampoo in this article: 11+ Easy Zero Waste Swaps I Still Love After 5 Years and 3 That Failed.
Have you tried any natural hair care routines or maybe you are intrigued by some you want to try? :)
With love,
Maddie
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Natural hair care – rye flour shampoo experience. Pros, cons and a pic!💇🚿🌱🍞 Share on X
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Hiya, Just weighing in from a total rye flour convert: First thing, I think a lot of it depends on your hair type. I have very fine hair and think that makes it a lot easier for me to actually get the rye all around my hair – mine never feels greasy after a wash and about 2 days after. Second thing, which I have found to be the biggest success in my no poo life, was to start using white rye flour where all the grains have been sieved out. In some countries, this is the standard way to… Read more »
Hi Lola!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I am so happy that no poo rye flour method works for you! :) I am sure someone will find your rye flour “shampoo” recipe ad tips useful, thank you for sharing your experience. :)
Madara
I tried the rye flour method too. Managed to keep up with it for about two weeks and then quit. Just like your hair, mine looked greasy on the second day, felt heavy and oily. And then I found this Etsy shop – https://www.etsy.com/people/annachaton – and now I’m a VERY happy shampoo bar convert! :) Not looking back at all.
I’ve heard you have to stick with this method for at least a half a year, but the transition is really hard. :/ That looks like an awesome etsy shop, I will definitely check out their products. And it is a made in Latvia!! :) Are you from Latvia as well? :)
Yes, I’m Latvian – I just figured out that since your blog is in English, maybe it’s best to post a comment in English too, so that everybody and not just a chosen few (hahaa) can read it :) I found this Etsy shop looking for a shampoo bar made in Latvia, and yay, to my surprise, here it was! I’m super happy with their products – so far I’ve tried several shampoo bars and a conditioner. Anna (the shop owner) has a very personalized approach. She asked me specifically about my scalp and any possible skin problems before suggesting… Read more »
oh, yes, that was a really nice thought of you! :) Now you have really, really intrigued me with that etsy shop. ;)
This is an interesting method, I actually haven’t heard about using rye flour to wash the hair. But I like the idea of it, it’s a shame that it didn’t work out for you. My mother used to wash her hair with this white clay from Africa or something along those lines. It surely did the trick and made her hair look clean. But she stopped after a while because it got a bit too much. Just like with rye flour, it was quite a task :)
-Leta | The Nerdy Me
Yeah, looking back, I kind of liked the method, it felt so natural and smelled amazing (some commercial shampoos have such a strong smell, that I wonder why :/). But the downsides were a bit too much for me. African clay sounds exciting too! :O There are many, unbelievable alternatives to shampoo if you just start looking. ;) Some people even live with just a water rinse and are happy. :)
It’s really interesting to read the reasons why you decided not to stick with it. I tried “no poo” a few years ago and like you, I stopped because I didn’t always feel like my hair was clean and it was greasier than usual. I read that that does happen when you switch to “no poo” but I really struggled to stick with it, and eventually went back to trying to find eco-friendly and cruelty free shampoos and conditioners. As you said, they’re really hard to find and expensive so I am thinking about doing it again.
Yeees, I read that too, that you need to stick with it for a long period of time to finally see the results, but when you are in the process, it feels like your hair will never be really clean. :D If I will find a really good alternative, I will definitely share it here on the blog. Btw, I would like to try a Lush shampoo bar, but I live in a country where there are no Lush stores anymore. :D Maybe you would like that, if Lush is available for you? Don’t know is it any good though.