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Washing hair without plastic - Here's how!

Plastic free hair washing tips

You want to know how to plastic free hair wash can? Then I'll show you now in this article.
The per capita consumption of plastic waste continues to increase from year to year. At the same time, plastic bottles of hair care products account for a large share of total plastic waste. The market is huge and we are spoiled for choice when it comes to shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments and many other highly praised "miracle pastes". But it can be done without plastic, all natural. Now you can learn how to wash your hair without plastic - let's go!
Here is another short Table of contents for you:

  1. Shampoo & Hair Soap
  2. Natural home remedies
  3. No Poo Method
  4. Summary

Plastic free hair wash with solid shampoo & hair soap

Plastic free hair wash without plastic - Natural


With the natural Hair soap is a soap made from vegetable fats or oils. In the so-called "saponification", a soap is produced from a lye and from the desired vegetable oil under the influence of heat. In this process, you can be quite flexible and creative to incorporate your own wishes. Ingredients such as perfume oils, herbal oils, tinctures, colors or other caring ingredients can be added. Ideal, therefore, for washing hair without plastic.
A solid shampoo is like any other shampoo, only that in a solid shampoo removed the water. This means that during production, the usual ingredients (surfactants, oil additives, etc.) are stirred together and then dried. This means you still have to watch out for the harmful ingredients, such as any form of silicones or microplastic content. Once you've found a solid shampoo that suits your needs, you can use it just like a regular shampoo.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Which form you choose is up to you. However, you need to be a little patient when switching to hair soaps and natural shampoos. Silicone residue and any other residue left in the hair will need to be washed out over several days. In any case, you can use hair soaps and solid shampoos to wash your hair without plastic.

Tip: Ich habe dir eine Liste mit den besten Haarseifen zusammengestellt. Schau unbedingt mal rein. Meine absolute Empfehlung ist das firm rosemary shampoo from NICAMA. If you like, get it here*.

What to look for when using solid hair soaps?

One disadvantage of hair soap is that "lime soap" can occur when washing hair without plastic. This makes the hair feel dry and straw-like after washing. But this usually happens only if from your pipes only very chalky water comes. But even this is not a problem, if you simply use an acidic solution of water and some citric acid (here you can Buy citric acid) über deine Haare gießt. Der Kalk wird gelöst und zusätzlich schließt sich die Schuppenschicht der Haare noch schneller, was Sie nicht so sehr anfällig macht beim trockenen der Haare. Aber keine Sorge, die Haare fühlen sich ohnehin in einem sauren Milieu viel wohler als in einer basischen Umgebung. Im Gegensatz zu einem festen Shampoo, schäumt Haarseife nicht sehr stark. Viele denken weiterhin: „Was nicht schäumt, reinigt auch nicht ordentlich!“ – alles Quatsch! Die Reinigungswirkung ist die Gleiche, wir haben uns lediglich daran gewöhnt, dass ein Haarwaschmittel schäumt. This hair soap is very suitable, for example, to wash hair without plastic.
Solid shampoo is, as already mentioned, a normal shampoo just without a large water content and without plastic packaging. Thus comes no Plastic waste into the environment and we also do not endanger our health. Make sure that no microplastics and silicones, but only gentle, natural and nourishing ingredients are used in the production.
There are also hair soaps and solid shampoo in plastic packaging, but you can safely bypass them. Because the beauty of a hair soap or solid shampoo is that you can buy them very well in paper or cloth bags. You should always store the soap and shampoo after use so that they dry completely through again. A small metal grid or Wooden tray with deep grooves (as in grandma's day) are very useful.

Home remedies for washing hair without plastic

Wash hair without plastic with natural home remedies


Here I would like to show you now some home remedies with which you can also wash your hair in a completely natural way:

Baking soda

Baking soda (Sodium hydrogen carbonate) is a true all-rounder, whether you're cooking, Laundry wash or Brush teeth want - baking soda works. To use it as a shampoo, take 2 tsp. of baking soda (you get here) and mix it with a little water. For 2 tsp. 200 ml of lukewarm or cold water should be enough. Do not worry if it does not dissolve, the cleaning effect exists either way. Spread the resulting slurry generously on the head and massage it into the hair lengths. Then rinse and rinse again with an acid rinse of water and citric acid - done. So with soda you can wonderfully wash hair without plastic!

Rye flour

Rye flour is similar in application to baking soda. However, plastic-free hair washing with rye flour has the sense to provide the hair with many vitamins and minerals. Even with sensitive scalp rye flour is highly recommended. To make the shampoo you need about 4-5 tablespoons of rye flour (depending on the length of your hair), 300 ml of lukewarm water and a bowl to mix it. You should not mix the shampoo in stock, because then it quickly goes bad. You can get rye flour plastic free here or also in any supermarket in paper packaging.

Lava clay

Lava clay has a very special cleaning effect and is therefore ideal for washing hair without plastic. The hair feels wonderfully soft and smooth. When lava clay is mixed with water, it starts to swell and develops a shampoo-like consistency that absorbs dirt perfectly. Similar to rye flour, mix lava clay with water just before shampooing. Add 2-3 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of lava clay and your natural shampoo is ready. If you want to do something good for your hair, mix a few nourishing additives into the paste, such as essential oils or tinctures. After massaging, rinse your hair until the water is no longer brown. You can get plastic free lava clay here.

Healing earth

Healing clay, not to be confused with lava clay, is mixed with water to form a paste. To do this, take 2 tablespoons of healing clay to 5 tablespoons of lukewarm water. Then massage the healing clay slurry into wet hair, spreading it generously over the scalp. Please do not rinse immediately - the healing clay must be left to work for a moment so that dirt and excess grease can be absorbed. Your scalp will be very well cleaned and the hair is less greasy, with regular use. Ideal for washing your hair without plastic. You can get healing clay plastic free here*.

Plastic-free hair washing with "No Poo

Plastic free hair wash with NoPoo


Many know it, but few actually dare to implement it. We're talking about the "no-poo method", which is about banning all kinds of care products around your hair from everyday life. Washing your hair only with water doesn't sound so bad at first, but it requires a lot of stamina in the first few weeks, because during this time exactly what many people fear happens. The hair becomes greasy, looks unkempt, it can start to smell and stick together.
In this phase, it is very important to comb the hair regularly to remove the remnants of former shampoos and other hair care products. The best way to do this is to use a hairbrush with boar bristles. Only with such a brush you can achieve that the sebum (natural hair fat) released by the scalp is distributed evenly and to the ends of the hair. Even after the first few days, you may find small white particles in your hair. These are the remnants that have settled around your hair. We are talking about silicones and microplastic particles. By combing out and rinsing, you also get rid of these excess residues.
Once you have completed this "detoxification" phase and your hair has regained its natural and healthy shape, you can continue to extend the washing cycle. Your hair will regulate itself and you will have a whole new hair feeling. They literally reflect the "health signs" of your body. In addition, so support the natural growth of hair.

Important: With this form of plastic-free hair wash always use plenty of lukewarm water and brush well!

Wash your hair without plastic? No problem!

You see, there are a handful of ways to wash hair plastic-free. From hair soap and solid shampoo, to natural home remedies and the no poo method. You can in so many different ways, Avoid plastic waste in the bathroom.

Which method do you personally like best? I look forward to your suggestions, tips, questions and experiences about washing hair without plastic in the comments.

Many greetings,

Christoph from CareElite - Plastic-free living

PS: Lerne jetzt im Body Care Do It Yourself Blog know many more cool tips for homemade care products!

Coffee box Suggestions for improvement

* Links with asterisks are so-called affiliate links. If you click on it and buy something, you automatically and actively support my work with CareElite.de, because I get a small share of the sales revenue - and of course the product price does not change. Thank you for your support and best regards, Christoph!

Christoph Schulz

Christoph Schulz

I'm Christoph, an environmental scientist and author - and here at CareElite I'm campaigning against plastic waste in the environment, climate change and all the other major environmental problems of our time. Together with other environmentally conscious bloggers, I want to give you tips & tricks for a naturally healthy, sustainable life as well as your personal development.

7 thoughts on “Haare waschen ohne Plastik – So geht’s!”

  1. Dear Dominique,
    I "wash" my hair now for over 5 years no longer at all. In between they were really long, extremely short and everything in the middle. Of course, I sometimes have a "bad hair day" - but who does not? No one notices and it does not smell at all!
    Many greetings, Izabella

      1. Haha! I have no idea 🙂 Sure! Is that what they're calling it now? My goodness - my craziness has a trendy name!

  2. Prescription for hair loss
    to 50 ml of argan oil 10 drops each of essential oil thyme, rosemary , ginger.
    If you like it cooling, you may also add peppermint or eucalyptus
    Apply to the scalp with a pipette and massage .

  3. Hello,
    i think it is so important that we learn to live without plastic!
    In our family we check it out via the App Codecheck! There you can see what all is in the products.
    Thanks for the article
    LG
    Kerstin

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