What is the Hair Mitts Method™?

My hair washing method, using only water and smooth, natural fiber fabrics, was borne out of the frustration of my failed no-poo experiment while still committed to eliminating toxic, commercial personal care products from my life.

I began with the usual recommendations offered by the no-poo* community: diluted solution of baking soda for the wash, followed by a diluted solution of raw apple cider vinegar. I patiently waited for the "detox" phase to end-aka grease pit-but it didn't. And because baking soda is the wrong pH for our bodies, my hair became dry and downright straw-like. To compound the dilemma, if I used just a little too much raw apple cider vinegar in my hair rinse, my hair became slippery.

Slimy straw is not a good look for hair!

Happily, tenacity won out over frustration.

A deeper web search landed me on an article, sadly no longer available, written by an author who observed Mexican girls washing their hair only with water, and then "brushing" their locks, from scalp to ends, with dry washcloths.

I tried it, giving this approach my own twist: instead of stroking either side of my head-think of a central part dividing the head in two hemispheres-effectively plastering my hair to my scalp, I flipped my hair over my face and used my terrycloth hand towel to stroke my hair, from roots to ends, i.e. from the nape of my neck to the ends, and from forehead to the ends, for a total of 200 strokes.

And ta-da! The Hair Mitts Method was born!

For most of the 12+ years I've been no-poo, this is the method I've used to keep my hair clean and looking fabulous. This method truly revolutionized my hair care regimen; not only do I no longer expose myself or the planet to the toxic chemicals typically found in hair care products, and have saved thousands of dollars over the past twelve years by not purchasing expensive "organic" hair care products, but I no longer have a bathroom cluttered with plastic bottles.

If you're curious about what this natural hair washing method entails, check out my Hair Mitts Method tutorial.

This method can be done successfully with a dry, clean, terrycloth towel or an old cotton t-shirt, or even microfiber (yuck!), but if you want to take your natural hair washing to a new level, check out my Hair Mitts™.

*"No-poo" is short for No Shampoo.