No-Poo-Method: can it help with hair loss?…

You may have heard that it’s best not to wash your hair every day. But there are also people who give up washing their hair altogether. TikToker Nick Coetzee from South Africa recounts his experience with the “no poo” trend in a video. Find out more about this trend and the surprising effect on Nick Coetzee of not washing his hair for six years.

What does No-Poo mean?

The term no-poo (from no-shampoo) refers to not using shampoos and other traditional hair care products. No-poo advocates start from the premise that constant exposure to artificial ingredients is detrimental to hair. What’s more, they want to prevent leftover shampoos, conditioners and other products from ending up in the water and harming the environment – the same goes for packaging waste.

How does no-poo work?

If we wash our hair with conventional shampoos and conditioners, it will certainly not be greasy in the short term, and will still retain a healthy shine. Over the long term, however, hair can become increasingly greasy, dry or heavy to the touch, as conditioning products disrupt the pH and, with it, the natural balance of the scalp and hair, or hair becomes sticky. Depending on hair type, the scalp can also be very sensitive to shampoos and other products, with dandruff or redness, for example.

Switching to no-poo should help rebalance the scalp’s pH. Instead of artificially degreasing and moisturizing hair, it learns to regulate itself. Sebum is no longer eliminated from the scalp, but distributed over the hair by brushing, forming a natural film of care and protection.

Forms of no-poo :

  • Don’t wash your hair at all
  • Wash hair with water only
  • Wash hair only with natural active ingredients

In the most extreme form of no-poo, the hair is not washed at all, but only brushed to distribute the sebum in the hair. The variant that involves washing hair with at least clear water is not as drastic. The easiest method to implement is the “no poo” method, which doesn’t use the usual shampoos and conditioners, but natural alternatives such as rye flour, baking soda, medicinal earth or cider vinegar.

The man who hasn’t washed his hair for six years

On TikTok, you can find the testimony of South African Nick Coetzee on the subject of no poo. In his video, he explains that by applying the no poo method – i.e. giving up washing his hair in the traditional way – he has not only achieved healthier hair, but has also been able to successfully combat hair loss.
Nick Coetzee touches his hair: when he was a student, he suffered from such severe hair loss that he always had to take an extra t-shirt with him to change. Suspecting his hair care routine, he took a radical step and began to give up shampoo and similar products altogether. During this changeover, his hair was certainly greasy for 2-3 weeks, but then normalized on its own and hair loss effectively ceased.

Is no-poo really effective against hair loss?

There are certainly no studies showing that not washing your hair has any influence on hair growth. But it seems entirely plausible that the “less is more” approach makes sense when it comes to hair care too.

However, if you’re curious, you should approach the no-poo cautiously and observe how your scalp and hair cope with the change. In some cases, the scalp can become inflamed if you abandon your usual hair care routine. This method is rather unsuitable for people with inherent eczema.

It’s a controversial method, but it’s great that it helped Nick. What do you think of the no poo method?