Cleaning your hair without water?

Assuming water to be in limited supply [edit: and that you have hair to clean], how would you clean your hair in a longer term emergency?

I have tried rubbing in and brushing out corn starch - horrible mess and never quite out of the hair. I looked at a spray product but I never achieved the "separate each lock of hair to get spray to roots" thing, and I did not like the spray migrating around. I have seen advertized something called "No Rinse" that you rub in and towel off, but have not located any yet.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

First, I'd suggest that you focus on washing the scalp, not the hair, especially when you have to conserve water. Washing the hair just tends to strip it anyway and most people don't need to actually suds and wash the hair more than once or twice a week. (The exception being if you're working out regularly and using lots of product, but neither of those are applicable in an emergency situation). When you rinse the scalp the rest of your hair will get wet. You can use that to do a quick scrub of the hair without using extra water.
(edit: Also, combing the water through the hair at that point will help distribute it, eliminating the need to dump more water on the hair wet or scrub it. Use a wide-tooth comb to avoid hair breakage since it's often more susceptible to damage when it's wet.)

When you need to clean the scalp with no water witch hazel is often recommended. If you need something stronger you could try diluting tea tree oil. You apply either with a cotton ball.

When you have to clean the hair itself and have little to no water try a white vinegar rinse on the hair to remove dirt and oil. I've also read lemon juice can work. You can google for specific directions. It'll likely strip hair dye, but I don't really think that's a concern in an emergency scenario.

Another that helps to reduce the amount of water needed for hair washing is to comb out all the knots first, then use a spray bottle and a comb or brush to wet the hair. That saves tons of cups or gallons being dumped on the head. I've never done it but you could try using a spray bottle for white vinegar as well.

If you have long hair try to keep it up and/or covered with a hat or scarf during SHTF situations, as it will help keep the hair itself cleaner longer.

"No Rinse" type products can be found at good pharmacies or stores catering to the care of the elderly.

Ethyl Alcohol will do just fine. Surfactizes and alluviates, though no foam. Also disinfects and deoderizes.

Y_T: You get the most interesting-picture-on-the-thread award. Which of the methods you mention have you used with good results?

I will try the ethyl alcohol wash, if I can get Ethel to tell me where she keeps it [sorry].

The baby powder thing strikes me a being a very messy procedure. Is baby powder biodegradable?

I have checked with stores in my area that have in home health care supplies for shut-ins, etcetera. They have only $6 scrub bonnets that are bulky and one-time use, and the spray product I mentioned earlier.

I like the idea of a liquid or gel that can be massaged in and toweled off.

Any other product suggestions?

Thanks.

This. I already keep it at about 1/8"-1/4" anyway.

hee on the av. and I've done all of the methods mentioned for washing hair with very little water when I've camped. I've also used witch hazel on the scalp in lieu of washing it (when I had hair extensions). Those methods have worked fine for me. For reference, I have shoulder length, medium weight hair that is prone to knotting.

I have not needed to do an entirely water-free hair wash so I don't have first hand experience on the white vinegar or lemon juice. However, given the choice I'd use white vinegar. Because it's not as sticky as lemon juice, is more readily available, and doesn't require refrigeration. It also is less likely to attract bugs. But when I was a kid we used to spray lemon juice in our hair to try to sun bleach it so we'd have summer streaks.

The only time I think I'd use the tea tree dilution was if I was feel seriously grubby or if lice were a concern and I was trying to do a preventative treatment. Or if none of the other products were available.

I personally wouldn't use rubbing alcohol on my scalp or hair because it dries out both, which could result in an itchy scalp and totally unmanageable or breaking hair (which is why some people try to avoid styling products with high alcohol content). Witch hazel is less harsh. However, I have combo skin that tends toward dryness and dry hair. Someone with oily skin or hair may find alcohol works well.

I've read about baby powder and also thought it sounded like a mess. It might be ok if you have really short hair.

Also, keep in mind there's a difference between corn starch and talcum powder. People tend to use the term "baby powder" as a generic catchall for either. I'd opt for corn starch there over the talc. I don't know if either is biodegradable, but I'd venture that corn starch is better than the talc in that regard.

hope that helps

oh...
I wonder if hand sanitizer would work for the scalp or hair, keeping in mind my comment about the drying effects of alcohol earlier.

Come to think of it, growing up I used to see my grandfather wash and rinse his hair with about a liter of water. Grandma would pour the rest over a basin when he needed a rinse. And then it was used to water the plants! Course, they lived through a depression and war, so they never wasted a thing. A liter of water once a week should be doable. If water supplies are too tight for that, washing your hair would probably be the least of your worries. Good topic BTW.

Baby powder is Talc and corn starch.

Corn starch is organic. [25% amylase (enzyme) and 75% amylopectin (polysaccharide and polymer of glucose found in plants) Translation: stored sugar and stuff to break it down VERY biodegradable]

Talc is a mineral. [will degrade into smaller units but not quickly]

Edit: I am in college to teach science, just covered talc, last year I learned about corn starch. Checked my figures on wikipedia.

This brings back the memory of a brand new and highly vain buck private in one of my units.

We were in parts unknown without access to resupply, nor access to any water source. Said young man was well know for his ability to stay minty fresh even though we had been downrange for months.

We get down to a VERY VERY limited water supply, and someone caught him using it to wash his hair.

I honestly thought I was going to be involved in an intentional blue on blue shooting to prevent this young idiot from being murdered by the other two soldiers in his gun truck. Either that or kill him myself.....

i used those over sized antibacterial moist wipes--5x8 inch--on a few canoe trips when i did not feel like a major bucket bath but still needed to get my hair and scalp clean..i was just using them at nite to get the sun screen and bug juice off my face and arms before getting into the sleeping bag and rubbed one around my head just to see if it would clean me up enough to get rid of that itchy feeling and it worked.i get sort of grubby on the canoe path,the lake is too cold for a swim or at the end of the day i don't feel like the hassle involved in a bucket bath.these new,big moist wipes are a great find.

EchoingLaugh, that was awesome info, thanks.

Despite the shelf stockers' denials on two separate occasions, it turns out the Walmart does carry the No Rinse body wash and the No Rinse shampoo - through the pharmacy! I will report on the ingredients and results of the shampoo soon.

Glad I could help.

IMO I think that Talc would be better. I worked at a foundry for a couple of years and learned about dealing with heat. Corn starch will clump and get sticky if not rinsed. And it could be considered food. Maybe not great for you but a box of complex sugars would be a lot of fuel that you did not have to gather. Talc might clump but will continue working as a lubricant. I would rather have my hair (1-2 inches) loose and moving (help with sweat) than stuck together (actually will begin to hurt after a couple days) You won't win any beauty awards, but who cares? Comfort over beauty any day!

Great thread. YT, welcome to ETS!

Thank you, DaveT.
(I would've PM'd that but your PMs are maxed out)

Maybe I am just to the point that if I have to worry about how shiny and luxurious my hair is, the situation ain't all that bad. I've had to go many, many weeks without showers or washing my hair. And yet...here I am.

That didn't mean I didn't get wet or rained on, but I didn't ever consider whipping out the Pert and lathering up.

A cup of water a day or less can suffice to brush your fangs and do some hygiene. Even grey water is better than talc.

I don't know about the OP, but I certainly wasn't thinking about "whipping out the Pert and lathering up" nor am I worried about "shiny and luxurious" hair when SHTF. (though wow, Pert, do they still make that stuff? and suddenly I'm reminded of Flex too, with the cowboyhat and all. LOL ) I'm assuming you're just joking in a general way, because otherwise that's actually pretty insulting to anyone who has posted suggestions here.

Hygiene is a fundamental part of good health, as well as helping with morale. I've gone all kinds of grubby when camping, but I also still took care of basic hygiene: tooth brushing, face washing, daily wipe-downs or sponge baths, weekly shower and/or scalp washing. I've learned how to do that without much water, or to bring some extra water if I wanted to spluge.

Also, keep in mind that it's much easier for most men (or women with short cuts) to go for weeks without washing their hair as they usually have very very short hair or virtually no hair. It doesn't come into play for them so it's easy for them to dismiss the issue. Women (and men) who have longer hair, especially shoulder length or longer, need some kind of maintenance. Not for prettiness, but just for basic sanity. Long hair gets matted, knotted, tangled, itchy, it's in your face, it's distracting, dirt and dust stick in it, it caught in things. 15 minutes of care goes a long way to avoiding all that.

I guess I fall into the cut it off crowd, my normal hair cut for work is very short. My main reason for short haircuts is that it is easier to keep clean and it dries very fast.
I wonder how much water a sponge wastes?

I can understand the idea of wanting a bath. Being crusty is not pleasant or healthy.

There are some sites off of the Survival links sections of ETS,that sell the NO-Rinse Shampoo/Body wash stuff the Space Shuttle Astronauts use,I would like to think that,this stuff would work well as,the Close-Quarters Scenario of the shuttle&Space station.Most of all though,I would Ask The Sheriff,AKA Blast,of whom is an Expert of Chemical Savviness,what would be an Ideal alternative,As per Washing sans Water!Personally,I use Hoo-Ahhs,& they work just fine!They are a bit Heavy per pack,but Much lighter than water!

16 fluid ounce bottle of No Rise shampoo in hand. $4.86 special order from WalMart pharmacy.

Ingredients per small print on label, in order [sp?]:

Water
Triethanolamine buytl sulfate
propylene glycol
cocamidopropyl betaine
fragrance
diazoldinyl urea
methylparaben
propylparaben
citric acid


Directions:

apply until hair is completely wet
massage to lather
dry thoroughly with a soft absorbent towel

I will deploy the product tomorrow morning and report.

Hey DWESTE! Make Positively sure,you don't get any in your mouth,since the 3rd in order ingredient happens to be Propylene Glycol,Depending on it's purity of course,that was the same stuff found in the Chinese Cough Syrup&Toothpaste,a few yrs ago in Panama!It Killed Hundreds of people!It's the Main Ingredient to Anti-Freeze.Be Careful!

IMHO- if it requires you stock another product I would just stock water.

Sorry I can't be more help than that.

Todd W - The idea is to get clean without using water, or its weight and volume equivalent, to stretch out your potable water supply as water is often a limiting resource.

Edit: Water supply contamination, backpacking / surviving where there is little water or it is very time-consuming to filter and purify, out at sea without a working water maker or with one of limited capacity, when going to water is not positive for survival, etcetera.

I had read something many years ago about cornmeal and a shower cap, but I've never tried it. Maybe I can do it on my two sick days off, but no promises.

Sue

I have to agree, hair hygene is pretty low on my list. Though if one has lice, maybe it would be more important. Then I'd personally just shave, but I hear gasoline kills lice too. Not that I really endorse that idea (Michael Jackson rerun, anyone?)

Where I live right now, I'd just dunk my head in a bay somewhere. which probably would leave me with enough oily residue to bring up the topic in the above paragraph.

I might do that, too. After I run out of the emergency stash of foil and highlighter that I'll soon be obtaining from my hairdresser.

Perhaps I should offer my hairdresser a lift when we evacuate.

It would weigh heavily on my morale.



;-)

And your hubbie's too! Best hair in the shelter. Oh yeah.

Okay, the cornmeal has been in my hair for 18 minutes now, with a shower cap covering all. I picked out all the weevil maggots I could find, and the clots of cornmeal+webbing. This is some cornmeal that my brother left in the cupboard rather poorly covered, so I won't consider it waste.

The cornmeal doesn't stay in the shower cap all that well, and on my dark t-shirt, it looks like I've got a serious case of chunky dandruff. But we're talking survival, right?

I think I'll give it an hour. The cornmeal is now migrating down my neck. At least I think it's the cornmeal.

Breaking news will be reported as it happens.

Sue

I've swam in the ocean many times and I would consider my hair to be "clean" when I got out.

Maybe it's just me but I guess I don't consider "clean hair" very high on my survival list... in fact I don't consider it at all.

You can go 30+ days w/out washing your hair and be fine in my opinion... If you haven't been around water for 30+ days you have more problems

yeah, I think just about everyone would. however, the OP was asking how to clean WITHOUT water. an ocean is a pretty dang large body of water last I checked, so not really a relevant suggestion.

it's not the hair, it's the scalp that needs to be cleaned. and 30+ days without ever washing your scalp, in a SHTF scenario... I'm thinking that the 3-5 minutes it takes to wash it once or twice a week is a far better and smarter than risking an infestation or infection that will take twice the resources and time to cure.

or you live in the desert *cough* Arizona or Nevada *cough* jus' sayin

It just seems silly to me that some people are treating the OP's question like he/she is a vapid little flake who is just concerned with looking all prettys during the PAW. I think it's a valid question and those who are dismissing it either conveniently don't have much hair at all, or aren't interested in learning something that may end up being beneficial at some point. I mean, dweste is not asking about styling hair or how to maintain highlights or do a manicure or do makeup. The question was about washing, a basic function. And while he/she asked about washing hair, do we really need to focus on that little semantic issue because the word "head" or "scalp" wasn't used instead? It seems clear what the actual intent was.

As I see it, the OP is asking how to stay somewhat clean on a very basic no-frills level under circumstances where the usual conveniences of life don't exist. Isn't that the kind of thing we should know? Heck, if you don't have much hair wouldn't this be helpful knowledge to pass on to a wife, girlfriend, mom, sister, daughter, or friend that does? I know I'm new here, but I'm really not seeing the harm in this thread or the need for the snarks and dismissals to an earnest inquiry.

Sue, I love that you are "taking one for the team" here. ROTF. You are truly dedicated to the cause. I look forward to what will no doubt be an entertaining final report.

Okay, I spent 1.5 hours with the cornmeal under the shower cap.

A longtime (40 yrs) friend called and I told her what I was doing. There was a long silence.

"I don't think it was recommended for people. That's what they use on Old English Sheepdogs to fluff the coat and make it stand out for shows."

Oh. Maybe that was where I heard it. Anyway, on to the evaluation.

This was the semi-finely ground cornmeal, not as fine as flour, not as gritty as other cornmeal I've seen. I worked about a cup or so of it around my scalp, and then applied the plastic shower cap.

After 90 minutes, I took off the shower cap while hanging over the shower stall and worked out as much as I could by massaging it with my fingers and fluffing my hair. Then I took my bristle hairbrush and brushed while hanging my head down. When it felt like most of the crumbs were gone, I brushed my hair naturally.

Results: it was better than I had anticipated, but not really great (like shampooed hair). My hair is longish, gray, very fine and was flattened and somewhat greasy to start, and after I worked it over with the brush, it had fluffed up and looked like I had more hair (so I guess it does work on Old English Sheepdogs). I couldn't feel any more grit on my scalp, but I had the feeling that I was still shedding some corn dust.

I didn't have anyone to check the odor (or lack thereof). I guess it wasn't bad if you were desperate. If you have dark hair, it might not look as good, or might take a lot more brushing to get rid of the dusty look.

It was messy, so I would recommend doing it outdoors.

But since I had to take a shower anyway, I washed my hair the regular way.

Score: probably about 6 out of 10 for my hair, YMMV.

In the olden days, most women only washed their hair once a month or so. But they did brush it a lot, which probably distributed the oil the entire length of the hair shaft, instead of allowing it to collect and sit near the scalp.

Sue

ROTF. wheeze. LOLOLOLOL. OMG, I just laughed so hard at your story that I couldn't even breathe. You, ma'am, win the golden internet award for the week. whew. LOL. and I admire your willingness to shrug it off and keep going despite the dog thing and the mess. Hats off to you, Sue. Hats off.

I would shave my head. Considering I once elected to be fired rather than cut my hair, it would take the apocolypse, but being bald or having maggot... ewww...

Oh, for pete's sake, Ironraven, you're acting like a big GIRL!

*snickers*

Sue

If there were an effective way to dry-wash hair, I'd be much more likely to camp at campgrounds without showers. Perhaps I'll try one of the products in that regard that they sell at REI.

If things were so bad that hair washing was not doable then I'd be likely to at least cut my hair very, very short. Shaving it is a very reasonable alternative. I have lots of hats.

Or I could just use my dog's waterless shampoo. These products are popular at dog shows.

Please post a few pictures, white powder and a shower cap has got to be a priceless pic.

And i hope you feel better soon Susan.

I set up on the table in the middle of the sailboat cabin. I had a small round standup mirror, a couple terrycloth cotton towels, and a bottle of No Rinse shampoo. My hair is fairly fine and was a bit greasy after a few dats without shampooing.

I began working small palmfulls of the shampoo into my hair. following directions I first made sure the shampoo wetted all my hair. I used about six palmfulls to do that. Then I added a palmfull at a time looking for the lather point. At about 6 more palmfulls I began noticing a thin lather. I added another 3 palmfulls, the lather did not seem to be increasing, so I decided that was enough. I toweled my hair fairly dry.

My hair was no longer greasy but it was not as flyaway as my hair usually gets when it dries after a shampoo. My significant other [who I did not tell about the test]found the result entirely acceptable for running her fingers through and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Next time I will find something to measure the amount used more precisely. I think I will also use paper towels.

My verdict: very convenient, no mess, and acceptable results. This would be a nice morale booster at need. You could easily shampoo your hair this way in any confined space or place where you wanted mess at a minimum, without using or about heating water.

Edit: the weight and volume of product used was far less than the combined amount of normal shampoo and water required for even a sink / basin shampoo and rinse.

I apologize, but I feel it prudent to point this warning out as incorrect. The chemical used in the Chinese cough syrup and toothpaste scandal was diethylene glycol, not propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is the animal-friendly alternative to the toxic ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol used in engine coolant, and is generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an additive, usually as a sweetener I believe, to foods. It is also used quite commonly as a solvent in pharmaceuticals.

Read for yourself:

• Toxic cough syrup
• Diethylene glycol
• Propylene glycol

While I still wouldn’t gargle with the shampoo (too many bubbles ), it won’t be the propylene glycol that makes you ill if you try it.

I agree with dweste,

I have used both No-Rinse Shampoo and Body Bath for a couple years when in low water situations.

You feel reasonably clean after using it and I feel it is worth the cost/time.

It is easiest/quickest/less messy to have a helper swirt the shampoo on your head while you lather it up with your hands.

Mike

Hey dweste! I Apologize for being a Chicken Little,as per the Propylene Glycol.Thank You JCW,For pointing me in the proper direction,regarding such!Thank You to dweste,for the trial/ test results!I will now include some variation of this type of Bodywash,into my BOB,Thanx Again!

Has anyone tried PocketSoap? It supposedly works for many tasks.

I'm thankful for people on the internet who do these experiments, so I don't have to. now I can add No-Rinse shampoo to the list of alternatives. thanks to you both.

Second use of the No Rinse shampoo was an unplanned, hurry-up session. I used a larger amount of the product, lather came up almost immediately, and the result was better than the first effort. My hair was visibly fluffy clean, for want of a better description.

Impression: more generous use of the product yields better, entirely acceptable results.