How to wash your hair at home (and save money)

Winner, would you like to learn how to wash your hair at home, so you can cut back on those expensive salon visits and save money? Without compromising on the care of your hair, and your health, of course?

Then you’ve come to the right post. Because I’m about to share with you 9 easy steps you need to wash your hair at home.

Yes. Easy. And I’m willing to bet you already have all the tools and products you need at home to do this. So, why not?

Why should you learn to wash your hair at home?

Because here in my part of the world, washing your hair at the salon can easily cost you at least $3. And that’s just in the rural village. (It’s worse in the city.)

Now think about how often you need to wash your hair. Can you see how quickly those $3 can add up?

A practical example?

Say you wash your hair at the salon once every two weeks. That’s twice a month and therefore $6 a month ($3 * 2 = $6).

Now, multiply that $6 by the 12 months in a year and you get $72 a year ($6 * 12 = $72).

That might not sound like much money to you.

But when I convert that $72 to my currency, my heads spins in dizziness because that’s just a lot of money!

And it’s only for washing the hair. Now add to that the cost of the hairstyle, and I’m scared for my own life to even convert that.

The appaling costs don’t mean for you to stop washing your hair. No. In fact, be thorough about following your hair wash schedule not just for the care of your hair. But for your health.

Because if what CDC has to say about hair and scalp hygiene is true, then you want to maintain the cleanliness of your hair at all costs. (or no costs?)

So, it’s settled. I’m washing my own hair at home for the rest of my life. OK. Maybe that’s a bit too much. But I’ll definitely be limiting my salon visits from this moment forth.

That’s why I’ve listed washing your own hair as one of these 130 genius frugal living tips you need to start now.

OK. You’re sold on washing your own hair? But how do you do it?

Answer – with these:

9 easy steps to wash your hair at home

Disclaimer: these steps are about washing my 4c black natural hair. But they’ll work for just about any hair type, considering 4c hair is the most difficult hair type to handle.)

Step 1: Part your hair into at least 4 sections

I know I’m starting way too far in the wash process.

But I find that parting your hair helps you better able to handle it as you wash it.

Especially if you’re not used to washing your own hair, doing it all at once can feel overwhelming.

But parting the hair into sections helps you ease your way into it.

Because my hair is too coarse and therefore too difficult to handle, I part it into way at least 10 sections.

(The picture on the left is my protective hairstyle just before I undid it so I could start the process of washing my hair. And of course the picture on the right is my hair in the sections I’m talking about here.)

What do you use to part your hair into sections?

You can use either a comb or your fingers, depending on your hair texture.

For my 4C hair, I use my fingers because at this point, my hair is just all tangled up from my protective hairstyle that a comb wouldn’t go through. Or if it did, it would damage my hair.

Step 2: Pre-poo your hair

Pre-pooing is short for pre-shampooing. Which basically means to apply some kind of treatment to your hair before you shampoo it.

Why should you pre-poo before you wash your hair at home?

Because pre-pooing helps add a protective layer to your hair that conserves moisture so that it’s not all stripped off during the actual washing of the hair.

So, as soon as you’re done detangling your hair and combing it, go in with whatever you’ll be using to treat your hair.

I use my homemade rice water and leave-in conditioner in the following way:

First: I spray a generous amount of rice water all over my hair, massaging it into my hair. This helps wet the air so that it’s easier to handle.

Second: I apply my leave-in conditioner which further lubricates my hair, making it softer and even easier to manipulate.

Next, I braid each section into a twist.

And lastly, I put a shower cap over my hair (in twists) and let the treatment sit for a few hours.

This is the perfect time to do your chores.

Step 3: Detangle your hair using your fingers

You want to use your fingers before you go in with your comb.

Why? Because your fingers are generally gentler than the comb.

And detangling the hair with your fingers helps you feel the tangles much better than you would with a comb.

This step requires time and patience as you work through each section.

How do you finger-detangle your hair?

Work on 1 twist at a time by undoing it. And then running your fingers through the hair, undoing the knots as your fingers meet them.

This should be easy now that your hair is soft from the pre-poo treatment.

You’re done detangling a section only when you can rake your fingers through your hair from scalp to end without meeting any knots.

Step 4: Detangle your hair using a comb

After using your fingers, your hair should be more receptive to the comb with minimal damage.

For my natural hair, I actually use an afro comb. Which is basically a wide-toothed comb.

You want to use a wide-toothed comb because it causes less breakage than a fine-toothed comb.

If your comb meets a knot in any of the hair sections, put the comb down, go back to detangling with your fingers until you undo the knot. And then go back to using the comb.

Notice how much hair you lose in the process versus how much you lose when you do this at the salon. The difference is massive.

In fact, I used to cry at the salon watching clumps of my hair caught in the comb. (It was just as much as the hair on my head!)

I know most of it was the hair we are supposed to be shedding everyday anyway.

But some of it (a lot) was due to the breakage caused by the lack of care you usually suffer at the hair salon.

After detangling each section with a comb, braid your sections back into twists.

Step 5: Fill a small tub with water and place it inside a larger tub.

You don’t need this step if you’re using the shower.

Still, if you’re using the shower, I advise that you switch the water off between washing your hair and working on it. Just to conserve water.

(I have the option to use the shower as well. But I prefer this method because it uses less water.)

So, I wash my hair inside the small tub.

And I place the small tub inside the larger one so I can empty the dirty water from the small tub into the larger tub with minimal effort until I’m done washing my hair.

Step 6: Add soap to your water

Even if you have shampoo, I find that adding soap straight to the water, helps to soften it up a bit so you don’t use all that much shampoo.

Instead of shampoo, I add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to the water.

Step 7: Apply shampoo/soap and massage scalp and hair

I actually submerge my hair into the water first, to wet all of it.

You’ll use less soap/shampoo if you wet your hair first.

Because I don’t have shampoo (I haven’t bought one in years), I use the soap bar we bath with in the house.

It’s actually a gentle versatile soap that you can use to wash your body, clothes, and dishes.

So, I run the soap bar all over my head. And then squirt some dishwashing liquid to farther lather the hair.

And then I gently massage both my hair and scalp with my fingertips (not your fingernails).

If you haven’t washed your hair in quite a while, you’ll probably want to do a second wash.

Otherwise, you can wash just once.

When you’re done with the first wash, tip the small tub over into the larger one. And then rinse the small tub with a little bit of fresh water so that it’s clean again and ready to pour in water for rinsing your hair. It’s as easy as that.

Step 8: Rinse your hair thoroughly after washing until the water is clear

The water will start off very soapy. But it will become clearer and clearer as you continue rinsing. You’ll know your hair is clean ONLY when your water is crystal clear.

Step 9: Dry your hair

Instead of rubbing your hair with your wash cloth and potentially ripping your hair off, gently pat the cloth onto your hair to dry it.

Or even better, if you have a towel, wrap it around your hair to soak up all that excess water.

Or let your sun dry outside under the sun and air.

Congratulations, Winner. You’ve just washed your hair successfully at home. It was easy, wasn’t it?

Final word

You can learn how to wash your hair at home and save tons of money without compromising the care of your hair, or of your health. And that’s by using the easy steps in this post.

I hope the post has been helpful to you.

In that case, please share your feedback by commenting:

Winner, your feedback can inspire another Winner out there to also learn how to wash their hair at home, for the best care of their hair and health at very little to no cost.

Last but not least, remember that it’s your journey. So, there’s no rush. No right or wrong. Only progress.

Also, remember that in everything you do, you’re a Winner. And in everything that happens, your life is always a win!