Washing Hair With Clay: The Best Natural Shampoo Substitute (and How to Use It Without Damaging Your Hair)
- Katherine Haircare
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
I have been washing hair with clay for over a decade, and in that time I was able to grow my hair all the way to tailbone length, far longer than it had ever grown before. Truly, making the switch to washing hair with clay was one of the most impactful changes I ever made for my hair and scalp health.
That said, the beginning was not effortless.
For the first few months, clay washing was a bit of a love hate relationship. I loved the curl definition. I loved how clean my hair felt without shampoo or soap. What I did not love was how dry and stiff my hair sometimes felt, or the clay buildup that seemed to cling around my roots and scalp.
Since then, through many years of trial, error, and perfection, I've helped thousands of women move away from shampoo and toward gentler, more intuitive natural alternatives to shampoo, including clay washing. If you are here now, you are already well ahead of where I was during that very first clay wash over ten years ago.
The truth is, washing hair with clay can be incredible. It can also leave your hair feeling dry, oily, stiff, or coated in residue if a few small details are off. The good news is that the problem is almost never clay itself. It is usually one tiny mistake, and fixing it often takes just a few minutes.
Let's start with the basics of how to wash hair with clay, and then move into common issues people run into so you can fix them before they start.
How to Wash Hair With Clay Properly
Before diving into troubleshooting, it helps to understand how washing hair with clay is meant to work.
Clay cleanses very differently than shampoo. Instead of stripping your scalp, it binds to dirt, excess oil, and buildup, allowing them to be rinsed away while your scalp stays balanced and supported.
Choosing the Right Clay
This is one of the most important pieces.
Rhassoul clay is the most gentle and well suited for washing hair with clay
Bentonite clay is much stronger and often too drying for regular use
Using the wrong clay is one of the most common beginner mistakes
For most people, rhassoul clay makes the best natural shampoo substitute because it cleans effectively without disrupting your scalp’s natural balance.
Mixing the Clay Gently
Clay consistency matters more than most people expect.
Clay washes should be very watery, not thick or paste like
Thick mixtures concentrate clay’s strengthening effect too much
This can leave hair feeling stiff or coated
A properly mixed clay wash should feel light and fluid, almost thin, rather than heavy or mask like.
Applying the Clay Wash
When you are washing hair with clay, gentle application goes a long way.
Apply the clay wash directly to the scalp
Massage softly with your fingertips
Let it sit for one to two minutes
Rinse thoroughly with warm water
If you are prone to buildup, applying the wash in two light passes instead of one heavier application often gives much better results.
Always Restore Balance With an Acidic Rinse
Clay is naturally alkaline, while hair prefers a slightly acidic environment.
An apple cider vinegar rinse helps:
Restore scalp pH
Smooth the hair cuticle
Remove any lingering clay
Leave hair softer and shinier
Many people find that this step alone completely changes how their hair feels after washing hair with clay.
If you would like exact clay wash recipes and apple cider vinegar rinse instructions, along with links to every ingredient you will need, you can grab my free Hair Growth Cheat Sheet here!
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
Even when clay washing is done thoughtfully, there can be a short adjustment period. Here is how to gently correct the most common concerns.
Clay Makes My Hair Feel Dry or Stiff
This is the most common worry and often what leads people to ask does hair clay damage hair. In almost every case, dryness or stiffness comes from one or more of the following:
Using bentonite clay instead of rhassoul
Mixing the clay too thick
Transitioning away from conventional shampoo
Clay strengthens the hair strand. If your hair is used to the softening effects of shampoo, this can temporarily feel like dryness while it adjusts.
To soften the experience:
Switch to rhassoul clay if needed
Dilute your clay wash more than you think you should
Use a deeply moisturizing hair masque before washing
Follow with a gentle natural conditioner if desired
Always finish with an apple cider vinegar rinse
If this happens during the transition, know that it is usually temporary and resolves as your hair adapts.
Hard water can make stiffness more noticeable. Using distilled water for both your clay wash and rinse can make a big difference.
My Hair Is Still Oily After Clay Washing
This issue is extremely common and very easy to fix.
Almost everyone who experiences this was using too much oil before washing hair with clay.
Clay can remove oil, but it works best when oil is used lightly.
Common causes include:
Applying heavy oil treatments right before washing
Using more oil than the hair can absorb
Applying oil to very fine or naturally oily hair
To correct this:
Use far less oil than you think you need
For fine or oily hair, start with just a few drops on the scalp
Apply oil up to 24 hours before washing so it can absorb
If oil transfers heavily to your fingers before washing, you have likely used too much
If oil was not used and hair still feels oily, mixing a raw egg into your clay wash can help boost cleansing power. Be sure to rinse with lukewarm water only.
If clay washing does not work for you as a standalone cleanser, that is completely okay. Using clay as a weekly or biweekly treatment alongside a gentle shampoo can still offer many of the same benefits.
Clay Leaves Residue on My Hair
Residue is almost always a consistency or rinsing issue. To prevent buildup:
Mix your clay wash very watery
Apply in two light passes rather than one thick layer
Take your time rinsing and massaging the scalp
Always finish with an apple cider vinegar rinse
Hard water can make residue more noticeable. Increasing the vinegar slightly or using distilled water often resolves the issue completely.
Once your hair settles into the rhythm of washing hair with clay, everything begins to feel simpler.
Your scalp learns to regulate itself. Oil production evens out. Hair becomes stronger, softer, and more resilient over time. Curl patterns often improve, breakage slows, and washing stops feeling like a constant battle.
If you want all the exact recipes, ratios, and gentle practices that help make clay washing easy and sustainable, you download my free Hair Growth Cheat Sheet!
It pulls everything together into a simple system so washing hair with clay feels supportive, intuitive, and something you can actually stick with long term.