No-rinse shampoo can refer to a shampoo with that brand name or a variety of shampoos that do not require wetting the hair first and rinsing afterwards. The most popular of these brands remains No-rinse Shampoo, which is used by organizations like NASA, and in many hospitals and longterm care facilities. The benefit of shampoos that don’t require rinsing is that you can clean your hair virtually anywhere, and very quickly.
Ingredients differ in no-rinse shampoo formulas, but the ingredient lists of most types tend to be very short. Tons of additional ingredients might make for lots of residue and build-up in the hair, and might not work well as rinse-free formulas. Most types do not contain alcohol, though, which you’d think might be the main ingredient because it evaporates quickly. In fact, effort is made to keep out ingredients that would create dry hair, and most formulas are pH balanced.
The convenience of no-rinse shampoo formulas is certainly undisputed. A bottle of the brand No Rinse costs about $5 US Dollars (USD), or even less, and it can be taken on camping trips, used after a bike ride to work, help cut down on showers in a camper, or applied to the heads of fractious children who hate baths. The products are helpful if you don’t have time to get a shower, and just want to freshen up the hair.
Would it work all the time without occasional showers? Actually, it doesn’t appear to work very well over a long period of time. Even though initial washings with no-rinse shampoo formulas do make the hair feel clean, some build-up does occur on the hair, and after a time these shampoos are less effective without regular washings. In hospitals, nurses will usually vary use of no-rinse shampoo with standard hair washing, when patients are stable.
One interesting spin off in the no-rinse shampoo market is no rinse products for pets. This truly may be helpful, especially if you have cats that routinely dislike baths. You can find a variety of no-rinse shampoos for cats and dogs, and some that come in dry powder instead of liquid formulas. Just be sure that these products are certified as non-toxic since animals routinely lick their coats and shouldn’t be ingesting any residue that might be deemed dangerous.