‘Our processing system will turn that into drinking water': Learn how astronauts wash their hair in space

Indian Express

2 days ago

Washing hair in space is a unique challenge due to the lack of gravity. On Earth, we rely on running water to rinse out shampoo, but in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS), water behaves differently.
In a video, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg provided a step-by-step demonstration of how astronauts wash their hair while floating in zero gravity.
To wash her hair in space, Nyberg uses a bag of warm water, no-rinse shampoo, a towel, and a comb. She explains, 'These are the things I need: a bag of warm water, a little no-rinse shampoo, a towel, and my comb.'
Since water does not flow like on Earth, Nyberg has to squirt warm water directly onto her scalp. She describes, 'What I like to do is start by just putting some hot water, squirting it onto my scalp. I have a mirror there so I can kind of watch what I'm doing. Sometimes the water gets away from you, and you try and catch as much as you can. Then, I just work the water up through to the ends of my hair.'
Astronauts use a special no-rinse shampoo, which does not require full rinsing. Nyberg explains, 'Next, I take my no-rinse shampoo and squirt it onto my scalp—just a little bit—and rub it in, again working it out to the ends. Sometimes, I'll actually take my comb to help work it all the way to the end.'
Without running water, astronauts rely on towels to help remove dirt and excess shampoo. She says, 'I like to take my towel while I have the shampoo in there and just kind of work it because, without standing under running water, you need to use the towel a little bit to help get some of the dirt out.'
Even though the shampoo is no-rinse, Nyberg finds that adding a little extra water helps with the cleaning process. 'I like to follow that by a little more water. It's called no-rinse shampoo, but I think it's best if you use a little water with it.'
Once the hair is clean, it dries naturally in the weightless environment. The evaporating water is captured by the ISS's air conditioning system and eventually recycled into drinking water. 'Now, as my hair dries, the water evaporates and becomes humidity in the air. Then, our air conditioning system will collect that into condensate, and before long, our water processing system will turn that into drinking water.'
After washing, Nyberg carefully combs through her hair to remove tangles and lets it dry freely. She notes, 'At the end, I just do one final comb-through to make sure there are no snarls and snags. While it dries, I like to let it stay free—I don't put it back in a ponytail while it's drying.'
Washing hair in space requires patience and adaptation, but astronauts have developed efficient techniques to maintain hygiene while orbiting Earth. Nyberg's demonstration offers fascinating insight into daily life aboard the ISS, where even simple tasks like hair-washing require creative solutions.