What is the correct method of ghusl after intimacy or menstruation?

Ghusl after intimacy (janabah) or at the end of a menstrual period follows the same core method, based on the hadith describing how the Prophet ﷺ performed it: make the intention, wash both hands, wash the private parts thoroughly and remove any impurity present, then perform a complete wudu (some scholars delay washing the feet until the very end if standing in water while bathing). After that, pour water over the head three times ensuring it reaches the scalp/roots of the hair, then pour water over the right side of the body, then the left, making sure water reaches every part of the skin including the navel, underarms, and behind the ears.

For menstruation and postpartum bleeding (nifas) specifically, the ghusl is required only once the bleeding has fully stopped, not partway through — and it's this ghusl that makes prayer, fasting, and touching the Quran permissible again, not simply the passage of days. A commonly asked practical detail: a woman with braided or tightly styled hair does not need to undo her braids for ghusl after her period, as long as water can reach the scalp and roots by working it through with her fingers — this is based on a hadith where the Prophet ﷺ reassured Umm Salama (RA) on exactly this point; the standard for ghusl after janabah (sexual intimacy) is somewhat stricter in some scholarly opinions about ensuring water reaches every strand, so many scholars recommend being more thorough in that case specifically.

Source: hadith describing the Prophet's ﷺ method of ghusl, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim; hadith of Umm Salama (RA) on hair and ghusl after menstruation, Sahih Muslim.