The invention concerns a method for making a non-woven from unbleached cotton or other natural ligno-cellulose fibers comprising a surface layer of substances rendering the fiber hydrophobic and comprising the following stages:formation of a sheet of unbound fibers on a water-permeable cloth,tangling the sheet fibers by means of a plurality of water jets issuing from arrays of injectors located transversely to the direction of advance of the support, the method being characterized in that the total energy imparted to the sheet by the set of jets is at least equal to a minimum threshold corresponding to the value at which said sheet becomes hydrophilic.The invention also concerns a hydrophilic non-woven made by hydraulic binding from unbleached cotton or other natural, ligno-cellulose fibers such as flax, hemp or ramie and free of chemical treatment.