To provide a method for efficiently producing carboxymethylcellulose which has high aqueous solution viscosity with high thixotropy of the aqueous solution, and gives a fresh and good sense when applied.

The method for producing the carboxymethylcellulose includes the steps of: (1) pulverizing a cellulose-containing raw material in the presence of a basic compound of 0.7-1.8 moles per mole of an anhydroglucose unit constituting the cellulose in the raw material and under a condition in which the water amount to the cellulose in the cellulose-containing raw material is 10 wt.% or less to thereby obtain a cellulose powder mixture in which the median diameter of the pulverized cellulose-containing raw material is 150 μm or less; (2) adding water to the obtained cellulose powder mixture and adjusting the water amount to 70-180 wt.% relative to the cellulose to thereby obtain powdery alkali cellulose; and (3) adding a monohaloacetic acid or salt thereof to the obtained powdery alkali cellulose followed by reacting at 40-100°C.