The Archives: The Merged NW/SO/WO Thread

[earthnut]

Ok I want to join the club, my hair fits into a ponytail, I can do other updo's.

I have been on WO now for a week and I've tried it before when I had even shorter hair but damn..My hair stinks. A close friend of mine told me it smells like cat fur and..weed - hooray?

I've been browsering through this thread and I hear a lot about EO's but is it really succesfull and how long is the transitioning for hair to well, stop smelling !

Earlier in the thread, stinky scalp was discussed. Most people don't have unpleasant smelling hair even during the transition.

For MonikaHa, who had a smelly scalp, after she stopped eating so many sugars, her sebum stopped smelling.

Also, you may want to pay attention to what's in your surroundings. Do you or others smoke? Do you work around smelly things? If you do and can't avoid those things, an occasional mild shampooing may be needed.

[Kumiko033]

I've noticed it since I searched through the thread by ''smell'' lol . It's def. not because of sugar, I hardly eat anything that contains sugar but it could be sinc emy parents are chainsmokers and..most of my friends smoke as well..*sigh*

Would a honey wash be mild enough to leave the sebum alone but to strong enough to kill the smell ? EO's simply are so expensive and are quite drying too.

I'd be too sad if I'd have to shampoo the progress out since it's doing wonders for my curls.

[earthnut]

thank you SO MUCH, earthnut! this was very helpful! it was very nice of you to go through the trouble of hunting those posts up!

It wasn't any trouble. I went through the first 100 pages of the thread and took notes for my own use, so I just copied and pasted from the document on my computer.

[earthnut]

I'd be too sad if I'd have to shampoo the progress out since it's doing wonders for my curls.

Much of the benefit of WO is training your scalp to produce less sebum, and one shampooing won't change that. To minimize stripping of the sebum you've built up on your hair, I'd use just a little of a mild sulfate-free shampoo, and concentrate it as much as you can on your scalp only. You can also add extra oil after washing to maintain your curls.

It certainly won't hurt to try other things first though. I'd try a dry shampoo. Any dry powder will do, I've seen cornstarch, talc, cinnamon, ginger, and cocoa powder all recommended as a dry shampoo, depending on your hair color. Sprinkle the powder all over your scalp, parting your hair as necessary to get to the scalp. Scritch, massage, and preen the powder into your scalp and hair thoroughly. Let it sit for at least an hour to soak up excess sebum. Then rinse your head thoroughly. I tried cocoa powder and found it to be very mild and not drying.

[DoubleCrowned]

I've noticed it since I searched through the thread by ''smell'' lol . It's def. not because of sugar, I hardly eat anything that contains sugar but it could be sinc emy parents are chainsmokers and..most of my friends smoke as well..*sigh*

Would a honey wash be mild enough to leave the sebum alone but to strong enough to kill the smell ? EO's simply are so expensive and are quite drying too.

I'd be too sad if I'd have to shampoo the progress out since it's doing wonders for my curls.

A lot of people here have the experience that their hair retains the smell of smoke and pollution more if they use shampoo than if they WO. You may need to wash more often and do more scalp massage so that you do not get a build up of stale sebum. When I was transitioning, I had three combs and three brushes, all of which I had to wash after every grooming.

[LaceyNg]

I've noticed it since I searched through the thread by ''smell'' lol . It's def. not because of sugar, I hardly eat anything that contains sugar but it could be sinc emy parents are chainsmokers and..most of my friends smoke as well..*sigh*

Would a honey wash be mild enough to leave the sebum alone but to strong enough to kill the smell ? EO's simply are so expensive and are quite drying too.

I'd be too sad if I'd have to shampoo the progress out since it's doing wonders for my curls.

as far as honey washes go, if you DO try it out, i'd let the honey rinse sit on your hair for a little bit to do it's magic, rather than just quickly rinsing it through your hair. when i was using honey treatments minus the cinnamon the honey DID leave a faint (nice) smell behind though. and honey never goes bad, so even if you get some not all the way rinsed out you dont ave to worry about it turning foul in your hair.

It wasn't any trouble. I went through the first 100 pages of the thread and took notes for my own use, so I just copied and pasted from the document on my computer.

i totally should have done that as well...

[lunamummy]

I don't use henna, but here's some experiences from earlier in the thread. I'm sure searching the thread would be helpful too.

Thanks, earthnut! Much appreciated

lol! i had to finally tell my husband that i was WO, he kept asking if i was EVER going to finish up all of the conditioner we have. heh. i said, i DO use it-- as body wash

I never thought of that! Might be a good way to use up all that Tresemme I have left

thanks so much for this update! i actually havent even used henna yet since that topic came up.... and i know i'm way overdue.... now that you've reminded me of it, i'm thinking i may henna again here in a couple washes or so.....

You're welcome! Please let us know how you get on!

as far as my WO journey is going, my flakes are back with a vengeance i was hoping that the honey treatments would be the solution for me, as the 1st one seemed magical, but now they're just ok in terms of helping flakes. i think i'm going to do a very mild ACV rinse before i give up on the honey treatments though. another idea i've been toying wround with s listerine on my scalp. but i'm really reluctant to try that since i dont want to strip off too much sebum.... so i guess i'll try the ACV rinse, then a few more honey treatments, and then oiling my scalp (probably w/ jojoba), and THEN the listerine. i'm hoping i wont have to go that far though! and with only washing once every 9 days, trying new stuff is a slooooooowwww process!

Oh no, sorry to hear that your WO journey has stalled a little wrt to flakes. It's fab that you only have to wash every 9 days though! Wish I could get there! Listerine sounds hardcore! It has alcohol in it, doesn't it? Could be quite drying :-O

Ok I want to join the club, my hair fits into a ponytail, I can do other updo's.

I have been on WO now for a week and I've tried it before when I had even shorter hair but damn..My hair stinks. A close friend of mine told me it smells like cat fur and..weed - hooray?

I've been browsering through this thread and I hear a lot about EO's but is it really succesfull and how long is the transitioning for hair to well, stop smelling !

Lol at the smell description. Oh dear. However, from my experience the smell can be overcome! Today I put just 3 drops of tea tree oil in my final rinse, and I can't smell it on my hair, but my hair does smell fresh and clean. I do miss the pretty perfume smell of shampoo though, and have yet to try any of the EO combinations people mention on this thread. If you try anything that works, please do let us all know!

[lunamummy]

It wasn't any trouble. I went through the first 100 pages of the thread and took notes for my own use, so I just copied and pasted from the document on my computer.

GREAT idea! Wish I'd thought to do that when I was wading my way through all those pages

[caadam]

HEY YOU GUYSSSSS

Sheesh, it's been a while since I've been on here, some weeks, really, but I'm back now that I've found the time between studying and my classes. lol

So... I've been WO for almost nine weeks now. So far, my scalp is still pretty happy, but I haven't been able to get by without washing it every other day without my scalp getting all flaky with lots of itching.

I wash with a miracle water mix now. I had ordered myself some ascorbic acid and citric acid online (because my water is super hard and is terrible for WO). I put just a little of each in a liter bottle and fill it up with water from the tap. It works very well, and it keeps my hair soft and residue-free.

My hair is still an oily mess, though. </3 I can't seem to shake it, not yet, at least. I use my BBB every day, and while it does work to an extent, there's been no real change. I guess I'm going to have a LOOOOOONG transition. lol

[Bedhead]

Hey Piratejenny! Welcome back!

Congratulations on the compliment! That's great! And from your sister...!

Eventually, that heavyiness goes away, you'll see, and good for you for facing the mental aspect of NW/SO.