PDA

View Full Version : Upside Down Hair Manipulation – What Say You; Yay or Nay?



DweamGoiL
February 11th, 2014, 09:19 AM
I have read spot articles and anecdotal recommendations over the years about the benefits of hair manipulation in a bent at the waist position (washing, combing/brushing, massaging, oiling, rinsing, etc.). Then, there is another camp, who feels that the less you move the hair, the better to avoid tangles and that this is a benefit that outweighs anything else.

I’d like to hear from other members about their experiences.

For me, I have tried combing, brushing, massaging upside down. I don't find oiling the scalp particularly beneficial so I avoided that. The most successful has been when I use my BBB to first comb my hair upside down to make sure the brush will glide through the hair and then brush. I find this is really effective for oil distribution under the canopy of the hair. I only use my BBB once a week so when I do, I try to make it count ☺ .

I also tend to suffer from lots of buildup at the nape since my hair is thick. Normally, the water tends to bounce off the canopy and drip down the sides, but it does not penetrate through it to reach the bottom. This led me to recently experimenting with rinsing upside down in the shower to try and rinse out all product out of my hair and avoid a cumulative effect. I found this works too well. My hair began matting and feeling very catchy on its underside, even when I would spend considerable time conditioning and detangling. However, at the canopy, the product was not rinsing out as well and since I have fine hair, I got really limp yet very clean hair…go figure! The best compromise to avoid the dreaded nape buildup has been to separate the hair down the middle after washing and conditioning and rinsing each side of the head independently and then taking she showerhead and placing it under my hair to get whatever has pooled under there.

On a side-note, but not somewhat related, I have found RWV (red wine vinegar) rinses to be another really effective method for combating nape buildup. I also found that rinsing before I condition and then leaving the conditioner in with the diluted vinegar for several minutes, and then rinsing both out, works best for my fine hair. It leaves the hair full of body, but doesn’t take away the slip that we are all after.

Verdandi
February 11th, 2014, 09:50 AM
I usually wash my hair both upside down and just standing in the shower because I had problems with build up where the water wasn't able to get to the scalp when rinsing. That is, however the only thing I do to my hair upside down because my hair HATES to be manipulated in strange directions (can't even wear a top knot) and it makes my scalp feel sore. I guess I could train it, though :)

When I still blowdried my hair I used to do it upside down to get some volume, but I don't do that anymore.

swearnsue
February 11th, 2014, 10:02 AM
I tried washing upside down once but it was to stressful on my neck.

I brush upside down (while sitting) once or twice a day. Once in the morning and once before braiding at bedtime. My hair is still to short to show any damage this may be doing. I guess if it ever gets to the point where it causes difficult tangles, then I'll find another way to increase scalp circulation. But for now it feels good.

My hair is so thin I have no problem with rinsing thoroughly! I wish my hair was so thick I had that problem though!

Firefox7275
February 11th, 2014, 10:04 AM
I wash, style and sometimes diffuse upside down, at BSL stretched with dye damage and natural waves I have little tangling. Obviously tangling may increase at longer lengths and I may need to revert to silicones. I find it easier to wash, easier to distribute conditioner and styler evenly, more volume without harsh shampoo.

I used to rip (yes rip) a paddle brush through dry hair upside down which may well have created as many tangles as it removed, now at most I use my fingers and a very wide tooth comb with head upside down if I want a high bun. When wearing hair straight which leave in conditioner plays a huge role in how slippy or tangly my dry hair is when moving from right side to upside down.

Marbid
February 11th, 2014, 10:16 AM
I wash my hair upside down... Because i dont like washing my hair while i take a shower any more.... Upside down position keeps the sheds out of my but cheeks.... And i can plug the drain to collect sheds and thus delay a call to the plumber. But it is stressfull on my neck ( was, now i let the bathtub and a cushion wraped in plastic bag suport my neck, so that my neck alone does not hold the entire weight of my wet hair. Quite smart if i do say so myself.) also... I can wash my hair spontaneously when i feel like it without getting all of me wet.

Thats the only thing i do upside down... Brushing or hair manipulation like this will result in tons of tangles oncem right side up...

breezefaerie
February 11th, 2014, 10:22 AM
Nope, I can't do upside down. Creates a lot more tangles for me.

walterSCAN
February 11th, 2014, 10:33 AM
Upside-down anything is tangle-city for me, too, so I avoid it whenever possible.

ravenheather
February 11th, 2014, 10:34 AM
I bbb upside down. But I comb before and after. I do not do well washing upside down. Wet hair upside down = tangles for me.

Madora
February 11th, 2014, 10:58 AM
I've done both but found that the upside down method is much better for cleansing. I have a special method for washing in that position, however, which helps cut down on the tangle situation. I also rinse in the standing erect position, or should I say sitting erect since standing in the tub hurts my foot too much. It also helps if you have a hand held device to get in very close to your scalp to rinse.

jacqueline101
February 11th, 2014, 12:06 PM
I wash and condition my hair upside down bent at the waste. I love it and when I'm cleaning my scalp I use my finger pads to massage my scalp. I don't detangle or comb upside down.

Kimberly
February 11th, 2014, 07:05 PM
Most upside down hair manipulation leaves me with a dire mess, but there is one exception. When it is wet from the shower, I bend so I am looking down at the bed with my curls resting on it (so not completely upside down), and my cat comes over and "grooms" my hair. She combs through with her claws, and hugs my head in her furry little arms, and gets under my hair and rubs my face with hers while she is in the "hair tent." Ridiculous, but we've been doing it for years -- she'll yell at me and follow me around if I put it off, and if she doesn't show up right away I call her, "Hey, styler, come here and make me fashionable!" My hair really doesn't look the same without it! If I have to wash my hair away from home, I still dump it down on a bed or counter and kinda knock it around some myself. I suppose it is a form of feline-assisted plopping. :)

Oh yeah, if it is really looking dried out and hopeless, sometimes I spritz it with rose water and do the same. My cat looooves rose water, so I have to spray some on her, too.

spidermom
February 11th, 2014, 07:15 PM
I like applying conditioner in that position because I can get all of canopy conditioned while keeping conditioner off my scalp. If I'm standing upright, only my length from ears down get conditioned.

Aderyn
February 11th, 2014, 07:19 PM
The most I will do upside down is brushing with a BBB (which I haven't done in ages, kind of want to take it up again). Everything else is just an invitation for tangles. Even when I comb my hair upside down then return to an upright position, I just have more even tangles waiting to be detangled. For washing and rinsing, I will manually move my hair up to get my nape and maneuver the shower head/stand in awkward positions to make sure it gets thoroughly rinsed out. I have been considering making a sleep braid with my head upside down, though. Curious to see how that would work out.

Alun
February 11th, 2014, 07:29 PM
Combing upside down gives my hair more body - temporarily

Shorty89
February 11th, 2014, 07:51 PM
Turning my hair upside down is a recipe for tangles for me. :( But I know some people wash upside down allt he time!

HumanBean
February 11th, 2014, 10:30 PM
I have started washing upside down recently and it's working well for me, I just find I can get to all of the hair better. I also blow dry it upside down initially before I end up standing back up.

NaClH2O
February 11th, 2014, 10:37 PM
I love this method!

I shampoo my scalp only by flipping my hair over-top my head and letting it hang upside down in the shower. I'm bent forward at the waist, hair is hanging upside down, and I'm able to more easily get to my scalp. My hair is extremely thick, so this is the best way to cleanse and make sure I'm getting the suds everywhere. I don't have any problems with tangles after flipping it back over, conditioning, rinsing, then combing through. Works wonders!

sumidha
February 11th, 2014, 11:28 PM
Most upside down hair manipulation leaves me with a dire mess, but there is one exception. When it is wet from the shower, I bend so I am looking down at the bed with my curls resting on it (so not completely upside down), and my cat comes over and "grooms" my hair. She combs through with her claws, and hugs my head in her furry little arms, and gets under my hair and rubs my face with hers while she is in the "hair tent." Ridiculous, but we've been doing it for years -- she'll yell at me and follow me around if I put it off, and if she doesn't show up right away I call her, "Hey, styler, come here and make me fashionable!" My hair really doesn't look the same without it! If I have to wash my hair away from home, I still dump it down on a bed or counter and kinda knock it around some myself. I suppose it is a form of feline-assisted plopping. :)

Oh yeah, if it is really looking dried out and hopeless, sometimes I spritz it with rose water and do the same. My cat looooves rose water, so I have to spray some on her, too.

I have no idea if it's good for your hair or not, but that's one of the most adorable things I've ever heard! :heartbeat

Loviatar
February 12th, 2014, 12:43 AM
I wash upside down and comb conditioner through upside down if I'm using it that day. When my hair gets past shoulders, I also comb upside down and fix my bun upside down. I rarely brush upside down, although I always brushed (wet hair - eek) and blow dried upside down pre LHC. Doing all these things upside down gives me volume and no tangles.

I apply henna, cassia etc 'right way up' though. And anything except a cinnamon bun (my go to bun) I fix right way up.

Sarahlabyrinth
February 12th, 2014, 12:58 AM
Doing anything with my hair upside down gives me huge tangles, so for me it's a no-no!

Tini'sNewHair
February 12th, 2014, 03:30 AM
It hurts my scalp if i wash upside down but I have started doing the inversion method (without the oil) once a month and its OK so far but thats because my hair is dry i guess.

Juniper.
February 12th, 2014, 05:32 AM
I've always washed my hair bent over a bath tub, I guess because that's always how I saw my mum do it growing up. I have tried washing it in the shower but I really can't stand the feeling of wet hair on my back. Thankfully my hair is fine so at almost waist length it's not too heavy, and it also doesn't tangle much at all.

duchess67
February 12th, 2014, 05:33 AM
I had always washed my hair bend down at the waist from childhood, and if I am not mistaken that's the way majority of people wash their hair in my native country India. I've been watching videos where ladies wash their hair standing straight. Wanted to see whether it would work for me. And so a couple of days ago I tried, it wasn't easy for me, felt like my hair wasn't getting clean enough, also felt cold while doing the last rinse. I use a hand held shower, still didn't find it comfortable. Only good thing is tangles were a bit less and lost less hair while detangling.

Bagginslover
February 12th, 2014, 08:13 AM
Big no for me, always has been. I just end up with my hair all, stuck together somehow. Its not knotty, but it doesn't want to be seperated. The only thing I do upside down is the final squeeze after my shower, and wrapping the towel over it.

Beborani
February 12th, 2014, 10:38 AM
Separate the hair in two sections and then bend sideways a little if needed when working that side. So the natural flow of hair remains intact but you get to the underside easily. I have been taught to do this from the days when my hair was long and superthick.

ExpectoPatronum
February 12th, 2014, 10:54 AM
Brushing and stuff like that doesn't work for me upside down, but washing does. My hair is on the thicker side (especially towards the scalp with lots of new growth) that it can be a little difficult to really get my fingers in and clean well enough. It's easier for me to wash the crown of my head when my hair is dangling as opposed to laying flat, plastered wet on my head. If on the off chance I want to diffuse my hair, I also do that upside down.

Ocelan
February 12th, 2014, 12:37 PM
Washing upside down doesn't work for me as I have a bit of fear of drowning with a big wall of water and hair near my face, but I do brush my hair upside down when I'm about to make a bun which for me are quite high or if I'm doing my new sleepstyle which is an English braid braided upside down. I do detangle the normal way round first as being upside down makes everything more tangle prone. I guess it's because there's nothing to brush the hair against if you don't put a hand on the other side. The hair just kind of hovers there, whereas when detangling the normal way there is head or other body parts to press the brush against.

Auburndreaming
February 12th, 2014, 12:56 PM
I don't brush my hair upside down or anything, but I've pretty much always washed my hair whilst leaning over the bath which I imagine is classed as upside down haha, I hate taking showers, I can't deal with the water going in my eyes and I always worry I'm going to fall over, so I guess I've never had any problems with washing my hair upside down, as it's pretty much all I know!

SkyChild
February 12th, 2014, 01:14 PM
Can't wash my hair upside down. I tend to lean to the side and if it needs extra cleaning underneath, I'll part it in half down the back and do it that way.
BBB upside-down might be worth trying though. I am massaging my scalp while hanging upside down as part of the growth experiment just now. My hair tends not to tangle too much right way up or upside down but as it gets longer it probably will.

inanna
February 13th, 2014, 01:55 AM
I usually wash my hair both upside down and just standing in the shower because I had problems with build up where the water wasn't able to get to the scalp when rinsing.

I wash both ways too! I like being extra sure that my scalp is clean all over, although I suppose just washing upside down might be enough. I prefer to lather up twice with a little bit of shampoo, as opposed to using the entire amount in one go. I know people use squirt bottles and so on to dilute their shampoo, but I'm lazy and this way seems to work fine so far. :grin:

I also often comb my hair upside down in the evenings, especially if I'm putting my hair up for the night for some reason. The same goes for the mornings when I'm not washing my hair, I'll comb it upside down and put it up to get it out of the way while I take a shower. My hair doesn't really tangle unless I've put coconut oil in it, so I can whip it around pretty freely. :)

Henrietta
February 13th, 2014, 02:15 AM
I only washed my hair standing straight in the shower once, and I will never do that again. I thought I wouldn't be able to comb my hair out. How do you manage to distribute shampoo all over your heads without tons of tangles? :D

And when I wash upside down, as I have been doing for years, it's all perfect. My hair hangs loosely, I lave free access to scalp to put shampoo there and with conditioning, I can run my fingers through the hair any moment to get rid of possible tangles, but I usually get none. Not at all. I have no idea how it works. Why for so many people upside-down washing means tangles? And I have no idea whatsoever how to wash hair standing straight and not give myself a 328329 tangles.

But washing is the only thing I do upside down. All the rest (combing, oiling) goes "normally".

MinderMutsig
February 13th, 2014, 02:30 AM
Oops... triple post.

MinderMutsig
February 13th, 2014, 02:31 AM
Isn't a triple called a hattrick? I like that word. Anyway... sorry.

MinderMutsig
February 13th, 2014, 02:32 AM
I'm experimenting with it but I'm not liking it so far.
The tangles are huge, I can't seem to be able to properly wash the top of my scalp since there's too much hair in the way from whichever direction I try to reach it and it's very uncomfortable on my back and neck.

I'd really like it though if I could wash my hair seperately from my body so I don't have to be in the shower for so long. I like long showers but lately showering is starting to feel like hard work. Not enjoyable at all. So maybe the downsides of upside down washing are worth it.

Next on my experimentation list is scalp only washing.

Henrietta
February 16th, 2014, 12:41 PM
Isn't a triple called a hattrick? I like that word. Anyway... sorry.

It is! :) So, you've scored one. Congrats :D :P
I like that word too. Is the double "t" pronounced in English, or does the two blend into one sound?

Shameless off-topic.

Tifie
February 16th, 2014, 02:13 PM
I tend to miss some parts of my hair when washing upside down. Don't know why, but happens in maybe 80% of these rare occasions. When I wash normally under the shower, everything gets squeaky clean :o

hikarilu
February 16th, 2014, 03:00 PM
I'm sorry but I have a "stupid" question :D
For those who said you are brushing with a BBB upside down sometimes, why are you doing it ? Is it better than brushing "normally" ?
I don't understand how it would be better, and I kinda miss using my BBB... Brushing my hair with it has become impossible for the last six months because of my lenght/tangles...(I use my TT only now)

schnibbles
February 16th, 2014, 03:37 PM
I'm sorry but I have a "stupid" question :D
For those who said you are brushing with a BBB upside down sometimes, why are you doing it ? Is it better than brushing "normally" ?
I don't understand how it would be better, and I kinda miss using my BBB... Brushing my hair with it has become impossible for the last six months because of my lenght/tangles...(I use my TT only now)

That's not a stupid question at all!
I believe people brush upside down because blood circulation is increased when you're upside down, increased circulation stimulates the hair follicles and makes them happy... this could potentially increase growth if done regularly. Anytime you stimulate the follicle and increase circulation, it's a good thing for a healthy scalp.
I think? :face:

Madora
February 16th, 2014, 03:52 PM
That's not a stupid question at all!
I believe people brush upside down because blood circulation is increased when you're upside down, increased circulation stimulates the hair follicles and makes them happy... this could potentially increase growth if done regularly. Anytime you stimulate the follicle and increase circulation, it's a good thing for a healthy scalp.
I think? :face:

Great answer, schnibbles! "If done regularly" are the key words..and always detangle before beginning to brush.

Carolyn
February 16th, 2014, 04:29 PM
I sometimes brush upside down. I detangle first with my wide toothed comb and then carefully bend forward and flip my hair over. I'll usually use my MP mixed popular but I'll also use my Wet to Dry brush. I like the scalp stimulation and I like the temporary fullness it gives my hair when I go back to standing upright. I don't get too many tangles that way.

Washing upside down is another story. When my hair was shorter I would wash it forward in the kitchen sink. That didn't always work well because it meant doing dishes first. I've never been able to bend over the side of the tub. So much back, neck and knee pain. When I washed in the kitchen sink I would bring my hair forward over my face and do a wide tooth comb detangling before getting it wet. In spite of those precautions I would end up with a giant dreadlock of hair. The whole process was uncomfortable and very inconvenient, not to mention tangle producing. I can't image bending over in the shower to wash my hair. When I stand up to wash I barely have any tangles when I am done. I can get out of the shower, wrap my hair in a towel for a few minutes and immediately comb my hair with a wide tooth comb starting at the roots. There are so few mild tangles there is no need for me to start at the ends and work up. I always use conditioner.

RoseofCimarron
February 16th, 2014, 08:51 PM
No matter what my length was, I have never had success with upside-down washing or combing. I just get more tangles and now if I try to wash my hair bent at the waist my hair touches the shower floor and hurts my neck/back like nobody's business! :lol: The only upside-down hair manipulation that has worked for me is flipping my head over if I am doing a high ponytail (not too often anymore), high braid, or high twisted bun. If I didn't flip my hair over I wouldn't be able to get all of my hair up, and I hate missed strands that fall out of my updos.

0xalis
February 17th, 2014, 12:30 AM
I do the inversion method, so I do massage my scalp upside down, but never wash/brush/ anything like that. That would cause plenty of tangles.