Seeking help for WO method!

[genuinewicked]

Hey friends!

So I decided to go water only on July 14th and have been going strong since. I LOVE how smooth and silky my hair is, but I'm not loving the oiliness and sebum build-up on my scalp. I've cleansed with hibiscus flower tea 3 times and it leaves my hair smooth and shiny but isn't removing the oil. I use a wooden brush and comb primarily, but I do have a BBB. I don't use it very often because it seems to increase my oils. This may be because it needs a good clean, but I'm not sure. I'm also thinking of trying some Shikakai or other herbs to cleanse my hair.

Any tips for how to clean the oils and sebum out? Thanks so much!

[vpatt]

There is a WO thread and a Water Only Mostly thread. You will find lots of information in both threads. Good luck!

[Cherriezzzzz]

You're not suppose to clean off the sebum. That's the whole point of water only. Leaving the sebum on so your hair stops producing so much oil and then you don't need to use any cleansers, just.... wait for it... water only :) my husband has successfully transitioned. His hair is never, ever oily now, where it used to get oily daily. His scalp acne and itching is all gone now too. So if you can get through the transition oily phase, you (potentially, everyone is different) can achieve similar results.

[Ophidian]

I'd second vpatt's suggestion to check out the WO thread--lots of great info there :)

Are you scritch/massage/preening? That can help deal with sebum build up on your scalp. I did WO for 7 months and now use herbs to wash primarily.

[EdG]

When I went water-only a year ago, I found myself combing out a mixture of accumulated waxy sebum and lint. This stuff had built up for some time during my shampooing years. Eventually, it faded and now my combing is fairly clean.
Ed

[Reyn127]

Hi there! Yeah, come join us on the Water-only thread http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=3412 and the Hybrid WO thread http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=141641 :) I haven't personally made it through the entire Official WO thread, but the hybrid one is newer and therefore shorter. Both of them have really good info.

Some general recommendations from me: Scritching/preeening can really help get your scalp looking cleaner. It's basically massaging and gently scratching your head like you would to suds up shampoo on your head, but much more thorough, right on the skin, and of course just with water. This is kind of crucial to a WO routine. I will sometimes rub the oil/sebum that ends up on my fingers from this, right onto my ends if they are dry. EdG is right in that you might get some waxy sebum buildup after a few months, which was a huge pain for me, but it looks like there are a few ways to remedy that, when you get there. I did a rye flour wash, but I've heard of applesauce helping remove it, and I've been experimenting with cool water rinses as well. Also, essential oils diluted in a light oil like jojoba can really help if your hair ever starts smelling a little funky while you're figuring out how to get it all clean.

We'll all be happy to see you join all our experiments! Good luck and have fun!

[genuinewicked]

Thank you so much everyone for your great replies!

First, I'm definitely going to start reading through the WO threads more thoroughly. I'm sure there are many answers to my questions there, but it's just such a huge thread! Thanks for the links. Second, thanks for the info Cherriezzzzz. I hadn't realized that leaving the sebum on the hair is what would cause the scalp to stop producing so much oil, therefore leaving you will oil-free hair without using shampoos. I just thought it had more to do with the chemicals in the shampoos and how 'squeaky clean' they got my hair. Thanks for the reminder! Third, I've been scritching and preening, but perhaps not as thoroughly as I should. I don't do it for long enough periods of time to really work at the scalp and work the oils onto my fingers, so I'll try that tonight.

Thanks so much for the responses! I'm going to be patient and keep trying these different methods, because now that I know how soft and silky my hair can be without shampoo and conditioner, there's no way I want to go back!