At what length were you able to start scalp-only washes?

[my2cats1]

The last time I had long hair, I used to do scalp-only washes by wraping a loose ponytail or bun in a shower cap. It woked great for me. I'm currently neck length, so I'm a long time away from being able to do it again, but it makes me wonder: what is the shortest you were able to successfully do scalp-only washes?

[lapushka]

I wash upside down. I'm TBL. I still can't do them in the sink without getting it all wet, might as well wash it all, then, right? :)

I only weekly wash anyway, so I tend to *need* a full wash after that week.

[peachyleshy]

I'm just now doing it again and I'm almost to waist. I think a few years ago I had done it at BSL. I braid my hair (in and English Braid) then put it in a shower cap, securing it at the top of the braid. This has worked out pretty well for me - the braid doesn't get wet at least (getting my scalp clean enough has been the challenge.) So I think at least if you were shoulder length and could braid, bun, or ponytail a substantial amount of hair it would work.

[meteor]

BSL+/waist for me (but I did get it a bit wet) - I just covered my braid with plastic wrap and held it above my head or only washed the hairline. It's true that the shorter the hair was, the harder it was for me to do a scalp-only wash successfully, but the value of scalp-only washes went up dramatically specifically when my hair got much longer, because it meant that much larger area of my hair stayed dry (so less time spent, less exposure to detergents and mineral deposits in water, less wet manipulation and smaller chance of hygral fatigue). At much shorter lengths, scalp-only washes might be too much effort for the effect achieved, but it might be a good skill to develop for later anyway.

I love scalp-only washes now, they are a GREAT time saver for me. :cloud9:

[animetor7]

At hip length I can successfully do scalp washes by bunning my hair with claw clips tugging the scalp hair so that it's loose about my face a bit and then covering the bun with plastic ans securing the plastic with a hair band. I then shower as normal, just being careful to rinse away from the plastic bag, i.e. tipping my head forward in the shower to rinse the front of my head rather than backward so the water doesn't run underneath the bag. I think it also helps to dilute my shampoo so that it spreads better. I dilute my shampoo anyway so I don't know specifically if this helps with scalp washes or just in general, but it seems to help the shampoo spread more easily through my hair requiring less product use and less rinsing when I'm done. I love scalp only washes so that I can stretch my full washes longer fairly easily despite having an oily scalp. It also greatly reduces drying time needed to have a clean scalp which is great!!! I second practicing as soon as you have some braid or bun-able length to get the practice at a skill which is very useful at longer lengths.

[CrowningGlory]

For me it was BSL. I use a rolled up sock (with toe removed) under my bun before covering with a shower cap to keep my hair dry. Works 90% of the time. There is always that one time it doesn't work and my hair gets all wet and I don't have time to deal with it. Sigh.

Like animetor7 I dilute my shampoo and this possibly does help. I've also found that over time I've been able to add less and less shampoo to the mix.

I don't know where I'd be without scalp washes. I've come to dread doing full washes (all that wet hair sticking to me and then drying all big and fluffy - ugh) and would forego them altogether if my hair would let me.

[Kae612]

Wow, I'm at about hip and I still haven't managed it. I'll have to try again though. I find it hard enough to get to my scalp when I can part my hair in sections, when I CWC.

[MidnightMoon]

I've never been successful at it :/ I even tried making a loose braid, but I feel like my scalp isn't clean after, and then I have knots or feel like I'm being rough to it.
And then I'm concerned shampoo got to some areas I didn't get wet or I couldn't wash it off entirely and now it's going to be on my hair for days "damaging it". :lol:

[my2cats1]

I wonder if dividing hair into 3 loose braids or buns (instead of one) might help at shorter lengths? of course, then the bag or shower cap woukd have to be wrapped tighter. hmmm...

[Kae612]

Wow, I'm at about hip and I still haven't managed it. I'll have to try again though. I find it hard enough to get to my scalp when I can part my hair in sections, when I CWC.

And I did it! I kept a loose sleep braid that had lots of give, and while it was I guess more than just my scalp getting wet - maybe the top 1/3rd of my hair - it worked! The water did drip down the length once I took it down even though I blotted it with a towel, but I think it's still not as wet as a full wash. And hip on me is still not that long because I'm only 5'2" :)

[meteor]

^ Congratulations, Kae612! :joy:
And if you are running into problems with water getting there post-wash, just quickly wrap a towel around the head, like a turban while letting braid/bun stick out on top uncovered. You might need a smaller towel to blot some drips here and there, but I find with practice it gets easier and easier. ;)

[Kae612]

^ Congratulations, Kae612! :joy:
And if you are running into problems with water getting there post-wash, just quickly wrap a towel around the head, like a turban while letting braid/bun stick out on top uncovered. You might need a smaller towel to blot some drips here and there, but I find with practice it gets easier and easier. ;)

Noted! I did blot with a towel (avoided rubbing) but while my scalp dried fairly quickly the water did drip down to the entire length and it's still damp :P I'll work on it though!

[meteor]

I basically just make sure the water is running down while I hold the braid up, and keep it in the same position for towel-wrapping, so to catch water this is the way I wrap towel around (so the braid will be forced high up (folded, wrapped loosely on top), while water is dripping down): http://www.loxabeauty.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/turban-5.jpg

There are many ways of doing scalp-only washes and that could also drive the way the towel is wrapped for catching drips IMO. I sometimes just wash hairline (partial scalp wash) while leaning over large sink/tub, and in that case hanging braid down my back (people with braids that aren't too heavy might need to hold them down with bra-straps or collars) - and in this situation I simply place and actively blot towel on top of head to dry it initially. (Haartraum's video on this type of scalp-only wash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwREj8Kadlo)
This method is also very easy on the arms, unlike all the methods where you hold a braid up with one hand. (In fact, I prefer washing the hairline first with the braided bun covered in plastic wrap and then I take the bun down and hold the braid above my head, because this is less tiresome on my arms.)

I've also tried attaching my braid with a scarf to shower rod, but I felt that it really constrained my movement and made it harder not to get the braid wet.

I also always dilute shampoo in a separate bottle to make it spread and lather more easily, like others mentioned. :)

And some people like to use this tool called PonyDry for scalp only washes (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=136047) but I've never used it and it seems a bit small to me.

[animetor7]

Noted! I did blot with a towel (avoided rubbing) but while my scalp dried fairly quickly the water did drip down to the entire length and it's still damp :P I'll work on it though!

I always cover my bun in plastic while doing my scalp only wash and after blotting with a towel just wrap my large t-shirt (which I use in lieu of a towel) around my head without uncovering or taking down the bun to let it dry in the t-shirt for a little bit before any dry length is exposed as it were. Doing this keeps almost all of the water at or above ear length because my scalp isn't dripping when I take it down, it's just sort of damp, so there's less water transfer down the length. I do my scalp washes this way because I'm too lazy to bother with holding a braid out of the way, which admittedly works better for getting all the scalp but is too much fuss for me. It also depends on where your scalp gets the most oily. I think I get away with this type of scalp wash because generally my hairline is my oiliest part and my crown usually is fine in between my weekly washes even if I don't get it wet during my scalp wash. If your crown is greasier this might not work as well for you. Good luck, and congrats on your first successful scalp only wash! :)

[Kae612]

I always cover my bun in plastic while doing my scalp only wash and after blotting with a towel just wrap my large t-shirt (which I use in lieu of a towel) around my head without uncovering or taking down the bun to let it dry in the t-shirt for a little bit before any dry length is exposed as it were. Doing this keeps almost all of the water at or above ear length because my scalp isn't dripping when I take it down, it's just sort of damp, so there's less water transfer down the length. I do my scalp washes this way because I'm too lazy to bother with holding a braid out of the way, which admittedly works better for getting all the scalp but is too much fuss for me. It also depends on where your scalp gets the most oily. I think I get away with this type of scalp wash because generally my hairline is my oiliest part and my crown usually is fine in between my weekly washes even if I don't get it wet during my scalp wash. If your crown is greasier this might not work as well for you. Good luck, and congrats on your first successful scalp only wash! :)

Thanks! I did the braid-into-a-doubled-scrunchie-and-shower-cap route I read about on here. I'll try the Tshirt wrap next - I'll need to make a braid that doesn't hurt when I'm not holding it if I plan to leave it in longer XD. I definitely need to get in to the centre back of my head, my crown, and my hairline. All the scalp needs to be scrubbed well or I get the itchies.

[mira-chan]

I've never been successful at it :/ I even tried making a loose braid, but I feel like my scalp isn't clean after, and then I have knots or feel like I'm being rough to it.
And then I'm concerned shampoo got to some areas I didn't get wet or I couldn't wash it off entirely and now it's going to be on my hair for days "damaging it". :lol:

Same. It always gets wet and my scalp with it's dry sebum doesn't get clean at all. Plus if my hair gets wet, even in parts, I need to condition it or it feels and acts like wire and starts trying to gather radio signals from space.

I also wash once a week so it's not as big of a problem to wash the whole thing.

[amiaow]

It worked well for my fine hair from mid back lengths- I'd put it in a high bun and wrap the shower cap around that. I don't need to condition my scalp hair though!