The Archives: The Merged NW/SO/WO Thread

[PrairieRose]

I made it WO about 7 weeks now! YAY!:D My hair is definitely passing that super greasy stage. After I wash it, it does look pretty good, and I can stretch my washes more. But I still feel after my hair is a bit stringy even after a wash. Since my hair is fine I am not happy with that. I stopped using a ACV rinse because I thought that might be the problem but then after a few times of that my hair felt a little weird. So I got nervous and started using the a very diluted amount of ACV rinse. Has anybody else had this problem? Do you think is still part of the transition stage?:confused:

[Amber_Maiden]

I made it WO about 7 weeks now! YAY!:D My hair is definitely passing that super greasy stage. After I wash it, it does look pretty good, and I can stretch my washes more. But I still feel after my hair is a bit stringy even after a wash. Since my hair is fine I am not happy with that. I stopped using a ACV rinse because I thought that might be the problem but then after a few times of that my hair felt a little weird. So I got nervous and started using the a very diluted amount of ACV rinse. Has anybody else had this problem? Do you think is still part of the transition stage?:confused:

Can't offer advice since I only start my WO journey today, but I just wanted to say CONGRATS :cheese: on reaching the 7 weeks mark! Hope I make it as well! :D

[PrairieRose]

Thanks Amber Maiden:) I'm sure you will make it, can't wait to read all about it!

[w/o freak]

I made it WO about 7 weeks now! YAY!:D My hair is definitely passing that super greasy stage. After I wash it, it does look pretty good, and I can stretch my washes more. But I still feel after my hair is a bit stringy even after a wash. Since my hair is fine I am not happy with that. I stopped using a ACV rinse because I thought that might be the problem but then after a few times of that my hair felt a little weird. So I got nervous and started using the a very diluted amount of ACV rinse. Has anybody else had this problem? Do you think is still part of the transition stage?:confused:

Yes, you're still very much in the transition stage. Mine was at it's worst at 2 weeks. Wearing it up helps hide the stringy look until it balances out. It felt weird to me at first too, but it does get better and eventually feels silky all the way down to the ends.

[w/o freak]

Yes, you're still very much in the transition stage. Mine was at it's worst at 2 weeks. Wearing it up helps hide the stringy look until it balances out. It felt weird to me at first too, but it does get better and eventually feels silky all the way down to the ends.

Okay, I feel really dumb now, ignore my previous post. I read your post as 7 days, not 7 weeks. SMH I hit a 2nd transition at about 8 weeks and it died down fairly quickly, so that could be what you're going through too.

[DoubleCrowned]

I made it WO about 7 weeks now! YAY!:D My hair is definitely passing that super greasy stage. After I wash it, it does look pretty good, and I can stretch my washes more. But I still feel after my hair is a bit stringy even after a wash. Since my hair is fine I am not happy with that. I stopped using a ACV rinse because I thought that might be the problem but then after a few times of that my hair felt a little weird. So I got nervous and started using the a very diluted amount of ACV rinse. Has anybody else had this problem? Do you think is still part of the transition stage?:confused:

Yes, transition. Mine passed the greasy stage, then stayed stringy for a long time. Using rain water or soft water, no warmer than room temperature helped a lot. Until it balanced, I fluffed a little corn starch into my hair using a blush brush, then carefully smoothing over the surface with a boar bristle brush to remove the powdered look.

[PrairieRose]

Thanks W/O freak and Double Crowned:) I feel better knowing this is not permanent. I wear my hair up most days anyhow so I will just try to patiently ride this out.

[Kitkey]

I'm on my second week of WO and my hair is so greasy! I use an acv rinse every few days to see if that helps and I can't tell if it makes it better or worse.

[mel88lem]

I made it WO about 7 weeks now! YAY!:D My hair is definitely passing that super greasy stage. After I wash it, it does look pretty good, and I can stretch my washes more. But I still feel after my hair is a bit stringy even after a wash. Since my hair is fine I am not happy with that. I stopped using a ACV rinse because I thought that might be the problem but then after a few times of that my hair felt a little weird. So I got nervous and started using the a very diluted amount of ACV rinse. Has anybody else had this problem? Do you think is still part of the transition stage?:confused:

Hey, I'm at 8 weeks now. I feel like things could be getting better, but I still cannot wear my hair down, and I have to smooth it with a boar bristle brush 9 out of 10 times I pull it back. I haven't been posting since I have nothing much to say. I can only admit I have been very discouraged. There's not been a lot of change in my hair the last two weeks: still a little oily, especially at the back, a little waxy at the roots. I'm just beginning to doubt my ability to stick it out - how long am I supposed to dream about having my awesome hair back and not having to hide it? :(

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. I think I'm finally cashing in on some WO support here! Ive gone hardcore WO and not told anyone (kind of feel like ive been suffering in silence!).

[DoubleCrowned]

KitKey, ACV did not help me. It seemed to make the hair limp and oily. On the other hand, rain water made a huge difference.


Hey, I'm at 8 weeks now. I feel like things could be getting better, but I still cannot wear my hair down, and I have to smooth it with a boar bristle brush 9 out of 10 times I pull it back. I haven't been posting since I have nothing much to say. I can only admit I have been very discouraged. There's not been a lot of change in my hair the last two weeks: still a little oily, especially at the back, a little waxy at the roots. I'm just beginning to doubt my ability to stick it out - how long am I supposed to dream about having my awesome hair back and not having to hide it? :(

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. I think I'm finally cashing in on some WO support here! Ive gone hardcore WO and not told anyone (kind of feel like ive been suffering in silence!).

Yes, this is a tough stage because it seems like you will never have pretty hair again. I had thought WO would mean hopping in the shower, going through the motions of shampooing without shampoo, and walking away with lovely hair. It does not work that way for me.

I had to invent some helpers to get me there. Cornstarch was a great help through the stringy stage. It can be fluffed on at night and gently brushed off in the morning--or even dusted off with a soft cloth.

In the shower, after careful detangling, I used a comb in the shower, then a microfiber washcloth to gently pull the sebum down the hair shaft. (My hair is so fine that a comb does little to distribute sebum.) I'd wash my hands with soap while working with my wet hair as soon as they felt sticky.

Once finished with washing, I'd mop my roots and stringy areas with dry cotton T shirts or soft silk. I tried using cotton gloves for a mop/preen process, but they didn't work as well. Maybe they would for you.

I learned that my scalp was too reactive to use the BBB, so finger combed only for about two months, just using the BBB for sleeking the up-do.

Be creative in finding ways to reach the goal. As your hair and scalp get balanced, you will be able to drop the crutches and your routine will simplify.

[trolleypup]

Hey, I'm at 8 weeks now. I feel like things could be getting better, but I still cannot wear my hair down, and I have to smooth it with a boar bristle brush 9 out of 10 times I pull it back. I haven't been posting since I have nothing much to say. I can only admit I have been very discouraged. There's not been a lot of change in my hair the last two weeks: still a little oily, especially at the back, a little waxy at the roots. I'm just beginning to doubt my ability to stick it out - how long am I supposed to dream about having my awesome hair back and not having to hide it? :(

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. I think I'm finally cashing in on some WO support here! Ive gone hardcore WO and not told anyone (kind of feel like ive been suffering in silence!).
What I did when I got to a frustrating point like that was to use a little very dilute shampoo, then finish my usual routine. Nice hair, pretty much from that point on (as long as I managed to keep up with my routine), and it didn't reset the adjustment.

[Amber_Maiden]

Today is my first official day on WO!!! :D

[PolarCathy]

Desperate people! I am suffering together with you guys/gals right now, to cheer you up :)

Hair got uberwaxy because of the very hard water I have here. Same story as last Christmas. Phhhh. I have been here for a week and it feels horrendous. One week more to go. On the other hand, it's very thick. My hairclip broke... Even yesterday, my friends thought I had some -- I quote -- "shine serum" on it. Brrr. Grease :)

Now, combed it with some olive oil on the comb. I will just leave it like this until 27 Dec if I can stand it. Then I will see if I want to use some starch (meh...) or henna (likely) or a diluted conditioner (unlikely).

Merry Christmas and so forth... :D

[PrairieRose]

Mel88lem...We can do it! It would be a shame to suffer through all this transition and give up right before the reward! Let's hang in there:cheer:

DoubleCrowned...rainwater....interesting....how do you use rainwater? Do you have a system to collect it? When you actually wash your hair how much do you need?

[DoubleCrowned]

DoubleCrowned...rainwater....interesting....how do you use rainwater? Do you have a system to collect it? When you actually wash your hair how much do you need?

I collect it during a rainstorm from the roof's gutters, after the rain has had a chance to clean the air and the roof. At first I used it by dunking my head and pouring water over it, finally rinsing with fresh rainwater. Then, to save water, I started spraying my hair with rainwater before getting in shower, using only cool water in the shower, blotting the moisture out, then spraying or dunking in the rainwater to get the tap water out of it. The first method took a pint to a quart of water; the second takes a half cup or less.

[PrairieRose]

I collect it during a rainstorm from the roof's gutters, after the rain has had a chance to clean the air and the roof. At first I used it by dunking my head and pouring water over it, finally rinsing with fresh rainwater. Then, to save water, I started spraying my hair with rainwater before getting in shower, using only cool water in the shower, blotting the moisture out, then spraying or dunking in the rainwater to get the tap water out of it. The first method took a pint to a quart of water; the second takes a half cup or less.
Pretty neat, I have to give you credit for that! But I am thinking it's not going to work for me. But you never know, maybe one day!

[PolarCathy]

Update. I am done with the wax issue I think (I hope). I combed the waxy mess with an oiled comb (EVOO) then I braided it and left it like that for 24 hours. Then yesterday I put just normal flour on it, combed it through and left it like that, nice, white, powdery while in the bathtub. Then rinsed and finished with a thyme tea.

This morning I brushed it out. To my surprise very little wax was on the brush, most of the stuff that came out was the flour that I didn't rinse out very well. Now it's shiny and looks clean. I should take a pic but I don't have a camera here. So there is always hope!

[JessL]

My hair has changed a bit lately and I'm not sure if its a transition or something I'm doing:

Previously I would wash every 3-4 days. On day one it would be a little frizzy, day two it would look great, day three it would be at least a little oily. Depending on how oily day three was would determine if there was a day four. Day four my hair was always oily and sometimes my scalp would bother me.

I went back to washing just every three days which worked fine a couple times but then my hair started to look bad on day two. It was very flat and I'm used to the opposite problem (frizz).

I decided my hair needed something so I did a Cassia treatment about two weeks ago. It looked great that day, a little dry and tangly the next couple days. I then did a water wash and it looked great. Then I started spritzing my hair in the morning after preening a few minutes and discovered I can go five or six days between washes now.

I'm not sure if its the spritzing or the Cassia, or if I just went through a transition. My hair is hardly producing any oil now. It looks pretty good on day five and right after a wash it looks amazing.

I have been WO for about three months now.

[PrairieRose]

PolarCathy...glad to hear your done with the wax issue! Encouraging:)

JessL....Let's go with it is improving because of being through the transition, because then that gives me hope that soon my hair will also start to look AMAZING:cheese: lol

As for my own update, I have been using less or not even any ACV rinse. My hair was looking a bit stringy but suddenly it did improve a lot. I am hoping it stays that way. In week 8 now! :D Plus lots of baby hairs growing, that always good:)

[gothicchick]

hello, just wondering if someone can tell me a bit more about CO washing, WO washing and whatever else there is.

just wondering if it would have any benefits for my hair, at the moment i just do it in the standard way, starting with tresemme deep cleanse, scalp and lenghts, then my very expensive F.A.S.T shampoo and F.A.S.T conditioner... can't say if this have actually had any effect on my hair growth, i hope so though, being £25 +

[savfairy]

Is hair hard to comb through after a shower using the WO method?

[PrairieRose]

Savfairy...some people have a hard time combing through their hair in the beginning, I think they may use a few drops of oil to help.

[LaceyNg]

hey everybody! :waving:

i havent started WO washing yet but i'm consifering it....

this is s huge thread, maybe you all could help me out?
is WO typically good for ppl w/ scalp issues? i have a mixture of Seborrheic Dermatitis and regular dandruff.

as for my actual hait, its fine to medium, and "normal", athough till i recently measured i'd always thought it was thin. recently i've been using chagrin valley shampoo bars every 2 to 3 days, usually on scalp only. and while my scalps happier than it was with regular sls shampoo or CO-ing, its still kinda p!ssed at me :(

i currently henna/cassia my hair, but the ends ae somewhat dry and damaged from previous chemical coloring (i'm slowly but surely trimming it all out).

so what do you think? should i try WO? nothing to lose, right... :?:

[DoubleCrowned]

My hair has changed a bit lately and I'm not sure if its a transition or something I'm doing:

Previously I would wash every 3-4 days. On day one it would be a little frizzy, day two it would look great, day three it would be at least a little oily. Depending on how oily day three was would determine if there was a day four. Day four my hair was always oily and sometimes my scalp would bother me.

I went back to washing just every three days which worked fine a couple times but then my hair started to look bad on day two. It was very flat and I'm used to the opposite problem (frizz).

I decided my hair needed something so I did a Cassia treatment about two weeks ago. It looked great that day, a little dry and tangly the next couple days. I then did a water wash and it looked great. Then I started spritzing my hair in the morning after preening a few minutes and discovered I can go five or six days between washes now.

I'm not sure if its the spritzing or the Cassia, or if I just went through a transition. My hair is hardly producing any oil now. It looks pretty good on day five and right after a wash it looks amazing.

I have been WO for about three months now.

Maybe it is the spritzing. My hair looked its best when I was spritzing daily. I'll start doing it again and report.

[bumblebums]

hey everybody! :waving:

i havent started WO washing yet but i'm consifering it....

this is s huge thread, maybe you all could help me out?
is WO typically good for ppl w/ scalp issues? i have a mixture of Seborrheic Dermatitis and regular dandruff.

as for my actual hait, its fine to medium, and "normal", athough till i recently measured i'd always thought it was thin. recently i've been using chagrin valley shampoo bars every 2 to 3 days, usually on scalp only. and while my scalps happier than it was with regular sls shampoo or CO-ing, its still kinda p!ssed at me :(

i currently henna/cassia my hair, but the ends ae somewhat dry and damaged from previous chemical coloring (i'm slowly but surely trimming it all out).

so what do you think? should i try WO? nothing to lose, right... :?:

Well, you should try to read through the thread, but a few quick thoughts. I think WO is great for people with scalp issues as long as the issue is not an underlying fungus infection or something of that sort. As far as the damaged ends go, you can use coconut oil in small amounts to soften your ends. Coconut oil is light enough to absorb into your hair, and in my experience, it can be partially washed out of hair even with warm water alone.

Keep in mind also that henna/cassia would be very difficult to rinse out of hair with WO, so you should keep some conditioner around just for getting the grit out on dyeing days.

[PrairieRose]

hey everybody! :waving:

i havent started WO washing yet but i'm consifering it....

this is s huge thread, maybe you all could help me out?
is WO typically good for ppl w/ scalp issues? i have a mixture of Seborrheic Dermatitis and regular dandruff.

as for my actual hait, its fine to medium, and "normal", athough till i recently measured i'd always thought it was thin. recently i've been using chagrin valley shampoo bars every 2 to 3 days, usually on scalp only. and while my scalps happier than it was with regular sls shampoo or CO-ing, its still kinda p!ssed at me :(

i currently henna/cassia my hair, but the ends ae somewhat dry and damaged from previous chemical coloring (i'm slowly but surely trimming it all out).

so what do you think? should i try WO? nothing to lose, right... :?:
I don't know too much about scalp issues, but I don't think it could hurt to try WO. If you notice a problem you can always stop. You never know it could be just what you are looking for. I also use henna and have previously chemical processed hair. I have been
WO for 7 weeks now and I think it has been good so far. I use coconut oil or shea butter on the ends of my hair if it needs it. I am also slowly cutting off damaged hair:)

[Kitkey]

i currently henna/cassia my hair, but the ends ae somewhat dry and damaged from previous chemical coloring (i'm slowly but surely trimming it all out).

so what do you think? should i try WO? nothing to lose, right... :?:

I henna'd my hair last night and washed it out with just water. It took some time and patience but it will come out. It also left my hair squeaky clean as if I had used shampoo.... not sure if this is going to set me back on my transition or not :shrug:

[PrairieRose]

I henna'd my hair last night and washed it out with just water. It took some time and patience but it will come out. It also left my hair squeaky clean as if I had used shampoo.... not sure if this is going to set me back on my transition or not :shrug:
Good to know, I have to henna soon. This will be my first time with water only:)

[LaceyNg]

Well, you should try to read through the thread, but a few quick thoughts. I think WO is great for people with scalp issues as long as the issue is not an underlying fungus infection or something of that sort. As far as the damaged ends go, you can use coconut oil in small amounts to soften your ends. Coconut oil is light enough to absorb into your hair, and in my experience, it can be partially washed out of hair even with warm water alone.

Keep in mind also that henna/cassia would be very difficult to rinse out of hair with WO, so you should keep some conditioner around just for getting the grit out on dyeing days.

oh i definately plan to make my way through this thread! i think i'll take notes too :)

i actually have tried coconut oil, but it seemed like it didnt help any. i've heard there's protein in it, so maybe thats why, since my hair doesnt care for protein?

yeah, i DID see that part on this thread, that henna will be more difficult to wash out. the *plan* is to just mermaid a few times and really work at it *crosses fingers*

thanks!


I don't know too much about scalp issues, but I don't think it could hurt to try WO. If you notice a problem you can always stop. You never know it could be just what you are looking for. I also use henna and have previously chemical processed hair. I have been
WO for 7 weeks now and I think it has been good so far. I use coconut oil or shea butter on the ends of my hair if it needs it. I am also slowly cutting off damaged hair:)

wow, PrairieRose, we have almost the same exact hair type! i'm glad to hear WO is going well for you! make sure you update often, so i can see my hair future! :p


as an update, so far, so good! i used a fine-tooth comb to scritch my scalp really well and help spread the oil down the hair shaft last night before a WO wash. i was due for a wash, but suprisingly my scalp/hair doesnt feel all that oily. not like it would if i skipped washing day entirely, for example. AND my scalp isnt super itchy or as flaky as i'd expected! :cheese: i'm optimistic! maybe its the hardcore scritching?

for the ppl here that have been WO well past the transition stage, do most of you stay ENTIRELY WO, or do you use baking soda or ACV rinses? i think if it turns out that my hair needs to have something to take off a small amount if sebum and the henna/cassia isnt enough, i might add in ACV rinses. mostly just b/c i already have some, but also i've heard the exfoliation it gives is good for scalp flakes.

[PolarCathy]

I never used anything else than water to wash out henna/indigo, regardless of my hair routine (full or partially WO). The "goo" always makes my hair squeaky clean so I see no reason to "wash" it with anything. To be honest I never understood why people use conditioner or shampoo to wash it out. Really, why? :rolleyes:

[PolarCathy]

for the ppl here that have been WO well past the transition stage, do most of you stay ENTIRELY WO, or do you use baking soda or ACV rinses?

There are very few things that I will never put on/in my hair; namely, bleach or perm stuff, monistat and baking soda. I think baking soda is a very strong alkaline and also a very strong and particularly stripping washing agent. I used it once years ago, on normal (not WO) hair and it took weeks for my hair to recover; it made my hair dull, brittle and super dry.:confused: ACV maybe, but rather some tea rinse, if anything.

P.S. I hate to say "never" and tonight I said it three times so far. :D but I won't say it again because I am going to sleep now. :D

[bumblebums]

I never used anything else than water to wash out henna/indigo, regardless of my hair routine (full or partially WO). The "goo" always makes my hair squeaky clean so I see no reason to "wash" it with anything. To be honest I never understood why people use conditioner or shampoo to wash it out. Really, why? :rolleyes:

Because the grit sticks in some people's hair and is hard to get out with water alone.

[PolarCathy]

Because the grit sticks in some people's hair and is hard to get out with water alone.

It takes about 20 minutes and a lot of water for me too :eyebrows:

[bumblebums]

oh i definately plan to make my way through this thread! i think i'll take notes too :)

i actually have tried coconut oil, but it seemed like it didnt help any. i've heard there's protein in it, so maybe thats why, since my hair doesnt care for protein?


Nope, no protein in coconut oil. This comes up on the forum every other week or so :)

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2

Your hair might not like it for some other reason, or it could be too damaged to be helped by much (other than trims).

[Amber_Maiden]

Because the grit sticks in some people's hair and is hard to get out with water alone.

I would stand under water for an hour, moving my hair around to get it out- I realized after a while that there was residue I couldn't see leftover, as I would shampoo after this and get loads of henna out...

[bumblebums]

It takes about 20 minutes and a lot of water for me too :eyebrows:


I would stand under water for an hour, moving my hair around to get it out- I realized after a while that there was residue I couldn't see leftover, as I would shampoo after this and get loads of henna out...


Right. I suspect it is possible to avoid using conditioner if one really wants to, by using conditioner-like stuff like fenugreek or flaxseed mucilage. There may be more on this in the henna/herbal haircare threads...

[JessL]

I havent used henna but do use Cassia. I mix in some olive oil which seems to help with getting it out since otherwise it leaves my hair a tangly mess. To rinse, I do the mermaid thing to get most of it out and rinse further on the shower. I do end up with a few green flecks in my brush the next couple days. The only thing I don't like is that the smell lingers. Especially if my hair is wet, the smell comes back.

[Milui Elenath]

For myself I found WO better for rinsing Henna than conditioner. Conditioner gave the false sense that I had washed it all out as my hair felt soft but with water only I could definitely tell that the henna (sand/grit) was completely rinsed out. Nowdays though when I henna (I am holding out since I don't want any reset) I used yoghurt as my base for henna it's different to wash out but not more difficult.

LaceyNg I am full transitioned and I try to stay entirely WO but I am not opposed to giving a slight reset if I need it. The first time through it was at about 10 months that I felt I needed a reset and I used bicarb and ACV. Some people have had drying effects with bicarb as PolarCathy mentioned but surprisingly my dry hair was fine with it. Some tips I followed were ensuring a very thorough disolving of the bicarb in water and a weak solution 1tsp to a litre followed by a very thorough rinse of ACV and more water.

This time I am nine months or so along in WO and haven't had any residue or lint issues that might need a reset to assist them. I have henna'd with yoghurt about 4 months ago (approx I think) which is a mild reset. My sebum production is low however and my ends still require olive oil which I apply rather randomly. My hair and skin do not like coconut oil I don't know why but I also feel my hair needs a heavier oil like olive as it drinks it up quickly.

Am I the only one who didn't read the entire thread?!? :disbelief Seriously? :uhh: Of course I read some of it till I got the general gist but there is no way I read all the pages. Whenever I had a problem I searched the thread to see what had been said and only if I didn't find anything or felt I needed more information or help did I post.

[PrairieRose]

Milui Elenath Don't worry i didn't read the entire thread yet either! I do the same thing, I've read bits a and pieces, and search for info I need. Every so often I pick a new section to look at, maybe one day it will all be read.:)

[DoubleCrowned]

Holothuroidea mentioned awhile back that we need a reference guide of some sort for this thread. If, when you are reading old sections of it, you could make a note of the post number and topic when you find particularly good information, it would be a help. The number is at the upper right of each post.

[Amber_Maiden]

Holothuroidea mentioned awhile back that we need a reference guide of some sort for this thread. If, when you are reading old sections of it, you could make a note of the post number and topic when you find particularly good information, it would be a help. The number is at the upper right of each post.

Agreed. That would be really neat!

[PrairieRose]

DoubleCrowned Sounds good, I will keep that in mind:)

[Fethenwen]

WO:ing is making it's wonders for my hair AGAIN :p

I keep jumping on this bandwagon when I feel nothing else helps, and it turns my hair into soft silkiness in just a few days. I have had problems lately with dry ends and what not. But now all of that is gone.

I could actually do this for a longer period now, I don't feel like fuzzing over my hair with treatments and such. The only down side is that I need to keep washing my hair every second or third day to avoid total greaseball look and it takes up more water.

I might as well mention that I use almost entirely white vinegar now instead of ACV.

[PrairieRose]

I might as well mention that I use almost entirely white vinegar now instead of ACV.
Hi, just curious, what benefits do get from white vinegar? I have heard of people using it before and I was just wondering the difference.:)

[DoubleCrowned]

Is hair hard to comb through after a shower using the WO method?
If you are used to hair slippery with conditioner, it might be at first, when you have washed out the oils but the sebum hasn't coated the hair yet. I don't remember having this problem, though.


My hair has changed a bit lately and I'm not sure if its a transition or something I'm doing:
... I then did a water wash and it looked great. Then I started spritzing my hair in the morning after preening a few minutes and discovered I can go five or six days between washes now.

I'm not sure if its the spritzing or the Cassia, or if I just went through a transition. My hair is hardly producing any oil now. It looks pretty good on day five and right after a wash it looks amazing.



...
I could actually do this for a longer period now, I don't feel like fuzzing over my hair with treatments and such. The only down side is that I need to keep washing my hair every second or third day to avoid total greaseball look and it takes up more water.


I am spritzing every day again, and like what it is doing for my hair. When it starts to too oily, I comb, spritz, then preen with a cloth. My favorite cloth is microfiber. I fold it around the amount of hair one would put in a curler and pull gently down the wet strand. I started this four days ago, when my hair was due for a wash, but have not washed it yet because it looked fine. It looked oily last night, so today I am going to try the method with warm water and see what happens.

[proo]

Are y'all spritzing with distilled water?
I'm doing a version of the comb/spritz/preen method with a silk scarf - then I either turban it for awhile in said silk scarf or do a wrap
My hair is looking and feeling better than it ever has
period
With this method my hair seems for always be improving, unlike old days/methods when it seemed to have a mind of it's own and I was at it's mercy.
Right now I have 5 big standup pincurls in after the comb/spritz/preen, covered with the silky scarf in anticipation of tonight out and rare hair down outing.

[serin blackwood]

Here's a question for WO'ers:

If you've been oiling your hair, say with coconut oil, on for instance your dry ends and canopy areas, do you suppose that maybe sebum won't actually coat those areas as you preen? Maybe the oil acts as a barrier?
Is using an oil possibly counter-productive to getting through the transistion?

Opinions welcome!

[Amber_Maiden]

Here's a question for WO'ers:

If you've been oiling your hair, say with coconut oil, on for instance your dry ends and canopy areas, do you suppose that maybe sebum won't actually coat those areas as you preen? Maybe the oil acts as a barrier?
Is using an oil possibly counter-productive to getting through the transistion?

Opinions welcome!

hmmm... I wonder about this as well. I'm going to say 'no' just because oil can get rubbed off, etc... Or at least my oil seems to...

[Signe]

Hey all!
I just got back from crewing a sailboat for 10 days. We lived on the boat too, so we were constantly at the mercy of the elements!

Single/double braids were out of the question because they would never dry with all the time I spent in and out of the water, but leaving it down to dry would have been a rat's nest. I needed it secure but able to be down and dried out without tangles, so I got all my hair braided in cornrows and microbraids and then I rubbed loads of olive oil mixed with a tiny bit of conditioner into all the braids as soon as they were done.
I continued to oil them every few days and tried to rinse with cold water when possible, but we only had so much fresh water on the boat in between stops to the harbours, so I usually went without a rinse. I also had to put sunscreen on my scalp between the rows every day, so I am not sure how my hair will be when I take everything out!
I have rinsed it twice very well with good water pressure since we got off the boat, but the beachy/salty/sunscreen smell is still there. It's nice :cool:, but I hope that I don't have to shampoo all this oil and stuff out when I finally am ready to remove all these little braids!

Anyone else ever have to get sunscreen out with WO? How was it?
:)

[LaceyNg]

There are very few things that I will never put on/in my hair; namely, bleach or perm stuff, monistat and baking soda. I think baking soda is a very strong alkaline and also a very strong and particularly stripping washing agent. I used it once years ago, on normal (not WO) hair and it took weeks for my hair to recover; it made my hair dull, brittle and super dry.:confused: ACV maybe, but rather some tea rinse, if anything.

P.S. I hate to say "never" and tonight I said it three times so far. but I won't say it again because I am going to sleep now. :D

yeah, i've heard thta baking soda can be a bit harsh, which makes me hesitant to use it....


Nope, no protein in coconut oil. This comes up on the forum every other week or so :)

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2

Your hair might not like it for some other reason, or it could be too damaged to be helped by much (other than trims).

oops! thanks for settin me straight! :)
its probably the latter in my case :(


I havent used henna but do use Cassia. I mix in some olive oil which seems to help with getting it out since otherwise it leaves my hair a tangly mess. To rinse, I do the mermaid thing to get most of it out and rinse further on the shower. I do end up with a few green flecks in my brush the next couple days. The only thing I don't like is that the smell lingers. Especially if my hair is wet, the smell comes back.

how long does the cassia smell linger in your hair for?



LaceyNg I am full transitioned and I try to stay entirely WO but I am not opposed to giving a slight reset if I need it. The first time through it was at about 10 months that I felt I needed a reset and I used bicarb and ACV. Some people have had drying effects with bicarb as PolarCathy mentioned but surprisingly my dry hair was fine with it. Some tips I followed were ensuring a very thorough disolving of the bicarb in water and a weak solution 1tsp to a litre followed by a very thorough rinse of ACV and more water.

This time I am nine months or so along in WO and haven't had any residue or lint issues that might need a reset to assist them. I have henna'd with yoghurt about 4 months ago (approx I think) which is a mild reset. My sebum production is low however and my ends still require olive oil which I apply rather randomly. My hair and skin do not like coconut oil I don't know why but I also feel my hair needs a heavier oil like olive as it drinks it up quickly.

Am I the only one who didn't read the entire thread?!? :disbelief Seriously? :uhh: Of course I read some of it till I got the general gist but there is no way I read all the pages. Whenever I had a problem I searched the thread to see what had been said and only if I didn't find anything or felt I needed more information or help did I post.

no, i'm still making my way through it as well. i just get caught up reading other threads too... :)

and whats this you say about lint? i've been scritching before washes with a fine-tooth comb, and i've been seeing LINT! is this normal? my hair hasnt even been particularly greasy? :confused:

[DoubleCrowned]

Are y'all spritzing with distilled water?
I'm doing a version of the comb/spritz/preen method with a silk scarf - then I either turban it for awhile in said silk scarf or do a wrap
My hair is looking and feeling better than it ever has
period
With this method my hair seems for always be improving, unlike old days/methods when it seemed to have a mind of it's own and I was at it's mercy.
Right now I have 5 big standup pincurls in after the comb/spritz/preen, covered with the silky scarf in anticipation of tonight out and rare hair down outing.

Yes, rainwater, which is nature's distilled water. I like your idea of using silk. I will try that. I used the warm rainwater on my hair yesterday. It almost worked. I think it would have been fine had I done the process twice. Instead I cornstarched it lightly. Today I combed out the cornstarch with a fine tooth comb, then spritzed with cold rainwater. Hair looks very good.


Here's a question for WO'ers:

If you've been oiling your hair, say with coconut oil, on for instance your dry ends and canopy areas, do you suppose that maybe sebum won't actually coat those areas as you preen? Maybe the oil acts as a barrier?
Is using an oil possibly counter-productive to getting through the transistion?

Opinions welcome!

Oil moves sebum, spreads it. We discussed a few pages back the theory that oiling the ends might not help WO people very much because what we need is to have the sebum moved from the scalp to the ends; that oiling the ends only might only thin out what sebum is there or help wash it off when hair is wet. A couple of us experimented with oiling just the scalp in order to facilitate moving the sebum down the hair shaft. It worked for me.

[Amber_Maiden]

I am spritzing every day again, and like what it is doing for my hair. When it starts to too oily, I comb, spritz, then preen with a cloth. My favorite cloth is microfiber. I fold it around the amount of hair one would put in a curler and pull gently down the wet strand. I started this four days ago, when my hair was due for a wash, but have not washed it yet because it looked fine. It looked oily last night, so today I am going to try the method with warm water and see what happens.

DoubleCrowned, would please you mind explaining this method in a bit more detail? I want to try it later on, since it sounds pretty good! Would a piece of t-shirt material work? How long does it take? Thank you!

[PrairieRose]

Oil moves sebum, spreads it. We discussed a few pages back the theory that oiling the ends might not help WO people very much because what we need is to have the sebum moved from the scalp to the ends; that oiling the ends only might only thin out what sebum is there or help wash it off when hair is wet. A couple of us experimented with oiling just the scalp in order to facilitate moving the sebum down the hair shaft. It worked for me.

I had forgotten about that part of the thread, but coincidentally stopped using coconut oil on my ends for other reasons. Now my ends are looking better and I feel like they are coated with sebum. I think this oil/sebum theory may be true!

[DoubleCrowned]

DoubleCrowned, would please you mind explaining this method in a bit more detail? I want to try it later on, since it sounds pretty good! Would a piece of t-shirt material work? How long does it take? Thank you!

I developed the technique because dry preening was not working well for me--the BBB was breaking my hair because my hair is so fine that it would float around and tangle while being brushed, even after careful combing. I learned that I did better preening wet hair in the shower very carefully with a comb. Still, my hair is so fine that even my comb seemed like a poor tool to distribute sebum.

It occurred to me that a terry cloth wash cloth would perhaps work a little like an animal's tongue works on its fur, plus perhaps retain excess sebum. It sounded simple, but I quickly learned that the hair must be carefully organized first with a comb and that microfiber wash clothes worked better for me because they are softer and finer than cotton, but cotton works, too. All this was done in the shower.

I think it was when the weather turned cold, to save myself from shivering in a cold shower stall, I tried the method with the same cloth after spritzing, and it worked. I had already been spritzing just my cowlicks to control them.

Just keep the hair organized, so that the washcloth glides smoothly. Difference is that the cloth stays drier, but you could dampen it if that gives better results. Also, parting hair into small sections allows a spritz-wash of the scalp between regular WO-ings. Spritz scalp, blot, spritz hair, and preen with the cloth. I think T shirt material would work if your sections were thin enough that it hit most of the strands. With terry cloth, I think the loops get in between strands a little like a brush might. (..a teeeny, very soft brush... )

A T shirt would be more gentle, probably safer for hair that breaks easily. I also want to try using a silk scarf. It takes about the same amount of time as brushing the hair would, except that the hair must dry afterwards. However, the cloth gets the hair almost dry, so it doesn't take as much time as drying hair after washing.

I am also experimenting with using warm water on the hair without letting it touch the scalp (because warm water invites the greasies for me). Usually I use cold rainwater.

Let us know how the method works for you.

[Amber_Maiden]

Thank you DoubleCrowned! I'll definitely try it when the time comes! :)

[LaceyNg]

I developed the technique ..[clipped].. Usually I use cold rainwater.

Let us know how the method works for you.

yes, thank you DoubleCrowned, for going into such detail! i think i'm going to try this as well! :)

[proo]

The comb/spritz/preen is working great for keeping my head and body warm, yet clean and moisturized. I'm diggin it!
This method is taking the place of my weekly wash session, which I love and look forward to - but in a good way. It's a very satisfying ritual for me.

[lunamummy]

DoubleCrowned - thanks for the great detail. I have tried wiping a washcloth over my hair after spritzing, which helps prolong my time between WO washing. I have very fine hair like yours so I am interested by using cold water to keep greasies at bay and I'm going to try it.

I've also been getting so tangled using the BBB so this way of moving the sebum down the hair sounds ideal!

[LaceyNg]

i have another question for anyone who has an answer: i know everybody's timeline is different, but in general does what happens forst-- sebum making its way to the bottom of, say, BSL length hair, or the transition from being greasier than usual to just "normal"? does the sebum take a while to make its way down the shaft? :confused:

[PrairieRose]

i have another question for anyone who has an answer: i know everybody's timeline is different, but in general does what happens forst-- sebum making its way to the bottom of, say, BSL length hair, or the transition from being greasier than usual to just "normal"? does the sebum take a while to make its way down the shaft? :confused:
My hair is APL and I feel like I started transisitioning out and the sebum started reaching my ends around the same time. I am in my 9th week (I think...lol) and I feel like my hair is almost normal. My hair still seems to feel a little stringy but it does seem to be getting better. I think I am being too picky!:)
I'm sure it's different for everybody though!

[DoubleCrowned]

i have another question for anyone who has an answer: i know everybody's timeline is different, but in general does what happens forst-- sebum making its way to the bottom of, say, BSL length hair, or the transition from being greasier than usual to just "normal"? does the sebum take a while to make its way down the shaft? :confused:

My scalp normalized before the ends were coated, but my hair--well, some of my hair--is longer than BSL. Some people have given up on WO because their ends were too dry, so I think it is not unusual for the scalp to normalize first.

[DoubleCrowned]

Amber Maiden, LaceyNg, you are welcome. I hope it works for you and am looking forward to your reports. It's fun to see that so many are going to test this method.

The comb/spritz/preen is working great for keeping my head and body warm, yet clean and moisturized. I'm diggin it!
This method is taking the place of my weekly wash session, which I love and look forward to - but in a good way. It's a very satisfying ritual for me.
Yes, it beats shivering in the shower, doesn't it?

Do you comb/spritz/preen daily or just once a week in place of your former weekly wash session? What is your hair type?


DoubleCrowned - thanks for the great detail. I have tried wiping a washcloth over my hair after spritzing, which helps prolong my time between WO washing. I have very fine hair like yours so I am interested by using cold water to keep greasies at bay and I'm going to try it.

I've also been getting so tangled using the BBB so this way of moving the sebum down the hair sounds ideal!

You're welcome. Sounds like you were already using a form of spritz-washing.

Another advantage this method has for fine hair is that it is more gentle than the spray from a shower. (I had a roommate who could tell when I washed my hair in the shower by the damage it caused.)

One reason I started WO was because I thought hair coated with sebum would be protected enough that it wouldn't fly around and tangle in the BBB. I had to finger comb only for several months, but can use the BBB sometimes now--very cautiously.

[DoubleCrowned]

Hey all!
I just got back from crewing a sailboat for 10 days. We lived on the boat too, so we were constantly at the mercy of the elements!

Single/double braids were out of the question because they would never dry with all the time I spent in and out of the water, but leaving it down to dry would have been a rat's nest. I needed it secure but able to be down and dried out without tangles, so I got all my hair braided in cornrows and microbraids and then I rubbed loads of olive oil mixed with a tiny bit of conditioner into all the braids as soon as they were done.
I continued to oil them every few days and tried to rinse with cold water when possible, but we only had so much fresh water on the boat in between stops to the harbours, so I usually went without a rinse. I also had to put sunscreen on my scalp between the rows every day, so I am not sure how my hair will be when I take everything out!
I have rinsed it twice very well with good water pressure since we got off the boat, but the beachy/salty/sunscreen smell is still there. It's nice :cool:, but I hope that I don't have to shampoo all this oil and stuff out when I finally am ready to remove all these little braids!

Anyone else ever have to get sunscreen out with WO? How was it?
:)

What an adventure! Did the sunscreen come out with WO?

[proo]

Amber Maiden, LaceyNg, you are welcome. I hope it works for you and am looking forward to your reports. It's fun to see that so many are going to test this method.

Yes, it beats shivering in the shower, doesn't it?

Do you comb/spritz/preen daily or just once a week in place of your former weekly wash session? What is your hair type?



You're welcome. Sounds like you were already using a form of spritz-washing.

Another advantage this method has for fine hair is that it is more gentle than the spray from a shower. (I had a roommate who could tell when I washed my hair in the shower by the damage it caused.)

One reason I started WO was because I thought hair coated with sebum would be protected enough that it wouldn't fly around and tangle in the BBB. I had to finger comb only for several months, but can use the BBB sometimes now--very cautiously.
Spritz wash hasn't entirely replaced my WO - but it's gettin there! It has allowed me to go 2 weeks between washes, and I could have held out longer. Like I said, it's my spa time that I love so I need it on that level. But the spritz wash is such a soothing ritual - the scalp feels clean and massaged afterward - that it could eventually replace it.
Just did a 2" New Year's chop - I'm now at just 24" again, but all heat damage is gone!!!
My hemline is nicely thick and blunt; hair texture is 1c underneath, 2c canopy and coarse/fine.
I am determined to protect these ends with diligent protection; fortunately I can still crown braid it.

[Amber_Maiden]

hmmm... Any ideas on how to get the avocado oil out of my hair? and get flakes off my scalp? I'm not that oily on top, but the length is- except for the very ends which are drying our again- from the avocado oil. I've been trying to massage and comb and brush the flakes out, but it's not working??? I 'washed' my hair last night alternating between cold and hot water and feeling from the top down my length, and it worked a bit for the oil- but not much.

[Kitkey]

I caved yesterday and used shampoo. My hair wasn't even that greasy but my scalp hurt and I had a headache from fighting with my hair in the morning without success and ending up with a tight ponytail when my time was up and I had to rush to work. By the end of the day I hurt and I was frustrated and I just wanted to have a hot shower and nice hair after. After the shower I remembered why I stopped using commercial products in the first place. They make me itch! I didn't realize how much until I hadn't been itching for so long. I think I'll try WO again... It'll be interesting to see if I get greasy less quickly this time. :(

[redeyedtreefr0g]

I'd like to ask everyone how I might be able to clean my hair without resorting to shampoo...

I haven't used shampoo and conditioner since Shortly after we moved here in June because I didn't like the new stuff I got- I thought it left my hair looking very much like it did when I tried WO before. So I just stopped using it.

I've been pretty happy most of the time and my hair was nice enough that I'd wash it once a week with just water. Temperature does matter for me- warm or hot water seemed to make me need to wash more frequently. I must have been using water too warm or something, because now it seems like all my time trying to clean my hair now- even the times I try super-cold water, isn't doing much. My hair looks greasy.

Other than trying to super-cold wash it every single day, do you all have any suggestions? I have a couple brushes I use a large one with plastic bristles and a mini version of it, also a thinner (not oval) S-curved one with plastic bristles. I'm trying to keep them clean with the theory that if the gunk is coming off on my brushes it's better than in my hair. /shrug I also have a boar bristle brush. Seems like it doesn't do anything, but it does feel nice.

Again, any help would be great, I don't want to quit now.

[bumblebums]

I'd like to ask everyone how I might be able to clean my hair without resorting to shampoo...

I haven't used shampoo and conditioner since Shortly after we moved here in June because I didn't like the new stuff I got- I thought it left my hair looking very much like it did when I tried WO before. So I just stopped using it.

I've been pretty happy most of the time and my hair was nice enough that I'd wash it once a week with just water. Temperature does matter for me- warm or hot water seemed to make me need to wash more frequently. I must have been using water too warm or something, because now it seems like all my time trying to clean my hair now- even the times I try super-cold water, isn't doing much. My hair looks greasy.

Other than trying to super-cold wash it every single day, do you all have any suggestions? I have a couple brushes I use a large one with plastic bristles and a mini version of it, also a thinner (not oval) S-curved one with plastic bristles. I'm trying to keep them clean with the theory that if the gunk is coming off on my brushes it's better than in my hair. /shrug I also have a boar bristle brush. Seems like it doesn't do anything, but it does feel nice.

Again, any help would be great, I don't want to quit now.

I would recommend a warm wash, but a cold rinse. See here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=77

[LaceyNg]

My hair is APL and I feel like I started transisitioning out and the sebum started reaching my ends around the same time. I am in my 9th week (I think...lol) and I feel like my hair is almost normal. My hair still seems to feel a little stringy but it does seem to be getting better. I think I am being too picky!:)
I'm sure it's different for everybody though!

9 weeks seems like such a long time, since i've just started! i'm hopeful that using poo bars for a while before this WO will help make my transition not so bad. right now i'm washing every night-- how long did it take before you could comfortably skip a day?


My scalp normalized before the ends were coated, but my hair--well, some of my hair--is longer than BSL. Some people have given up on WO because their ends were too dry, so I think it is not unusual for the scalp to normalize first.

interesting! they just felt like the sebum was never going to get to the ends? do you now if they tried any oils on the ends to compensate?


Spritz wash hasn't entirely replaced my WO - but it's gettin there! It has allowed me to go 2 weeks between washes, and I could have held out longer. .....
Just did a 2" New Year's chop - I'm now at just 24" again, but all heat damage is gone!!!
.....

2 weeks between washes! i'm soooo envious! have you ever had any scalp issues such as SD or itchy flakey-ness? i'd love to get to much less frequent washes like that, but i'm not sure if thats possible since i've always battled my scalp flakes. i guess eventually i'll find out!


hmmm... Any ideas on how to get the avocado oil out of my hair? and get flakes off my scalp? ......

maybe try a diluted ACV rinse i've been thinking about doing one myself to help exfoliate away flakes.


I caved yesterday and used shampoo. My hair wasn't even that greasy but my scalp hurt and I had a headache from fighting with my hair in the morning without success and ending up with a tight ponytail when my time was up and I had to rush to work. By the end of the day I hurt and I was frustrated and I just wanted to have a hot shower and nice hair after. After the shower I remembered why I stopped using commercial products in the first place. They make me itch! I didn't realize how much until I hadn't been itching for so long. I think I'll try WO again... It'll be interesting to see if I get greasy less quickly this time. :(

hahahahaha you almost sound like an addict: "i couldn't help myself, i had to use crack!" :p
as for your confession, maybe hail mary's can be substituted for scalp massages...? ;)

[DoubleCrowned]

interesting! they just felt like the sebum was never going to get to the ends? do you now if they tried any oils on the ends to compensate?

Yes, some, maybe all, oiled their ends. After thinking about it, I came up with the theory that the oiling the ends, in their cases, was thinning the sebum which was there, helping water wash it away. If you think about it, oil is what moves sebum, and water (especially warm water) removes oil. I proposed that these people try oiling the scalp rather than the ends and wait overnight in order to help the sebum move down the hair shaft. At least one person tried oiling the scalp and said that it helped.

Many here oil their ends successfully, though. Maybe their success has to do with factors such as how far up the hair shaft counts as "ends" to them. Maybe the way they oil actually moves excess sebum to the ends. Another factor might be whether they oil their hair while it is wet or dry. Maybe the fineness or coarseness of the hair has something to do with the success of WO oilers. Perhaps the kind of oil has to match the hair somehow.

Opinions, instructions from successful WO oilers would be interesting posts.

[Milui Elenath]

I can see where people are coming in regards to oiling the ends then washing and how it would remove sebum from ends. It makes sense that in the same way as the oil cleansing method but for myself the sebum hasn't reached that far.

I can see and feel the sebum on my hair shaft and it's about waist length now while my hair length is almost classic. There is a definite smoothness to my sebum hair. Between waist and hip I can preen just enough sebum to keep my hair tolerably supple but after that about 6 to 10 inches of the ends are too dry to leave without extra oil.

I use olive oil on dry hair and the ends drink it. Two days and you would not know I had put it oil on and since I oil twice a week or more but only wash ever 7 plus days the oil appears to have been absorbed. I don't oil before washing and my hair is fine.

I would never never oil my scalp, my scalp hair is only just now after 8 months beginning to occasionally appear a bit too oily I couldn't risk losing oil on the scalp hair! :shake: I am aware that I am the minority in that regard, also I had no transition to speak of in regards to oiliness.

Infact the 2nd last time I WO washed was the first time my hair came out almost as oily as before I washed it. I'm still wondering if it's just that I've finally got enough sebum on my hair or if it was because I combed in the shower (something I've never done before) or is it my new vegetarian diet? Would that produce more oil ?- my skin is still dry - ? The last wash was returned my hair to it's 'normal' state so I guess I'll wait and see.

[SheaLynne]

I can see where people are coming in regards to oiling the ends then washing and how it would remove sebum from ends. It makes sense that in the same way as the oil cleansing method but for myself the sebum hasn't reached that far.

I can see and feel the sebum on my hair shaft and it's about waist length now while my hair length is almost classic. There is a definite smoothness to my sebum hair. Between waist and hip I can preen just enough sebum to keep my hair tolerably supple but after that about 6 to 10 inches of the ends are too dry to leave without extra oil.

I use olive oil on dry hair and the ends drink it. Two days and you would not know I had put it oil on and since I oil twice a week or more but only wash ever 7 plus days the oil appears to have been absorbed. I don't oil before washing and my hair is fine.

I would never never oil my scalp, my scalp hair is only just now after 8 months beginning to occasionally appear a bit too oily I couldn't risk losing oil on the scalp hair! :shake: I am aware that I am the minority in that regard, also I had no transition to speak of in regards to oiliness.

Infact the 2nd last time I WO washed was the first time my hair came out almost as oily as before I washed it. I'm still wondering if it's just that I've finally got enough sebum on my hair or if it was because I combed in the shower (something I've never done before) or is it my new vegetarian diet? Would that produce more oil ?- my skin is still dry - ? The last wash was returned my hair to it's 'normal' state so I guess I'll wait and see.

Milue Elanath, that description sounds exactly like what I have experienced, and that is with nearly 5 months of WO and weeks of NW. It sounds like it is the longer lengths that are having the hardest time with the dry ends. Mine is at the "can I call this classic" length right now.

[PrairieRose]

LaceyNgI started WO washing my hair every 3 days sometimes 4. In the beginning it looked bad and by day 3 or 4 it was horrible. I just put it up or wore a hat if it was really bad. After a month it started looking a little more decent, still not the greatest, but better.

[JessL]

Well, my hair after being perfect for 3 weeks was pretty bad this week. Back to being limp like it was before I Cassia'd last month. It is either the Cassia wearing off or linked to my "cycle". All the sudden my hair went from almost no oil to greeseball overnight and right now its not very greasy but its limp and lifeless. I did a beer rinse the other day because I figured last time it made my hair poofy and that would be an improvement. It worked for a day or so but now its limp again. I'm going to Cassia in the morning.

Someone asked about the smell lingering: I can smell it in my hair for a day or two, and then up to 2 weeks later I can smell it if my hair was wet. I was only washing about every 5 or 6 days so maybe it would wear off quicker if I washed more often. The smell isn't plesent but I guess its not that bad since I'm planning to do it again :)

[redeyedtreefr0g]

I also found that once I caved and switched back to shampoo and conditioner my scalp was extremely itchy for the first few days after a hair-wash shower. It was extremely annoying.
I also believe that dandruff was caused by products I was using. For a while there it was very embarrassing. I don't notice any dandruff now, but occasionally I see dust from a hairbrush that I didn't clean well enough.

I have a question about brushes: mine all have plastic bristles. Do you think metal bristles would work better or clean easier than plastic? Any difference in static charge? Mine have been charging my hair lately once the hair stops touching the brush after a stroke, it poofs out like I've touched one of those static balls in a science show.

I thought it might be a good tip to share: for cleaning my hair brushes I use a dog toothbrush. It has a large end and small end, and I use the smaller end mostly because it fits so well between rows of bristles. I wash my brushes in the shower with my shampoo instead of my hair now, hehe! :D

[LaceyNg]

Yes, some, maybe all, oiled their ends.
....
Many here oil their ends successfully, though. Maybe their success has to do with factors such as how far up the hair shaft counts as "ends" to them. Maybe the way they oil actually moves excess sebum to the ends. Another factor might be whether they oil their hair while it is wet or dry. Maybe the fineness or coarseness of the hair has something to do with the success of WO oilers. Perhaps the kind of oil has to match the hair somehow.

Opinions, instructions from successful WO oilers would be interesting posts.

yeah, you're right, there are SOOOOO many factors that could affect how oiling the ends would go.... we'd need a HUGE amount of ppl with different hair and scalp types all trying things different ways consistently and reporting back.



LaceyNgI started WO washing my hair every 3 days sometimes 4. In the beginning it looked bad and by day 3 or 4 it was horrible. I just put it up or wore a hat if it was really bad. After a month it started looking a little more decent, still not the greatest, but better.

ohhhhh, gotcha.

do you all think that washing more frequently helps the sebum move down the shaft quicker? you know, since thered be more frequent preening and combing and whatnot?

i think i'm going to continue doing daily WO washes till my ends get coated (without the help of any oils, if possible), and THEN work at stretching washes. i figure theres really no rush, and more frequent washes may help my ends get sebum-ed up quicker and may help my scalp issue resolve itself. thats my HOPE, at least :)


.....

Someone asked about the smell lingering: I can smell it in my hair for a day or two, and then up to 2 weeks later I can smell it if my hair was wet. I was only washing about every 5 or 6 days so maybe it would wear off quicker if I washed more often. The smell isn't plesent but I guess its not that bad since I'm planning to do it again :)

this is good to know-- thanks!


.....
I also believe that dandruff was caused by products I was using. For a while there it was very embarrassing. I don't notice any dandruff now, but occasionally I see dust from a hairbrush that I didn't clean well enough.

I have a question about brushes: mine all have plastic bristles. Do you think metal bristles would work better or clean easier than plastic? Any difference in static charge? Mine have been charging my hair lately once the hair stops touching the brush after a stroke, it poofs out like I've touched one of those static balls in a science show.

I thought it might be a good tip to share: for cleaning my hair brushes I use a dog toothbrush. It has a large end and small end, and I use the smaller end mostly because it fits so well between rows of bristles. I wash my brushes in the shower with my shampoo instead of my hair now, hehe! :D

i think my scalp problems are mostly from product irritation as well. only took me, what, 12 years to figure it out? :p

i dont know about a metal comb, but have you trued wooden? i personally havent, its just a thought. and i cleany my combs the same way! gotta have SOME use for all that shampoo! only i use a children's toothbrush instead. it even lights up, so i can keep myseld entertained :D

[mel88lem]

Hey, everybody! I'm ten weeks into WO. I know I've passed the big transition, but my hair is still fighting me. I wash every three or four days. When wet, the roots are stiff and waxy, when dry, they seem almost normal on wash day (like maybe I'm getting closer to being able to wear it down), of course they do get oilyer over the days, but the length is so soft, I love it!

I'm so tempted to shampoo or something at the roots to allow me to wear my hair down. Is this just the way it is from now on? I can handle the waxiness if it would dry without clumping into what looks like oily, greasy, unwashed hair. Am I not brushing enough? I do use a homemade bar soap to clean the sebum off the brush when needed, but maybe more frequent brushing? I really only BBB once a day, maybe once every other day (staying home with kids all day doesn't prompt me to do my hair, I just put it up and throw a bandana over it). It's mostly the back of my head that is visibly waxy. The front, nape, and over my ears doesn't get noticeable.

If there are any long-timers out there, give me what ya got! It seems to me that while the oils are moving down, making my hair awesome, I'm not getting the wax moved/removed. By the way, is sebum two parts (oil and wax) or are they separate? I've always wondered.

[bumblebums]

Hey, everybody! I'm ten weeks into WO. I know I've passed the big transition, but my hair is still fighting me. I wash every three or four days. When wet, the roots are stiff and waxy, when dry, they seem almost normal on wash day (like maybe I'm getting closer to being able to wear it down), of course they do get oilyer over the days, but the length is so soft, I love it!

I'm so tempted to shampoo or something at the roots to allow me to wear my hair down. Is this just the way it is from now on? I can handle the waxiness if it would dry without clumping into what looks like oily, greasy, unwashed hair. Am I not brushing enough? I do use a homemade bar soap to clean the sebum off the brush when needed, but maybe more frequent brushing? I really only BBB once a day, maybe once every other day (staying home with kids all day doesn't prompt me to do my hair, I just put it up and throw a bandana over it). It's mostly the back of my head that is visibly waxy. The front, nape, and over my ears doesn't get noticeable.

Some people wash periodically to keep WO working (see the earliest parts of this thread, I am pretty sure this is mentioned). You could also try a dry shampoo. I have a little jar of plain cornstarch with a few drops of essential oil to scent it; it works pretty well even on my dark hair.


If there are any long-timers out there, give me what ya got! It seems to me that while the oils are moving down, making my hair awesome, I'm not getting the wax moved/removed. By the way, is sebum two parts (oil and wax) or are they separate? I've always wondered.

If by oil you mean lipid, then yes, sebum has some lipids and waxes. ("Oil" is kind of a descriptive term for oil-like textures, but it can refer to lipids, waxes, and things that are neither). Sebum composition for any given person differs.

[PolarCathy]

Hey, everybody! I'm ten weeks into WO. I know I've passed the big transition, but my hair is still fighting me. I wash every three or four days. When wet, the roots are stiff and waxy, when dry, they seem almost normal on wash day (...) By the way, is sebum two parts (oil and wax) or are they separate? I've always wondered.

Hi! when I first did WO I fought with the wax for about 4 months. There are people whose hair gets oily and then there are others whose never gets oily but waxy instead. I guess it depends on diet too. I am a "waxy" person myself.

I didn't know what to do back then so I just waited it out. My hair looked presentable pretty quickly but it felt weird for like 6 months, 4 months out of that was hardcore waxiness.

Now however, when I went home for Christmas I got that waxy buildup within just a few days, I assume, from the hard water. It was everywhere, on my hands, on the brush, and of course on my hair. What helped me this time was to oil a comb with olive oil (because that's the only thing my mom had, otherwise I would have used castor/almond mix instead) and move the wax with that, then I massaged my hair all evening (I think that's what's called preening (?)). I braided it for the night. Then the next day I rubbed regular flour in my hair, allowed it to soak up the stuff (half of it soaked in anyway) then washed it out with warm (I normally use cold water...) WO. Since then the waxiness didn't come back (but I am back to Sweden and the water here is quite normal...) I hope this helps.

About the other half of the question, I don't know if sebum has two parts, I think it's just that its consistency varies from person to person. But my experience is that the warmer the water I use the more "oil" it washes out and the more "wax" is left behind, this is the main reason why I do cold WO, lukewarm water being the warmest I use, this way I can have a more "fluid" sebum if that makes sense. YMMV...

[DoubleCrowned]

Hi! when I first did WO I fought with the wax for about 4 months. There are people whose hair gets oily and then there are others whose never gets oily but waxy instead. I guess it depends on diet too.
...(clip)...
Now however, when I went home for Christmas I got that waxy buildup within just a few days, I assume, from the hard water. It was everywhere, on my hands, on the brush, and of course on my hair.

My hair got bad over Christmas, too, without a change in water. I think it was the change in diet. There were just too many cookies and pies to taste.

[McFearless]

i have another question for anyone who has an answer: i know everybody's timeline is different, but in general does what happens forst-- sebum making its way to the bottom of, say, BSL length hair, or the transition from being greasier than usual to just "normal"? does the sebum take a while to make its way down the shaft? :confused:
I believe your sebum will reach your ends faster than your scalp will completely adjust. Especially since you have straight hair. Its also hard to measure what comes first because preening the sebum to the ends will in turn make the roots less greasy.

[PolarCathy]

My hair got bad over Christmas, too, without a change in water. I think it was the change in diet. There were just too many cookies and pies to taste.

I blame water (or the air.. Swedish Lapland vs a capital) because it became horrible all of a sudden and before Christmas. Plus, I am not into sweet things very much and I ate those very sparingly.

[morrigan*]

I have a question, does any of you experience sheding when starting wo?
I'm really interested in starting it, but i'm not sure jet.

[PrairieRose]

I have a question, does any of you experience sheding when starting wo?
I'm really interested in starting it, but i'm not sure jet.

I didn't experience shedding, in fact I think I shed less now and some baby hairs seem to be growing now! Yay:D

[PolarCathy]

I have a question, does any of you experience sheding when starting wo?
I'm really interested in starting it, but i'm not sure jet.

I don't remember the beginning, really (when I started for the first time). I didn't pay that much attention back then. Before WO, with Fructis shampoo, no conditioner the floor used to be full of my hair.

These days if I do anything else than WO (henna, indigo, amla, tea rinses, any oil, ..) I shed between 20..50 hairs or so on a wash day.

With WO, this number is often 0...5, and if it's 20-30 it's a bad, bad day and then I know I've combed too hard (I comb underwater). I shed very little between washes and there is no hair on the floor either.

[morrigan*]

I ask because whenever i massage my scalp i loose bunch of hairs, but on the other hand if i massage it at least twice a week for few minutes my hair grows a lot. :S
And when is best for starting summer or winter ?

[JessL]

I didn't experience any shedding starting WO.

I did realize pretty quickly I had to remove my ring before preening because I was breaking a lot of hairs that way.

[redeyedtreefr0g]

Yes, rings can be evil.

I tend to shed less noticeably when I use WO. Before, every time I used shampoo I'd lose a lot of hairs, especially in my brushes, and it seems like much less with just water.

I admit that I was NOT happy with my hair appearance and so last night I used some shampoo. I scrubbed my hair really well, but tried not to even touch my scalp. I know that doing so would make it very itchy.

Today my hair is more static-y, light and floaty (kind of annoying, really, it keeps touching my face). But not weighed down and grimy-looking. Head is a little itchy, but maybe just because everything is moving around more.

Yet again, I will resolve to try and keep up with regular Boar Bristle Brushing. We'll see how that works. Maybe I just needed a quick wash to get back on track. Once every 3 months doesn't sound bad at all :D

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

I miss WO..:( I shed a LOT less, and had soooo much new growth! My hair, after nearly 5 months WO, was starting to look pretty good, but I had smell issues which I just couldn't deal with anymore.

However, I have a rainwater tank now, and would love to experiment again. Now I need to find a BBB that feels like it actually does something- all the ones I can find don't penetrate to my scalp and just skim over the top of my hair.

[AngryVikingGirl]

I miss WO..:( I shed a LOT less, and had soooo much new growth! My hair, after nearly 5 months WO, was starting to look pretty good, but I had smell issues which I just couldn't deal with anymore.

However, I have a rainwater tank now, and would love to experiment again. Now I need to find a BBB that feels like it actually does something- all the ones I can find don't penetrate to my scalp and just skim over the top of my hair.

Wish you good luck! I have been wanting to go back to egg wash because this hard water I have here just isn't good enough for the thing but then I noticed how much I had grown...I can't stop. Last time I had the feeling that I smelt like chicken, but when my hair dried, it was gone. Was pretty weird though. For the BBB - I brush both the outside and inside of my hair - it can't reach through it for me either.
Good luck! That rainwater sounds 'yummy' ;)

[DoubleCrowned]

I blame water (or the air.. Swedish Lapland vs a capital) because it became horrible all of a sudden and before Christmas. Plus, I am not into sweet things very much and I ate those very sparingly.

Then, if there is any similarity, perhaps it is that our bodies were detoxifying so hair got yucky. Maybe you were detoxifying the air and I, the junk food.


I don't remember the beginning, really (when I started for the first time). I didn't pay that much attention back then. Before WO, with Fructis shampoo, no conditioner the floor used to be full of my hair.
...(clip)
With WO, this number is often 0...5, and if it's 20-30 it's a bad, bad day and then I know I've combed too hard (I comb underwater). I shed very little between washes and there is no hair on the floor either.

Similar experience for me: With shampoo and conditioner, I lost gobs of hair. With WO, just a few a day. I did lose significantly more on washday.


I miss WO..:( I shed a LOT less, and had soooo much new growth! My hair, after nearly 5 months WO, was starting to look pretty good, but I had smell issues which I just couldn't deal with anymore.

However, I have a rainwater tank now, and would love to experiment again. Now I need to find a BBB that feels like it actually does something- all the ones I can find don't penetrate to my scalp and just skim over the top of my hair.

Did you see the thread on top nutrients for hair which someone bumped a day or two ago? It mentioned that vitamin A was necessary for healthy sebum.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Did you see the thread on top nutrients for hair which someone bumped a day or two ago? It mentioned that vitamin A was necessary for healthy sebum.
I missed that one! Good to know! I have recently started taking cod liver oil daily as a supplement- very high in vitamin A and D!!


Wish you good luck! I have been wanting to go back to egg wash because this hard water I have here just isn't good enough for the thing but then I noticed how much I had grown...I can't stop. Last time I had the feeling that I smelt like chicken, but when my hair dried, it was gone. Was pretty weird though. For the BBB - I brush both the outside and inside of my hair - it can't reach through it for me either.
Good luck! That rainwater sounds 'yummy' ;)
Thanks for the well wishing- I'll need it! Now all I have to do is get my husband to connect the tank up so I can use it!! I live in the tropics, and have been imagining setting up an outside shower so I can WO in rainwater whenever it's warm enough.:D

I was thinking, last time I went fairly strict WO (only vinegar rinses to help with hard water), I came straight from daily washing with S and C and my hair was horrible.:o It would take a looong time to dry (up to 10 hours!) and I would often just tie it up and forget about it- conventional wisdom on this thread. But with the increase in temps down here, and the constant moisture on my hair... no wonder it got a bit smelly.:p This time, I'm trying some lemon EO on my scalp to help keep bacteria count down and deodorise, wash only in the morning and keep my hair down as often as possible so it can dry. Any thoughts anyone?

[morrigan*]

Now i'm really tempeted to try this.
We don't have soft water for sure, but i usually use acv rinse, is that good wit wo too ?
Also is good to clarifay before starting ?

[PrairieRose]

Now i'm really tempeted to try this.
We don't have soft water for sure, but i usually use acv rinse, is that good wit wo too ?
Also is good to clarifay before starting ?

ACV rinse should help with the hard water, some use distilled water or rainwater instead. When you start WO I am not sure if you need to clarify but you definitely don't want any previous buildup on your hair.

Moor tu lyfe...I use a fine tooth horn comb to scritch my scalp, it works well. Maybe that would help. Hope you have a better time with it this time around! :)

[morrigan*]

How long it usually takes to get the sebum down the hairshaft ? I mean to ends ?
And also do you have really flat hair ?

[PrairieRose]

How long it usually takes to get the sebum down the hairshaft ? I mean to ends ?
And also do you have really flat hair ?

I have been water only for about 10 weeks and have APL hair. My ends just were getting coated with sebum after 9 weeks. My hair was strings and greasy in the beginning but surprisingly not necessarily flat. I would mostly wear it up and it really was not that bad during transition.

[piratejenny]

Thanks for the well wishing- I'll need it! Now all I have to do is get my husband to connect the tank up so I can use it!! I live in the tropics, and have been imagining setting up an outside shower so I can WO in rainwater whenever it's warm enough.:D

I was thinking, last time I went fairly strict WO (only vinegar rinses to help with hard water), I came straight from daily washing with S and C and my hair was horrible.:o It would take a looong time to dry (up to 10 hours!) and I would often just tie it up and forget about it- conventional wisdom on this thread. But with the increase in temps down here, and the constant moisture on my hair... no wonder it got a bit smelly.:p This time, I'm trying some lemon EO on my scalp to help keep bacteria count down and deodorise, wash only in the morning and keep my hair down as often as possible so it can dry. Any thoughts anyone?

Hey there, best wishes from my end as well.
:cheer:
As you can see I'm still lurking here even though I don't think I will start my second round of WO any time soon. I'm still very much fascinated by the concept... I really hope it'll work out for you with the rain water!!

[morrigan*]

Okay it's decided i'm going to try wo :D, but i will go more slowly. I have som co to use up as my DBF won't use that one, and i will probably use some on my ends. :)

[PrairieRose]

Okay it's decided i'm going to try wo :D, but i will go more slowly. I have som co to use up as my DBF won't use that one, and i will probably use some on my ends. :)

Welcome aboard! Hope you have a happy WO adventure!!:)

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

PirateJenny- Thanks for the cheer squad!:D

PrairieRose- Yeah, I used my fine tooth horn comb for scritching as well. My scalp looked and felt fine! Clean, healthy- no itchies! Just a bit pongy.:p Even when I've been using S and C, or BS and VR (vinegar rinse) my DH recons it smells sometimes- clean, shiny hair and scalp, but stinky.:rolleyes:

It's been 3 days, and the lemon EO seems to be working! Husband says my hair smells good! (I haven't told him I'm experimenting with this again he he he.)

[LaceyNg]

I believe your sebum will reach your ends faster than your scalp will completely adjust. Especially since you have straight hair. Its also hard to measure what comes first because preening the sebum to the ends will in turn make the roots less greasy.

thanks!


I have a question, does any of you experience sheding when starting wo?
I'm really interested in starting it, but i'm not sure jet.

when i first started WO, like the first day or 2 i had more shedding, but i think it was just that the extra combing and massaging my scalp knocked loose the hairs that were about to fall out anyways. today is day 17 for me on WO, and really since the first couple days i've had hardly any shedding. sometimes only 5 hairs or so a day, and thats with daily WO washes, scritching my scalp before a wash, and combing under water! i'm so surprised!


....
I was thinking, last time I went fairly strict WO (only vinegar rinses to help with hard water), I came straight from daily washing with S and C and my hair was horrible.:o It would take a looong time to dry (up to 10 hours!) and I would often just tie it up and forget about it- conventional wisdom on this thread. But with the increase in temps down here, and the constant moisture on my hair... no wonder it got a bit smelly.:p This time, I'm trying some lemon EO on my scalp to help keep bacteria count down and deodorise, wash only in the morning and keep my hair down as often as possible so it can dry. Any thoughts anyone?

you might want to consider tea tree essential oils too, as i know they have anti-bacterial properties. as does honey-- just something to think about :)


as an update for anyone interested or perhaps for anyone who hasnt started WO yet and is curious:

prior to WO i was using shampoo bars that were sls free even 2 to 3rd day. no conditioner, and was cone free.

i'm surprised how well my transition is going. i've been able to wear my hair down the whole time without it looking stringy or greasy at all!

how i wash:
--use a wide-tooth comb to detangle my dry hair
--scritch my scalp with a fine-tooth comb, and comb all the way down to the ends
--massage my scalp while its under the stream of the shower
--after washing the fine-tooth comb with the shampoo i'm no longer washing ME with, i use it to comb through my hair again, while its under the stream of the water. i thought this wouldnt be possible when i read about it, but as long as the hairs under the water i have no problem at all!

through this whole process, my shed count is around 10 total, sometimes even less, which amazes me. i've never been a heavy shedder, but used to shed around 30 or so a day.

anyways, while my hairs still a little damp i run my fingers through it to break up the clumpyness. then, after its 100% dry i lightly spray on some rose water and then use the wide-tooth comb to comb it through. this stuff is AMAZING! the smell doesnt last that long, but it smoothes my fly-aways and makes my hair sooo soft! i'm waiting to see if its going to cause build-up-- so far after 5 days or so i have no problems *knocks on wood*

the whole reason i went WO was to help with my itchy flakey scalp. and so far so good! i still have flakes, but only maybe 15% of what i used to have. and NO itching! none at all! i think the daily scritching is really helping to get rid of the flakes, and so i'm sticking to daily WO, since after i scritch my hair looks somewhat oily. and i'm hoping that the daily washes will also help to move the sebum down quicker.

i plan on trying the preening with a damp cloth, going piece by piece, but havent found time for it. DH still doesnt know i'm WO, and i'm hoping to not tell him at all til lits been some months :)

anyone else keep going WO a secret from their SO? mine would not approve. the first few days i asked how i smelled (acted like i used a new poo), and he said i smelled a little. :/

also, i wanted to mention that i did an ACV rinse a couple days ago. i used a rather strong mix, maybe 1 part ACV to 5 parts water, b/c i wanted the ACV tohelp exfoliate my scalp. it did well at that, but it feels like it took most of the sebum off of my hair too. up till that point i could feel maybe 5 inches worth of sebum-coated hair. now, even 2 days and 2 washes later, i somehow dont feel ANY sebum on my hair, although its not dry feeling at all either.
in the future i plan to only do weaker ACV rinses (i dont actually rinse them out, btw) only every few months or so. having said that, i dont regret this one-- my scalp loved it :)

(and sorry for such a LONG post!)

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

you might want to consider tea tree essential oils too, as i know they have anti-bacterial properties. as does honey-- just something to think about :)

Thanks for the advice.:) I actually massaged tea tree EO on my scalp before I did my last shampoo. I think it definitely helped (husband said my hair didn't smell at all after I shampooed- it did smelt just the day before after a shampoo..:() but the smell of tea tree was sooooo overpowering! The organic shampoo that I was using has a fair bit of citrus smell to it, so lemon EO might lend my DH to thinking I'm still using it. ;) I knew about the honey, but didn't want to lighten my hair any. I guess if I don't leave it on for too long, that won't be a problem.

[PrairieRose]

Laceyng My DH doesn't know I'm WO either. I'm sure he would think it is gross, so I want lots of time to prove it's good before he finds out!:D

[morrigan*]

I ask my DBF what he would think if i only use water on my hair from now on, and he said he is okay with that, but i should experiment with that in summer when i don't need to go to university for two months +.
I'm so excited.
Also do any of you use cassia and amla ?

[DoubleCrowned]

How long it usually takes to get the sebum down the hairshaft ? I mean to ends ?
I oiled my scalp with coconut oil and left it on over night to help move the sebum down the shaft more quickly. An oiled comb helped control sebum distribution, too.

[Milui Elenath]

SNIP


Did you see the thread on top nutrients for hair which someone bumped a day or two ago? It mentioned that vitamin A was necessary for healthy sebum.

That is very interesting. I have such a low amount of sebum and I suffer from asthma which is also linked to vitamin A. Previously I did not eat a lot of vit A foods but I have increased that since becoming vegetarian and I am discovering my hair changing ever so slightly! Recently I actually experienced oiliness for a whole day before my hair normalised. :D



SNIP

I was thinking, last time I went fairly strict WO (only vinegar rinses to help with hard water), I came straight from daily washing with S and C and my hair was horrible.:o It would take a looong time to dry (up to 10 hours!) and I would often just tie it up and forget about it- conventional wisdom on this thread. But with the increase in temps down here, and the constant moisture on my hair... no wonder it got a bit smelly.:p This time, I'm trying some lemon EO on my scalp to help keep bacteria count down and deodorise, wash only in the morning and keep my hair down as often as possible so it can dry. Any thoughts anyone?

Welcome back to WO Moor_tu_lyfe! I hope the rainwater works for you and I definitely believe leaving your hair out when wet or dry helps disipate the sebum/sweat smell.

I very very occasionally get a whiff of mustiness when my hair has been up for a few days, leaving out helps without even washing.

I know I've already mentioned to you about herbal teas / herbal vinegars but I'll put it here again incase anyone else is having this issue. Also a reminder to everyone to dilute your EO's do NOT put them on your head neat, dilute them in something - oil, vinegar, water. I suggest 1 drop for every 4mls for the face or head. (insert disclaimer of not being a doctor) I can not stress this enough EO's are powerful and can have unwanted effects.

Also I thought I read that honey shouldn't have any peroxide value if you nuke or heat it. I may be wrong so check out the honey thread before taking my word for it.

I told my husband when I first began WO and he was quite skeptical but he's come around over time and sniffs my hair for me without complaint. He's not quite at the point where he's willing to try it himself but since the shampoo is just about run out he'll soon have no choice :whistle: . . . like the homemade toothpaste! (His head is shaved BTW so I'd be quite interested to see how that goes)

[morrigan*]

I oiled my scalp with coconut oil and left it on over night to help move the sebum down the shaft more quickly. An oiled comb helped control sebum distribution, too.
Thank you for your advice. I will try this when needed. I notice that last week my scalp wasn't so oily as usually, i didn't do a wo wash yet, and last weekend i did co wash, I think the reason is didn't eat any sweats, excep a cube of dark chocolate.

[PrairieRose]

Just wanted to give an update:
I am now 10 weeks water only! YAY! At 9 weeks I was finally starting feel like my hair was really looking good. My hair was not greasy and I felt like sebum was reaching my ends. Very happy:D

I really needed to henna though. I put it off long enough. The henna went well, no problems with the application or the rinse off. But now I feel like I am starting over again:(

Just for a little reassurance, I shouldn't transition again right? It will just take time for the sebum to coat again? I hope I feel good about my hair soon because it is really discouraging. :shrug:

[Milui Elenath]

PrairieRose nope you shouldn't transition again at least not fully, it will just be a little reset on your hair. :)

[PrairieRose]

Thanks Milui Elenath:)

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Woh- bit quiet on the WO thread. How's everyone going?

My name is Jaime and its been 6 and a half days since my last shampoo...
(sorry, just felt like a different kind of support group for a bit there... think I need some more sleep!)

DH (who comes home tomorrow- big progress test right there!) still hasn't hooked up my gorgeous rainwater tank- so I've been washing with tap water and doing a final leave in rinse with miracle water- and loving it! Within days of my last attempt of WO, I was a total otter in an oilslick, and by the end of my first week, was a waxy, horrible mess. Currently, my hair is slightly oily on the roots, but I've been successfully covering that with cornflour, enough that I can wear my hair down!!
I'm soooo hoping wearing my hair down more often, and washing less frequently (my hair stays wet for a long time every wash) helps with unspeakable odours that I have battled with previously...:o

Hope everyone is going well with their WO adventures, and their life in general.:)

[PolarCathy]

Henna (and indigo) here too :) Actually, I like how it is right after henna. I'd love to do it more freq. :)

[PrairieRose]

Moor tu lyfe...let us know what your DH says! I'm going to have to look up the miracle water. I cut out the ACV rinse( I think it made my hair very stringy) So right now I am just water no final rinse, but sometimes I feel like it needs a final rinse. So I've been looking into possibilities and still stay WO.

[McFearless]

You guys are really inspirational. I admire your attitude towards this whole thing. I just have to pull through it. My WO routine was going slow by my own fault. I'd henna often and shampoo and just stimulate my scalp too much. So on New Years Day I shampooed for the last time ever, microbraided my hair and said I won't touch it with any cleanser. So far I've stuck to WO and the braids help me stretch washes. I can't exactly preen often but I'll worry about that later once my sebum production has regulated. With a chunky beanie on my head nobody can tell that I look like Albert Einstein underneath. Its really helpful. :D

[PrairieRose]

Yay McFearless!!:cheer:

[DoubleCrowned]

Woh- bit quiet on the WO thread. How's everyone going?
I'm at about 9 months for WO already! Hair is soft and shiny. Winter weather has changed how it behaves a little, so I have been experimenting with my routine. I've been looking for a comb to use on my hair while it is damp.

My hair is extremely fine as well as thin, so most combs actually touch very little of the hair because the teeth are so wide. Plastic ones invite static as ends dry while coming. My carbon one is anti static, but the teeth are so far apart, I feel that they do little to distribute sebum. Only wooden combs I can find are not fine-toothed. BBB on wet or damp hair just rips it out.

At Sally's, I saw a BBB with just three rows of very stiff bristles, and am wondering if it would behave like a very fine comb. Has anyone tried it?

I'd like to hear what combs any of you, especially those with fine hair, are using in the shower, and what combs you think are the best for scritching, for grooming/preening, and for styling.

[DoubleCrowned]

You guys are really inspirational. I admire your attitude towards this whole thing. I just have to pull through it. My WO routine was going slow by my own fault. I'd henna often and shampoo and just stimulate my scalp too much. So on New Years Day I shampooed for the last time ever, microbraided my hair and said I won't touch it with any cleanser. So far I've stuck to WO and the braids help me stretch washes. I can't exactly preen often but I'll worry about that later once my sebum production has regulated. With a chunky beanie on my head nobody can tell that I look like Albert Einstein underneath. Its really helpful. :D

I hear you about stimulating the scalp too much. I had to finger comb only for quite a while--probably 10 weeks or more--and couldn't wash my hair in the shower because of the stimulating force of the water. Daily preening was too much.

[PrairieRose]

I'm at about 9 months for WO already! Hair is soft and shiny. Winter weather has changed how it behaves a little, so I have been experimenting with my routine. I've been looking for a comb to use on my hair while it is damp.

My hair is extremely fine as well as thin, so most combs actually touch very little of the hair because the teeth are so wide. Plastic ones invite static as ends dry while coming. My carbon one is anti static, but the teeth are so far apart, I feel that they do little to distribute sebum. Only wooden combs I can find are not fine-toothed. BBB on wet or damp hair just rips it out.

At Sally's, I saw a BBB with just three rows of very stiff bristles, and am wondering if it would behave like a very fine comb. Has anyone tried it?

I'd like to hear what combs any of you, especially those with fine hair, are using in the shower, and what combs you think are the best for scritching, for grooming/preening, and for styling.

I had a stiff BBB and felt it was too damaging, but my fine hair is already damaged so that may have been a big factor! I have a wide tooth horn comb and a fine tooth horn comb. I sometimes use the wide tooth comb in the shower, I don't think the fine tooth one would work for me in the shower, but it scritches well and I use it for preening( as long as I detangle first). But I am only 10 weeks, still working out my routine.:)

[serin blackwood]

I'd like to hear what combs any of you, especially those with fine hair, are using in the shower, and what combs you think are the best for scritching, for grooming/preening, and for styling.

i've been using wooden combs for scritching and distributing sebum, but I like to comb my hair wet in the shower, and I don't want to ruin them....soooo I got this silicone seemless comb at Sally's, the teeth are quite close spaced, just for wet combing.

http://www.sallybeauty.com/silicone-dressing-comb/SBS-301707,default,pd.html?cm_vc=SEARCH

[PrairieRose]

i've been using wooden combs for scritching and distributing sebum, but I like to comb my hair wet in the shower, and I don't want to ruin them....soooo I got this silicone seemless comb at Sally's, the teeth are quite close spaced, just for wet combing.

http://www.sallybeauty.com/silicone-dressing-comb/SBS-301707,default,pd.html?cm_vc=SEARCH

Thanks for the link:) I may have to try that, I was wondering about my horn combs getting ruined in the shower. I don't leave them wet but still....Sally's comb may be perfect for the shower!

[lunamummy]

McFearless - love your approach!

Moor tu Lyfe - thank you for the mention about miracle water. I hadn't heard of it before, but looked it up last night and have already ordered the ascorbic acid and citric acid! It sounds exactly like what I need, as we have hard and chlorinated water, and my hair is just not happy.

DoubleCrowned - I have very fine hair, but daren't use a comb in the shower in case it rips the hair. It makes washing it difficult! I do my preening when it is dry, and then rely on water pressure and my fingers parting the hair to get it well rinsed through. I would also love to find a way to combat the static.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Moor tu Lyfe - thank you for the mention about miracle water. I hadn't heard of it before, but looked it up last night and have already ordered the ascorbic acid and citric acid! It sounds exactly like what I need, as we have hard and chlorinated water, and my hair is just not happy.
lunamummy, hope it works well for you. I find it leaves my hair lovely and shiny and soft, although the top 4 or so inches feel soft but look stringy- like I've used too much vinegar, so I am trying to use less and less until I get it right. Mind you, I am only 1 week into WO again, so that might have something to do with the oily/stringiness :p and cornflour covers it without a problem.


I'm at about 9 months for WO already! Hair is soft and shiny. Winter weather has changed how it behaves a little, so I have been experimenting with my routine. I've been looking for a comb to use on my hair while it is damp.

My hair is extremely fine as well as thin, so most combs actually touch very little of the hair because the teeth are so wide. Plastic ones invite static as ends dry while coming. My carbon one is anti static, but the teeth are so far apart, I feel that they do little to distribute sebum. Only wooden combs I can find are not fine-toothed. BBB on wet or damp hair just rips it out.

At Sally's, I saw a BBB with just three rows of very stiff bristles, and am wondering if it would behave like a very fine comb. Has anyone tried it?

I'd like to hear what combs any of you, especially those with fine hair, are using in the shower, and what combs you think are the best for scritching, for grooming/preening, and for styling.

Australia sucks (sorry fellow ozzies) as far as hair care items and accessories go- I'd have to order something seamfree from the UK or the states to get one here, so I use a fairly wide tooth plastic comb in the shower. My horn comb is pretty fine toothed, and good for scritching etc, but don't want to ruin it in the shower.

I have seen a BBB similar to the one you were talking about (they called a backcombing brush, or something), and nearly bought it just because it was so stiff! I can't find one that even nearly touches my scalp, let alone penetrates even half the thickness of my hair! I didn't think that my hair was that thick but I measured the other day, and my ponytail circumference is over 3 and a half inches!! I wish I'd recorded what it was prior to my 5 or 6 month stint of WO previously. After I stopped WO, even with gentle hair care measures, my shedding increased a lot! Now, back on WO for only a week, and I have already noticed a decrease in shedding!!

With 9 months of WO under you belt, has it helped with the thickness of your hair DoubleCrowned? I know some people feel that each strand feels thicker, but with WO, I sprouted a whole heap of babies, and dropped less (umm.. hairs that is). I haven't seen any updates in your album since you went WO, but it sounds like your hair is doing really well.

[LaceyNg]

Laceyng My DH doesn't know I'm WO either. I'm sure he would think it is gross, so I want lots of time to prove it's good before he finds out!:D

this is my reason exactly! by the time i tell him i want to be able to say "look how nice my hair is!" :)


I ask my DBF what he would think if i only use water on my hair from now on, and he said he is okay with that, but i should experiment with that in summer when i don't need to go to university for two months +.
I'm so excited.
Also do any of you use cassia and amla ?

i use cassia (with henna), but not alma


Just wanted to give an update:
I am now 10 weeks water only! YAY! At 9 weeks I was finally starting feel like my hair was really looking good. My hair was not greasy and I felt like sebum was reaching my ends. Very happy:D

I really needed to henna though. I put it off long enough. The henna went well, no problems with the application or the rinse off. But now I feel like I am starting over again:(

Just for a little reassurance, I shouldn't transition again right? It will just take time for the sebum to coat again? I hope I feel good about my hair soon because it is really discouraging. :shrug:

let us know how it goes, PrairieRose! i use henna as well, and i'm not looking forward to the idea of my length getting stripped of sebum every time :( ordinarily i like my hair just after a henna, as if feels a bit thicker, but i'm hoping it wont get too dry this time. and i normally use conditioner in the mix, so this next time will be my 1st time with water and ACV only. i'm considering switching out the ACV for greek yogurt though.

what henna mixes do my fellow WO-ers use?


I'm at about 9 months for WO already! Hair is soft and shiny. Winter weather has changed how it behaves a little, so I have been experimenting with my routine. I've been looking for a comb to use on my hair while it is damp.

My hair is extremely fine as well as thin, so most combs actually touch very little of the hair because the teeth are so wide. Plastic ones invite static as ends dry while coming. My carbon one is anti static, but the teeth are so far apart, I feel that they do little to distribute sebum. Only wooden combs I can find are not fine-toothed. BBB on wet or damp hair just rips it out.

At Sally's, I saw a BBB with just three rows of very stiff bristles, and am wondering if it would behave like a very fine comb. Has anyone tried it?

I'd like to hear what combs any of you, especially those with fine hair, are using in the shower, and what combs you think are the best for scritching, for grooming/preening, and for styling.

i have a fine-toothed white one, very similar to the one in the link posted. i *think* mine's just plastic though, although i havent gotten any static from it *knocks on wood*

[morrigan*]

So today i did my first wo wash, my hair are soft. I did use conditioner on last 3 or 4 inches, because my ends are very dry, also i use acv rinse, because we have hard water, and i use that all last year, with very good results.

[lunamummy]

Hi morrigan, did you use the ACV rinse after the conditioner, and did you leave it on or rinse it off? I'm interested because I'm still trying to work out my best WO practice at the moment.

[PrairieRose]

LayceyNg
After the henna it did feel really thick, but then it dropped down:( It was feeling really thick before the henna, I think because my sebum was starting to coat. Now a week later it's not horrible but not where it was before the henna. I did notice my ends were dry and I had a lot of splits. I think because of my previous damage my hair is just sensitive, so I made sure to oil my ends. I hope it doesn't take too long to get where I was. I'm thinking next time I may try to just henna the roots.:hmm:Keep you posted:)

[morrigan*]

Hi morrigan, did you use the ACV rinse after the conditioner, and did you leave it on or rinse it off? I'm interested because I'm still trying to work out my best WO practice at the moment.

After, i didn't fully rinse it out, just a bit, next time i probably won't rinse it out. I took a plastic bottle, filled with acv to a bit less than inch and then filled with water.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Update- Husband has come home and I did get one comment about the smell of my hair, but he said it wasn't as bad as it had been, just a bit musty up close. It was still wet when he noticed, and he didn't bat an eyelid for the rest of the day.:)

My hair looks pretty good for day 8 of starting WO again!! I can't figure out how to post pictures here- (if anyone can direct me to some info on how to do it, that'd be great. Otherwise I'll get there eventually.:o) I was combing and scritching, so it looks slightly more oily in these photos then it did for the rest of the day. I never realised how wavy my hair is at the back! It did dry slightly stringy on the roots this morning, but some cornflour solved that. Can't wait till that isn't a required part of my routine!! If I was putting my hair up I wouldn't bother, but due to my...problem... I am trying to wear it down as much as possible to "air" it out!

I really think that several months of daily WO washing, hair never drying and wearing it bunned day in and out has thrown something out of balance, but hopefully it is all on the mend now.:p

It just seems crazy that I am trying to grow long healthy hair, and I have to wear it down (not "protected" in upstyles) to do so. Today I had it "half up" so I didn't play with it too much during the day, and it didn't get very knotty, so hopefully it won't do too much damage (more then my fried ends already are anyway...)

[proo]

Update: started using a couple drops of avocado oil on my ends before bed bunning - think I've found my holy grail! Really soft - the ol LHC wisdom of keep trying oils till you've found the most sympatico. Still washing once a week with a couple of drops of Prell in a huge pitcher of cold water - it cleans so well without stripping. I guess technically I'm not WO, but hey, we're all making it up as we go.

[proo]

I've also been fingercombing exclusively and am down to almost zero shed.

[sarahmp]

Before I started WO, I bought a lot of Nightbloomings products. My hair loves them! However, now that I'm WO should I just ignore them completely? I was thinking maybe I could just use a little bit of the salve on just the ends and it would be fine, but would it never come out and just make my hair look worse? (I'm still transitioning)
Please help!

[lunamummy]

Thanks, Morrigan :)

[Milui Elenath]

SNIP


Australia sucks (sorry fellow ozzies) as far as hair care items and accessories go- SNIP

Yes, yes it does :( but you might be able to find a seamless comb, I've been seeing them here and there - coles, priceline and price attack from time to time.

DoubleCrowned
I also don't comb my hair in the shower - it's too fine and I find it makes my hair very limp for the next day or so. It does help to increase my oiliness but I prefer to preen and scritch dry using fingers, a plastic comb for scritching (seamed :shocked: ) and sometimes the scalp brush which is similar to a tangle teezer. (which could be used in the shower too) I use the wooden comb dry to detangle and smooth though.



Before I started WO, I bought a lot of Nightbloomings products. My hair loves them! However, now that I'm WO should I just ignore them completely? I was thinking maybe I could just use a little bit of the salve on just the ends and it would be fine, but would it never come out and just make my hair look worse? (I'm still transitioning)

Please help!

I don't know anything about Nightbloomings products hopefully someone will. :)

[PolarCathy]

I also don't comb my hair in the shower

I am so jealous. If I don't comb it while in the shower there is no way I can comb it till it gets soaking wet next time.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Update- I BS and acid rinsed today... I could smell my hair and it was pretty bad. :( I asked my 4 yo if I smelt bad, she said not bad, just funny. Hmmmmm

After a BS and acid rinse, she said I smelt really nice. I can't smell anything anymore, but I think I definitely can't do WO at the moment. I was out with my girls this morning and paranoid that a miasma of stench was following me around!:run:(I did this, but it followed!) I had to leave the house before it dried, and was also paranoid that it looked a greasy mess, but when it dried, it actually looked pretty nice!! (It just didn't smell it.:o)

Thankyou everyone for your advice, and for not being too public about laughing at the stinky one. Good luck on your WO journey, I really am jealous and will sorely miss my softness and fast growth- not to mention lack of shedding!

I'm off to start on the BS washing thread, and find out how to keep moisture in my fried ends...:waving:

[morrigan*]

Moor_tu_lyfe you can stay wo and maybe do mild bs rinse once every month or two?
I remember that at the begining of thread someone mention that use very diluated shampo once in a while.

[piratejenny]

Moor_tu_lyfe I agree with morrigan*. Don't be so hard on yourself. ;) Mix WO up with rinses whenever needed and throw in some new experiments with the contents of your fridge every now and then. There is obviously a lot of good you get from WO. It doesn't have to be all dogmatic. What counts is finding what works for you.
:blossom:

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Moor_tu_lyfe I agree with morrigan*. Don't be so hard on yourself. ;) Mix WO up with rinses whenever needed and throw in some new experiments with the contents of your fridge every now and then. There is obviously a lot of good you get from WO. It doesn't have to be all dogmatic. What counts is finding what works for you.
:blossom:

Yeah, that's what I was going to do... WO in between BS/CA rinses. I wish I didn't have to go so extreme, but so far BS is the only thing to help with the smell (that is said without DH home to confirm...;)). The last time I couldn't stand the smell of my own head was after months of WO. I tried lots of things- eggs, yoghurt (phew! te he he), aloe vera juice... with the exception of AVJ, everything made my hair smell worse! It must be very porous or something.

I was just searching, and found a couple of references to stinky heads and coconut oil, which I use on my ends and on my face. Sooo, no more coconut oil for a month or so and see if that helps. I tried tea tree oil (diluted) and lemon oil (straight). Initially this seem to help, but yesterday and today, they just seem to join in the terribleness that is my "head smell". It's like a really bad horror movie- my hair smell is developing a personality all of its own, and it aint nice!

(Sorry, losing the plot, really need more sleep then my 2 DD are letting me get at the moment.)

Again, thanks everyone for the support- I'll be around.:)

[LaceyNg]

LayceyNg
After the henna it did feel really thick, but then it dropped down:( It was feeling really thick before the henna, I think because my sebum was starting to coat. Now a week later it's not horrible but not where it was before the henna. I did notice my ends were dry and I had a lot of splits. I think because of my previous damage my hair is just sensitive, so I made sure to oil my ends. I hope it doesn't take too long to get where I was. I'm thinking next time I may try to just henna the roots.:hmm:Keep you posted:)

thanks for the update! you know, i think i might just do the same-- only the roots. b/c now that i think of it, they only reason i was doing the entire length was for the added thickness and conditioning benefits of the cassia. i know its taking forever for my sebum to start to re-coat my strands after just an ACV rinse, so i assume itd be the same (or worse) with henna :(


Update: started using a couple drops of avocado oil on my ends before bed bunning - think I've found my holy grail! Really soft - the ol LHC wisdom of keep trying oils till you've found the most sympatico. Still washing once a week with a couple of drops of Prell in a huge pitcher of cold water - it cleans so well without stripping. I guess technically I'm not WO, but hey, we're all making it up as we go.

never a truer thing said! this is the only washing method i've come across that's so flexible :)


Update- I BS and acid rinsed today... I could smell my hair and it was pretty bad. I asked my 4 yo if I smelt bad, she said not bad, just funny. Hmmmmm

After a BS and acid rinse, she said I smelt really nice. I can't smell anything anymore, but I think I definitely can't do WO at the moment. I was out with my girls this morning and paranoid that a miasma of stench was following me around!:run:(I did this, but it followed!) I had to leave the house before it dried, and was also paranoid that it looked a greasy mess, but when it dried, it actually looked pretty nice!! (It just didn't smell it.:o)

Thankyou everyone for your advice, and for not being too public about laughing at the stinky one. Good luck on your WO journey, I really am jealous and will sorely miss my softness and fast growth- not to mention lack of shedding!

I'm off to start on the BS washing thread, and find out how to keep moisture in my fried ends...:waving:

i'm sorry to hear that you couldnt get WO to work for you! :( i cant remember, have you tried ACV rinses? i'm sure you probably have.... what about rose water? i've been using it with success, and have had no build-up at all. i've read somewhere on LHC that its considered an astrigent, but it makes my hair softer, not dry at all. and smells WONDERFUL! just a thought :)

[morrigan*]

Yeah, that's what I was going to do... WO in between BS/CA rinses. I wish I didn't have to go so extreme, but so far BS is the only thing to help with the smell (that is said without DH home to confirm...;)). The last time I couldn't stand the smell of my own head was after months of WO. I tried lots of things- eggs, yoghurt (phew! te he he), aloe vera juice... with the exception of AVJ, everything made my hair smell worse! It must be very porous or something.

I was just searching, and found a couple of references to stinky heads and coconut oil, which I use on my ends and on my face. Sooo, no more coconut oil for a month or so and see if that helps. I tried tea tree oil (diluted) and lemon oil (straight). Initially this seem to help, but yesterday and today, they just seem to join in the terribleness that is my "head smell". It's like a really bad horror movie- my hair smell is developing a personality all of its own, and it aint nice!

(Sorry, losing the plot, really need more sleep then my 2 DD are letting me get at the moment.)

Again, thanks everyone for the support- I'll be around.:) Just try to see what you like. :flower:

[DoubleCrowned]

I had a stiff BBB and felt it was too damaging, but my fine hair is already damaged so that may have been a big factor! I have a wide tooth horn comb and a fine tooth horn comb. I sometimes use the wide tooth comb in the shower, I don't think the fine tooth one would work for me in the shower, but it scritches well and I use it for preening( as long as I detangle first). But I am only 10 weeks, still working out my routine.:)
BBBs are damaging to my hair, too, and it is thinner than yours. I found one at Sally's though, that is soft, flat, and cheap. http://www.sallybeauty.com/Boar-Bristle-Brush/SBS-217201,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair10
It and the military style brush were on sale 2 for $3.00, but I could only fine one that was soft enough. (I had to inspect each one to find a good one) I think I am going to like it. My other BBBs are far too coarse.

I use a wide-tooth carbon comb in the shower, but was thinking that I might be able to use a fine-tooth comb during wet preening.


i've been using wooden combs for scritching and distributing sebum, but I like to comb my hair wet in the shower, and I don't want to ruin them....soooo I got this silicone seemless comb at Sally's, the teeth are quite close spaced, just for wet combing.
http://www.sallybeauty.com/silicone-dressing-comb/SBS-301707,default,pd.html?cm_vc=SEARCH
Thanks, serin. I was actually thinking of a fine tooth comb for scritching and careful damp preening. I prefer wood, but can't find a fine tooth wooden one. Your hair is similar to mine, but straighter. I think if I use my wide-tooth comb to get my hair sorted out with the wide-tooth comb first, a comb like this could work for me in the shower.

DoubleCrowned - I have very fine hair, but daren't use a comb in the shower in case it rips the hair. It makes washing it difficult! I do my preening when it is dry, and then rely on water pressure and my fingers parting the hair to get it well rinsed through. I would also love to find a way to combat the static.I can see how your hair would be hard to keep organized in the shower because of the curl. Mine is a little straighter.
I usually use my spritz-wash technique because I can keep the hair organized easier than I can in the shower. Just the foce of the water is hard on it. Washing in the shower also creates extra sebum for me, usually too much. Now that the weather has changed, my hair has some static at the ends, so I was thinking of trying a wash in the shower for the extra sebum, but need to find a way to distribute it better. It does not distribute well for me when my hair is dry… so I am going to experiment…


Australia sucks (sorry fellow ozzies) as far as hair care items and accessories go- I'd have to order something seamfree from the UK or the states to get one here, so I use a fairly wide tooth plastic comb in the shower. My horn comb is pretty fine toothed, and good for scritching etc, but don't want to ruin it in the shower.

I have seen a BBB similar to the one you were talking about (they called a backcombing brush, or something), and nearly bought it just because it was so stiff! I can't find one that even nearly touches my scalp, let alone penetrates even half the thickness of my hair! I didn't think that my hair was that thick but I measured the other day, and my ponytail circumference is over 3 and a half inches!! I wish I'd recorded what it was prior to my 5 or 6 month stint of WO previously. After I stopped WO, even with gentle hair care measures, my shedding increased a lot! Now, back on WO for only a week, and I have already noticed a decrease in shedding!!

With 9 months of WO under you belt, has it helped with the thickness of your hair DoubleCrowned? I know some people feel that each strand feels thicker, but with WO, I sprouted a whole heap of babies, and dropped less (umm.. hairs that is). I haven't seen any updates in your album since you went WO, but it sounds like your hair is doing really well.
It might be possible to sand roughness off a plastic comb with a nail file. I found some wide-toothed wooden combs which might distribute sebum better than plastic, but they are so wide….and need a lot of sanding….

We have the opposite requirements for a BBB! I can actually feel the bristles on my scalp with my new, soft, flat one! The more I think of it, that stiff little boar bristle back comber brush would probably rip my hair. The middle row of bristles, which are the ones which might reach your scalp, is flanked by 2 short, dense rows which might block the action of the middle row for you. I told the girl at Sally's that they need to have some artificial hair for us to use to experiment with the brushes in the store.

My pony still measures 1.5" (yes, that is the circumference!)….hey, wait, I think it was less than that before! I think it was an inch and 3/8! Wow, I have gained an eighth inch! (remeasuring) That is huge when you consider how little hair I have. Hurrah for WO!

I will have to update my album. Thanks fro reminding me.



i have a fine-toothed white one, very similar to the one in the link posted. i *think* mine's just plastic though, although i havent gotten any static from it *knocks on wood*
Thanks, I'm encouraged.


DoubleCrowned
I also don't comb my hair in the shower - it's too fine and I find it makes my hair very limp for the next day or so. It does help to increase my oiliness but I prefer to preen and scritch dry using fingers, a plastic comb for scritching (seamed :shocked: ) and sometimes the scalp brush which is similar to a tangle teezer. (which could be used in the shower too) I use the wooden comb dry to detangle and smooth though.


There's also a three-row comb/brush with flexible, widely-spaced teeth like fingers. My new wooden comb has such wide, flat teeth that I am not convinced that they will pick up my hair unless I sand each one to a point, and then they may not do much to distribute sebum.
So many tools to try...

Thank you all for your input!

[PrairieRose]

DoubleCrowned...Someone shared this link with me, it's a BBB for very fine hair https://morroccomethod.com/en/shop?page=shop.product_details&product_id=172&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0 I thought you might be interested.

[88Marisa]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to give a quick update. I've been doing hardcore WO for almost 8 months now and it's still going great. Current routine is to rinse everyday on days I workout (I really prefer not to do this and I try to keep it mostly to the scalp not the length but I sweat too much not to) and then otherwise, I wait 3-4 days between rinses. It still is somewhat amazing to me that my hair gets better the day after I wash it. :) I'm hoping to get a camera soon, so maybe pics will be in the works...

I just did a micro trim today for the first time in a few months along with some S&Ding, and I have to say, one of the best things about WO for my hair is that there's been a significant reduction in split ends. I've got a lot of color damage though, so there are still some splits, but nothing like my previous routines. I haven't been particularly careful with handling my hair lately either. I do use a (fake plastic) BBB on my hair fairly often to help with sebum distribution, although I'm going to look around and see if I can get a real BBB soon too, hopefully that would reduce mechanical damage.

Most of my current hair frustrations are about the color that I'm growing out, and there is still a noticeable texture difference between the virgin roots and the color-fried ends, but the cure for that is patience. WO has definitely helped, but I don't think I'm going to be happy until it's cut off.

[PrairieRose]

88Marisa...Wow 8 months:) I am in the same boat, growing out old chemically processed hair. Yuck!:blueeek:

[88Marisa]

88Marisa...Wow 8 months:) I am in the same boat, growing out old chemically processed hair. Yuck!:blueeek:

Yeah, it sucks, but I can already see how lovely it's going to be, so I know it's worth it. Just have to hang in there! It's helpful having others who are going through the same thing for moral support.

[lunamummy]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to give a quick update. I've been doing hardcore WO for almost 8 months now and it's still going great.

Great to read about someone successfully WO! Do you do any preening and scritching? Do you have soft water?

Particularly encouraging about the split ends, that's how you know it's doing you good :)

[DoubleCrowned]

DoubleCrowned...Someone shared this link with me, it's a BBB for very fine hair https://morroccomethod.com/en/shop?page=shop.product_details&product_id=172&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0 I thought you might be interested.
Thanks for the link. Interesting that the bristles are in a cushion.

[morrigan*]

Now it's one week from my last co wash, i did wash with water twice so far. My hair is soft and shiny, it feels a bit coated, but not in a bad way :)
So far so good.

[88Marisa]

Great to read about someone successfully WO! Do you do any preening and scritching? Do you have soft water?

Particularly encouraging about the split ends, that's how you know it's doing you good :)
I do make an effort to stimulate my scalp and to move the sebum from the scalp to the ends, but I find using a BBB works well enough (btw, just got a cheap little "real" BBB today and I'm really liking it so far). When I first went WO, I spent quite some time preening to move the sebum down to the ends and I think it was definitely worth the time and effort, but I usually don't feel the need to do it very often any more as just thoroughly brushing seems to do enough. I always brush my hair very thoroughly before I wash it though, as I like to wear my hair curly after it dries as often as I can and the brushing beforehand helps it not frizz as it dries. The rest of the time I brush the curls out and wear it "straight" (read wavy) or pull it back.

I don't know what type of water we have here, other than it's not noticeably soft or hard.

[Milui Elenath]

I fell of my WO routine. It just happened . . . I'd been watching late night Wen commercials (homeshopping) and then I read here that it was CO washing (well I was never ever going to spend that sort of money on a hair product) - (I don't have an issue with anyone else who does) and then I started looking at old pictures of my hair and how shiny it used to be and how red, so I decided I was probably going to henna.

But that wasn't a big enough fall oh no, suddenly I'm in the shower thinking since I'm going to henna anyway I might as well just try a little bit of CO, after all my sebum will be reset anyway. So on it went, silicone conditioner slathered from scalp to ends. When it finally dried (it took longer than usual) I was a bit surprised to find not much difference in the feel or look of my hair. If anything it seems to have prevented sebum being washed away :confused: since I've never CO. I am going to take a picture to examine the difference to my most recent wo pic but I haven't done so yet. So I will be hennaing in the next day or two with yoghurt but then I will be back to WO. There is something about January (maybe the summer holidays) because it was this time last year I fell off my WO journey too. :undecided:

In anycase I thought I'd post my Jan WO hair which was at least 6months pure WO. I can see where the sebum is best and where it is somewhat and the dry ends. Sorry if the pic is a bit big.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2726&pictureid=124709

[PrairieRose]

Milui Elenath...First I want to tell you WOW! Your hair is amazingly long!! Beautiful!:agape:

Next I came on to post HELP!!! I so tired of stringy hair! Right before I hennaed (about 2 weeks ago) I felt my hair was finally looking better. It was thicker looking and feeling and not stringy. That was only for a week or maybe even less because then I did the henna. The henna initially made my hair feel the same way, full and thick. But soon after it went to yuck! Now I am trying to be patient and wait for the sebum to coat again but my hair is so stringy! I don't know what to do but I am about do fall off the WO wagon. Does anyone else deal with this? I don't think it's the water, I tried with rinses and without. At first I thought the ACV rinse was making it stringy but now I'm not sure. Any thoughts or advice welcome!:confused:

[DoubleCrowned]

Milui Elenath...First I want to tell you WOW! Your hair is amazingly long!! Beautiful!:agape:

Next I came on to post HELP!!! I so tired of stringy hair! Right before I hennaed (about 2 weeks ago) I felt my hair was finally looking better. It was thicker looking and feeling and not stringy. That was only for a week or maybe even less because then I did the henna. The henna initially made my hair feel the same way, full and thick. But soon after it went to yuck! Now I am trying to be patient and wait for the sebum to coat again but my hair is so stringy! I don't know what to do but I am about do fall off the WO wagon. Does anyone else deal with this? I don't think it's the water, I tried with rinses and without. At first I thought the ACV rinse was making it stringy but now I'm not sure. Any thoughts or advice welcome!:confused:

I have thought that if my hair were at the stringy stage, I would try distributing the sebum with an oiled comb, then start spritz-washing with hot, distilled water and mopping off the excess oil with a warm, dry washcloths. I don't know if this would work, but if you are desperate and want to experiment, I'd love to hear your results! A method I have tried was combing with an oiled comb, then dusting well with cornstarch, waiting overnight, and washing out with WO. Better than this for me, I think, would be to brush the cornstarch out with dry terry cloth. (My hair is too delicate for very much BBBing.) Good luck!

P.S. Vinegar rinses make my hair stringy.

[PrairieRose]

DoubleCrowned...Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Your advice came just in the nick of time! I had some natural shampoo and conditioner out and ready to go. I was going to wash my hair in the kitchen sink when I decided to check this thread once more. I read your advice, although I did not follow it exactly yet, it did get me thinking. Before I did the henna the only thing I can remember doing different is that I did some heavy preening while watching T.V. Maybe that helped distribute the sebum more. Well anyway your advice reminded my of that so I decided to hold off on the shampoo and tried to do some good preening and then I washed my hair WO. So I'll see what happens. Thanks again:D

[Kitkey]

I was starting to get a waxy buildup on my scalp like I had when I was washing with BS and ACV. My theory is that there wasn't enough oil in my hair to break up the more solid sebum and move it down... does that sound right? My hair hasn't seemed oily at all for about a week, but I still can't wear it down because the hair is all heavy/waxy at my scalp. I decided to try oiling my scalp and massaging for a while before doing a WO wash. So far my hair feels better but only about half the oil came out. I hope some of it soaks in tonight.

[DoubleCrowned]

DoubleCrowned...Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Your advice came just in the nick of time! I had some natural shampoo and conditioner out and ready to go. I was going to wash my hair in the kitchen sink when I decided to check this thread once more. I read your advice, although I did not follow it exactly yet, it did get me thinking. Before I did the henna the only thing I can remember doing different is that I did some heavy preening while watching T.V. Maybe that helped distribute the sebum more. Well anyway your advice reminded my of that so I decided to hold off on the shampoo and tried to do some good preening and then I washed my hair WO. So I'll see what happens. Thanks again:D
You are certainly welcome. I have found it more effective to resort to crutches like cornstarch, spot spritzing and wiping, or oil to rebalance. I hope it works for you as well.


I was starting to get a waxy buildup on my scalp like I had when I was washing with BS and ACV. My theory is that there wasn't enough oil in my hair to break up the more solid sebum and move it down... does that sound right? My hair hasn't seemed oily at all for about a week, but I still can't wear it down because the hair is all heavy/waxy at my scalp. I decided to try oiling my scalp and massaging for a while before doing a WO wash. So far my hair feels better but only about half the oil came out. I hope some of it soaks in tonight.
I think your theory is correct, and hope the scalp oiling works well for you. It helped me, but I left the oil on over night. If it is still too oily in the morning, you might want to try dusting the oily part with cornstarch using a blush brush or spritzing the oily part with distilled water then wiping each clump of hair with dry terry cloth.

I read that vitamin A is necessary for healthy sebum. I don't know if overly solid sebum is just from a scalp not yet transitioned or if it indicates a nutritional deficiency, but am very interested if anyone knows.

[lunamummy]

"If it is still too oily in the morning, you might want to try dusting the oily part with cornstarch using a blush brush or spritzing the oily part with distilled water then wiping each clump of hair with dry terry cloth."

DoubleCrowned - I love this tip! Worrying about not being able to get rid of the oil has put me off oiling so far, but with this idea to hand, I think I'm going to give it a go.

[lunamummy]

Miracle Water Experiment!

Okay, I tried the miracle water and thought I'd report back! I used the recipe 1/4tsp citric acid to a gallon (4l) of warm water, plus a pinch of vit C. I made up 14l (3.5gal) of water in a big pot, and then dunked my head to soak it through.

Then I washed my scalp with a hair soap and rinsed it by pouring jugs of miracle water over it, and then finally dunking and swishing my head again to be sure it was rinsed clean.

So - pros - my hair was easy to wash thoroughly because it didn't tangle at all. It totally got rid of the usual slightly musty hair smell it has. Just smells of the herbs in the soap. 14l was plenty of water. My hair is light but not frizzy. Maybe a little shinier than usual (it has been very dull lately).

Cons - it feels too clean in fact - a bit crunchy and my nice sebum feels mostly gone.

Next time I'm going to try 1/8th citric acid to 4l. For anyone planning their own experiment and not sure about water hardness vs quantities of citric acid, I live in London, which has very hard water - but apparently not as hard as the OP!

I'm also going to try a WO wash next time, as I usually alternate anyway. Normally I can go 3-4 days between washes, so we'll see how long my hair lasts this time.

[mleung]

hello everyone!

i'm new to the LHC, though i've been a lurker for a bit. i've just started doing WO in between using actual washings with shampoo (i have it, so might as well use it, at least until i run out). i've been rinsing most every day since my hair is fine & so far it's working very well!

any tips for the newbie?

[PrairieRose]

Miracle Water Experiment!

Okay, I tried the miracle water and thought I'd report back! I used the recipe 1/4tsp citric acid to a gallon (4l) of warm water, plus a pinch of vit C. I made up 14l (3.5gal) of water in a big pot, and then dunked my head to soak it through.

Then I washed my scalp with a hair soap and rinsed it by pouring jugs of miracle water over it, and then finally dunking and swishing my head again to be sure it was rinsed clean.

So - pros - my hair was easy to wash thoroughly because it didn't tangle at all. It totally got rid of the usual slightly musty hair smell it has. Just smells of the herbs in the soap. 14l was plenty of water. My hair is light but not frizzy. Maybe a little shinier than usual (it has been very dull lately).

Cons - it feels too clean in fact - a bit crunchy and my nice sebum feels mostly gone.

Next time I'm going to try 1/8th citric acid to 4l. For anyone planning their own experiment and not sure about water hardness vs quantities of citric acid, I live in London, which has very hard water - but apparently not as hard as the OP!

I'm also going to try a WO wash next time, as I usually alternate anyway. Normally I can go 3-4 days between washes, so we'll see how long my hair lasts this time.

keep us posted:)


hello everyone!

i'm new to the LHC, though i've been a lurker for a bit. i've just started doing WO in between using actual washings with shampoo (i have it, so might as well use it, at least until i run out). i've been rinsing most every day since my hair is fine & so far it's working very well!

any tips for the newbie?

Hello, welcome:waving: Spacing out your shampoo washes will help ease your transition. Make sure you scritch/massage/preen as you continue. This will help keep your scalp healthy and happy and move the sebum down your hair shaft.

[serin blackwood]

Hi all,*
I'm joining the NW/SO community and reviving the thread!

I joined LHC in Nov., and after a lifetime of poor hair treatment and S-C'ing, I started WO on Dec.20, along with many other physical changes such as braiding much of the time, satin pillowcases, careful combing (instead of just ripping through!), gentle hair ties, etc.

I was happy with the feel of my natural oils, but found that I was stripping too much out with each water rinse, so after reading this entire thread, decided to just stop with the water (:
I have been NW for 17 days, now.

I've been following frizzinators advice closely and I scritch and preen at least twice a day for practically an hour each time - I love the feel and I have always played with my hair excessively, so it simply feels like a good excuse to do so...

So far I have not had many transition issues, I had already stretched my washes over the years to at least a week, and my scalp does not produce much sebum. With my preening regime and APL hair, I think I have already coated the strands to the ends. I was oiling my dry ends in the meantime, but I've stopped that as well.

So that's my story. You can read more here, if you want:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=84155&page=9

I'm wondering if anyone is still on the forum practising NW/SO?

Cheers,
Serin

[unknown]

Anyone who would like to explain a little about NW/SO to me? Will the hair feel like it usually does when you wash it or does it feel more oily so to say? Does the hair get limp/have any smell and is a bbb required for this? Would a tangle teezer/other brush work?

[Kitkey]

The oil did manage to get rid of the buildup of wax on my scalp but it also didn't wash out well and I was a grease ball for a few days. I currently have henna on my head and I'm pretty sure that will remove the rest of the grease. I'm going to give herbs and poo bars a try. I'm taking advantage of Henna Sooq's sale and ordered one of everything it seems!

[Kitkey]

If I wash just once a week, like on the weekends, it shouldn't be too hard to transition back to WO if I find they don't work for me. At least WO works somewhat well for me. My long term goal is to find a way to wash my hair, keep it healthy, but not use itchy chemicals!

[serin blackwood]

Well, I may be the only one left on this thread, and I've only just started.
My advice is to read this thread from the beginning, as I did. The whole process is explained and there are a lot of different people's exeriences chronicled here.

It turns out different for everyone, and I am hopeful it will work for me, after reading these posts... but I also learned it is not for everyone and more people have given up, than have stuck with it. Even so, it is worth a try, you can do no damage to your hair, and you can always start washing your hair again if you want. Maybe even just a short break from water and products will be of benefit!

[FrenchTwist]

Thanks for starting this thread. It sounds very interesting. Since I am new I will enjoy reading about NW/SO. :)

[embee]

You are not the only one on the thread! I fell off the wagon in October (or November?) and rinsed my hair in the shower.... WO. But I'm on NW/SO again. Last year was one full year of NW/SO. My hair did not all fall out or break off and I *loved* not having long wet hair dripping around in the winter time. :D

Since I wear my hair in an updo always, any oiliness is inconsequential. And there's nobody gonna complain about my hair when I take it down to brush it in the evenings. :)

I could not have done this as a young person, I was *way* oily and my skin broke out badly, even my scalp. Ick. But now it's working fine for me.

[DoubleCrowned]

The oil did manage to get rid of the buildup of wax on my scalp but it also didn't wash out well and I was a grease ball for a few days. I currently have henna on my head and I'm pretty sure that will remove the rest of the grease. I'm going to give herbs and poo bars a try. I'm taking advantage of Henna Sooq's sale and ordered one of everything it seems!

Tricks for getting out the extra oil:
Warm water -- This will remove it, but be careful to use it only on the hair. For many or us, warm water on the scalp stimulates even more oil production.
Corn starch -- Fluffing this into the hair will absorb the excess oil. Some of us can brush it out later, others rinse it out with cool water after several hours, even days.
Conditioner -- used only on oily areas, as a temporary balancing crutch
Cloth -- Wipe over oily areas after hair is combed smooth, preferably sectioning the hair as if you are going to put it in curlers. An absorbent cloth might do the trick alone. Other ways to use it are on wet hair with a dry cloth, or heating the cloth so that more oil is loosened.

I have heard the henna will remove excess oil. Good luck and keep us posted!

[serin blackwood]

Hi Embee,
I'm glad you're here ... I have some questions for you! Since you've been at it for a while, could you describe what your transition was like, please? Like, when it started (if you can remember), how long it went on till your hair "settled down", and what actually happened during that time?

How often and for how long do you scritch and preen? Do you agree with frizzonator that it is the one thing that makes the hair look better, if you do it enough?

And, btw, what made you cave in and wash when you fell off the wagon :)

I like to wear my hair down, and I know many who try this just live with oiliness, but if my hair gets too oily, I intend to keep it down a bit by brushing some out out with a bbb, wiping with a microfiber cloth or even powdering (there was a great link earlier in this thread for an old fashioned airing powder... I'll post it again in a minute).

I have a feeling that my major problem will be with dryness, though.

Your insights will be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Serin
Here is the link to
Nanny Pauline's Orris Root Airing Powder (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=987591&postcount=1)

[PrairieRose]

Sad to say I'm officially out! :( My hair was just too stringy and I tried a few different things, but nothing was working well. I was just getting impatient and tired. There are so many things I like about WO, I may be back later. But for now I am in search of a new routine, not sure which direction to go yet.:confused: Just want to say thanks to everyone on the thread, your support was great! I will be checking in on you all. Hope you all the best!:heart:

[piratejenny]

Sad to say I'm officially out! :( My hair was just too stringy and I tried a few different things, but nothing was working well. I was just getting impatient and tired. There are so many things I like about WO, I may be back later. But for now I am in search of a new routine, not sure which direction to go yet.:confused: Just want to say thanks to everyone on the thread, your support was great! I will be checking in on you all. Hope you all the best!:heart:

I can relate to where you are. I am yet to recover mentally from the fact that WO didn't seem to be for me (still lurking the thread :cool:). Maybe you're interested in my adventures with eggs? http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=82169

I've also started experimenting a bit with rhassoul recently. It also works quite well, but hasn't been the immediate love affair I've had (am having) with eggs.

Good luck and happy experimenting :D

[LaceyNg]

Sad to say I'm officially out! :( My hair was just too stringy and I tried a few different things, but nothing was working well. I was just getting impatient and tired. There are so many things I like about WO, I may be back later. But for now I am in search of a new routine, not sure which direction to go yet.:confused: Just want to say thanks to everyone on the thread, your support was great! I will be checking in on you all. Hope you all the best!:heart:

i'm sorry to hear that it didnt work out for you, PrairieRose! (and you too piratejenny!)

refresh my memory, how long did you all try WO? just curious :)


as an update on my own WO progress, it's been right at a month, and so far so good!

i came across some jojoba oil (which in my mind i still cant help but call "joe-joe-ba oil" :) for $4... and since i;d been thinking about it for quite a while i gave t a try.

LOVE!

i put some on my ends first and then s little more all over and combed it through really well, eve combed some onto my scalp a little. my ends had been a bit dry just from old damage, and this really helped!

you know how normally w/ the sebum you can feel where it stops? as in, the first 4 inches or so of my hairs felt coated, but not the rest? well, after a WO wash, and combing really well in the shower again, that line of demarcation seems... stretched out, i guess you'd say. like the oil really did help spread that sebum down more of my hair. i dont think it spread the sebum all the way to the ends, but i think the jojoba oil there helped to compensate for missing sebum :) just to clarify for anyone curious, i dont feel that it REMOVED my sebum, just that it thinned it out and coated more of my hair with it.

i figure every 10 days or so i'll add in a little jojoba to help spread the sebum. after then i'm hoping not to need it any more though :)

anyway, hope this helps someone!

[PrairieRose]

I can relate to where you are. I am yet to recover mentally from the fact that WO didn't seem to be for me (still lurking the thread :cool:). Maybe you're interested in my adventures with eggs? http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=82169

I've also started experimenting a bit with rhassoul recently. It also works quite well, but hasn't been the immediate love affair I've had (am having) with eggs.

Good luck and happy experimenting :D
Thanks PirateJenny, I may look into it:)

i'm sorry to hear that it didnt work out for you, PrairieRose! (and you too piratejenny!)

refresh my memory, how long did you all try WO? just curious :)


as an update on my own WO progress, it's been right at a month, and so far so good!

i came across some jojoba oil (which in my mind i still cant help but call "joe-joe-ba oil" :) for $4... and since i;d been thinking about it for quite a while i gave t a try.

LOVE!

I was WO for almost 3 months. I hope it keeps working for you:) I just recently started using jojoba oil too! I loovee it :inlove:Plus I used it on my hands and face....so silky smooth!:D

[DoubleCrowned]

Thanks PirateJenny, I may look into it:)

I was WO for almost 3 months. I hope it keeps working for you:) I just recently started using jojoba oil too! I loovee it :inlove:Plus I used it on my hands and face....so silky smooth!:D

Sorry to see you go. I understand your frustration, though. It was five or six months before my hair was fluffy. Before that, I had to wear it up.

Jojoba is actually a liquid wax--excellent for restoring and protecting hair as well as healing the skin.

[lunamummy]

PrairieRose - I totally understand where you're at - I sometimes wonder if I'm ever going to have hair that falls in the right way, or will it always form strings? And I'm 'cheating' with hair soap every other wash.

Mind you, the miracle water seems very promising - two washes so far and if anything it is looking *too* fluffy, as shown in my sig!

[lunamummy]

...now with signature picture, hopefully :-D

[PrairieRose]

Sorry to see you go. I understand your frustration, though. It was five or six months before my hair was fluffy. Before that, I had to wear it up.

Jojoba is actually a liquid wax--excellent for restoring and protecting hair as well as healing the skin.
Wow! You must have some patience and endurance to wait it out for 6 months!:thumbsup:Thanks again for all your help:)

PrairieRose - I totally understand where you're at - I sometimes wonder if I'm ever going to have hair that falls in the right way, or will it always form strings? And I'm 'cheating' with hair soap every other wash.

Mind you, the miracle water seems very promising - two washes so far and if anything it is looking *too* fluffy, as shown in my sig!
Your hair looks great!:)

[piratejenny]

i'm sorry to hear that it didnt work out for you, PrairieRose! (and you too piratejenny!)

refresh my memory, how long did you all try WO? just curious :)

I tried transitioning for about 5 months (I tried to sum up my WO experience here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=94713 :D)

At the end I got really sick of never having hair that looked clean, all the effort I had to put into it (I had to WO wash every day to keep it looking semi-presentable) and I got REALLY discouraged when I spent a week away from home and my hair looked great with just WO with the only difference being the water. It just made all my efforts and patience appear really futile.

I'm still very much fascinated by the idea of WO and I might try again next summer when it doesn't bother me so much when my hair is wet a lot. I've never returned to S/C and am mainly using eggs to clean my hair right now. I have the vague hope that starting WO coming from egg washes every 4 days rather than S/C every day will make things easier...

[lunamummy]

I have the vague hope that starting WO coming from egg washes every 4 days rather than S/C every day will make things easier...

I'm sure it will - eggs surely can't strip it like shampoo can.

[lunamummy]

Thanks, PrairieRose! That makes me feel better. Trying to be positive about my hair these days, but I still see a frizz ball!

[Lunami]

Hi everyone!
I've been CO for three years and all that time knowing of WO, and now i've thought about it for some months, post-poning it. But it's been almost a month now without any product in my scalp! And its far less horrible than i thought. I was expecting to wear my hair up everyday from day one, and i was worried since it's winter and cold outside. And the fact that my water isn't ideal, it's not warm enough and runs out very quickly. I usually have problems with my scalp itching when i don't wash it for a while, but this hasn't been an issue.

I had the fortune to be able to stay at friends and familys and wash my hair there, i don't think my results had been as satisfying if I hadn't access to other peoples showers! Today i washed at home, and the result is not as good as with more time with warm water.

First week i washed every day, and then for a week every other day, and third week i started with conditioner in the lengths, and now on my fourth week, i dared trying the boar bristle brush. Usually when i brush with it my hair lays flat on my head, making my scalp itch, but now I hold my hair out and make sure not to brush on my scalp.

I'm really excited and so glad to be on this experiment... If it goes this smooth i'd be glad, no crisis at all. We'll see :) Why i want to do this is because i don't want to depend on products. I want to be able to wash my hair anywhere with just water
Thank you everyone for sharing!

[DoubleCrowned]

Wow! You must have some patience and endurance to wait it out for 6 months!:thumbsup:Thanks again for all your help:)

I didn't have anywhere to go, and wear my hair up all the time anyway. It was not a pretty transition, but I learned enough that I think I could transition more quickly if I had to do it over.

I tried transitioning for about 5 months (I tried to sum up my WO experience here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=94713 :D)

At the end I got really sick of never having hair that looked clean, all the effort I had to put into it (I had to WO wash every day to keep it looking semi-presentable) and I got REALLY discouraged when I spent a week away from home and my hair looked great with just WO with the only difference being the water. It just made all my efforts and patience appear really futile.

I'm still very much fascinated by the idea of WO and I might try again next summer when it doesn't bother me so much when my hair is wet a lot. I've never returned to S/C and am mainly using eggs to clean my hair right now. I have the vague hope that starting WO coming from egg washes every 4 days rather than S/C every day will make things easier...

I think you are correct about egg washes being a better starting point for WO. I spritz-wash almost every day now, but one of the reasons why is that after a WO in the shower, my hair looks bad for a day.


Hi everyone!
I've been CO for three years and all that time knowing of WO, and now i've thought about it for some months, post-poning it. But it's been almost a month now without any product in my scalp! And its far less horrible than i thought. I was expecting to wear my hair up everyday from day one, and i was worried since it's winter and cold outside. And the fact that my water isn't ideal, it's not warm enough and runs out very quickly. I usually have problems with my scalp itching when i don't wash it for a while, but this hasn't been an issue.

I had the fortune to be able to stay at friends and familys and wash my hair there, i don't think my results had been as satisfying if I hadn't access to other peoples showers! Today i washed at home, and the result is not as good as with more time with warm water.

First week i washed every day, and then for a week every other day, and third week i started with conditioner in the lengths, and now on my fourth week, i dared trying the boar bristle brush. Usually when i brush with it my hair lays flat on my head, making my scalp itch, but now I hold my hair out and make sure not to brush on my scalp.

I'm really excited and so glad to be on this experiment... If it goes this smooth i'd be glad, no crisis at all. We'll see :) Why i want to do this is because i don't want to depend on products. I want to be able to wash my hair anywhere with just water
Thank you everyone for sharing!

It sounds like you are off to an excellent start. Congratulations.

[LaceyNg]

Thanks PirateJenny, I may look into it:)

I was WO for almost 3 months. I hope it keeps working for you:) I just recently started using jojoba oil too! I loovee it :inlove:Plus I used it on my hands and face....so silky smooth!:D

i tried mineral oil cleansing a while back and got clogged pores from it, so i've been reluctant to try another oil on mt face, although i AM tempted....


I tried transitioning for about 5 months (I tried to sum up my WO experience here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=94713 :D) ... [clipped]....

i'll go check out that thread! thanks for the link :)


Thanks, PrairieRose! That makes me feel better. Trying to be positive about my hair these days, but I still see a frizz ball!

well i agree with PrairieRose, your hair looks great! i dont see any frizz at all! how often are you going to use the miracle water?


Hi everyone!
....[clipped].... Usually when i brush with it my hair lays flat on my head, making my scalp itch, but now I hold my hair out and make sure not to brush on my scalp.

I'm really excited and so glad to be on this experiment... If it goes this smooth i'd be glad, no crisis at all. We'll see :) Why i want to do this is because i don't want to depend on products. I want to be able to wash my hair anywhere with just water
Thank you everyone for sharing!

this is a good idea-- i think i'm going to try it! b/c i'd love to be able to have daily combing to make my hair look clean again, but combing the hair while its on my scalp gives me the flat hair too, so then i have to wash. :/

thanks for this idea!

[lunamummy]

Thanks for the positive encouragement, LaceyNg (http://longhaircommunity.com/forums/member.php?u=34566)! I'm using the miracle water every 4 days. I've used it twice with a hair soap bar, but I'm switching back to alternating with WO and the bar, starting Wednesday. I'd love to give up the bar entirely one day, if I can just get the miracle composition right for my water type....

[LaceyNg]

Thanks for the positive encouragement, LaceyNg (http://longhaircommunity.com/forums/member.php?u=34566)! I'm using the miracle water every 4 days. I've used it twice with a hair soap bar, but I'm switching back to alternating with WO and the bar, starting Wednesday. I'd love to give up the bar entirely one day, if I can just get the miracle composition right for my water type....

no problem! :)

thats the frustrating part, i think, all water being so different! b/c even when you find the right mixture for you, it most likely wont be the right one for ME :(

[lunamummy]

thats the frustrating part, i think, all water being so different! b/c even when you find the right mixture for you, it most likely wont be the right one for ME :(

Yeah, there are so many variables with WO or no poo regimes - it needs so much patience, and if I wasn't desperate to solve my hair issues then I'd have quit by now! I often think longingly of lovely shampoo...!

[morrigan*]

I gave in yesterday, and use soap bar and conditioner on ends. I was wo only for three weeks i think. My ends were terribly dry and start to split, i try to oil them, but this just gave me oily scalp. Also i didn't shed less on wo.
I may give it another try in future, but not right now.

[LocustSpawning]

I'd absolutely love to try this... I just love the feel of 'pampering' myself though, with nice smelling products and all that jazz. Maybe one day ....

Good luck to those currently in the transition phase! You're more patient than me. x

[AngryVikingGirl]

Off the wagon. Hard water sucks simply. Back to egg wash + ACV. My hair feels clean, soft and silky. Ends are better. Ohhh...Sorry to say kinda discouraging things about WO, I had fun with it until I had to use hard water. No...
Maybe in summer I'll be back, but for now it's such a relief to look good with my hair.:happydance:

[morrigan*]

Off the wagon. Hard water sucks simply. Back to egg wash + ACV. My hair feels clean, soft and silky. Ends are better. Ohhh...Sorry to say kinda discouraging things about WO, I had fun with it until I had to use hard water. No...
Maybe in summer I'll be back, but for now it's such a relief to look good with my hair.:happydance:
Hard water here too, it's really sucks.

[serin blackwood]

Oh well, I'll keep the thread going with some regular updates of my own, in the meantime.

I'm on day 23 of NW. Some days my hair feels perfect, soft, shiny and full, while other days it feels dry in the usual spots (ends and canopy sides). I do the same amount of scrithching and preening each day, so I am not sure why this would be, but here's my suspicion ... I think natural oils wear or rub off just as easily as applied oils when you sleep. For instance, I usually sleep with two braids, but when I decided to put in six to get more braid wave ripples, my hair was significantly dryer (more braids = more surface area exposed to rub against pillow case) The waves looked great, though!

I don't forsee my scalp increasing sebum production at this rate, so I am continuing with coconut oiling on the dry bits. I guess I am lucky in this regard ... I have yet to experience any horrible transition symptoms.

I'm not going to claim SO because in addition to the coconut oil I've been testing out some "airing powders"/dry shampoo. I thought I would use them in the future to battle greasies, if ever I need to. I have been putting some great smelling, oil laden powders through my length (not on my scalp), and getting a nice fullness and a feeling of refreshment.

I wish there was someone else out there trying this method out for the first time to share experiences with. If any WO'ers are feeling like the rinses are drying them out too much, why don't you come over here and try?! Washing may also be stimulating too much sebum, and maybe you need to "rest" for a while to get your scalp transitioned. Who knows? You may never go back (:

[Flittingsis]

Greetings all you wonderful WOers!

Last night was my first official WO wash and today is interesting. My roots are a little oily but not flat. My length feels sebum-covered but has a lot of fly-aways, it's not static-y though, so that's a plus. I've been no-poo for a few years now (except when I get my hair cut) and I've had some rough patches, wax helmet, o/o, stringy, etc. but I was never committed to one routine, so I'd just try something different. My last fail was a BS wash with aloe vera gel mixed in. It worked for a while, but after reading this whole thread, I will never use BS on my head again (at least not in the amount I was using, yikes!). Honestly I love an always-changing routine, so the WO seems like the thing for me. If my hair is oily, try washing with slightly warmer water. If it's waxy, try oiling the scalp and washing. Respond to each new station and see what works.*
As far as tools go, I have a small, med toothed wooden comb that I just got this week and I love it. I'll still use my plastic comb for wet hair, though (there may be a horn comb somewhere in my future). I have a BBB but in the dry winter it makes my static-pron hair a mess. Also since I have A TON of hair I really have to section it out. So I finger comb mostly throughout the day.*
I have a bad habit of not preening and scritching (I don't really massage) before I wash, so I'd like to change that.*
I've been getting most of my good hair advice from this site for years, but this thread is why I joined. I love reading everyone's experiments and I hope to help with mine in the future!

[lunamummy]

If it's waxy, try oiling the scalp and washing.
This is the big thing I've learned lately from this thread and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Good luck with your WO adventures :)

[mleung]

so i've got a question for those who've been doing this for a while: how often do you wash your hair this way?

it's been about a month for me, but i shampoo about 2x a week & the other days WO. i'm just wondering if i should be stretching the times i actually get my hair wet...

[PrairieRose]

Very interesting! I wonder how your hair will be over a period of time with NW. Do you think this is ultimately more maintenance? That's kind of how I felt with WO. Well I will be following you on this thread:)

[serin blackwood]

. . . Do you think this is ultimately more maintenance? That's kind of how I felt with WO.

To be honest, yes. For my entire adult life, all I did was wash my hair once a week, rip a brush through it twice a day, and that was, literally, it!

BUT... as I mentioned, I am also a chronic hair player with'er. So all the time I used to spend twiddling the ends or running my fingers through neurotically, are now put to good use scritching and preening.

If you read back in this thread, frizzonator, who is a long time NW/SO'er claims that you can never do too much s&p'ing, so I am in heaven.*:D

Also, I am determined to have better and longer hair (and I'm also retired so I have lot's of time, lol), so I don't mind. I've been doing lots of other things I didn't used to, like keeping it in braids, combing very, very slowly so as not to break a single hair, etc.

[PrairieRose]

Coming off WO I still do way more preening then I ever did, but it was too hard to handle it with WO. Glad it's working for you:)

[silverjen]

When I transitioned I WO'ed daily. For my hair and scalp it seemed to be a real necessity. It helped to keep the sebum from building up to unbearable levels. Once I was fully transitioned, I washed 3 or 4 times a week, depending on how my hair felt.

[serin blackwood]

In light of all the recent threads on diet and healthy hair, I'm going to start eating coconut oil every day (tried it instead of butter on steamed veggies tonight and oh yeah, I'm hooked :D)

There is also a lot of anecdotal evidence that increasing oils in thier diets leads to increased sebum production in some people, so part of my purpose is to see if I can achieve that...

I'll try about a teaspoon a day. I'm going to give it to my dog as well, although she has short hair (MinPin) and is already incredibly shiny (raw diet and fish oil)!

[LaceyNg]

Yeah, there are so many variables with WO or no poo regimes - it needs so much patience, and if I wasn't desperate to solve my hair issues then I'd have quit by now! I often think longingly of lovely shampoo...!

yeah, i'm in the same boat-- WO is my last hope to help me with my scalp issues!
fortunately, i dont miss my shampoo at all, but i DO miss my shampoo BARS :(


Greetings all you wonderful WOers!

Last night was my first official WO wash and today is interesting. My roots are a little oily but not flat. My length feels sebum-covered but has a lot of fly-aways, it's not static-y though, so that's a plus. I've been no-poo for a few years now (except when I get my hair cut) and I've had some rough patches, wax helmet, o/o, stringy, etc. but I was never committed to one routine, so I'd just try something different. My last fail was a BS wash with aloe vera gel mixed in. It worked for a while, but after reading this whole thread, I will never use BS on my head again (at least not in the amount I was using, yikes!). Honestly I love an always-changing routine, so the WO seems like the thing for me. If my hair is oily, try washing with slightly warmer water. If it's waxy, try oiling the scalp and washing. Respond to each new station and see what works.*
As far as tools go, I have a small, med toothed wooden comb that I just got this week and I love it. I'll still use my plastic comb for wet hair, though (there may be a horn comb somewhere in my future). I have a BBB but in the dry winter it makes my static-pron hair a mess. Also since I have A TON of hair I really have to section it out. So I finger comb mostly throughout the day.*
I have a bad habit of not preening and scritching (I don't really massage) before I wash, so I'd like to change that.*
I've been getting most of my good hair advice from this site for years, but this thread is why I joined. I love reading everyone's experiments and I hope to help with mine in the future!

you know, i think more people should do that period, no matter what their routine is-- we should all pay attention to what our hair really needs from day to day. like you said, that IS easier w/ WO, since WO kind of MANDATES that you pay more attention!

my hair's still got some fly-aways too. i'm hoping that when my hair is 100% sebum-coated that'll be resolved *fingers crossed*


so i've got a question for those who've been doing this for a while: how often do you wash your hair this way?

it's been about a month for me, but i shampoo about 2x a week & the other days WO. i'm just wondering if i should be stretching the times i actually get my hair wet...

like silverjen said, i'm washing daily right now. i've been WO for about a month and a week. in that period i've used ACV once and some jojoba oil and rose water, but nothing else at all.
i figure daily washing should help me hair get coated w/ sebum quicker, and should also help my scalp flakeys calm down? when i went an extra day between WO washes i had a lot more flakeys come back. and my hair seems to be doing really well right now so i'm not too bothered by the daily washes. after i get my scalp more under control and my length all coated with sebum i plan to still comb daily but to only wash once every other day at MOST, ideally every 3 days or so.

[mleung]

thanks for the info! i've been skipping a day of washing here & there & so far it's been ok. maybe after a few more weeks i can stretch it out a bit more!

[PrairieRose]

Oh my goodness! I recently started eating it too. We use it as a cooking oil and replaced most of our butter with it! :)

[88Marisa]

mleung: I washed every day or two the first few weeks when I transitioned, and was able to start stretching that to 4-5 days after awhile. Currently I wash about every 3rd day, although I have been washing more often a lot lately due to sweaty workouts, which honestly is a bit too much, it dries out my ends to wash daily now.

Anyway, I tried something a little different yesterday. I've done this routine long enough that I'm not going to worry about doing it "hardcore" any more. I am pretty comfortable that I know how to manage my hair on this routine now, and I've decided to start tweaking it somewhat. The other night, I used a pea-sized amount of unrefined shea butter and spread it through my ends to help condition the color-damaged ends, which have been feeling dry due to the extra washing lately. I brushed my hair thoroughly to distribute the shea butter, then braided my hair and went to bed. In the morning, my hair felt a lot softer, but still a little too much oil, so I decided to get it wet and plop it and see how the curls turned out. I put a small bit more shea butter in while wet and it seemed the curls were turning out very nice, although maybe a bit too moisturized. I didn't try to wash out the shea butter at all, just got my hair wet with cold water and then styled it.

I couldn't stop playing with my hair and after it dried (I have this problem a lot!) and I started finger combing it out straight. I decided to actually straighten it with heat so I could do some trimming/shaping, and so I ended up rocking the straight hair look for a few hours. In addition to some variety, I was hoping to get a "hot oil" treatment effect out of the shea butter and the heat, and you know, I think maybe it worked! My hair felt very soft and nice.

I did quite a bit of cutting on my hair, although it was mostly to reshape the layers and I only did the very tiniest trim on the bottom layer. I've decided to keep wearing a layered cut until the color damaged ends on the top layer are cut out (the color demarcation line is the worst on these layers), at which point I'll start growing out the layers/maintaining to get a thicker braid and more even hemline (hopefully by then I'll be beyond waist, which is where I plan to stay for a good long while). That said, my hair texture looks great with fairytale/wispy ends, they really enhance the curl. My hair needs layers to get optimally curly and I was feeling pretty frustrated earlier this week with the texture difference, although the shea butter seemed to help with that AND the color difference blended better because the color-damaged parts looked darker with oil in them.

Well of course, after the "hot oil treatment" and the cut, I had to see how my hair looked curly, so I did a quick wash and plopped again, this time without adding any more shea butter to my wet hair. It dried into some of the best curly hair I've EVER had in my life. The haircut helped a lot of course, but the curls themselves were lovely too, very shiny and springy.

It started me thinking a little bit about my routine. I think I'm going to start regularly using shea butter in my hair the night before I wash it. Shea butter is the only thing I use on my face besides aloe any more, and it's stopped 90% of my breakouts (the other 10% are diet related). I also started getting interested in curly hair methods after I got really curly hair after washing with a shea butter conditioner a few years ago. So obviously my hair and skin really respond well to this oil and I'm going to keep experimenting with it, especially since I'm having to wash my hair more often than I'd like lately. I don't want to put off a workout because of my hair routine!

[DoubleCrowned]

so i've got a question for those who've been doing this for a while: how often do you wash your hair this way?

it's been about a month for me, but i shampoo about 2x a week & the other days WO. i'm just wondering if i should be stretching the times i actually get my hair wet...

Perhaps every fours days, but longer with daily spritz-washings.



you know, i think more people should do that period, no matter what their routine is-- we should all pay attention to what our hair really needs from day to day. like you said, that IS easier w/ WO, since WO kind of MANDATES that you pay more attention!


This is so true. No more stepping into the shower and automatically reaching for shampoo and conditioner. I am analyzing my hair every day, deciding on whether to spritz and quit, spritz and mop, wash in cold water, wash in rain water, preen only, brush, powder and wait a day, oil treatment.... But in spite of all the attention and tweaking, there is a freedom I like with WO. It's empowering to know how much I can do for my hair with mostly just water.

[LaceyNg]

thanks for the info! i've been skipping a day of washing here & there & so far it's been ok. maybe after a few more weeks i can stretch it out a bit more!

i'm so envious of your ability to easily stretch washes, mleung!


.... [cliiped]....
Anyway, I tried something a little different yesterday. I've done this routine long enough that I'm not going to worry about doing it "hardcore" any more. I am pretty comfortable that I know how to manage my hair on this routine now, and I've decided to start tweaking it somewhat. The other night, I used a pea-sized amount of unrefined shea butter and spread it through my ends to help condition the color-damaged ends, which have been feeling dry due to the extra washing lately. I brushed my hair thoroughly to distribute the shea butter, then braided my hair and went to bed. In the morning, my hair felt a lot softer, but still a little too much oil, so I decided to get it wet and plop it and see how the curls turned out. I put a small bit more shea butter in while wet and it seemed the curls were turning out very nice, although maybe a bit too moisturized. I didn't try to wash out the shea butter at all, just got my hair wet with cold water and then styled it.
.... [clipped]....
It started me thinking a little bit about my routine. I think I'm going to start regularly using shea butter in my hair the night before I wash it. Shea butter is the only thing I use on my face besides aloe any more, and it's stopped 90% of my breakouts (the other 10% are diet related). I also started getting interested in curly hair methods after I got really curly hair after washing with a shea butter conditioner a few years ago. So obviously my hair and skin really respond well to this oil and I'm going to keep experimenting with it, especially since I'm having to wash my hair more often than I'd like lately. I don't want to put off a workout because of my hair routine!

very interesting! what brand of shea butter do you use? perhaps you could link us to the product page so we can get a good look at it?

also, i have a question for you, as a 3a-- do you comb your hair dry? i scritch with a fine tooth comb and comb to the ends to distribute the sebum. i had braid waves the other day and it made it sooooo much more difficult! so i was just wondering how combing goes for your curlies :)


Perhaps every fours days, but longer with daily spritz-washings.


This is so true. No more stepping into the shower and automatically reaching for shampoo and conditioner. I am analyzing my hair every day, deciding on whether to spritz and quit, spritz and mop, wash in cold water, wash in rain water, preen only, brush, powder and wait a day, oil treatment.... But in spite of all the attention and tweaking, there is a freedom I like with WO. It's empowering to know how much I can do for my hair with mostly just water.

i hear ya! on the 1 hand i am kinda proud that i can truely know what my own hair needs (for the most part, at least), but on the other hand i'm embarrassed that it took me soooo long to pay attention to my hair! i think of all those YEARS that i used chemical dyes and straigghtened daily and wondered why my hair was in terrible condition.... :doh:

[DoubleCrowned]

...
i hear ya! on the 1 hand i am kinda proud that i can truely know what my own hair needs (for the most part, at least), but on the other hand i'm embarrassed that it took me soooo long to pay attention to my hair! i think of all those YEARS that i used chemical dyes and straigghtened daily and wondered why my hair was in terrible condition.... :doh:

Goodness! Don't be embarrassed! When I was a teen, learning about fashion, make-up, and hair care from magazines, the gurus said that hair was dead and promoted treating it just like fabric. Conditioners at that time were formulated almost the same as fabric softener. The shampoo my mother bought for the family was so harsh that the bubbles turned the color of my hair---my virgin hair, actually being stripped of cells. If hair was too thin, dying and perms were the recommendation. At the time, the fashion was short hair, so the results of these abuses were cut away in several months. Few people even noticed that they were ruining their hair. With ideas like that being so common and so recent, it is remarkable that any of us have questioned the notion and explored unconventional hair care.

I think those of us who are paying attention to our hair are going to learn more and more how it responds to diet, pollution, stress, illness, and weather; perhaps even using its condition as a warning system to keep ourselves healthier.

[Bedhead]

Hello Everyone!

I've been lurking for two years on this site. :popcorn: And in fact, when I first saw this thread, I was thinking "whoa, that's going a bit too far for me." Of course, at the time, I had just begun my non-sls adventure. I moved to a new neighbourhood, my hormones changed, I was getting mats, my hair was yellowing, I was loosing hundreds of hairs in the shower, and I had a patch of hair that looked like I used sandpaper on it. So going from S&C to a bar, to sap based non-shampoo, I went WO last April, but as winter came and I still had that yellow tinge to my hair and got the waxies again, I switched to my brita filter water, which allowed me to stretch out my washings to every ten days. Finally, my hair became silky smooth again, and hair started to sprout up all over the place! And I was beginning to dread washing day. The one thing I wasn't happy with was the hair cleavage I got from WO. That's when I was lurking again and saw Frizzinator's comment about how her hair cleavage went away on SO.

So, here I am, two and a half weeks in and I have no tangles, my hair isn't exactly sebumy but it looks like I was sweating a bit. My red is coming back, the yellow tinge is leaving (something I noticed after the first week and a half of heavy preening - I didn't preen much on WO). Unfortnately, the lovely curl I had on WO is more of a limp wave at the moment, but I have hope for more. After a week and a half, before I improved my preening technique, the dry sanded patch returned with vengence. As it is now, I've been able to smooth it out like never before. And the cleavage is lessening!

The only real negative I'm experiencing is scalp ache just above the crown, but I know from my revious transitions, that will pass as I scritch and massage each day.

So no serin blackwood, you are definitely not alone! :bottomsup:

And thanks to everyone, especially frizzinator who contrbuted to this immense amount of collected wisdom! :smooch:

[serin blackwood]

Yay! And welcome!

Interesting about the cleavage, I have it as well and it seems to be dissapearing which I attribute to my hair feeling and looking thicker. My hair is wavier than it used to be as well, but a lot of that might be from braiding.*
By all accounts curls seem to dissappear when coated with sebum. But it also seems that everyone reacts differently to the process.

I wish frizzonator would come back and share her wisdom, but it's been mentioned oft times in this thread that on NW/SO a person runs out of things to talk about, lol. Maybe you agree with me that as newbies we beg to dissagree! I seem to have lot's going on that I would love to have support and discussion on.*

Anyway, if we keep the thread alive, more may join and some of the oldtimers may be enticed back :toast:

[proo]

I'm not NW/SO, but almost - I WO wash once every 2 weeks, so enjoy lots of sebum. My curly canope would love it, but my straight underneath layers looks horrid if I don't at least rinse it: dark, dull and stringy.
Anyhow, just givin y'all the thumbs up - I love checking this thread!

[88Marisa]

very interesting! what brand of shea butter do you use? perhaps you could link us to the product page so we can get a good look at it?

also, i have a question for you, as a 3a-- do you comb your hair dry? i scritch with a fine tooth comb and comb to the ends to distribute the sebum. i had braid waves the other day and it made it sooooo much more difficult! so i was just wondering how combing goes for your curlies :)




I buy Alaffia unrefined shea butter. Here's a link to their online store (http://alaffia.com/store/pc/Handcrafted-Shea-Butter-c3.htm), although I can get it cheaper locally. It's certainly possible to get unrefined shea butter elsewhere for less, but I don't go through it very fast and the jar is a convenient size, plus I think they have a very admirable business model that I want to support.

I actually don't wear my hair curly that much. My curls loosen very rapidly, even with product in them, so it's rare that I'll wear my hair curly for more than a few hours before putting it back or brushing it out into waves. I brush my hair dry all the time with a bristle boar brush, which has a smoothing effect. I'm not very prone to tangles, and I'm not rough. I have gotten a lot fewer split ends since starting this routine, even though I've been brushing my hair a lot more to help spread my natural sebum further down.

[Bedhead]

Yay! And welcome!

Interesting about the cleavage, I have it as well and it seems to be dissapearing which I attribute to my hair feeling and looking thicker. My hair is wavier than it used to be as well, but a lot of that might be from braiding.*
By all accounts curls seem to disappear when coated with sebum. But it also seems that everyone reacts differently to the process.

I wish frizzonator would come back and share her wisdom, but it's been mentioned oft times in this thread that on NW/SO a person runs out of things to talk about, lol. Maybe you agree with me that as newbies we beg to dissagree! I seem to have lot's going on that I would love to have support and discussion on.*

Anyway, if we keep the thread alive, more may join and some of the oldtimers may be enticed back :toast:

The oldtimers have shared their wisdom, but I'm sure if they see us doing something terribly wrong someone will need to pop in and ask us what we think we're doing. lol! So let your questions out. Who knows? embee or I or someone lurking might know the answers. Be not afraid Serin. ;-)

In any case, the knowledge is here, and I too thought it would be interesting to communicate with someone starting around the same time as me. It was one of the reasons I actually signed up to LHC.

I have to admit, I was looking at pics I've taken throughout my two year process, and the last pic, where my hair was soft and spiralling (first day after wash) on WO made me question why I'm doing this. My hair is like it was 3 months into WO. I'm just wondering if the thicker feeling is going to go away, and I'll feel that safter silkiness more readily like I did with WO, and if so how long will it take? Luckily I am seeing some benefits to SO already, so it gives me patience, AND can you imagine going anywhere, camping, to another country, to a friend's, and not have to worry about the water having a bad effect on your hair? How awesome is that?

I have combined all the little nick knack info here on preening. It works and it works fast and thoroughly. The first night I did this it took me a full hour, the next night, 45 minutes, and the next 30. In the mornings I can preen in less than 10 minutes (closer to 5) and get my damaged hairs smooth as silk. Here's what I do:

My understanding of SMP: I have a long hair clip handy to hold back the hair I've already preened. Then I scritch with the back side of my nails, until it stops having that satisfying feeling, then switch to massage (you'll feel sebum spreading from more sebumy areas to the dryer ones). The two together takes me about 7 to 10 minutes.

Finally, I start the preening. For this, starting at the back (my most dry area), I take about a 11/2 square length. With one hand I stroke lightly right from the root all the way down to the end. Immediately, I take the other hand and with my fingers together, and my thumb on the opposite side of the length, I start from almost all the way up, depending on the section, and 'milk' my hair length all the way down. By milking I mean kind of squeezing and rubbing the thumb against through and against the hair against my fingers on the other side, moving my way down the length. I then stroke the full length again, and then the next milking. I do this until I feel absolutely no grit in my hair whatsoever, then move onto the next section. I was really surprised when the most damaged hair actually got silky, but they did! :-O In the mornings, I can take much larger sections and do the same thing, and it takes minimal effort due to the evening's effort the night before.

So that's my tid bit to share. I never saw anyone give a full description of what they did or felt while preening, so I thought I'd outline my version. I hope this helps someone out there. :o

Good to hear about your hair cleavage. That gives me hope!

And please, anyone who has an ah ha moment, please do share!!!



I'm not NW/SO, but almost - I WO wash once every 2 weeks, so enjoy lots of sebum. My curly canope would love it, but my straight underneath layers looks horrid if I don't at least rinse it: dark, dull and stringy.
Anyhow, just givin y'all the thumbs up - I love checking this thread!

This underneath layer dull stringy thing actually does go away, at least it did once I stopped using hard water, but because of that it me took almost 8 months. I'm sure it would have happened faster had I used my brita filter sooner. However, the one thing that didn't go away was the cleavage. Maybe I didn't give it enough time, who knows? But it has certainly shrunk in the last couple weeks on SO. If you're ever interested, you know where to find us... :cheese:

[mleung]

i'm so envious of your ability to easily stretch washes, mleung!


well, everyone's hair is different & i'm really only just a beginner with the W/O washes.

i'm sure your hair does things mine will never be capable of doing. :) to thine own hair be true!! :D

[JessL]

I've been WO for about 4 months now. I usually end up washing every 3 or 4 days. If I do it too soon my ends get dry and frizzy. Also I notice that my hair gets cleaner if it starts out a little dirtier. I found an artical a while back that mentions that the tri-glicerides in seabum react to form glycerin which is a surfactant so that seems to explain how my hair gets cleaner if I start off with more seabum on it.

[PrairieRose]

Hi everyone:waving:Miss everyone! I moved on to CWC, the funny thing is, is that on WO I had trouble wearing my hair down. CWC helped my hair look much better when it's down, but I am having a hard time wearing it up! CRAZY:crazyq:So I recently washed it WO! I do love washing it WO! So for now I think I am going to try CWC with some WO in between. See how that goes, maybe I can keep stretching it further. Hope you are all well:grin:

[Bedhead]

I don't mean to bombard you all with my posts, but my food seems to be coming out of my head. I had some trout two nights ago for dinner and when I let my hair down last night I got a bit worried because my hair has smelt like trout since then, and my fingers smell like trout from all the smping. If it was mild I wouldn't mind but it's like it's sour in a way. I preened extra long tonight, definitely more than last night. I hope the smell will go away! And I hope no one else can smell it.:poot:

[serin blackwood]

I don't mean to bombard you all with my posts, but my food seems to be coming out of my head. I had some trout two nights ago for dinner and when I let my hair down last night I got a bit worried because my hair has smelt like trout since then, and my fingers smell like trout from all the smping. If it was mild I wouldn't mind but it's like it's sour in a way. I preened extra long tonight, definitely more than last night. I hope the smell will go away! And I hope no one else can smell it.:poot:

When I was deciding to quit using water altogether I was in the middle of a camping trip (smoky campfires). I kept thinking, when I get home I'm going to have to wash one more time to get the lingering odors out. But by the time I did get home, oh, a week later, I had preened all the smells out!
I'm going to try to be careful about wearing scarves and hats in the future when around odors, though. For instance starting in March, for six weeks, I work with DH in a fish cannery, taking statistics on herring for the goverment Dept. of Fisheries. It reeks of fish there so that will be interesting... :rolleyes:

[serin blackwood]

I never saw anyone give a full description of what they did or felt while preening, so I thought I'd outline my version. I hope this helps someone out there. :o
:

Wow, I am not nearly that methodical. I just scritch randomly all over my scalp, and fingercomb down the length over and over. I sometimes do this for upwards of two hours while watching TV in the evenings! If I find an oily area on my scalp, which is rarely, I'll rub my fingertips there and then preen it right onto my dry ends.
I do this twice a day, sometimes three, just 'cause it feels good. I'll also flip my hair over in the mornings and scitch and fingercomb upside down so any dust or flakes or whatever will fall out easier.

[serin blackwood]

My mini milestone ... today is 30 days of no water. I'm very happy so far, my hair looks and feels like I just washed it two days ago. In fact it feels better, which is the whole point of the exercise!

[Bedhead]

When I was deciding to quit using water altogether I was in the middle of a camping trip (smoky campfires). I kept thinking, when I get home I'm going to have to wash one more time to get the lingering odors out. But by the time I did get home, oh, a week later, I had preened all the smells out!
I'm going to try to be careful about wearing scarves and hats in the future when around odors, though. For instance starting in March, for six weeks, I work with DH in a fish cannery, taking statistics on herring for the goverment Dept. of Fisheries. It reeks of fish there so that will be interesting... :rolleyes:

I was wondering if there was a difference between if the sent was from and internal or external source, but I guess not. I have a feeling the smell will be gone by tomorrow. As it is now, I'm not sure it I would notice it if I didn't already know it was there.



Wow, I am not nearly that methodical. I just scritch randomly all over my scalp, and fingercomb down the length over and over. I sometimes do this for upwards of two hours while watching TV in the evenings! If I find an oily area on my scalp, which is rarely, I'll rub my fingertips there and then preen it right onto my dry ends.
I do this twice a day, sometimes three, just 'cause it feels good. I'll also flip my hair over in the mornings and scitch and fingercomb upside down so any dust or flakes or whatever will fall out easier.

If only I was a hair twirler, but alas, I have to force myself to do something that I've trained myself not to do i.e. touch my hair. So, to twirl for 2 hours seems daunting to me.


My mini milestone ... today is 30 days of no water. I'm very happy so far, my hair looks and feels like I just washed it two days ago. In fact it feels better, which is the whole point of the exercise!

Congratulations!!! :cheers: That's so exciting!!! Of course all the lurkers and I want to know if you feel okay wearing your hair down at this point, so, do you?

I'd like to say, my hair is getting softer again, and my head cleavage is actually dissipating (I think)! :p

[PrairieRose]

My mini milestone ... today is 30 days of no water. I'm very happy so far, my hair looks and feels like I just washed it two days ago. In fact it feels better, which is the whole point of the exercise!
congratulations! That is a big accomplishment! :cheese:

[LaceyNg]

Goodness! Don't be embarrassed! When I was a teen, learning about fashion, make-up, and hair care from magazines, the gurus said that hair was dead and promoted treating it just like fabric. Conditioners at that time were formulated almost the same as fabric softener. The shampoo my mother bought for the family was so harsh that the bubbles turned the color of my hair---my virgin hair, actually being stripped of cells. If hair was too thin, dying and perms were the recommendation. At the time, the fashion was short hair, so the results of these abuses were cut away in several months. Few people even noticed that they were ruining their hair. With ideas like that being so common and so recent, it is remarkable that any of us have questioned the notion and explored unconventional hair care.

I think those of us who are paying attention to our hair are going to learn more and more how it responds to diet, pollution, stress, illness, and weather; perhaps even using its condition as a warning system to keep ourselves healthier.

you have a very good point! and thanks, i feel better about my prior... waywardness....?

you're so right though- i think in general the ppl on LHC would notice first any health issues that affected their hair!


I buy Alaffia unrefined shea butter. Here's a link to their online store (http://alaffia.com/store/pc/Handcrafted-Shea-Butter-c3.htm), although I can get it cheaper locally. It's certainly possible to get unrefined shea butter elsewhere for less, but I don't go through it very fast and the jar is a convenient size, plus I think they have a very admirable business model that I want to support.

I actually don't wear my hair curly that much. My curls loosen very rapidly, even with product in them, so it's rare that I'll wear my hair curly for more than a few hours before putting it back or brushing it out into waves. I brush my hair dry all the time with a bristle boar brush, which has a smoothing effect. I'm not very prone to tangles, and I'm not rough. I have gotten a lot fewer split ends since starting this routine, even though I've been brushing my hair a lot more to help spread my natural sebum further down.

thanks so much for the link and info! i have a curly-haired friend i'll be passing the info along to :)


well, everyone's hair is different & i'm really only just a beginner with the W/O washes.

i'm sure your hair does things mine will never be capable of doing. :) to thine own hair be true!! :D

*fist bump* :p


I've been WO for about 4 months now. I usually end up washing every 3 or 4 days. If I do it too soon my ends get dry and frizzy. Also I notice that my hair gets cleaner if it starts out a little dirtier. I found an artical a while back that mentions that the tri-glicerides in seabum react to form glycerin which is a surfactant so that seems to explain how my hair gets cleaner if I start off with more seabum on it.

thats a really interesting bit of info! thanks for sharing!


Hi everyone:waving:Miss everyone! I moved on to CWC, the funny thing is, is that on WO I had trouble wearing my hair down. CWC helped my hair look much better when it's down, but I am having a hard time wearing it up! CRAZY:crazyq:So I recently washed it WO! I do love washing it WO! So for now I think I am going to try CWC with some WO in between. See how that goes, maybe I can keep stretching it further. Hope you are all well:grin:

*lures you back to WO with a cookie* :D

[serin blackwood]

Congratulations!!! :cheers: That's so exciting!!! Of course all the lurkers and I want to know if you feel okay wearing your hair down at this point, so, do you?

I actually hate wearing my hair up, I always have. So since joining LHC in my new effort to get my hair to grow longer, I have been keeping it in braids to protect the ends from rubbing on clothes (hoodie sweatshirts, jackets etc.).
But if I am going where I will be around people, I unbraid! It looks great down!

I'm serious when I say it looks newly washed. My scalp seems like it is producing, like, zero sebum. I've increased my oil consumption to see if that stimulates some. It's sort of a mixed blessing, I guess, as opposed to battling the greasy look, but I may have to keep oiling my dry ends.
On the other hand, is this one of the ultimate goals of NW/SO? To get your scalp adjusted to the point where mine is already at?



congratulations! That is a big accomplishment! :cheese:
Thanks! And thanks for all the cheerful support :blossom:

[Flittingsis]

well, everyone's hair is different & i'm really only just a beginner with the W/O washes.

i'm sure your hair does things mine will never be capable of doing. :) to thine own hair be true!! :D

So true!! Love that quote... ;)

[Flittingsis]

Update time! :D
I've been sick with a cold for the past few days. Laying in bed, sleeping most of the time with my hair French braided and under a cashmere, knit hat. Today I had to go to work so I pulled my hair out and it's not too bad. I did some scritching the other night, but I wasn't really paying attention, and I can tell I need to do more. The first few inches of hair are thick with sebum so I did a quick spritz wash and combed a bit with my wooden comb. If I had had more time this would have worked, I think, but I didn't and it's still pretty thick at the roots. I think what I'll do this evening is actually do a mermaid wash. That way I don't waste water or energy in the shower and I can take my time cleaning my scalp. 
Last weekend I only powdered my hair on Friday night, brushed it out Saturday and it was fine until Tuesday when I WO washed. But with not working with it at all for the past few days there's a lot of (natural) build-up that I'll need to work out.  
I also started doing the OCM (oil cleansing method) recently, and my face definitely missed that while I was sick. The OCM seems to really help with my (recently diagnosed) eczema, which I'm thankful for b/c I really hated using pharmaceuticals that only lasted a few days. 

Here's to feeling better and getting back to playing with my hair!

[lunardaydreamer]

Flittingsis, I hope you feel better :)!

I am interested in trying the WO method! My hair is so dry on the ends from bleach damage, but I get very, very oily at the scalp. I'm going to give it a try!

My boyfriend hasn't washed his hair (it's short and curly) with anything but water in almost 8 years I think, and it's gorgeous! I want some of that ha!

[GreenGirl44]

It's good to see some activity here on the NW/SO Thread.

I'm returning to TLHC after a loooong hiatus. And I was never very active here, as my post count shows... I'm more of a reader/listener than a poster/talker.

Anyway, I fell into NW/SO after my baking soda/vinegar routine stopped working for me, and my blowfrying once a week seemed too harsh, and I just wanted my hair to look great naturally without stuff in it. So I started my WO journey and very quickly figured out that I HATED getting it wet! So I started working toward NW/SO instead. But I was lazy... and my NW/SO turned into just pulling up a tangled mess into a bun or detangling just enough to manage three sections for a braid... not pretty. My poor hair...

So I've returned to TLHC in search inspiration for a good daily hair care routine. I was so happy to read the description of the scritching and preening! My hair is already braided for the night, but I'm excited to try it! I never seem to have the time or energy to do the s&p that I KNOW is so important. But I'm hoping to establish the routine and then just do it automatically.

And I know I've read about this before, but I thought I'd ask anyway...

What about sweaty workouts and swimming? Does the sweat just get taken care of by the scritching and preening? And for swimming I'm supposed to wear a swim cap to protect it, right? I don't see that happening... I was in the pool once a week with my son for his swimming lessons, but now it's been awhile. I guess I'm answering my own question, but I'd probably just have to find a different hair care method if I won't keep my hair from getting wet. Hard to be "no-water" with a wet head... Oh well, we'll see if we start frequenting the pool again any time soon.

[Flittingsis]

Thanks lunardaydreamer! I'm getting there.

I say give WO a try, but take it slow and don't be too hard on yourself if you have to use crutches (as DoubleCrowned calls them) like cornstarch or oil. The sprits washes at the roots seem to work well for me, too. They help spread the sebum away from the scalp without drying the length out with a WO wash.

Best of luck!

[lunardaydreamer]

Thank you so much!

I'm so new to really taking care of my hair, are "dry shampoos" frowned upon? I can't imagine them being that great. Would it be okay to use baby powder in place of cornstarch?

[serin blackwood]

Hi Lunar,
I'm NW (no water) and have used "dry shampoo" and I'm not calling it cheating!
BUT I think there are good and bad to look for. I will only use powders that are talc free as I've read that talc can be to harsh for hair, and nothing commercial, some have alcohols etc.
Check out the thread on using cocoa powder and here is a link:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=140177&postcount=6

for one that I am currently experimenting with. I like the fact that there are oils in with the powders as opposed to, say, straight cornstarch. I feel that these add some slip and conditioning, making the powder easier to brush out and contributing antibacterial properties from the EO's used.
Cheers,
Serin

[serin blackwood]

Hi Green Girl, and welcome to the thread!
I think if you read through the posts you will see that without s&p you are simply not washing your hair. S&P is essential for the method to work. It IS the way that the hair and scalp are cleaned and certain amounts of time need to be applied to the procedure.

Personally, I have the sense that my scalp is cleaner than ever from all the scritching I do! Cleaner than just shampooing with water. I'm pretty confidant that my follicles are not clogged in any way, and are stonger ( I have way less shedding), and that i am removing any and all dead skin, flakes, lint and dust everyday, more aggressively than water ever could.

As for sweating and swimming, I don't have the answers. I don't sweat much in general and I've never noticed sweat on my head per say and I don't swim (I'll sit in a hottub, though!). But if I did, I would just suffer with the swim cap no matter what regime I was on to protect my hair from chlorine...

Good luck with whatever routine you decide on!
Cheers,
Serin

[Bedhead]

Hi Everyone!

I've been meaning to drop in here to let you know what worked for me and what didn't. I was WO for over 9 months before going NW/SO three and a half weeks ago, and by that time, My hair was soft, silky, and healthy looking again, I even had my lovely curls back!

I tried everything a lot of you are trying, but as you know, not everyone's hair responds the same way to the same treatment. For instance, I can not put any vinegar, ACV nor white, on my hair, the least tiny bit fries my hair to the point where it looks like yellow hay (I have auburn hair). Coconut oil on my ends did the same thing, only not as bad.

This is what did work for me:

I scritched well before I washed. I never used hot or even warm water on my hair, that only resulted in the waxies coming to haunt me. I never rubbed my lengths, only massaging my scalp, and before the final rinse, I pressed in 5 drops of jojoba oil into my ends, pressing my hands together with my hair between them like i was praying sideways. The final rinse lasted only a mere 10 seconds, and then I was done! The entire wash was done with my head upside down, facing the water. I then plopped for 10 or 15 minutes, and let my hair dry on its own.

I didn't touch my hair until it was dry, but what that meant was, I found the hair near my scalp dried the fastest, so while I waited for the rest of my hair to dry, I fingered the inch and a half that was dry, helping it to not stay plastered to my head, which allowed air, which resulted in my scalp breathing, which resulted in less sebumness. ;) Finally, when all was dry, I finger combed my hair and let all my curls swirl happily around my head.

After the 4th day (in order to have a few days of curls) when my hair started to show some sebum I brushed with a BBB every night before bed, nice and slow and right to the ends and built up to the infamous 100 strokes. The same happened 3 or 4 days later. I found out when my hair got sebumy, if I bbb'd or smp'd my hair was fine the next day. This allowed me to spread out my washings to 10 days. So, I had 4 days curly and 6 wavy. If I had any waxies I rubbed my scalp with coconut oil and left it on for about 5 to 15 minutes before I stepped into the shower, and that worked splendidly.

The one thing that stretched out my transition period was my water. Like I said, I had tried EVERYthing, and my hair was doing well on the above regiment, except the waxies came back with a vengeance in October. I put two and two together, and looked up my city's hard water level, and found it was one of the hardest waters in the country! OH my! :bigeyes: :brickwall: Not only that, but water tends to get harder in the winter, which is what gave me the clue in the first place. That's when I turned around and looked at my Brita, and thought, "It's worth a shot!"

So I filtered two full juice jugs of water and bent over my tub, pouring then massaging, pouring then massaging. I used about a quarter to a third of the jugs for each pour. When the very last 3rd of water was left, I did my jojoba oil pressing then poured away.... My hair was like never before, even on S&C, so soft, so silky. I was in heaven!

So yes, before you begin this, or if you've been struggling where it seems others aren't, check your hard water levels, it'll save you a lot of time and energy.

I hope this helps some of you, beginners or not! Just know this! It is doable, and it is so worth the time and effort!

Bonne Chance! :cheese:

P.S. Thank you to all who wrote in this thread. It was this thread that I was reading when I lurked or for so long, and it's the knowledge in this thread that helped me do what I once thought not only impossible, but a little out there. :p

[lunardaydreamer]

Hi Lunar,
I'm NW (no water) and have used "dry shampoo" and I'm not calling it cheating!
BUT I think there are good and bad to look for. I will only use powders that are talc free as I've read that talc can be to harsh for hair, and nothing commercial, some have alcohols etc.
Check out the thread on using cocoa powder and here is a link:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=140177&postcount=6

for one that I am currently experimenting with. I like the fact that there are oils in with the powders as opposed to, say, straight cornstarch. I feel that these add some slip and conditioning, making the powder easier to brush out and contributing antibacterial properties from the EO's used.
Cheers,
Serin

That's a great point about talc, thank you so much for the advice Serin :)

[terylenerose]

I'd like to try WO again, and I would like to try my all natural hairspray to hide any greasiness or smell when I do. Has anyone tried this?

[Bedhead]

I actually hate wearing my hair up, I always have. So since joining LHC in my new effort to get my hair to grow longer, I have been keeping it in braids to protect the ends from rubbing on clothes (hoodie sweatshirts, jackets etc.).
But if I am going where I will be around people, I unbraid! It looks great down!

I'm serious when I say it looks newly washed. My scalp seems like it is producing, like, zero sebum. I've increased my oil consumption to see if that stimulates some. It's sort of a mixed blessing, I guess, as opposed to battling the greasy look, but I may have to keep oiling my dry ends.
On the other hand, is this one of the ultimate goals of NW/SO? To get your scalp adjusted to the point where mine is already at?



Thanks! And thanks for all the cheerful support :blossom:


That's great that you can wear it down. I seem to be the opposite at this point, wearing my hair down when alone (feels like my hair needs to breathe some days) and up when I'm going out to see people, or to protect it from the elements.

As for your dryness... Don't you use a powder of some sort? maybe you need to use it less often?


I guess I'm answering my own question, but I'd probably just have to find a different hair care method if I won't keep my hair from getting wet.

It doesn't have to as cut and dry as that (no pun intended :P). If you read, Embee is a seasonal NW'er so she can go on vacation in the summer and swim, in which time she goes WO. It's more about what works for you and your life. There's no should's here.

It would be nice to have another working her way through with us! :)

And from what I've read, you can simply smp the sweat out, or use a bbb, and it ill clean it out.

And as Serin says, my scalp is pretty amazing with all the scritching.

[Bedhead]

So I was explaining to a friend last night how NW/SO works, and went into the details of SMP and what it all entails. She was a little confused, so I said, "Would you like me to show you?" And so there I was cleaning my hair in front of a friend (I didn't do it all, just enough to get the point across). After a few seconds processing it all, she looked at me and asked, "So how do you wash your hair?" and I answered her with, "You just saw me wash my hair. " I could just see the computing going on in her head, before she accepted the simplicity and the lack of product of it all.

Anyway, I told her about the trout, and after laughing at me smelt my hair for me. There was still a scent, but not too bad, so I think internal sources of smell just take longer to get out completely. I also had her check my hair under my canopy, so she could see my hair cleavage, and she claimed it looked normal to her, albiet still a bit of cleavage, but no hairs sebumly sticking to my head.

Today was just a bit better, and so I have hope that by my first month completion not only will I no longer smell like trout, but I too will be able to wear my hair down without worry.

In preening, something was different too tonight. For the most part, my lengths were smooth and silky before I even began, but it was the roots that felt a little rough around the edges, which of course was smoothed by a little preening. Once done, my roots looked lighter in colour than before, so the red looked less brown and more red and more like my lengths.

So all in all, it's looking good! :p

[GreenGirl44]

Hi Green Girl, and welcome to the thread!
I think if you read through the posts you will see that without s&p you are simply not washing your hair. S&P is essential for the method to work. It IS the way that the hair and scalp are cleaned and certain amounts of time need to be applied to the procedure.


I know! I love the IDEA of nw/so soooo much, and it just makes so much sense. Why should I wash off all the natural oils just to put synthetic or even natural but not my own oils back on it? And that's what has made me "stick with it" even though my nw method has been just ignoring it. Which I know isn't good! So I'm hoping to get into a routine.

And I'm amazed by your wearing it down... I throw my hair up when ANYone is going to see me, even my husband, and most certainly when I go out. Of course, it doesn't help that my hair has been completely unpresentable. If I can wear my hair down on NW/SO, I will be sooo happy!

[serin blackwood]

I guess I don't see the point of any hair regime that doesn't leave your hair looking nice enough (in your own eyes) to wear how you want it.

That's why I am not committing to Sebum Only hair, just No Water. I will oil ends when they are dry and I will powder length if it's too greasy.

I have experimented with a powder once so far, as bedhead mentioned. I over-oiled my length and tried using the powder to remove the oil. I didn't use it on my scalp, so as not to set it back. I really liked the result, my hair looked and felt soft, clean and refreshed, but certainly reduced the sebum content. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't need to do this for at least another month...

So I think that will be my planned regime. In the meantime, I'm trying out powder recipes on my niece, I think powders with high oil content will work better (just a theory), so I'm testing combinations of nut meals like almond, coco powder, and EO's mixed in. I also ordered some powdered Aloe Vera and Silk protein powder to try.

IMO going NW doesn't mean you can't have fun with hair stuff!

[PrairieRose]

I guess I don't see the point of any hair regime that doesn't leave your hair looking nice enough (in your own eyes) to wear how you want it.

That's why I am not committing to Sebum Only hair, just No Water. I will oil ends when they are dry and I will powder length if it's too greasy.

I have experimented with a powder once so far, as bedhead mentioned. I over-oiled my length and tried using the powder to remove the oil. I didn't use it on my scalp, so as not to set it back. I really liked the result, my hair looked and felt soft, clean and refreshed, but certainly reduced the sebum content. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't need to do this for at least another month...

So I think that will be my planned regime. In the meantime, I'm trying out powder recipes on my niece, I think powders with high oil content will work better (just a theory), so I'm testing combinations of nut meals like almond, coco powder, and EO's mixed in. I also ordered some powdered Aloe Vera and Silk protein powder to try.

IMO going NW doesn't mean you can't have fun with hair stuff!
I agree with you about doing something that leaves you feeling good about your hair. That's why I ended up leaving WO. My hair was constantly stringy! Recently I did a mud detox on my hair and now I seem to be able to stretch it longer without the greasies (not as bad anyhow). I wonder where this will lead me?:hmm:
Very interesting about all your powders you are getting into. I never thought about that. I will be interested to see your results with the different powders.:)

[serin blackwood]

Very interesting about all your powders you are getting into. I never thought about that. I will be interested to see your results with the different powders.:)

When I gain some more experience, maybe I'll start an "Official Dry Shampoo Thread" :cheese: I don't think one exists yet, so I will be a pioneer of a new method, whoo hoo!

[proo]

It's now been 2 1/2 weeks SO and, well, my hair really doesn't need a water wash.
I'm 53, so not a ton of sebum to deal with; lately I've been doing a moisturizing treatment by preening well, putting it up in a crown braid close to the scalp, spritzing with distilled water, then covering with a silky scarf till dry. Much more shine and "swinginess".
I'm stepping out and saying I now have zero rough patches on the length or roots; scalp perfectly calm and clean, minimal cleavage (unless I fail to preen).
Gonna ride this out for awhile, see how it goes.

[serin blackwood]

proo, congrats on the mini milestone! It's nice that a few of us Have started fairly recently and can add comments and support along the way :D

[Bedhead]

Good news! The smell is finally gone!!! :D :o


I guess I don't see the point of any hair regime that doesn't leave your hair looking nice enough (in your own eyes) to wear how you want it.

That's why I am not committing to Sebum Only hair, just No Water. I will oil ends when they are dry and I will powder length if it's too greasy.

I have experimented with a powder once so far, as bedhead mentioned. I over-oiled my length and tried using the powder to remove the oil. I didn't use it on my scalp, so as not to set it back. I really liked the result, my hair looked and felt soft, clean and refreshed, but certainly reduced the sebum content. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't need to do this for at least another month...

So I think that will be my planned regime. In the meantime, I'm trying out powder recipes on my niece, I think powders with high oil content will work better (just a theory), so I'm testing combinations of nut meals like almond, coco powder, and EO's mixed in. I also ordered some powdered Aloe Vera and Silk protein powder to try.

IMO going NW doesn't mean you can't have fun with hair stuff!

Yeah, I never PLANNED on going hardcore NW/SO, but as time has passed, I keep wanting to see the marvels of what our own body's natural conditioner can do. So far, my once dry ends are hydrated again! Yay! Now hopefully the sebum production will slow. If not, I will certainly consider your powders. I also have in the back of my mind about the people who oiled or rinsed, ending up quitting. So I'm staying away from the wonderful jojoba oil I have for now, other than for my feet. I'll stay open, letting what I'm doing transpire and listening to what my hair says. Also, I am not going to live in fear, hiding from the rain and I'm certainly not going to let this stop me from having fun in my life i.e. if there happens to be a lake in front of me and a dock to run and jump off, I'm there! If I haven't made it quite yet and I have somewhere important to go, I'll try the powders. And of course, if I ever crave curls, I just might spritz my hair with water, or if need be, dunk my head in bucket to get them.

To appease my ingrained need for scents and playing with products, I'm distracting myself by playing with making my own products for other body parts, like deodorant, make-up and teeth cleansers. I also found a nice eau de toilette that I think suits me for those days I need to smell "pretty". On top of that, I'm learning about braids and buns, and received quite a few wonderful hairsticks to play with for Christmas!


It's now been 2 1/2 weeks SO and, well, my hair really doesn't need a water wash.
I'm 53, so not a ton of sebum to deal with; lately I've been doing a moisturizing treatment by preening well, putting it up in a crown braid close to the scalp, spritzing with distilled water, then covering with a silky scarf till dry. Much more shine and "swinginess".
I'm stepping out and saying I now have zero rough patches on the length or roots; scalp perfectly calm and clean, minimal cleavage (unless I fail to preen).
Gonna ride this out for awhile, see how it goes.

That's great proo! I'm going to have to find out what a crown braid is. I'm needing a little more "swinginess" myself! :)

[proo]

I use big sections for the crown braid so the wave I end up with is loose.
I prefer this do as opposed to a bun because of the waves and the way it tucks alot of hair up close to the scalp, including the ends.

[Bedhead]

Um, yep, Proo, I don't think the crown braid is going to happen for a while, not successfully anyway. I just did my very first successful French braid only about a month and a half ago. I'll try though. I'd think that would be awesome to sleep in after an evening of preening, don't cha think?

On another note, I think some of my curl is coming back! It's far from spiraling, but it's more than a wave, which I could more than happily live with.

I took a picture of the top of my head. It's not totally nasty, but it does look more sebumy than it feels i.e. it's looking a bit on the damp side. This has been a new thing over the past few days - the first few weeks my hair just seemed almost normal, so I'm suspecting it's officially going through the transition now. This means I won't be wearing my hair down on Friday (4th week), so patience will be mine. Of course I can always just wear a toque since my lengths look fabulous! :cool:

I'm wondering about my hair type now. It appears to be more on the Corse side (I can feel the hairs just by touching them). The thickness looks more like what I see on some carrot tops. Is this a temporary thing as I transition or will this remain as I maintain the SO regiment?

[LaceyNg]

Hi Everyone!

I've been meaning to drop in here to let you know what worked for me and what didn't. I was WO for over 9 months before going NW/SO three and a half weeks ago, and by that time, My hair was soft, silky, and healthy looking again, I even had my lovely curls back!

I tried everything a lot of you are trying, but as you know, not everyone's hair responds the same way to the same treatment. For instance, I can not put any vinegar, ACV nor white, on my hair, the least tiny bit fries my hair to the point where it looks like yellow hay (I have auburn hair). Coconut oil on my ends did the same thing, only not as bad.

This is what did work for me:

I scritched well before I washed. I never used hot or even warm water on my hair, that only resulted in the waxies coming to haunt me. I never rubbed my lengths, only massaging my scalp, and before the final rinse, I pressed in 5 drops of jojoba oil into my ends, pressing my hands together with my hair between them like i was praying sideways. The final rinse lasted only a mere 10 seconds, and then I was done! The entire wash was done with my head upside down, facing the water. I then plopped for 10 or 15 minutes, and let my hair dry on its own.

I didn't touch my hair until it was dry, but what that meant was, I found the hair near my scalp dried the fastest, so while I waited for the rest of my hair to dry, I fingered the inch and a half that was dry, helping it to not stay plastered to my head, which allowed air, which resulted in my scalp breathing, which resulted in less sebumness. ;) Finally, when all was dry, I finger combed my hair and let all my curls swirl happily around my head.

After the 4th day (in order to have a few days of curls) when my hair started to show some sebum I brushed with a BBB every night before bed, nice and slow and right to the ends and built up to the infamous 100 strokes. The same happened 3 or 4 days later. I found out when my hair got sebumy, if I bbb'd or smp'd my hair was fine the next day. This allowed me to spread out my washings to 10 days. So, I had 4 days curly and 6 wavy. If I had any waxies I rubbed my scalp with coconut oil and left it on for about 5 to 15 minutes before I stepped into the shower, and that worked splendidly.

The one thing that stretched out my transition period was my water. Like I said, I had tried EVERYthing, and my hair was doing well on the above regiment, except the waxies came back with a vengeance in October. I put two and two together, and looked up my city's hard water level, and found it was one of the hardest waters in the country! OH my! :bigeyes: :brickwall: Not only that, but water tends to get harder in the winter, which is what gave me the clue in the first place. That's when I turned around and looked at my Brita, and thought, "It's worth a shot!"

So I filtered two full juice jugs of water and bent over my tub, pouring then massaging, pouring then massaging. I used about a quarter to a third of the jugs for each pour. When the very last 3rd of water was left, I did my jojoba oil pressing then poured away.... My hair was like never before, even on S&C, so soft, so silky. I was in heaven!

So yes, before you begin this, or if you've been struggling where it seems others aren't, check your hard water levels, it'll save you a lot of time and energy.

I hope this helps some of you, beginners or not! Just know this! It is doable, and it is so worth the time and effort!

Bonne Chance! :cheese:

P.S. Thank you to all who wrote in this thread. It was this thread that I was reading when I lurked or for so long, and it's the knowledge in this thread that helped me do what I once thought not only impossible, but a little out there. :p

thanks for posting this, Bedhead! very useful info! makes me excited about stretching my washes :)
i do have a question though-- on the nights when you BBB'd only, did you end up with flakes in your hair? i find that every time i comb and scritch, any flakes get loosened up and are pretty much there till i wash. do you think i could get by with just the combing between washes, minus scritching (till right before a wash?) thanks!

[Signe]

Heya guys!
I have been happily pottering away with my usual WO routine and I noticed that my hair was just not as nice as I would have liked it to be, and was not very curly at all. I went to the shop and got some carbonated water, put some Rosemary EO in it so it smelled nice, and then used it as a rinse.

The results were fantastic! Silky, lovely hair with plenty of curl. Also, it was really fun to pour over my head and feel it fizz like mad!

I would highly recommend this if you are feeling a bit weighed down but don't want to use any baking soda or shampoo. I sometimes miss the ritual and smell of shampoo, so this felt like a nice luxury treat without having to give in completely.
:)

[Naiadryade]

I'm new, and I figured I'd check in to this thread. I've been WO for about 3 years, and it works great for me! I spend a bunch of time when I'm in the shower massaging my scalp and the length of my hair, and I haven't been greasy since a month into WO. I do occasional soaks with diluted, herb-infused ACV (usually about once a month--sometimes more often, sometimes less). And to tell the truth, a lot of the time I go 1-2 weeks between water rinses, and just brush once or twice a day to get dirt out and move the sebum along. In the summer I hardly ever shower at all, I just swim in ponds and streams often and massage my hair a bit in the water while I'm swimming.

[lunamummy]

thanks for posting this, Bedhead! very useful info! makes me excited about stretching my washes :)
i do have a question though-- on the nights when you BBB'd only, did you end up with flakes in your hair? i find that every time i comb and scritch, any flakes get loosened up and are pretty much there till i wash. do you think i could get by with just the combing between washes, minus scritching (till right before a wash?) thanks!

Hi LaceyNg, jumping in here to add that I also get those loosened flakes that stay until I wash - I've been smoothing a damp muslin cloth over my hair, which seems to lift the visible ones off.


Heya guys!
I have been happily pottering away with my usual WO routine and I noticed that my hair was just not as nice as I would have liked it to be, and was not very curly at all. I went to the shop and got some carbonated water, put some Rosemary EO in it so it smelled nice, and then used it as a rinse.

The results were fantastic! Silky, lovely hair with plenty of curl. Also, it was really fun to pour over my head and feel it fizz like mad!

I would highly recommend this if you are feeling a bit weighed down but don't want to use any baking soda or shampoo. I sometimes miss the ritual and smell of shampoo, so this felt like a nice luxury treat without having to give in completely.
:)

I love the sound of that! I miss the smell of shampoo in particular. I just associate it with clean hair :)


In the summer I hardly ever shower at all, I just swim in ponds and streams often and massage my hair a bit in the water while I'm swimming.

Sounds like an idyllic way to stay clean and care for your hair :)

[Bedhead]

thanks for posting this, Bedhead! very useful info! makes me excited about stretching my washes :)
i do have a question though-- on the nights when you BBB'd only, did you end up with flakes in your hair? i find that every time i comb and scritch, any flakes get loosened up and are pretty much there till i wash. do you think i could get by with just the combing between washes, minus scritching (till right before a wash?) thanks!

Hi LaceyNg,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I've been exploring all the wonderful information on this site and forgot to check back in! :D

Well, I always at least massaged my head before I bbb'd. I did have flakes in my hair, but I found part of that was in needing to keep my bbb cleaner. Usually when I got flakes I could literally flick them out :pins: of my hair and they'd be gone, and once I built up to a longer period between washes i.e. 2 weeks, I noticed the flakes weren't as bad, so the flakes might have something to do with the recycling into a slight transition again everytime you wash, for me it was anyway.

Now that I'm SO, I sctritch, massage and preen every single night and morning, and I don't have any flakes. i don't know if this is just my experience or not, as others have mentioned flakes in that thread as well, but for them they're very fine flakes, not the larger ones I had with WO. BUt what I would suggest is to actually scritch more often, so there's never a build up. If I did WO again, I would be scritching and massaging every single day, maybe with my head upside down like Serin does, to let the flakes fall away, then on curly day, just finger comb the sebum through, and straight days, brushing it through, or even doing some preening. As it was when I actually was on WO, the days before the bbb'ing I only massaged.

As for the comb vs. bbb, I believe a comb can be very good for spreading the sebum, but as for cleaning out flakes and dust? you're looking at a good bbb. I've also heard of people swearing by their fine toothed comb for this as well.

[Bedhead]

Hi! I just wanted to mention here, for those of you using or wanting to use a BBB, please check out Madora's Article about how to use one properly! :)

[LaceyNg]

......I went to the shop and got some carbonated water, put some Rosemary EO in it so it smelled nice, and then used it as a rinse. ......

this is a great idea! the fizziness might be just what i need to help exfoliate away some of my flakes (which ARE getting better, i shoudl note)
you didnt notice any sebum stripped away or any dryness to your hair from the carbonated water?


Hi LaceyNg, jumping in here to add that I also get those loosened flakes that stay until I wash - I've been smoothing a damp muslin cloth over my hair, which seems to lift the visible ones off.

thanks, i should get some muslin cloth for preening and such, as i keep hearing it mentioned-- here do you get yours?



Hi LaceyNg,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I've been exploring all the wonderful information on this site and forgot to check back in! :D

Well, I always at least massaged my head before I bbb'd. I did have flakes in my hair, but I found part of that was in needing to keep my bbb cleaner. Usually when I got flakes I could literally flick them out :pins: of my hair and they'd be gone, and once I built up to a longer period between washes i.e. 2 weeks, I noticed the flakes weren't as bad, so the flakes might have something to do with the recycling into a slight transition again everytime you wash, for me it was anyway.

Now that I'm SO, I sctritch, massage and preen every single night and morning, and I don't have any flakes. i don't know if this is just my experience or not, as others have mentioned flakes in that thread as well, but for them they're very fine flakes, not the larger ones I had with WO. BUt what I would suggest is to actually scritch more often, so there's never a build up. If I did WO again, I would be scritching and massaging every single day, maybe with my head upside down like Serin does, to let the flakes fall away, then on curly day, just finger comb the sebum through, and straight days, brushing it through, or even doing some preening. As it was when I actually was on WO, the days before the bbb'ing I only massaged.

As for the comb vs. bbb, I believe a comb can be very good for spreading the sebum, but as for cleaning out flakes and dust? you're looking at a good bbb. I've also heard of people swearing by their fine toothed comb for this as well.

no problem at all-- i only check back in every few days or so myself :)

thanks for your detailed response! while i DO scritch daily with a fine-toothed comb, the upside down part might help, and i think i should start stretching my washes more. i'm hesitant to use a BBB though, since i've heard they can be damaging to fine hair :(


Hi! I just wanted to mention here, for those of you using or wanting to use a BBB, please check out Madora's Article about how to use one properly! :)

you're right, i DO need to check that one out. i've thought about BBB'ing, but dismissed it since i was under the imression that they were often damaging to fine hair... i'll look at the article though-- i'm sure theres stuff i'm missing! :)