No washing experiment?

[free_hug]

Hi All.

Have you ever heard of the no washing experiment? You stop washing, then after about, say, half a year your hair becomes self-cleaning (or however you say that in proper english) and supposedly looks great and healthy and just doesn't need washing ever again.

Of course i'll never be crazy enough to try it, but i wonder if you have heard of it too.
Or maybe seen someone who tried and failed/succeeded? Or maybe... you are one of them?

To tell the truth, i can't decide at all if it sounds realistic to me.

[florenonite]

People do Water-Only (WO) as well as No-Water (NW). You do need to brush, etc. to move the sebum down the hair and keep the scalp healthy, but we have members who have had success with both methods. If you run a search for either of those you should get something.

[free_hug]

Well, i tried "no water" and "water only" and nw and wo as keywords, but none of them lead to any results (or useable results). So i'm sorry, i can't even find out the right search keyword - can you help me on that?

(Of course it was possible that this is a very old and common topic here, but w/o keywords i really couldn't find out about it...)

[florenonite]

Here's (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=3412) the Water-Only Thread, which I found because it's in my subscribed threads so I just CTRL+F'd water on the pages till I found it. I'll see if I can find NW in a search.

ETA: Aha! Here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=144&highlight=official) it is! The Official NW/SO Thread. SO stands for sebum-only. Also, you need to search for words with a minimum of four letters for the search function to work.

[joyfulmom4]

This intrigues me, but I have to admit that it sounds unpleasant to me. Even when I read the threads devoted to it, most of the posts seem to be about various unpleasantries and people feeling like they can't stand it anymore. Not exactly ringing endorsements. Does anyone totally love this method and use it *without* having icky, greasy, unhappy days?

[free_hug]

That's the point. I wash it pretty often, so i use chemicals and spend a fortune on shampoo and conditioners - and still have awkward gready itchy days. Simply because it's greasy by nature. MAybe i'd be better off without having to wash it, with occasional awful days but without chemicals?

(Not like i'm actually going to try it. I washed it two days ago and it already feels awful, i can't even imagine going on like this for a long time)

[Periwinkle]

This intrigues me, but I have to admit that it sounds unpleasant to me. Even when I read the threads devoted to it, most of the posts seem to be about various unpleasantries and people feeling like they can't stand it anymore. Not exactly ringing endorsements. Does anyone totally love this method and use it *without* having icky, greasy, unhappy days?

That's how it sounded to me also.

I can understand how it might work for a while, but I don't really see how it couldn't reach a point of buildup, because scritching and brushing is only moving the sebum down the hair, not removing it. Surely at least some rinsing would be necessary?

[Heidi_234]

I had my brief NW experience, and to be honest it wasn't that bad. What, if the shampoo bar thread participants complain about waxy build up, does that make the shampoo bar less a good way to wash your hair?
Everything has its own pros and cons, so you enjoy the benefits and try to fight the unpleasant side effects.

[backtolonghair]

interesting.. I don't think I could do it though.. My hair would feel too greasy and just not look good.. especially since it's on the shorter side right now. I wonder if it has worked for others though?

Blessings

[Fillette]

Ummm... That IS interesting. However, I love running water through my hair. So I am not the best candidate for this method.
If anybody were to try this though, I would think that the colder months (Fall, Winter) would be the perfect time to try...

[Alethia]

Some people do better with SO or WO than using detergents on their hair. I tried SO for a month but couldn't get past the greasies. I have managed to cut my washes down to once a week and now wash with egg and banana. I haven't used shampoo, conditioner or soap for over 2 months now and my hair looks OK.

[sherigayle]

I've been doing water only for about 3 weeks. It's not so bad. My hair is a lot more manageable now. I only used shampoo twice a week before I started this, so it wasn't much harder to just skip it altogether. I use really hot water and massage my scalp really well in the shower and I brush with a boar bristle brush twice a day to work the oil down the hair.

[Copasetic]

i really want to give up on washing my hair. the only problem is i don't want to go through that horrible greasy period before your hair adjusts and starts to clean itself. i really like the idea, i guess. not the practice.

[freznow]

That's how it sounded to me also.

I can understand how it might work for a while, but I don't really see how it couldn't reach a point of buildup, because scritching and brushing is only moving the sebum down the hair, not removing it. Surely at least some rinsing would be necessary?

Yes, scritching and brushing do remove some sebum. Have you ever scritched/massaged with your fingers and your hands felt all covered afterwards? That's sebum that came from your hair to your hands. Daily wear and tear removes sebum too.

I was NW for seven month or so. The thing about NW that may seem unappealing is that, generally, yes, you never have super-amazing-hair days. But I never had super-awful-hair days either. I always had hair days in the middle, with a little rotation depending on the time of the month and what I'd been eating.

It's easier (for some people), less water use, less chemical use, more natural. It's definitely not for everyone. I quit because I wanted a few super-amazing-hair days, which aren't as great as I remembered them, I have to say. I've been contemplating going back. It does take more than a month to adjust. Depending, though, on your hair, current routine, etc etc.

It's not so much 'self cleaning' as... I'm not sure how you'd call it. You're NOT going to get hair that looks just as though you've shampoo'd it. You may get hair that has a balance of sebum throughout it. You may not. But massaging/hands/mechanical cleansing are also a big part of it; the hair isn't magically cleaning itself.

[joyfulmom4]

What, if the shampoo bar thread participants complain about waxy build up, does that make the shampoo bar less a good way to wash your hair?
Everything has its own pros and cons, so you enjoy the benefits and try to fight the unpleasant side effects.

Good point. If I had to be totally honest, I will admit that when I read all the difficulties people report on the shampoo bar thread, I am also dubious about those. Not enough that I won't try them. I actually ordered a couple of sample bars from CV, but I am not w/o worries b/c of all the complaints I read. Ykwim? :o I know different hair behaves differently, so I'm hoping to get good results. But I doubt if I will torment myself very long if I don't like how they work. :)

[Heidi_234]

Good point. If I had to be totally honest, I will admit that when I read all the difficulties people report on the shampoo bar thread, I am also dubious about those. Not enough that I won't try them. I actually ordered a couple of sample bars from CV, but I am not w/o worries b/c of all the complaints I read. Ykwim? :o I know different hair behaves differently, so I'm hoping to get good results. But I doubt if I will torment myself very long if I don't like how they work. :)
Yeah I know what you mean. :)
My NW experience came to me very naturally, so I wouldn't say I know how it is to work out new a method, but it's a great thing to try out and look for methods that work for you and all that.

[ChatoyantLocks]

i really want to give up on washing my hair. the only problem is i don't want to go through that horrible greasy period before your hair adjusts and starts to clean itself. i really like the idea, i guess. not the practice.

I'm not no wash, but I did stumble across some techniques that resulted in my not having to wash as often:

* Having long hair. Short hair is going to get greasier faster than long hair.

* Coconut oil applied lightly to wet hair from the ears down. Lightly oiled hair looks lovely. Hair that is greasy on the top, and flyaway on the bottom looks awful. It is just as important to keep the bottom ends oiled, as it is to keep the scalp under control. (This technique may not work for some people with really fine hair, since the oil may weigh the hair down.)

* Switching from a shampoo that strips all the oils out of the hair to a gentle shampoo bar. (Which I follow with a diluted vinegar rinse.) This is the one that made the biggest difference for me. After only a few weeks, my scalp reduced oil production dramatically! I hadn't even been expecting it, even though I had heard about the effect with the NW technique, since I was still technically washing it. ETA: (Shampoo bars may not work as well in areas with hard water.)

I wrote down more details of the techniques I experimented with in my hair journal, if you would like more info.

[frizzinator]

I have not washed or rinsed my hair for 14 and a half months. I never intend to wash my hair again. Sebum Only (SO) has given me the best hair I've had in my life. As Freznow indicated, the hair looks exactly the same everyday and there are no bad hair days.


My name is frizzinator because I came here to find a solultion for my frizzy hair (caused by old-age) that would not look smooth regardless of what products or methods I used. I quickly found that SO completely controls the frizz.


Here is what my hair looked like a couple of months before I joined LHC

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/frizzliz/10408009.jpg



Here is what my hair looked like a couple of months ago

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/frizzliz/8508.jpg



Have a look at my photo album if you have any doubts about this method.

[joyfulmom4]

No doubt about it, your hair is GORGEOUS! (I love your color also-I am always so thrilled to see the beauty of natural greying hair with all it's wonderful color variations.) It's certainly a testimony to the method. Forgive me if the idea of actually doing it still scares me... :o

[Drynwhyl]

I believe in the hair's natural ability to clean itself, and as a matter in fact i consider humans de-volved, as I don't see any animals needing to wash, use shampoo, brush teeth etc.
I will try the no-washing once, probably when I stop henna-ing one day...

[cameraguy71]

Speaking of seasons, does any find their natural oils change with the season? I don't use shampoo and am concluding that each year, around November (i.e. autumn/fall), my hair oil becomes thicker and I do have to resort to using a very dilute bit of shampoo to remove it. I can't remember if just rinsing it more often solves it.

Has anyone else noticed their oil composition varying with the season?

[frizzinator]

Cold makes my sebum more stiff or solid, as opposed to warm which makes my sebum more fluid.


Regardless of the season, I preen (moving sebum down the length of hair) with my sebum coated fingertips after scritching and massaging. Last winter I learned to be more diligent about preening when it is cold, since the stiff sebum needs warm fingertips to make it more fluid and help move it down the length of my hair. Due to the sebum being more fluid during the summer, I can occasionally skip preening without the resulting frizzies.

[cameraguy71]

Sherigale, I've read that hot water stimulates more oil production from the scalp, so makes it more difficult to get oil production down to an equilibrium. Try rinsing in cooler water?

[cameraguy71]

Copasetic,
Your body will try to reach an equilibrium. The stronger the detergent you use and/or the more often you use it, the more oil your scalp will produce. What I did was dilute the shampoo more and more and reduce the amount I used. Then I switched to rinsing only, but often. I found this managed the transition quite well. My wife didn't seem to notice!!

[Copasetic]

Copasetic,
Your body will try to reach an equilibrium. The stronger the detergent you use and/or the more often you use it, the more oil your scalp will produce. What I did was dilute the shampoo more and more and reduce the amount I used. Then I switched to rinsing only, but often. I found this managed the transition quite well. My wife didn't seem to notice!!

how long did the transition take? and was there ever a period of super-greasiness?

i am doing the technique that mentioned ChatoyantLocks, a shampoo bar with a vinegar rinse. and it seems to be working well so far.

[cameraguy71]

To be honest, I certainly couldn't say there was a period of super-greasiness. During the initial transition period I rinsed it pretty much daily. I can't remember how long it took. You're probably talking a month or so. And bear in mind I weaned myself off shampoo rather than going from my normal usage to nothing.

[ATrixie]

Yeah, this sounds like a much smarter idea...

I had a slight (but uncomfortable) back/neck injury so I just went NW for a month - especially as I didn't have anything organic or user-friendly in da house! (just the Head&Shoulders which I absolutely loathe! lol) - hair went super-greasy.. then after a while stopped getting worse & started being the same or getting better..

Then I washed it with a soap bar & actually it seemed worse.. & then I googled up some info & found this board & started WO 'proper' - though still doing it with hot water at first, which brought me nowhere.. For me, cold water works best.. (some people use a combination of hot/warm & cold..)
There was a transition period but my hair could look great with WO only too.. I could wear it down & everything, for the first 2 days.. then in a ponytale, braid or bun..

But it was really uncomfortable doing the cold water rinses, especially with the neck injury.. so I just went to NW lol.. I was curious about it by then!

NW has good or so-so days, some bad too (if eating lots of oils or sweets, or very much under stress..) Basically your hair shows how you feel & what you eat.. :) quite amazing... Not so many really great days, yeah.. like it's been said.. & near not so bad as after eg 1 week or 10 days of no-washing after Head&Shoulders or another regular shampoo..
& it's really comfy, no washing, no iffy chemicals.. & this means a lot to me too..
If you can't pronounce it, I don't wanna eat it - or have it next to my skin.. lol..;) or in the waters we all drink later on...