Rinsing hair upside down

[Kerynna]

Does anyone do this regularly? I always wash my hair while in the shower, and I saw on the Jessicurl site that she recommends rinsing hair upside down for added waves and volume (so the water hits the nape and flows down the underside, rather than pounding on the top of the head). I tried it this morning, and I couldn't believe the results! My hair had so much more curl/ waves in it, one would almost think I'd chemically altered it.

I nearly drowned while rinsing though. :p Is it just my imagination? Or has anyone else noticed a difference when rinsing that way?

[janeytilllie]

I have slightly wavey hair, and i use to wash my hair upside down. My hair hated it :( it would be very tangled and it was a big challange to undo all the knots. I dont know why my hair reacted like that?

[Anje]

I've tried it, but for me it tends to cause more tangles than it's worth, and the crown doesn't get rinsed as well. That said, I'm not going for waves and curls, just clean manageable hair for updos and braids.

[Xandergrammy]

I wonder how this would work if I detangled as I usually do, then did the upside down thing for the very final rinse?? I think I'll try that! Thanks!

[glennagiraffe]

well i'm not sure about tangles because i'm not that long yet :) but i always do my final vinegar rinse upside down. that was more because it keeps from pouring vinegar all over my body. It seems to have helped my curls be bouncy too though...

[Kerynna]

When I tried it, I rinsed all my hair, upright, as I usually do, making sure to rinse the crown and top back really well. Then I did the upside rinse as the very final rinse. I squeezed the water out of my length while still upside down and then gently lifted my hair back over my head and wrapped it in a microfiber towel as usual.

[vampodrama]

I always wash my hair upside down, because I wash it in the sink (no other option really).... tangles pretty badly, yes, but what can you do...

[Islandgrrl]

when I remember to do this, yeah, I love the results I get. My hair, when I treat it right and actually care about bringing out wave, looks really nice when I rinse upside down. It definitely changes the way it dries and lays when dry.

I do it the same way Kerynna does, by the way, I get it fully rinsed, I detangle and then I flip my head over and rinse upside down. Squeeze out the water, pile it up on my head and wrap a towel around to blot most of the water out.

I assume that if I could somehow let my hair dry with my head upside down it would be even cooler. But, um, I can't figure out how to do that! :silly:

[Nizhoni]

I always do the final rinse upside down, and has done so for years. When I started rinsing upside down I noticed that it gave my hair more volume and the skin on my back became less dry. And I remember that it made it easier to rinse out the conditioner. :)

[taliarose]

I've never tried this but I'm thinking I really should at the next wash. Hmmmm, that could have some nice possibilities. Thanks Kerynna!

[rymorg2]

I always do my final distilled water rinse upside down to keep the cooler water off the rest of my body. If I do every rinse upside down though I get tangly too. As a final rinse it's good though.

[Honey39]

Yeah, I always rinse upside down - never thought about it before, lol. In the shower, I usually let my hair down and detangle it upside down, then flip the right way up for the final cold rinse.

I find I get my hair cleaner that way, because I can really rinse thoroughly.

[mellie]

I've tried this on occasion and it makes my hair have wonderful body! Even my guy co-workers asked what I'd done differently!

[Diamondbell]

When I henna, I use this upside-down hairwash and it works wonderfully since henna removes all the oil from the hair. I don't have any problem with detangling either.

But while using Shikakai, somehow I prefer the normal hair wash method and not the upside-down method.

So I use both methods, depending on what I use on the hair.

[LutraLutra]

I always wash and rinse my hair 'upside down'! Am I freak? :D I've tried doing it the 'right' way around but it feels wrong. I suppose one reason I've always done it is that my hair is very thick around the top and back of my head, but quite fine around my hair line in the front, so if I wash and rinse upside down I get get at the areas that need most rinsing.

[Snowymoon]

I have always washed upside down. It works best for me, and I actually have MORE tangles and awful, flat hair if I wash right-side up. I also don't seem to get my hair as clean when I wash right-side up. Therefore, it is upside down for me! :p

[mira-chan]

I have always washed upside down. It works best for me, and I actually have MORE tangles and awful, flat hair if I wash right-side up. I also don't seem to get my hair as clean when I wash right-side up. Therefore, it is upside down for me! :p
Same, minus the tangles and flat hair. I can't get to all of the scalp when washing right side up. Plus I can wash it with cooler water when upside down.

[Periwinkle]

I sometimes wash my hair upside-down just because it means I don't have to get in the shower with it. I've never noticed any difference.

[Debra83]

Most of my life, I've rinsed my hair upside down, and I have very (frustratingly) wavy/frizzy/curly hair. It wasn't until reading a recent thread, that I discovered you can sit down in the tub and rinse off with the shower thingy keeping straight up. (okay, okay...I'm no genius...I never figured that one out by myself) That way I can still have my bath. So, when I bathe, I've been rinsing straight up...when I just wash over the side of the tub...I cwc over the side, upside down. Never even thought about a difference though. I'll check it out next time for sure!

[Shadow]

I've found that If I want really great spiral curls with as much volume as possible then doing my final rinse upside down is the best option fo rme. I rinse until Im sure it's clear of conditioner, lightly squeeze out the excess water, lightly scrunch through a curl enhancing product, spray with volumizer then flip my head back up and don't touch it. I always get beautiful curls that way.

Good luck :D

[Kerynna]

Certainly if I wash my hair in the sink I wash it upside down. I've never noticed a difference doing that, though.

I can't imagine washing my hair upside down in the shower. A final rinse that way in the shower is difficult enough for me, I got a lot of water in my nose just doing a quick rinse. I rarely take baths and I never wash my hair in the bathtub. (I don't have bathtub in my bathroom and the kids' bathroom is too messy. :p )

[Aisha25]

I do this every wash and I dont find anything amazingly volumizing about it. I do it cause I feel I should give my top hairs a rest and I dont want them to fall out cause of always doing it standing up. Since I have started this I notice more hair growth near my forehead but thats about it.

[Molster]

Always been an upside-down girl. Can't imagine doing it right way up now - tangle city straight away with hair this length. Can't understand those who say it creates more tangles, I just could not clean it efficiently if I stood up.

Upside down, I can get my fingers right to my scalp without pulling at the rest of my hair, and my hair hangs down straight all the time I'm washing. I simply squeeze the suds worked up on my scalp methodically down through the length - no rubbing required. Rinsing is the same (and I can rinse really cold because my body's not in the way to freeze in the shower - bonus!), and my hair stays straight and un-mussed.

Indeed the action of the water flowing through it helps to keep tangles at bay, and it's not stuck all down my back, which means less handling when towel drying and getting it into the turbie.

IMHO upside down washing is less stressful to the hair all round.

[Ryanne]

I've tried it but it only caused more tangles.

[Snowymoon]

What Molster (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/member.php?u=9535) said. :agree:

[ktani]

I only wash my hair upside down. I agree with several others that the hair tangles less this way. I have all of my ends in front of me and can separate the hair more easily, carefully, and have the force of the shower water to help (which it does). I even flip back and forth (when doing my catnip treatments) and still, no tangles.

[Sissy]

my mother has always, always done this... I'm not sure why though. Perhaps for the reasons stated here.

[Just_Isabel]

I wash my hair upside down sometimes and it does give me nicer curls and more volume. :agree:

I may be weird, but I get different results if I wash my hair upside down all the way, from beginning to end, or if I just do a final rinse upside down. :silly: But then again, maybe that doesn't mean much because my hair never looks the same, even if I treat it in the same way... :rolleyes:

But yeah, I get better results (curls, volume) when I wash upside down, and if I'm feeling lazy, just a final rinse upside down will help, too, even if my hair doesn't look as good.

I don't think I got more tangles from washing upside down even when my hair was longer. :)

[shrimp]

I always wash my hair upside down whilst standing outside the shower, I have no clue how anyone beyond shoulder length manages to wash their hair in the shower, wet heavy hair plus wet skin does not compute to me :lol: so I hve no grounds of comprison

I usually go straight from this to plopping nd get great volume and curl :D

[LilyMunster]

95% of the time I wash upside down under tub spicket. The other 5% of the time when I shampoo in the shower, I finish always under the tub spicket. The shower head only tends to leave product on my scalp.
I put a large bowl under the spicket so that my hair is contained somewhat while rinsing. Combing conditioner through to the ends while upside down really cuts down on the tangles.
Waiting until it is fully dry, and using a serum or combing oil makes the detangling a breeze.

[boomygrrl]

Thanks for reminding me, I want to try it.
When I wash my hair, my hair and head goes every direction but I usually end up doing a final rinse right side up. I'm very thorough about rinsing my hair; therefore, that's why my head does gymnastics in the shower. LOL
I remember reading about rinsing upside down but I forget to try it.

[eadwine]

I always did it standing up, and I have done upside down ever since I started growing. It is simply easier for me, and I couldn't tell if it makes a difference really.

The absolute pro side for me is that I am no longer plucking hairs from between my cheeks, which makes me a happy camper alright :lol:

[RoseRedDead]

I always do this. :p It's just easier and it keeps me from getting conditioner (or whatever else i have smeared in my hair) on my back (which i believe would/does contribute to the dreaded "bacne").

What I do is bend over the tub, wet my hair with the spray of the shower, turn off the shower, then apply the conditioner for CO (still bent over). Put on a shower cap, wash body/shave/what-have-you, then rinse upside down for about 2 minutes. Once 80-90% of the conditioner is out of my hair, I do a final rinse right-side-up. Then a right-side-up vinegar rinse. Works for me! :cheese:

[Flaxen]

Can't understand those who say it creates more tangles...
I'll tell ya how. ;)
When I rinse upside down and then stand up and put my hair back over my head, the root ends of my hair stay pointing up and forward. My hair does not fall into normal position unless I rinse it back down or comb it back down. Since I find wet combing more stressful to my hair, I don't comb at all until it's fully dry. If I allow my hair to dry just pushed back over my head, the result is something akin to a fright wig, and the wavy ends (which have not fallen down my back) form tangles at about shoulder level. I can finger comb it at that point, but I get poof and frizz instead of sleek waves. I think the problem is a function of how one's follicles are aimed (yes, they can be different) and very lightweight, wavy hair. My mother, for instance, gets beautiful results washing over the sink and then combing while wet. Her hair is thicker and longer than mine, too, but she's a straighty.


IMHO upside down washing is less stressful to the hair all round.
*sigh* I wish that were true in my case. :(

[ktani]

I'll tell ya how. ;)
When I rinse upside down and then stand up and put my hair back over my head, the root ends of my hair stay pointing up and forward. My hair does not fall into normal position unless I rinse it back down or comb it back down. Since I find wet combing more stressful to my hair, I don't comb at all until it's fully dry. If I allow my hair to dry just pushed back over my head, the result is something akin to a fright wig, and the wavy ends (which have not fallen down my back) form tangles at about shoulder level. I can finger comb it at that point, but I get poof and frizz instead of sleek waves. I think the problem is a function of how one's follicles are aimed (yes, they can be different) and very lightweight, wavy hair. My mother, for instance, gets beautiful results washing over the sink and then combing while wet. Her hair is thicker and longer than mine, too, but she's a straighty.


*sigh* I wish that were true in my case. :(

Ah yes, how do deal with it after washing.

I gently separate my hair with my hands after lightly squeezing water out with a towel. Then I throw my head back, and gently separate my hair, downward. My waves are actually more pronounced this way. I can run my fingers through my hair but I only do that from underneath, wriggling my fingers as I go, so as not to pull them through the hair (if I meet reststance I separate the hair with both hands but that is extremely rare). For the upper part, I just take a section of hair and run my hand over and around it, from roots to ends, not through it, to lay it down. It sounds strange to read it, I know, lol.

[Darkhorse1]

That's SO weird! I've washed my hair upside down for years. I mean, since I was 13. I found it much easier to get my scalp squeaky clean as I had/have really oily scalp. This was a much easier way for me to clean and rinse without missing spots and having a greasy spot. I never knew this was something suggested??? I don't know if I notice any more curl/wave as a result--I think aging has given me more wave.

I think it would depend on each person though. I know some people get knots this way. I don't have that problem, but I've mastered this art. :D

[ktani]

I have had knots with this method but that has to do with conditioning for me, not my hair washing method. My hair is in the best ever condtion now and if I get a knot, it is literally only one hair (I found my first in well over a year, the other day).

[Darkhorse1]

I found mine just gets very knotted if in the wind. I had my hair in a ponytail to ride in one day, and afterwards? UGH! I won't ever do that to it again. I haven't ridden with my hair down for years because I always wore it in a helmet. Newer helmets don't allow for as much room to smush hair up into a helmet, so leaving it down, a braid is definetly what I'll stick to now! :)

[rhubarbarin]

I do this to make nice curl clumps. One thing I have found: if I run my fingers through my hair upside down, major tangles! But if I do most rinsing upright, then flip upside down for the last couple minutes and don't run my fingers through, I get beautiful soft shiny curls and volume at the crown.

[MAO]

I nearly drowned while rinsing though. :p Is it just my imagination? Or has anyone else noticed a difference when rinsing that way?[/quote]

LOL I did my hair in the sink on Sunday and I kept getting water in the nose!! I don't usually wash upside down or in the sink for that matter and what I got was a whole lotta tangle afterwards!! I didn't really get to see what it looked like cuz then I put an SMT in and ran off upstairs to shower and comb the conditioner through my hair as I usually do. I will have to try this next time though........if I can avoid the whole water up the nose deal.........

[skay]

I haven't tried in a sink, but I've tried washing my hair upside down under the tub spigot -- and lo and behold I did get more waves! I was pleasantly surprised.

[Aditi]

While rinsing hair upside down does anyone's hair gets bouncy or are voluminous after drying? If its so then maybe i have to stop this method of rinsing my hair as lots of volume makes my layers awkward :silly:

[culleq3290]

This is the way I've been washing for several months :) I tried it once and got hooked!

[MimiKeki]

Aw man, I just washed my hair.. Like, just now! *drip drip* I'll definitely try this tip next time. Maybe it works better for some people than others.

[hippie girl]

My hair is completely straight and always feels much better when I wash and rinse with my head flipped over. I have to decide before hand if I am going to flip my head over and wash under the tub faucet, then shower keeping it somehow up over my head, or if I am going to just wash it regularly in the show, hair aligned down and rinsing w/ the shower head. I can't wash under the shower head and then try and flip it over to rinse under the faucet. It seems to get too tangled that way. When I try and flip my head over once my hair is saturated and going down my back it just becomes too hard to realign going the other way under the faucet.

I think it is the more extreme water pressure straight from the faucet that makes it feel so good. The rinse is just better and more thorough. No matter how long I stand under the shower head, the faucet just seems to do a better job. Even using a handheld shower head that is decent and I can hold near my scalp, the faucet is still way better. It is easier to wrap in the towel if it is aligned from being flipped over, and I think that contributes some volume and softness as well.

[Carina]

I do this sometimes and my hair goes va va va volume like crazy.It is nice when you want it.My hair is a little bit frizzy so I'm not that happy about to much of volume.

[ljkforu]

My hair is completely straight and always feels much better when I wash and rinse with my head flipped over. I have to decide before hand if I am going to flip my head over and wash under the tub faucet, then shower keeping it somehow up over my head, or if I am going to just wash it regularly in the show, hair aligned down and rinsing w/ the shower head. I can't wash under the shower head and then try and flip it over to rinse under the faucet. It seems to get too tangled that way. When I try and flip my head over once my hair is saturated and going down my back it just becomes too hard to realign going the other way under the faucet.

I think it is the more extreme water pressure straight from the faucet that makes it feel so good. The rinse is just better and more thorough. No matter how long I stand under the shower head, the faucet just seems to do a better job. Even using a handheld shower head that is decent and I can hold near my scalp, the faucet is still way better. It is easier to wrap in the towel if it is aligned from being flipped over, and I think that contributes some volume and softness as well.
Ah ha! I think you answer a big question. Straight hair can't be flipped around while wet without having a mess of tangles. You have to start and end with the same method unless you have plenty of curl to control hair movement and twisting.

In the old days of feathered hair most of us blew our hair dry upside down for volume.

[Stubborn]

trying this tomorrow morning even though mines already wavy haha

[longhairedfairy]

I usually don't because it just seems to tangle more.

[Cheveux]

I wash my hair in the shower, using the hand held shower head, which gives me more control as to where the water is directed. Then, I condition and rinse in the normal position so I can get all of the conditioner off the crown and above my ears. I then flip my head over, rinse the rest of my head and the ends. I end with a distilled water pour-over (still bending over), squeeze the water out, and wrap my hair in a micro-fiber towel. When I use this method, my hair seems to have more body and shine.

[heidihug]

Straight hair can't be flipped around while wet without having a mess of tangles.

That's pretty much a general guideline for us straighties, I've found while reading these forums. I would never think of washing and/or rinsing my hair upside-down, as I would be detangling for hours after it dried. Didn't used to be an issue until I hit waist and longer, though. I would wash my hair in the sink then without too much of a problem.

I have a almost imperceptable wave with a 6-8 in. repeat if I carefully dry my hair down instead of putting it up when damp (which I do 99.9% of the time). But adding volume to those waves is not a goal for me. Other than my fringe, my hair looks best when sleek and in an updo.

[Darkhorse1]

I always found I got more volume by washing/rinsing hair upside down. For me, because my hair was very thick, I most likely wasn't getting the shampoo thoroughly rinsed out. This method worked best for me. I never knew it would enhance wave. Wonder how that happens? That's pretty darn neat :)

I love the fact that my hair has shine now as I tend to rinse with cool water--I find that also gives body as well as great shine :)

[Xandergrammy]

The last thing I need is more volume, but I'd love to see how this works at enhancing my wurls. Anyone with my kind of hair ever try this?

[rhubarbarin]

Xandergammy we have very similar hair (but yours is much thicker), and this works great for me - as long as I do most rinsing and detangling upright, and don't touch my hair once I flip it. If I do it looks goofy and gets tangled. If I just let the water run through it for a few minutes and then gently flip it back and shake my head a few times to settle it, then apply product - I get soft, shiny defined wurls and more volume with less frizz at the roots.

[wintersun99]

I also rinse upside down (but my hair has not been longer that APL'ish) so I never had trouble with tangles. I rinsed this way primarily, to prevent shampoo/conditioner from running off on my skin, as it seemed to not rinse off the skin completely and caused sensitivity or breakout. Now though, I rinse and then wash my skin rather than other way around and that solves the problem too... :)

[Tressie]

I have always washed and rinsed my hair upside down. I either do it over a sink or kneeling beside the tub, or in the shower! I never thought about doing any differently until I read that it might be better not to do this, so I tried to let my hair hang to one side and wash with my head up rather than with my head down and my hair flipped over. I find the length gets under my arms and sticks to my body and drives me crazy if I don't flip it all forward under the faucet! I suppose this contributes to tangles! (o:

[CaraLynn]

I washed and rinsed my hair upside down today because I was in the bathtub and was too lazy to get up and wash it the way I usualy do under the shower. :P It's been about a half an hour and I'm seeing quite a bit more wave/curl, but it doesn't feel quite as clean. Guess I'll know for sure when it's dry how it did.

[katiana]

I too do this sometimes, but also get a bit more tangles when I do..but I do this to kind of get more blood flowing the the scalp kind of thing. This is my time to do a short head massage when in the shower..

[WindowDressing]

It was here at LHC I was reading how not to flip your hair up and over. I had done this and gotten terrible tangles all the time.

So when I started CO and only straight back and such did the tangling stop.

It does seem to have less "volume" but I think that was simply frizz and as mentioned above the root end not laying naturally.

I sit in the shower due to my disability so doing it right side up is easy.

Hugs,
WD :)

[WindowDressing]

ooops forgot, when raking, I split it and bring it in front of my shoulders so again it is lying there naturally.

Hugs,
WD :)

[snowbird]

When my hair was shorter- more like chin length or a bit longer- I did this and it was great. I would detangle it upright, and then flip over for a final rinse and wide-tooth-comb it upside down

[Indigosails]

This has been interesting.

I tried this the other day for the first time. My hair is about APL. I condition the length below the ears and then shampoo the hair above standing up and rinse that out while standing using the hand held shower head. Then I apply the final conditioner to the length and lightly to the head. I clip it up while finishing the shower. The final rinse is bent over with my head upside down and all hair flowing forward. I use the hand held shower head. I lightly squeeze the water out and wrap in a towel.

I wanted a way to keep the conditioner off of my back. It was causing problems in general and even more so since I had to have a 'suspicious' place removed by the dermatologist. I'm lucky in that I don't have any more tangling.

[WindowDressing]

This is an interesting point.

It seems that, folks taking showers are standing with their head upright and letting the products wash down their bodies.

Ewww. I can understand how that would cause problems.:)

I am doing it like at the salon, the hair is flowing straight back from my head, not down over my shoulders. I had done that mostly because my hair was hip length and well, TMI, I sure didn't like having it get hung up wet in my tailbone "slot" if YKWIM. Just Ewwwww.

Hope that clarifies my description. As unseemly as it is. Sorry.

When I washed it flipped over that was in the sink. Major disaster.

Hugs,
WD :)

[movie zombie]

i wash and rinse with my head upside down. i have fewer problems with residue, tangling, shedding this way. i started doing this more than 20 years ago as i was having allergic breakouts on my shoulders and back. solved the issue....well, that and avoiding any and all products with EDTA in it.

movie zombie

[CaraLynn]

Okay, so after it dried it was rather...large. :P More volume is only the last thing I need. I had to pull it back in a pretty tight bun to look decent for the Watch Night Concert last night. And today it doesn't look as clean as it should on just the second day..it looks more like fourth day hair. So I think I shall not try this again.

[xeternalsilence]

I rinse my hair upside down when I do a thorough cold water rinse. But it does cause my hair to tangle a LOT. So I only do it when I feel that I'll have enough spare time to work out the tangles. When I don't, I pull my hair to the side and hold it like it's in a ponytail and cold water rinse that part. I can't stand cold water on my body :wail:

I don't use shampoo, but I've experienced with conditioner only a little the past couple of weeks. I think I'm gonna take some of the suggestions here and rinse the conditioner out upside down and maybe my hair wont be so tangly when I do the cold water rinse.

[Elistariel]

I rise upright, then flip my hair over my head and put a bit more conditioner on the end to keep tangles out and rinse that way. I find it helps get all the shampoo and conditioner out of my hair.
I'll either flip my hair back over again and rinse it that way again before putting a towel on, or just throw a towel on with my hair flipped over.'
No real difference really. I mean, I do get more tangles when wrapping it flipped over.