A Question For WO People

[Natalia]

Though im not purely WO it is what i do most of the time now and im wondering what do you WO's who shower at night do with your hair when you sleep? Mine is basigly a useless tangly log and combing it only leads to bad things. I do detangle as best i can under running water but its not enough once out to even separate into a loose braid. Its fustrating and uncomfrtable to sleep on cold, tangled, wet hair but i dontknow what to do with it. I cant braid it, i cant bun it, sleep caps dont solve the wet/cold issue and i still wake up with wet hair.... and thats where i run out of ideas :p. Anyone have some advice for me as i work my way through the WO thread?

Natalia

[countryhopper]

Could you try washing it ealier so it has more time to dry on it's own before bed?

You could also try plopping... even though this is for curlies/wavies, it would help to get most of the water out and encourage any slight wave you might have.

When I wash (no poo) my hair too late at night and it is too cold to leave it wet, I use the blow dryer very far from my scalp/hair just enough to take it from very wet to damp. I find that if my roots are dry i don't feel as cold :D

[Peter]

I don't know if your schedule allows you to wash earlier, but I definitely suggest that.

If that's not possible, then I would use a blowdryer (set to warm, not hot!) on the roots and sleep with your hair over the edge of the bed.

[skysraine]

I also sometimes experience the "Wow how did get so late, I really need to wash my hair" I recommend if possible, have a loved one or even yourself put a dry towel in the dryer for 10 minutes on High or even in microwave make sure the micro is clean of course, heat up your towel and after shower wrapp your head up in it. It takes away the chill by the time you are relaxed enough to fall asleep, just unwrapp it and let your towel lay over your pillow. Also I ran into the tangle wet mess, If once a week you can wash, (rinse) with Apple Cider Vinegar... Dont let it get into your eyes, leave it in dont rinse it out, you will be amazed how smooth and dangle free it is the next day! The smell will leave once it has dried...I promise.XOXO:flower:

[Natalia]

Could you try washing it ealier so it has more time to dry on it's own before bed?

You could also try plopping... even though this is for curlies/wavies, it would help to get most of the water out and encourage any slight wave you might have.

When I wash (no poo) my hair too late at night and it is too cold to leave it wet, I use the blow dryer very far from my scalp/hair just enough to take it from very wet to damp. I find that if my roots are dry i don't feel as cold :D

Hi countryhopper :). I wish i could wash it earlier but its not really an option as i live with several people and even if it ook a shower right after they finished in the very cold leftover water im still not awake long enough to let it dry. I will have to give plopping a try :) ive been meaning to just never got around to it. I dont have a blowfryer but i dont thinkti would matter, my wet roots dont bother me its the wet pillow/t-shirt, bed that gets me :p.


I don't know if your schedule allows you to wash earlier, but I definitely suggest that.

If that's not possible, then I would use a blowdryer (set to warm, not hot!) on the roots and sleep with your hair over the edge of the bed.

Boy i think im out of luck :p. I dont have a blowfryer and i dont have a bed, i sleep on a mat on the floor right now so tossing my hair over the edge means mingling with several kind sof nasties :p.


I also sometimes experience the "Wow how did get so late, I really need to wash my hair" I recommend if possible, have a loved one or even yourself put a dry towel in the dryer for 10 minutes on High or even in microwave make sure the micro is clean of course, heat up your towel and after shower wrapp your head up in it. It takes away the chill by the time you are relaxed enough to fall asleep, just unwrapp it and let your towel lay over your pillow. Also I ran into the tangle wet mess, If once a week you can wash, (rinse) with Apple Cider Vinegar... Dont let it get into your eyes, leave it in dont rinse it out, you will be amazed how smooth and dangle free it is the next day! The smell will leave once it has dried...I promise.XOXO:flower:

Im going to sound liek i live under a rock but i havent had towels for about a month now becasue i havent been alowed to do much laundry and id rather have clothes than towels. When i do get to wash them i will try the warmed towel thing and maybe just laying one over my pillow to soak up the mositure so it doesnt geton my pillow too much.

And oh yes i LOVE acv cures nearly any itchy i have :). Tried leaving it in once but i got a greasy mess, i will have to mess with my dilution more now that im WO. Thanks for the tips

[Hiriel]

I just put a towel turban on it for 10 minutes or so to get most of the water out, and then sleep with it loose, cold and wet :)
I gather my hair into a high ponytail (but I don't tie it off, I just gather my hair) which I place on the pillow away from my head. That way I don't lie on it. I usually don't detangle it at all until the morning. If my hair is very damp I put a towel on the pillow to make sure it won't get wet.

[bumblebums]

Hmm. So I gathered that you can't braid it or bun it because it gets tangled--is that right?

I think it would help to figure out how it gets tangled in the first place. Can you describe exactly how you wash it and dry it? Do you comb it before washing? Do you tip your head forward and wash your hair "upside down" or do you just let the water run over your hair while standing up? Do you pat dry it or rub it?

BTW, I find that a big old t-shirt can work pretty well for plopping. If you don't want waves, then just wrap the t-shirt over your head and hair and squeeze your hair gently to soak up extra water. Woven jersey cotton is very absorbent.

I should say also that my own experience with WO washes shows that all the scritching and rubbing in the shower can make hair a little more tangled than washing with something other than just water. An acidic rinse could definitely help with untangling.

[Natalia]

I just put a towel turban on it for 10 minutes or so to get most of the water out, and then sleep with it loose, cold and wet :)
I gather my hair into a high ponytail (but I don't tie it off, I just gather my hair) which I place on the pillow away from my head. That way I don't lie on it. I usually don't detangle it at all until the morning. If my hair is very damp I put a towel on the pillow to make sure it won't get wet.

I guess i will have to make one of those after all, my hair hasnt fit in the ones you can buy (comfortably anyway) for quite a while now. I have a design in mind that is similar to a turbie but mor elonghair friendly, hope it works!


Hmm. So I gathered that you can't braid it or bun it because it gets tangled--is that right?

I think it would help to figure out how it gets tangled in the first place. Can you describe exactly how you wash it and dry it? Do you comb it before washing? Do you tip your head forward and wash your hair "upside down" or do you just let the water run over your hair while standing up? Do you pat dry it or rub it?

BTW, I find that a big old t-shirt can work pretty well for plopping. If you don't want waves, then just wrap the t-shirt over your head and hair and squeeze your hair gently to soak up extra water. Woven jersey cotton is very absorbent.

I should say also that my own experience with WO washes shows that all the scritching and rubbing in the shower can make hair a little more tangled than washing with something other than just water. An acidic rinse could definitely help with untangling.

Yes my hair is far to tangly to even imagine braining and bunning is hard and painful :(. I do comb before washing then gently bun it or otherwise afix it to my head so i can do my showerly thing. Then i take it down detangle again with my fingers and let the water run over it. I start smoothing my fingers over my hair bottom to top (get rid of the dirt/lint), then scalp massage, then top to bottom (to distribute the oils), and lastly finger comb under running water to get any tangles i can. Washing upsidedown hasnt worked for me even when i had "short" hair i just end up with a massive rant on my head :p. Ohand to dry since its already as smooth as it gets from detangling under water i just gently squeeze out the bulk moisture, then if i have towels i drape it over my head and again gently squeeze down the length. If i dont have towels i just repeat the squeeze to get anything that dripped while i was doing lotion and such and let it be.

My sebum has calmed down significantly so i dont require to much scritching but i agree it does casue some tangles. I will keep messing with my acid rinse and seeif i can make it work :).

[Hiriel]

I guess i will have to make one of those after all, my hair hasnt fit in the ones you can buy (comfortably anyway) for quite a while now. I have a design in mind that is similar to a turbie but mor elonghair friendly, hope it works!

By towel turban, I just mean that I wrap a towel around it, so it looks a bit like a turban. :)
(I had no idea you could buy turbans for drying hair in before I joined LHC. ;p)

[Katze]

Hm, I go to bed with damp hair all the time (WO, CO, CWC, CW, or WC washed) and never have a problem...towel dry after washing then put a new towel on and climb into bed!

It is very cold and damp most of the year here so I have to be very careful and not go out with a wet head. Showering before bed allows me to get into bed all clean and snuggly warm, and I put a towel (turban or normal) on my head and have dry, wavy hair in the morning.

If my ears get wet, then cold they ache, so I sometimes blowdry just my ears and my scalp hair a teeny tiny bit if it is REALLY cold out. This method, aka blowdamping, also works well for swimming during the cold months, since the swimming pool is about a 5 minute bike ride from home.

[Natalia]

By towel turban, I just mean that I wrap a towel around it, so it looks a bit like a turban. :)
(I had no idea you could buy turbans for drying hair in before I joined LHC. ;p)

Oh hehehe :p my mistake. When i have towels again that is a will do :). I tried an AVC rinse at half strength of what i used to do and no greasies! My hair wasnt silky or anything but it was managable to coil it up on the pillow wihtout the usual tugging pain and was easier to detangle this morning. I will keep tinkering and see how this WO w/ACV thing works :).

[freznow]

Hm... well, I always wash/WO at night but almost never get the tanglies. I detangle with a horn comb, then braid. Perhaps you need to focus more on moisturizing? I make sure to do something for slickness every wash (catnip or ACV rinse, or a bit of oil, or at the very least a cold water rinse) and I don't wash often (once a week). I think maybe your water doesn't agree with you - have you tried citric acid, and ascorbic acid as a water softener, or something like that?

[Natalia]

Hm... well, I always wash/WO at night but almost never get the tanglies. I detangle with a horn comb, then braid. Perhaps you need to focus more on moisturizing? I make sure to do something for slickness every wash (catnip or ACV rinse, or a bit of oil, or at the very least a cold water rinse) and I don't wash often (once a week). I think maybe your water doesn't agree with you - have you tried citric acid, and ascorbic acid as a water softener, or something like that?

Hi freznow :). I think part of my problem is that i still have a few years worth of old chem dyed and heat straightened hair to grow out. I was never really really horroble to my hair but its baby fine and this so it cant really take the abuse. I have been flat broke for a while but now that i have a little to spare i want to get going on catnip again. Thank you for reminding me of it :). Oiling wet hair generally goes very very badly for me but i do make sure to put a generous amount of olive oil on and let soak for an hour or two every once and a while, i need to find a deal on some coconut oil and get back to that since it seems to work better for the soaks.

As for the water ive had soft water for several months now(since before i experimented with WO) so i dont think thats the issue. But liek i said above i think with a little ore tweaking i can get the ACV thing right :).

[IcarusBride]

I've been WO for 6 months now... I still continue my 'bad habits' of combing my hair wet with a regular-tooth plastic comb. I've only got BSL hair so it dries in 30-60min and then I go to bed with it down.

[bumblebums]

Hi freznow :). I think part of my problem is that i still have a few years worth of old chem dyed and heat straightened hair to grow out. I was never really really horroble to my hair but its baby fine and this so it cant really take the abuse. I have been flat broke for a while but now that i have a little to spare i want to get going on catnip again. Thank you for reminding me of it :). Oiling wet hair generally goes very very badly for me but i do make sure to put a generous amount of olive oil on and let soak for an hour or two every once and a while, i need to find a deal on some coconut oil and get back to that since it seems to work better for the soaks.

As for the water ive had soft water for several months now(since before i experimented with WO) so i dont think thats the issue. But liek i said above i think with a little ore tweaking i can get the ACV thing right :).

Hmm, I think you need some kind of conditioner. WO works for hair in virgin condition, but I doubt it's going to provide enough moisture to detangle dyed and damaged hair. Wait a bit until all that hair is cut off, and then you can go back to WO.

If you don't want to go the commercial conditioner, try some other recipes in the herbal/henna thread. Flaxseed and fenugreek are great, and also nettle rinses.

[ale]

I brush my hair before washing so it doesn't get tangled in the shower; doing so, I can even brush it again when wet without damage. Then I keep it in a towel for some time, so it's not dripping, and that works for me.

[Natalia]

Hmm, I think you need some kind of conditioner. WO works for hair in virgin condition, but I doubt it's going to provide enough moisture to detangle dyed and damaged hair. Wait a bit until all that hair is cut off, and then you can go back to WO.

If you don't want to go the commercial conditioner, try some other recipes in the herbal/henna thread. Flaxseed and fenugreek are great, and also nettle rinses.

LOL well.... if i were to wait till the dye were cut off i would estimate i could try WO again in about 8 years and im not that patent :p. I also cant afford to be buying aubreys that long and i have yet to find anything else that is acceptable. I will look around that thread you mentioned (if i can find it) but so far indian herb washed have been bad bad bad on the dyes hair, though i havent tried flax or just plain methi and i have lots of both. I did a nettle rinse once... i think... well either way i just found my nettle tea 2 days ago so i will give it a shot. For a nettle rinse would you reccomend i leave it in or rinse it out? I rather like the scent so i dont mind either way :).



I brush my hair before washing so it doesn't get tangled in the shower; doing so, I can even brush it again when wet without damage. Then I keep it in a towel for some time, so it's not dripping, and that works for me.

Lucky virgin (im guessing) hair... oh the woes of hating my natural color.


I've been WO for 6 months now... I still continue my 'bad habits' of combing my hair wet with a regular-tooth plastic comb. I've only got BSL hair so it dries in 30-60min and then I go to bed with it down.

Dont worry IcarusBride it took me maybe 4 - 5 months after joining to finally drop all the major bad habits i intended to drop.