Tried a new washing technique today!

[Gilly]

I have got a huge bottle of pure AVG (food grade) in my kitchen cupboard, it has no nasties in it so I took it into the shower with me tonight!
I was not 100% sure what to do(saw it mentioned on another forum) so I saturated my hair under the shower then applied a handful of the gel and smooshed it in, pretty much straight away my hair started to feel clean, it did give a bit of a squeak but not as much as from normal shampoo. I did not use any conditioner or rinses, just the AVG.
I have just left it to air dry and its light, curly and feels so soft!!http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/images/smilies/love4.gif
I need to figure out another way to use the gel as I think it was a bit hit and miss, maybe if I mixed it with water it would be easier to spread????
Any suggestions?

[bunzfan]

I have got a huge bottle of pure AVG (food grade) in my kitchen cupboard, it has no nasties in it so I took it into the shower with me tonight!
I was not 100% sure what to do(saw it mentioned on another forum) so I saturated my hair under the shower then applied a handful of the gel and smooshed it in, pretty much straight away my hair started to feel clean, it did give a bit of a squeak but not as much as from normal shampoo. I did not use any conditioner or rinses, just the AVG.
I have just left it to air dry and its light, curly and feels so soft!!http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/images/smilies/love4.gif
I need to figure out another way to use the gel as I think it was a bit hit and miss, maybe if I mixed it with water it would be easier to spread????
Any suggestions?

That's great news! i use it as a hair gel great for curly or wavies.

[LunaMoon]

I have got a huge bottle of pure AVG (food grade) in my kitchen cupboard, it has no nasties in it so I took it into the shower with me tonight!
I was not 100% sure what to do(saw it mentioned on another forum) so I saturated my hair under the shower then applied a handful of the gel and smooshed it in, pretty much straight away my hair started to feel clean, it did give a bit of a squeak but not as much as from normal shampoo. I did not use any conditioner or rinses, just the AVG.
I have just left it to air dry and its light, curly and feels so soft!!http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/images/smilies/love4.gif
I need to figure out another way to use the gel as I think it was a bit hit and miss, maybe if I mixed it with water it would be easier to spread????
Any suggestions?

Maybe I miss something. Did you wash your hair with gel? what kind of gel? And you mention some AVG. what is this?
I am really courious because I am a curly/wavy myself.

Sorry: O googled it! It is Aloe Vera Gel (I know I am stupid..).
I am sure you can mix with water to easy spreading! I love Aloe Vera Gel, I have to try it! Thanks

[Fethenwen]

Oooh, so your hair got clean by using only AVG?

If I had a lot of aloe around I would try this out for sure!

[LaurelSpring]

I have seen some recipes using AVG in them. I was actually wondering myself what it would do by itself. Im glad that you tried it and posted. I may have to give it a try. If it works that well it may be the answer for me.

[littlenvy]

:( I tried that in the past and my hair never got cleaned with it. It ended up looking very stringy.
Wonder why there is such a huge difference between us.
Could it be the curls? (my hair is only 1b at best)

[WaitingSoLong]

Interesting! Thanks for posting your hair experiment! I use AVG a lot but I have it in a spritz bottle diluted at lleast 50% with water so it will spritz. Does wonders for my hair but seems to wash completely out. What I like is that it doesn't attract dirt like oils do. My skin drinks it. I have discovered it cures my arm and back acne as well (which is actually keratosis pilaris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris)). Trying it on my face acne...jury is still out.

[HairStickler]

I have discovered it cures my arm and back acne as well (which is actually keratosis pilaris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris)).
*rushes off to put aloe vera gel on bumpy arms*

[jujube]

Wow. Your hair actually felt clean? I'm not suprised that it felt conditioned, but clean? Interesting. I sometimes use AVG (food grade also, the drinkable kind which is very liquid and not too gel-y) as a face wash or face moisturizer. I'll give this experiment a shot.

[proo]

Oh man, this is the stuff - creative rush! Gilly, you rock.

[WaitingSoLong]

*rushes off to put aloe vera gel on bumpy arms*

I am telling you, after 3 days of applying it before bed (and it doesn't take much) the bumps are almost non-existent.

NOT working on face acne. But that is not keratosis pilaris.

[Helix]

Maybe you could try aloe vera juice instead of the gel next time? It'll probably be easier to spread

[jaquelines]

i am sorry, dumb question, but i am not an american - what is AVG ?

[Gilly]

i am sorry, dumb question, but i am not an american - what is AVG ?

I am not american either!
AVG = Aloe Vera Gel.

I tried it again today but watered the gel down a bit in a bottle, shook it up and applied it, I must admit it did not feel the same when I was washing it and it did not come out as clean so today my hair looks a bit dull and dirty, NOT what I was hoping for:rolleyes:
I have been checking the price of pure AVG over here in Australia and its pretty expensive to buy it in large quantities so I am almost at the point of not bothering with it as it may well be just too exxy to keep up with!:rolleyes:

[linnepinne]

This sounds really interesting! I will be follwing this thread :)
I'm always on the look for alternative products to clean my hair, since I hate being a grease ball but don't want to use any harsh cleansers.
Any one else tried AVG to clean your hair?

[WaitingSoLong]

I would try it but I am a huge cone user and I doubt AVG will remove the cones. I can sure try though.

[LunaMoon]

i am sorry, dumb question, but i am not an american - what is AVG ?

Ha ha I am not alone.. I asked the same question too...
I have to try this, still looking for some AVG around here, but I am not worried about cones because I use shampoo once a week. Other days I am COing - yup, with cones. My CO has amodimethicone on the botton od the ingredients list, so it is not sooo heavy. I am not noticing build up tho.

[JadeTigress]

Do you think it would be ok to use the AVG straight from the plant, or would the bottled stuff be better? I just bought a plant and I would love to give this a try.

[Regan]

Does AVG make hair crunchy if it's not rinsed out?

[Athena's Owl]

The dew point is high enough that I am seriously tempted to try this today. I'm really wanting my curls these days and it's been *so* humid here lately that I could probably use some humectants without trouble. (For a laugh - the relative humidity is 50%, the temp is 25c, and I feel like i'm in a steam bath, I know, I'm such a wuss!)

[Buggheart]

I'd like to give this a try but not sure what I'd be looking for. Is this something I'd pick up at Whole Foods or something?

[WaitingSoLong]

I buy the clear AVG at Wal-Mart in the lotion section. They only ever have the green stuff with the sunblocks.

AVG does not leave my hair crunchy at all, but I know some people say it does. It rather leaves my soft. If I goop it in before a braid, my braid waves come out much nicer (wavier).

[ratgirldjh]

I've done this recently. I have food grade aloe vera gel and what I've been doing is wetting my hair and then pouring some of the gel (it is pretty watery actually) into my hair and smooshing it around and massaging my scalp. Then I rinse very well.

Mine has citric acid in it and so that may be what helps with cleaning. It leaves my hair very clean and shiny; almost too clean!

I also tried the Fruit of the Earth gel which felt totally different in my hair. The FOTE felt sticky and seemed to leave a coating on my hands when I rinsed it off - and didn't work quite as well as the drinkable gel.

So this may be an alternative for people looking for something else to try that is natural and edible!

I haven't used it long term only for a few washes. It doe sleave my hair much shinier than other washing methods.

I will update.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Aaaahhh... the thread I've been looking for ;). I read a passing comment about someone washing with Aloe, found some "juice" in the health food section, and gave it a whirl. Hair feels very clean:cheese:and wonderfully soft:happydance:.

Did anyone on this thread continue to experiment? I just poured some in my hand, gave it a bit of a scrub, rinsed and repeated (hair was very oily :o) but when it dried, it was lovely and soft and silky. :D

I live in a very humid climate, so humectant properties shouldn't be a problem. I might put it in a long tip sauce dispenser to try and minimalise waste, but apart from that, I might just continue and see how I go!

I'm growing my own aloe vera plant, so when he gets a bit bigger, I hopefully will be able to just make my own!!!

[coffinhert]

I kinda do that, but with conditioner + vinegar...

I douse my head with apple cider vinegar then pour conditioner on top, massage it in everywhere as though it were shampoo. Then I do a hot water rinse to really dissolve all the residue out in the rinse. Then a splash of vinegar followed by a very short cold water rinse at the end.... then i turn the hot water back on but don't get my hair under at all for the rest of the shower. It makes my scalp feel soo happy. I always follow with light castor oil to the scalp as my hair is drying.

I haven't used shampoo in over six months and my scalp has never felt better!

I had really bad scalp problems (dermatitis, itching, bleeding, hair falling out) before I started this routine.

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Coffinhert- do you use aloe vera as well as acv and conditioner? How do you use the aloe vera? As a gel or juice?

[Annibelle]

Wow, I'll be watching this thread!!! I've got a bottle of FOTE AVG that I haven't really used for anything-- leaving it in my hair just made it sticky. If y'all keep seeing good results with the food grade juice, though, I'll buy some of that! It could still be cheaper than shampoo. :)

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Washed again with food grade aloe vera juice, and my hair is lovely :cheese:(it has been a looonnnng time since my hair has been lovely:p). However, my scalp was very tingly for a while after I washed. I'm really hoping I don't have some form of allergy. :( I'm really really hoping this is the hair growth stimulation that some people use aloe vera for. :D I would also love to hear from anyone who has tried washing their hair in aloe vera (juice or gel- whatever) and had some success with it long term. (I just can't seem to get anything to work for me long term.:confused:)