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janaana
July 5th, 2008, 11:34 AM
Years ago, when I had a short ear length bob, I washed my hair standing upright in the shower but since my hair got past my shoulders I haven’t been able to bear washing it like that any more; I just thought the feel of the wet hair sticking to me was horrible. Since then I've washed it using a hand held shower head with my hair tipped forward over the bath.

I'd always assumed that other people with long hair did the same as me until I read the cold water rinse poll thread and noticed a lot of people saying that getting soaked with cold water when washing their hair standing in the shower put them off.

I’d be interested to know what position long haired people use most often when cleaning their hair.

AJoifulNoise
July 5th, 2008, 11:54 AM
I stand upright with a fixed showerhead. It's what I've found to be easiest. If I had a detachable showerhead, I might do things differently... But I don't have one of those. And, there's no way I'd bend forward with my hair in front of me... Tangle city!

hurricane_gia
July 5th, 2008, 11:58 AM
Mainly I wash mermaid style, in the bathtub, but sometimes I stand up in the shower and use the hand-held nozzle.

I don't like to wash with the leaning-forward method because it always results in tangles. I've tried combing all my hair over first, while it's dry, and then washing, but at some point in the drying process I'm going to take off the towel and let my hair drip dry, and I'm not going to lean forward all that time! :) Plus, sometimes it's so humid that it takes my hair a full 24 hours to dry, and I can't comb it until it is dry, and if I'd washed it leaning over I'd have no choice but to bun it right there on top of my forehead, and that looks stooooopid on me!

KittyCat
July 5th, 2008, 12:07 PM
My hair is waistlong when fully wet.
For some reason I just can't wash and style my hair upside down. I always end up with strangely bent curls and some poofy areas.

I always stand upright in the shower ,so my hair can fall down my back. I shampoo ,condition, rinse and style my hair this way.

Isilya
July 5th, 2008, 12:32 PM
Another mermaid-soaker here :) I CWC in the tub because I can reach my scalp much better than I could when I washed in the shower.

Siowiel
July 5th, 2008, 12:43 PM
I chose the option "standing up", to, although I do not use a fixed shower head, but a handheld. I have the feeling that I do not get my hair properly rinsed with a fixed one.

Exceptions: Mermaid soak when I am taking a bath anyway, which happens seldomly, as I get the creeps if my skin soakes in hot water, you know that feeling...

Sometimes, I wash forward, but only after henna or so, because I do not like all the mud running down my back... but yes, I get more tangles then, too.

julya
July 5th, 2008, 12:50 PM
I usually do scalp washes at the kitchen sink, with my hair pulled back into loose pigtail braids.

If I am going to do a full length wash, I use the shower.

jenna
July 5th, 2008, 01:09 PM
i've always just stood up with a fixed shower head.

ZaBasDa
July 5th, 2008, 01:45 PM
I wash my hair standing up using a fixed (technically it's a hand-held shower head that I don't use that way) shower head.

I get some awesome volume when I tip my head foward over the bath and use the hand held shower head. But I am usually washing my hair for so long that I get majorly dizzy.

Periwinkle
July 5th, 2008, 01:46 PM
I stand up and use a showerhead that isn't fixed in the shower.

Elle
July 5th, 2008, 02:12 PM
I prefer to take baths and it allows my hair a good long time to soak, which it seems to love. On hair washing days I split my hair in two, straight down the middle, before climbing into the tub. Once it's wet, this is impossible to do, so it has to be done while still dry. Keeping my hair in front of me, I use a handheld showerhead for rinsing. After shampooing twice, I condition, gather my hair onto my chest and lay back in the tub to relax for awhile. After about 10-15 minutes I pull the plug on the tub and stand up for a final rinse under the shower. :)

Riot Crrl
July 5th, 2008, 02:19 PM
Standing up in the shower. My hair hates "changing directions" like that and I think trying to wash it upside down would be asking for trouble.

flapjack
July 5th, 2008, 02:27 PM
Pretty much the only way I can guarantee that my hair rinses out completely clean (and I'm able to check this by collecting runoff in my hand and making sure the water is clear) is by letting water run straight down my head, while standing or sitting under it. I have washed my hair upside down in a sink before but I can only do that for waist length and above or I get massive tangles. It's too long for that, now. I love the feeling of wet hair on my back, too. It feels really slippery.

Nevermore
July 5th, 2008, 02:34 PM
I stand to wet, CO wash (both the applying conditioner part and the letting it hang out in my hair part), rinse standing straight up until I'm mostly done, then grab the length in one hand, lean over and set it down nicely upside down. I flip my head back when I'm done with that. I don't have tangles unless I just flip my head upside down, as opposed to leaning over and setting it down nicely on my head.

SweetPea88
July 5th, 2008, 03:04 PM
I stand up straight in the shower to wash my hair with the detachable shower head. My hair is at waist (a little longer when wet) and I can't for the life of me wash my hair upside down or in a sink unless I want massive tangles. I also like to part my hair into two sections when I wash so that I evenly wash my hair. I like the feeling of my hair dripping down my back, it makes it seem so much longer! :)

sipnsun
July 5th, 2008, 03:43 PM
I stand in the shower but I have a hand held shower head. I guess I'm just the opposite because when I feel my hair on my back, it's sort of an accomplishment. Two years ago, it was just below my ears, and I've never felt hair on my back because I've always worn it shoulder length or shorter.

lora410
July 5th, 2008, 03:46 PM
I stand under a shower and also do a cold water rinse everytime. The only time wet hair bothers me is after my bath, combed, and sticking to my back...ekkk I hate that

janaana
July 5th, 2008, 04:43 PM
Thanks for all the responses. It’s interesting to read all the different ways people like to wash their hair. All these years, I'd been assuming people did the same as me and now I find I'm definitely in the minority. Unless I’d taken to peering through keyholes, I’d never otherwise have found out there are so many variations to people's hairwashing routines!

Now I understand that people don’t like the head forward way because of tangles. My hair is quite tangle-prone and I’d forgotten it took me a while to work out how to avoid them when I started to wash my hair that way. I found it tangled badly if I brought it all to the front over my forehead, especially when I stood up after it was washed, but if I part it from forehead to nape and wash it while it hangs to each side over my ears, it’s more manageable.

harley mama
July 5th, 2008, 05:08 PM
I CO by looking up while standing in the shower. My hair tangles if I flip it forward.

DecafJane
July 5th, 2008, 09:49 PM
I didn't even think that there were other ways to wash - when my hair gets longer, I'll have to try washing it in the bath like you do. :)

Poppy Seed
July 5th, 2008, 09:55 PM
I only have a fixed shower head (hate it!) so I have to shower standing up, and with my hair down my back. We don't have a bath, or I'd go mermaid style when I had the time, as I always love the sensation, and just do the final rinse under the shower. My hair gets hideously tangled if I try flipping it in front of me even when dry! So I shudder to think how bad it would be in a shower...

DecafJane
July 6th, 2008, 04:43 AM
I thought I would add that I had a bath this evening, and did a deep treatment. When i came to finishing and rinsing it out, I remembered this thread and rinsed it all out in cold water over the side of the bath. It was great! Normally I couldn't do this in cold water, but this way it was actually refreshing and was better for my hair. Thank-you!
I will definitely be continuing this in the future. :D

AprilElf
July 6th, 2008, 05:21 AM
I kind of do a mixture ...

- Wet hair from about ears down in basin of water, by draping it over one shoulder, then the other (not flipped over completely), then apply first 'C' of CWC.
- Do 'W' and second 'C' standing in shower under a fixed head.
- ACV rinse in basin, with hair draped over shoulder again. I don't think I flip it over completely, but I kind of dip the sides and top of my head in the water too.

Sounds weird and impractical when I write it down! :o

Juli414
July 6th, 2008, 11:12 AM
I have a hand-held showerhead in a stall. Thanks to here and MLHH, I've learned to shampoo only the scalp, then rinse it out using the hand-held, but mainly to the side or back. Then I condition, let it sit while I wash my body, then rinse with the body. I have thought about gently flipping it forward and doing a cold rinse that way, but I take long enough in the shower.

Forever_Sophie
July 6th, 2008, 12:09 PM
I stand upright but I use a handheld shower head.

spidermom
July 6th, 2008, 12:22 PM
I stand under the shower. Feeling my hair with water streaming down my back is one of my pleasures in life.

I've washed my hair while bending forward during camping trips but don't like it because of the tangles created when I straighten back up and release my hair to fall naturally. Best it stay in natural position the entire wash/rinse/dry cycle.

Rapunzelwannabe
July 6th, 2008, 12:31 PM
I get my head soaking wet standing under the fixed showerhead and then bend over at the waist and shampoo my scalp, then I stand up again to rinse it through. I have some issues with tangles but they mostly resolve themselves by the time my hair's completely dry which is when I fingercomb through it all.

PetiteHatter
July 6th, 2008, 03:41 PM
I stand upright with a fixed showerhead

AlleyKitten
July 6th, 2008, 05:26 PM
I do most of my hair stuff in the shower bent over forward. I use a fixed showerhead, but the conditioner my hair loves for CO makes the skin on my back and neck break out, so I try to minimize its contact with my skin. It's pretty uncomfortable to scrub and scrub at a CO wash while standing up bent at the waist and neck, but it beats bacne. I do some amount of my rinsing in a standard upright position, once I've gotten most of the conditioner out of my hair, and I do the vinegar rinse upright (doing it bent over sounds like a recipe for disaster!).

I also find that the bent-over position lets me get at my scalp much more easily, as I have pretty thick hair and use diluted shampoo or CO. If I stand up straight there's too much hair between my scalp and the outside world.

EmpressRi
July 6th, 2008, 05:42 PM
Standing up in the shower. My hair hates "changing directions" like that and I think trying to wash it upside down would be asking for trouble.

same with me. tangles galore, and the more i have to detangle, the sorer my scalp becomes. i bought a detachable shower head for the purpose of washing my hair, but even with deep conditioning, time to rinse i just hop back in the shower because it's easier.

plus...im accident prone like that and WILL somehow make the floor and everything else in the bathroom soaking wet :o

Ndnlady
July 6th, 2008, 06:11 PM
I just stand up in the shower to wash my hair, it usually hurts my back and neck too much to bend over and I never like taking baths, I always prefer the fastest way which is showers!

tiny_teesha
July 6th, 2008, 08:34 PM
right now i wash my hair in the shower standing upright, othign special. The shower head does detach but i find i get a good cleaning without it so i don't take it down.
I plan to in future wash my hair by plaiting it and washing just the scalp in the sink with shampoo and rinsing and that be it. I just think in practise the water will still drip down my braid somehow so i may have to do it leaning into the shower or something. It wouldn't take too long and my ends won't have to get through the trouble of a shower, as i need to wash my hair 2-3 times a week because when it is oily it falls out.

Magrat
July 7th, 2008, 01:22 AM
I voted leaning forward with detachable shower head.
And that's what I've most often done.
But recently I've tried a different approach.
I wash it standing up (don't really mind having wet hair down my back, as long as it's not too cold), and for a final cold rinse, bend a bit forward, let the hair fall down on one side over one ear and first dip the length in a small bucket with cold water, and finally pour some cold water over my head while holding it sideways (still leaning forward).
I just hate having cold water down my back, shudder: and I am trying to minimize the flipping of the hair when wet, so this is what I've come up with for the moment.

Leisha
July 7th, 2008, 02:52 AM
Leaning forward over the edge of the bath, with a hand held shower head. I can't get my hair clean if I do it standing up (or it takes ages to rinse).

morgwn
July 7th, 2008, 03:32 AM
I stand when I first rinse my hair under the showerhead, but for the final cold rinse I tip my head forward and have the cold rinse just go over my scalp with my hair hanging upside down rather than standing and freezing my whole body. Just the thought is brrrrr!

kettle
July 7th, 2008, 04:01 AM
I wash like you do janaana! I often wash my hair before I get in the shower... as in, I'll wet it over the bath, CO, stick a showercap and towel over it, wander around the house doing stuff for a bit, then jump in the shower and wash. I usually wait until after the shower to then lean over the bath and rinse my hair upside down as well, though sometimes I rinse it standing under the shower. Usually I bun my hair right away, so maybe that makes a difference in the tangles. Who knows!
If I'm doing an SMT or other deep treatment, there's no way I could be bothered with hopping in and out of the shower to apply and rinse... I leave deep treatments for at least an hour, and getting wet twice seems like far too much faffing to me!

StephanieB
July 7th, 2008, 10:24 AM
My hair's not that long AND it's very fine -- but it tangles badly if I wash it upside down (or even just thoroughly wet it then stand up and flip it back)!!


Because I'm handicapped and can't always do a full body shower (need help, can't do it alone), I must sometimes resort to washing my hair with my head upside down in the sink. And it ALWAYS tangles that way!


When I have someone to help me in the shower, I wash my hair - head upright - underneath a fixed shower head, with my back to the shower spray, either seated on a bath bench or standing (depends upon the day and how I feel)... only coz I don't have a hand-held.

I keep meaning to buy one, coz I think it's help me a lot - even just with showering..... but at the end of pay periods, I never seem to have much extra. Or, when I do, something else is more pressing than a non-necessary shower head. (like none of you knows what that's like. lol)

Islandgrrl
July 7th, 2008, 10:26 AM
I stand in the shower under and use a detachable wand shower head. It's been the same method I've always used.

nappywomyn
July 7th, 2008, 11:11 AM
Definitely standing. When I do my cold water rinse, I use the detachable shower head so I can focus the water on my head.

Finoriel
July 7th, 2008, 11:32 AM
Washing upside down creates tangles, wet hair is surprisingly heavy then, my arms would be too short to reach the tips for (gently of course) squeezing out the excess water after washing, most likely the tips would drag on the shower floor and possibly could have a curious look into the drain, too.
Standing right side up goes almost tangle free for me and I can save time with showering and washing my hair in one go. Not difficult for me to choose between those two options :wink:
Sink is out because of not enough space in it and huge knotting up effect. Bath tub is out because I avoid using so many resources.

soprano
July 7th, 2008, 12:16 PM
O, how I love to take a bath. I shower when I'm just washing my body, but when I wash my hair in the shower I always feel terribly rushed - must finish before the hot water runs out! A bath, on the other hand, is nice and relaxing.

I voted for the "mermaid soak" option, but really I have a very specific ritual to get everything really rinsed and minimize tangles. I shampoo and condition in a fairly normal fashion (although I do have to stand up to condition the ends!). Then I start my ACV rinse, using a squirt bottle to get all over my scalp. Halfway through the ACV, I flip my hair over my head so I can get at the back of my head and the nape of my neck. From then on, I keep my hair flipped forward: I rinse, squeeze out the excess water, wrap my hair in a turban with a towel (while it's wrapped up I can stand in a normal, upright position) and detangle, all with my hair forward. When it's "towel-dry" I flip it to my back and floof it up at the roots to adjust my part and help the length settle without tangling.

I actually find it much easier to detangle at long lengths when my hair is flipped over in front. I just reach out in front of me and work from the bottom up. I'm very nearsighted and it helps a lot to have the hair so close to my eyes. Also, many times I will spread a towel over my bed, lay the length of my hair down on it, put one arm across it and use a comb to detangle. This is very nice because it does not pull from my scalp. After I finish one section, I move my arm up and do the next few inches. When I'm done, I turban my hair for about ten minutes and then let it down as described above.

Lady Godiva
July 8th, 2008, 07:37 AM
What I do is not reflected in this poll. Sure, I stand in a shower, but the vast majority of the time I do scalp washes, putting my hair's length in a plastic bag tied off at the nape and washing only the scalp. Hence, the hair length rarely gets wet.

Henrietta
September 20th, 2012, 07:23 AM
I tip my head forward, e.g. using a hand held shower over the bath or a shower. I am unable to do it otherwise. I just cannot distribute shampoo on my scalp when I stand upright. And I get massive tangles. Ugly! And cold rinses? No way! :D

*Rose Red*
September 24th, 2012, 02:22 PM
I do it the sma like periwinkle!

Carolyn
September 24th, 2012, 04:00 PM
Oooooh Zombie thread arises from the depths! Cool! I haven't seen this discussed in ages. I haven't had a shower in my bathroom since the late 70s. When my hair was mid back or above I washed it forward in the kitchen sink. That was a giant pain because I either had to do the dishes or stack them somewhere out of the way and then move them back to the sink. About 13 years ago, when my son was taking Building Trades in high school, he put a hand held shower thingie in my bathtub faucet. So for all that time I sat in the bathtub and rinsed my hair sitting upright. I took standing showers when a real shower was available when I was traveling and staying in a motel or at a friends home. It hasn't really been too bad washing my hair that way. I'm one who loves the feeling of wet hair on my body and I loved it when my hair was long enough to float in the bathwater. I wouldn't dream of washing it leaning over the tub or in the sink anymore due to the severe tangling I would get. It would be so impossibly tangled. Even with using tons of conditioner, I think I would lose lots of hair combing it out when I stood upright. I may be getting a real shower in my bathroom soon and I'm quite excited about it. I will be able to wash standing up!

nobeltonya
September 24th, 2012, 04:05 PM
I just stand upright and wash how I've always washed.. I guess the main difference is that I have a lot more length to add to the lather now.. I put a decent amount of shampoo in my hand, then half I put on my scalp and the other half I keep in my hand while I kind of pull the length into the lather on my scalp and rub it [gently] to get it coated, then let it down and pull it up in a pony to massage it into my scalp, around my ears, nape, etc. Then, let the length down and rub the lather into the length from shoulders to ends [over one shoulder, then the other.. I'm quite thorough :D]. I wash daily, but I also oil regularly at night and use a lot of conditioner and leave-in. Now that it's getting colder, I shall have to start oiling every night. It was every other. :disco:

fairhairedthing
September 24th, 2012, 06:40 PM
I have a slight tilt back, allowing water/shampoo/conditioner to be worked easily and gently through the hair while rinsing. When my hair is longer I put it towards the side.

Amber_Maiden
September 24th, 2012, 06:59 PM
I rinse in bathwater, while I'm in there.

Chimom79
September 24th, 2012, 07:45 PM
I use a shower chair in the shower and just tilt my head back a bit and use the hand held shower. As my hair is getting longer, i sometimes bring the length over the right shoulder to help wash and condition it.

biogirl87
October 11th, 2012, 10:55 PM
I tilt my head backward when washing my hair. It's the way my mom would wash my hair when I was really young and the way I used to do it most of the time. Sometimes I'll tip my head forward, but that's only to rinse shampoo off my hairline as I find I get too much shampoo into my eyes otherwise.

melusine963
October 12th, 2012, 02:25 AM
I stand upright under a fixed shower head, but I tilt my head first to one side to scrub that half of my scalp, then tilt it to the other side to get the rest.

morrigan*
October 12th, 2012, 07:37 AM
I almost always bent forward, my hair just seems nicer that way, and it's also get pretty cold here in winter so it's easier wash your hair with cloths on :D

rach
October 12th, 2012, 08:51 AM
minimum tangle - upright

flip-flop
October 13th, 2012, 03:20 AM
I usually stand in the shower to wash my hair, which I do first, and then it put up to wash the rest of me (I'm afraid the oil from the conditioner will make my back break out if I do that last). But in winter when I feel too cold, or if I'm at my parents' house, where there isn't enough water pressure from the shower head to get through all of my hair, I lean over the tub and wash it under the faucet.

LizTheLyre
October 17th, 2012, 12:22 AM
am i the only side shampoo-er? i tilt my head to one side and put my hair over one shoulder while i shampoo the scalp on the side opposide the way it is over my shoulder. flip it over the other shoulder and shampoo the other side. then i lean my hair back so it doesnt touch my back and massage all of my scalp this way out of the water. (not a fan of wet hair on back contact...)

i rinse and do the same thing with conditioner, but on the ends, and with less massaging. the i bun with the conditioner still in and do the rest of my shower activities. :)

dwell_in_safety
October 18th, 2012, 12:17 PM
I stand bent at the waist with my hair flipped forward.

neko_kawaii
October 18th, 2012, 01:13 PM
Mostly standing upright in the shower using a mix of hand held and fixed (ie putting the hand held part back in its holder). I do occasionally wash bent forward over the tub (hand held) or sink (cup) depending on what is convenient. Hair forward for washing generally results in more tangles but if put straight into a towel to dry for a couple minutes creates great volume at the scalp.

lostchyld
October 23rd, 2012, 09:29 AM
I stand upright. I have a low tangle head, so far, at BSL, so I'm pretty game to wash in any direction, but my apartment doesn't have a good setup to do much else. My sinks aren't set up to get my hair under the water and my shower does have a handheld nozzle, but it's a walk-in, standing room unit.

At Mom's, I've been known to use the laundry room sink, which works fairly well, but that's the only place I have access to where leaning forward is even workable.

Amygirl8
October 23rd, 2012, 03:57 PM
I stand up when I'm washing it. I've always liked the feeling of hair on my back, whether wet or dry, so it doesn't really bother me.

When I do the cold water rinse I only really do it ear-below. The top of my hair is usually shiny so I don't tend to do it there. I do during the summer, but in the winter it's too cold. Either way it lets me turn the water as cold as it can go, since otherwise I couldn't stand it lol.

JamieLeigh
November 28th, 2012, 09:40 AM
I stand upright in the shower, although I do tilt my head back (the showerhead is behind me) to wet and rinse.

Ligeia_13
November 28th, 2012, 09:53 AM
I can't bend over like I used to anymore, way too many tangles that even conditioner can't undo. So, upright for me.

Although I absolutely cannot stand my hair transitioning from wet to dry on my back, so until it's soaked, I lift it up like a ponytail kind of thing.

spidermom
November 28th, 2012, 09:59 AM
Even though it's a recipe for tangles, I switch it up by sometimes bending over, letting my hair fall forward, or standing upright under the shower. If I wash it the same way all the time, it seems that I neglect areas of my scalp.

cathair
November 29th, 2012, 07:07 AM
I'm a stander or a sitter. My neck and back hurt too much after a minute or so if I learn forward, probably not helped with my hair being heavier when it is wet.

KwaveT
December 1st, 2012, 01:00 PM
I wash and conditioner my hair at the bathroom sink and rinse each time in the shower standing upright or slightly tilted back to rinse all my hair.

jeanniet
December 1st, 2012, 06:22 PM
Always upright in the shower. Bending over to wash my hair is a recipe for disaster as far as tangles go.

Natalia
December 1st, 2012, 07:25 PM
Standing upright under the shower head for me. My hair tangles like brambles when damp or wet if i tried to flip it it would take me several hours of detangling to undo.

ArienEllariel
December 1st, 2012, 07:38 PM
Most of the time I just stand upright in the shower and wash but other times I'll wash bent over with the hand held shower attachment.

zombi
December 3rd, 2012, 12:48 AM
Standing up under a shower head, head tipped back. Final rinse is done leaning forward in cold water with the hand-held shower head.