Scalp/Hair Balance Issues: Please help!

[holothuroidea]

So I've had a lot of adventures with my hair since I stopped using commercial products a little over a month ago and I've discovered a couple of things.

My hair is very noticeably stronger with water only. Whenever I use any kind of cleanser or rinse on my hair it breaks very easily (if I pull it gently with my fingers it breaks in half), but after 3-4 days of water only it is almost unbreakable. It's not as shiny as it was with S&c but it's got a lot more volume. That's good news!

The bad news is that WO gives me horrible scalp acne. The first time I had it I used a bentonite clay wash and it cleared up immediately. But less than a week later it was back with a vengeance and the clay wash didn't get rid of it this time. I'm starting to worry because I actually had a sore that bled and when my scalp gets this way I notice at least 3 times as much shedding.

I was getting really worried about the scalp acne so I started washing more often with BS/clay but my hair has really suffered for it. Any amount of BS that is strong enough to clean my scalp really strips my hair and clay leaves a build up that starts to look gross after a couple of washes.
ETA: I also stopped manipulating my scalp with my fingers because I thought this might be a source of the acne. But like I said, it just got worse.

How do I balance what my scalp needs and what my hair needs? All of your opinions, advice and help will be greatly appreciated. :)

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

Oh SeaCukes! You have my sympathy. I wish I had some magic advice to give you, but I'm struggling with my own WO (mis)adventures! :p

Good luck, and I hope you find an easy solution! :)

[milagro]

Perhaps water only is not enough to clean your scalp. You might try CO, it is very gentle for hair and cleans scalp sufficiently. I had the opposite issue - very dry, sometimes itching scalp, and CO helped a lot. No flakes, no itches.
OR it can be the adjusting period and you just have to live through it until it comes to balance. But bleeding sores are a bit too much for mere adjustment, IMHO.

[sycamoreboutiqu]

I have never done the WO method, don't think I could hack it - but I have had the bleeding sores type of scalp issues.

It starts out as an itch and sometimes within the same day becomes a crazy amount of scabs and build up of oily or dry scalp flakes. This has been going on for years prior to LHC so it happened with regular shampoo/conditioning even with tar coal shampoo/conditioning.

I really think there is a fungal component to it and keep meaning to try some antifungal products to test the theory.

I would have to say even though I am still having minor issues with it - the most relief I have found is using the CO method - and - adding some Aloe Gel directly to the scalp. I usually leave my conditioner treatment on for a min of an hour, sometimes two and really scritch and massage the scalo during the rinsing part. I follow with a rich conditioner on the length and some oil or Kimberlily's defrizz spray or leave in.

I am considering trying some of the scalp sprays that some others on here use, to keep the scalp hydrated and for relief when it feels too dry from the CO wash.

Amazingly I sometimes find that the CO method leaves my scalp too dry - I suppose it depends on which cheapo conditioner I used for the cleansing. Lately it has been either White Rain or Suave. For those who find the CO method to leave their hair oily - I suggest they leave it on for a good while and let it absorb and lift all those oils and they might have better results.

[Katze]

I did WO (ONLY water, no clarifying, which I later found out is not what WO means) for 4 months or so and got terrible crustines and itchiness on my scalp, and my hair started getting waxy and dull. It seems I have sensitive scalp skin yet hair that screams for moisture - the balance is very hard to find!

For me it is a very fine line - WO does not seem to get my hair clean if I ONLY use water (many Wo users clarify), but if I alternate WO, CO, and CWC, I can usually find the balance between happy hair and happy scalp.

For the past year, because I was swimming a lot up until August, I was doing a lot of CWCs - C left in before swimming, swim with a silicone cap,then W, then C, twice a week.

Since cutting my hair I really see the need to wash more often but with less shampoo, It is kind of a bummer, since, like you, I like to use less product and tread lightly on the earth, but I also want to have hair I am not embarassed by. So I'm doing CWC, then 2-3 days later CO, then 2-3 days later WO, then either CO or CWC again at the next wash, depending on what I think my scalp can let me get away with. MY hair is happiest if I CO and my scalp is happiest if I do occasional sulfate shampooings - maybe once every 2 weeks or so.

hth!

[PaganPriestess]

maybe a acv rinse?

[jacqueline101]

I hope you find balance to your issue.

[holothuroidea]

@Moor tu lyfe- Aw thank you! I hope your issues have resolved somewhat. I wonder what people like us did before there was shampoo and conditioner. :/

@milagro&sycamoreboutiqu- I've tried CO a couple of times. It cleans fine but it completely kills my waves and makes my hair stringy. My scalp doesn't like it either. Any time I put conditioner on my scalp it sheds like crazy. I've read in various places that conditioner is not good for an acne prone scalp and I think it's true in my case. I have been told that there is a transition period with CO but honestly I'm not willing to deal with using product, having acne and also having bad hair. :(

I haven't considered that it might be a fungus/yeast issue. I guess it could be, but I'm hoping it'll clear up without any anti-fungals. Can't hurt to put a drop of Tea Tree in my wash, though!

@Katze- Hey! Alternating seems like a good idea. Once the acne clears I can see how long I can go on WO before I start to see problems and then the next time I can preempt it. My ideal would be to find a washing method that doesn't destroy my hair, though. It seems like anything gentle enough leaves a coating on my hair and anything strong enough drys it out. Double sadface!

@PaganPriestess- I was doing regular raw ACV rinses. I had to use it very dilute (1:10) because otherwise it was difficult to rinse out, I think I have porous hair. My scalp couldn't care either way... probably because it was so dilute. :/ Also I can't stand the smell, it reminds me of DH's hockey equipment. :shudder:

@jaqueline- Me too!

[holothuroidea]

So I had this idea... Maybe it would be better to wash just a little bit every day than to wash thoroughly once or twice a week. My hair loves water so it doesn't seem like a bad idea, except that wet hair = tangles = damage but I've been very careful about detangling and haven't had much breakage lately.

Last night I diluted my California Baby shampoo. VERY dilute, about a teaspoon in 6 oz of water. I added 1/2 tsp jojoba oil to the mix. Both my hair and my scalp seem to love jojoba so far and I thought it would make the wash better for my hair. Then I shook it up and just used the foam on my scalp. (A nice little trick I learned from washing baby heads :D ) It was amazing! My scalp feels clean, no crusties and the inflammation has gone down a little. After I rinsed I used a tiny bit of conditioner on my ends to detangle safely.

ETA: It seems like I'd be able to clean my scalp with the foam and not get too much on my hair if I massaged it in while it was dry. Has anyone ever tried this? I might do it tonight.

I have to say that my hair looks very good! Not as much volume as with water only, and not quite as strong but it seems like a happy-medium and I will be content with it if my scalp clears up. I'm going to try this every night for a week and see how it goes. Next time I go to the store I'll get some tea tree for the mix. I really hope this works.