WO - Amber and Serin begin!

[serin blackwood]

Hi all,

Amber and I are both going to try going WO, and we'll let you all in on our progress in this thread.

Here is my hair background. I've been an S and C'er all my life trying every concievable product with resultant crappy hair (I'm 53). I think I have pretty fragile hair and it's never grown past BSL. My goal is tp strengthen it up and get it to grow to whatever my terminal length is.

I've been shampooing only once a week for at least the past 10 years, so that might give me a jump on things for switching to WO. Recently, I have been doing a few weeks of no-pooing with some egg/honey/coconut milk washes, applesauce recipes and acv rinses.

Although, I like these natural recipes and found that they cleaned quite well, I'm intrigued by the idea of my own natural oils being the "product" keeping my hair moisturized.

My last wash will be the day after tomorrow (going to visit mom, so need to look good ;)) Then I will be water only with acv rinsing for six weeks straight, I hope.

I'll let Amber check in now, and give her story. Any one else starting up the "Grand Experiment?

Cheers!
Serin

[PrairieRose]

As you know, I too am WO six weeks now. My hair is very fine and damaged from old chemical dye. I wanted to try it to see if less is best so to speak. So far I am happy with the results but I still feel like I am in the transition stage:( I do use a ACV rinse, but I did try it without too. I am not sure which is best yet. Can't wait to hear all about your adventures!

[Maktub]

Can't wait to read your experiences ! (The WO thread is sooo big .... I find it a good idea to share your own story in a new thread)

[Amber_Maiden]

Amber here! :)

I've been stretching washes for about 8 months now to 7+ days. I think this will be helpful in my WO experiment, and I wish to continue stretching my washes (we shall see how that goes).

My background:
I've experimented with COing, pretty much this entire past summer (I used the Prairie Naturals line). I found it really stripped my hair, however, making it feel just like I had shampooed.

I then discovered a line in mid-October of very natural local shampoos and conditioners which I liked (Oneka), and stopping my CO routine. After a while, however, I found it didn't moisturize my hair enough.
I switched to the Live Clean line in mid-November, using their ACV Shampoo and Bali Oil Shampoo, as well as their Moisturizing Conditioner. Loved the Conditioner, and started COing again.

During this time I realized I really liked the feel of my hair on Day 4- after my sebum had come back in, and after I had heavily oiled my hair everyday with avocado oil. By day six my hair felt "healthy", even though it was weighed down with oil. I started hating the way my hair felt after washing it, so that's why I'm stopping. I'd rather WO anyways. It's more natural, and I want to have my hair feel healthy EVERY DAY, not after 6 days of not washing it.

I plan on continuing oiling my ends with avocado oil (until my bottle is done), and until my sebum travels down to the ends of my hair.

I'm very excited about this experiment! My hair is getting very long, and has always been difficult to clean in the shower (I know this will be a challenge during the detox stage of WO). I also dislike how it takes 6 to 10 hours for my hair to dry fully. My goal is to go WO and stretch my washes even more so than I do now, though that might take a couple of months to a year.

Some things of note:
I'm doing this experiment while pregnant, so perhaps this will have an influence on what happens. Will my hair make more sebum? Detox more quickly? Will I need to to wet my hair more often?

I'm also a gluten-free vegan. have been for 8 years now. This might make a difference.

I've been using natural products for the last 2 years. That means nothing with SLS, Parabens, etc. in it.

I'm also not opposed to ACVing my hair if I have to. Not sure how I feel about baking soda- but I plan on trying to avoid it, since I find it drying- which is the opposite of what I want.

I will be using a Tangle Teezer (because my hair is very thick), and a BBB (which is in the mail to me as I write this).

I will be starting the 22nd... I will be using Rare Elements Pure Shampoo, because I have a sample of it, which says it's good for clarifying. I'll also be using my Live Clean Moisturizing Conditioner. I will be oiling my hair heavily with avocado oil, because I really REALLY can't stand how dry my hair feels after I wash it!

I plan on sticking out this experiment for 6 to 8 weeks. Aiming for 8 weeks. I really want this to work (I can't stress that enough)!

I'm so happy I have a buddy to make this journey with me! Thanks for teaming up with me Serin! :)

(Wow.... I wrote a lot...)

[gazelle]

WO is very natural way of cleaning hair and I would like to. But I have some scalp problems, and mentioned in Stretching washes thread. 3 days after washing, it starts to be itchy and I feel myself to wash. My hair does not look greasy, and greasy hair is not very problem to me.

I want to try WO after preparing the hair for it, like you both have. I mean after washing it rarely and using natural products. And I haven't done these things.

I will follow your thread as WO thread

[Amber_Maiden]

WO is very natural way of cleaning hair and I would like to. But I have some scalp problems, and mentioned in Stretching washes thread. 3 days after washing, it starts to be itchy and I feel myself to wash. My hair does not look greasy, and greasy hair is not very problem to me.

I want to try WO after preparing the hair for it, like you both have. I mean after washing it rarely and using natural products. And I haven't done these things.

I will follow your thread as WO thread

Hi gazelle,
I would definitely try to stretch washes and ease into using natural products. Also maybe then trying diluting your shampoo before easing away from that as well. It might make it much easier to WO!

[serin blackwood]

WO is very natural way of cleaning hair and I would like to. But I have some scalp problems, and mentioned in Stretching washes thread. 3 days after washing, it starts to be itchy and I feel myself to wash. My hair does not look greasy, and greasy hair is not very problem to me.

I have been scritching, massaging and preening alot (even though I'm still washing) ever since I've learned here that it's OK to do so! Nescesary, even for WO/SO'ers.
I absolutely LOVE the feel of doing so, my scalp feels great, and maybe I'm getting a jump start on not having too much waxy build up when I go WO.

Gazelle, maybe your scalp is telling you, by it's itchiness, that it's producing natural oils, and they need to be distributed... if you try skritching and it helps, maybe you would be a good candidate for WO!

Hiya, Amber. This will be fun!

I had quite a bit of coconut oil in my hair day before yesterday, and had to go to a last minute dinner. I didn't want to wash yet, since I'm saving my last wash till right before we leave on our winter rv trip (today!) so I did a WO w/acv rinse. Wow. my hair felt soft and undry for the first time in, oh, decades maybe? I am so stoked....

[serin blackwood]

I plan on continuing oiling my ends with avocado oil (until my bottle is done), and until my sebum travels down to the ends of my hair.



Me too, I know that after a week of no shampooing, I still don't have much sebum, so I think it will take a while for it to spread through my hair. I use an olive/coconut oil blend.



I'm also not opposed to ACVing my hair if I have to. Not sure how I feel about baking soda- but I plan on trying to avoid it, since I find it drying- which is the opposite of what I want.



I agree. I guess I also just like the feel of putting something in my hair, lol. Any clear, natural liquid like acv, lemon juice, beer, teas etc. I'd like to try catnip tea, so by allowing myself this bend in the "rules", I can still experiment a little, which will keep it fun and interesting :)


.

[Maktub]

Interesting ! Don't forget pictures (of course if you don't mind) of after, and during the process of WO !

[bouclée]

Good luck Amber and Serin :) I really wish it will work for you.

I tried WO during about 2 months and, after a short and light period of transition (maybe 2 weeks), my scalp was very very happy! Unfortunately, my curly hair got straighter and straighter so I decided to stop because I didn't want to lose my curls. I was a bit disappointed because I am looking for a simplified routine and WO seemed just perfect...

[Amber_Maiden]

I'd like to try catnip tea, so by allowing myself this bend in the "rules", I can still experiment a little, which will keep it fun and interesting :)
.

I want to try catnip teas for my end as well! :) I actually just bulk ordered 3 pounds of the stuff for both my hair and my cats! :p

[PrairieRose]

I want to try catnip teas for my end as well! :) I actually just bulk ordered 3 pounds of the stuff for both my hair and my cats! :p
Let me know how the catnip tea works and how you use it. I have been battling split ends and heard it works well. It is on my list of possibilities:)

[akilina]

id like to try!!
would it be a good idea to possibly start with CO washing every other day?
i do know that your hair can become very nice doing WO and eventually wont even be greasy or smell unpleasant. i think winter time is a good time for me to start since i wash my hair alot less in the winter (too cold).
amber-congratulations on being pregnant!!!

[PrairieRose]

id like to try!!
would it be a good idea to possibly start with CO washing every other day?
i do know that your hair can become very nice doing WO and eventually wont even be greasy or smell unpleasant. i think winter time is a good time for me to start since i wash my hair alot less in the winter (too cold).
amber-congratulations on being pregnant!!!
I think anything to stretch your washes and use less shampoo will probably help ease the transition. I had stopped using shampoo for about 4 months before started WO. I was using Baking Soda, but it was to harsh. I didn't want to go back to shampoo so that is how I got curious with WO. My transition is not the worst it could be.

[Amber_Maiden]

I think anything to stretch your washes and use less shampoo will probably help ease the transition. I had stopped using shampoo for about 4 months before started WO. I was using Baking Soda, but it was to harsh. I didn't want to go back to shampoo so that is how I got curious with WO. My transition is not the worst it could be.

I agree, this would definitely make the transition much easier! :)

[Kitkey]

I just started wo last week (well, one bs/acv and just acv twice besides) after over a month of just bs/acv washes. I stopped that when my hair got super dry and I had horrible waxy buildup on my scalp. I gave in and used some of dbf's shampoo and used henna for the first time the next day. My hair felt so awesome after the henna that I didn't want to wash it for fear of drying it out. And to my surprise, it stayed looking god for 3 days! (i used to shampoo my hair every single time it got wet or it would look oily). Now I want to see if I can make wo work for me as a permanent thing.

[Lissandria]

Good luck girls! Not sure WO would be for me right now, perhaps one day! but I'm definitely subscribing as I find WO interesting. :)

[serin blackwood]

I just started wo last week (well, one bs/acv and just acv twice besides) after over a month of just bs/acv washes. I stopped that when my hair got super dry and I had horrible waxy buildup on my scalp. I gave in and used some of dbf's shampoo and used henna for the first time the next day. My hair felt so awesome after the henna that I didn't want to wash it for fear of drying it out. And to my surprise, it stayed looking god for 3 days! (i used to shampoo my hair every single time it got wet or it would look oily). Now I want to see if I can make wo work for me as a permanent thing.

Kitkey, did you try scritching and massaging? it's highly advocated amonsgst SO'ers, not so much WO'ers, but I can't help but think that it would help with wax build up on the scalp.
I'm planning on a twice daily regime, which I'm already in the habit of.... guess I,ll see what happens :)

ps, I'm off to do my last no poo wash - egg, aloe gel, coconut milk plus an acv rinse. After it dries I'll take my official "before" picture for the start of my WO adventure.

[PrairieRose]

For those interested in WO,scritching massaging and preening is a must! It is necessary for a healthy scalp and disturbing oils through out the hair. Even with it, in the transition stage a waxy feeling and greasy hair is normal. The official WO thread is very helpful:)

[Kitkey]

Kitkey, did you try scritching and massaging? it's highly advocated amonsgst SO'ers, not so much WO'ers, but I can't help but think that it would help with wax build up on the scalp.
I'm planning on a twice daily regime, which I'm already in the habit of.... guess I,ll see what happens :)

ps, I'm off to do my last no poo wash - egg, aloe gel, coconut milk plus an acv rinse. After it dries I'll take my official "before" picture for the start of my WO adventure.

I was just using bs like I had used shampoo in the past. Apparently that didn't cut it. The shampoo did a great job of resetting my hair and now I make sure to massage my scalp really well to try to prevent the buildup from coming back. My hair is a bit greasy on top and waxy down the length right now, but looks fine tied back. I read through quite a few pages of the wo thread and feel I am much better informed for this experiment then the last one.

[Amber_Maiden]

ps, I'm off to do my last no poo wash - egg, aloe gel, coconut milk plus an acv rinse. After it dries I'll take my official "before" picture for the start of my WO adventure.

I should do that as well- take a picture!

I'm doing heavy avocado oiling tomorrow and the next day. The 22nd is wash day! I'll take a pic of it the 23rd! :)

[serin blackwood]

For those interested in WO,scritching massaging and preening is a must! It is necessary for a healthy scalp and disturbing oils through out the hair. Even with it, in the transition stage a waxy feeling and greasy hair is normal. The official WO thread is very helpful:)

I thought I remember some comments in the WO thread to the effect that for WO'ers, the water moves the oils through the hair, so it less necessary to scritch and preen than if you were SO.
I dissagree with that, though, in fact the whole scritching thing sounds like it would be healthy for anyone's scalp!

[Amber_Maiden]

I thought I remember some comments in the WO thread to the effect that for WO'ers, the water moves the oils through the hair, so it less necessary to scritch and preen than if you were SO.
I dissagree with that, though, in fact the whole scritching thing sounds like it would be healthy for anyone's scalp!

I think it would take a long time for the water to move the sebum through your hair. In my case I plan to help it along, which I think other people do with the wash cloth method or using BBBs.

[serin blackwood]

Ok, here is my starting pic. I just washed and let dry loose. As you can see, my hair is pretty dry, kind of wispy, it's my natural color and graying quite a bit. I can never seem to get it to look good with products, nothing gets it smooth and shiny without looking greasy or feeling heavy or coated. Hence my foray into the world of WO... I'm hoping that I can minimize as much damage as possible, including what might have come from chemicals in products and that my own oils will be the perfect conditioner.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x387/SerinBlackwood/Image.jpg

[Amber_Maiden]

Ok, here is my starting pic. I just washed and let dry loose. As you can see, my hair is pretty dry, kind of wispy, it's my natural color and graying quite a bit. I can never seem to get it to look good with products, nothing gets it smooth and shiny without looking greasy or feeling heavy or coated. Hence my foray into the world of WO... I'm hoping that I can minimize as much damage as possible, including what might have come from chemicals in products and that my own oils will be the perfect conditioner.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x387/SerinBlackwood/Image.jpg

I think you have beautiful hair. Love natural hair :)

[serin blackwood]

I think you have beautiful hair. Love natural hair :)

Thanks Amber.
I was thinking about this experiment as a study in opposites as well:

We are quite a few tears apart in age - younger and older
You have very nice hair already, longer, thicker, has had better care than mine (judging by your blog); mine is shorter, thinner and has more damage.
Yours is dyed, mine is natural.
You are pregnant, I am starting menopause (I think ... have hot flashes all the time!)

Hmmm, anything else? It will be interesting to see what different results we come up with, using essentially the same WO regime.

Heading down the road to California at this very moment... when I hit the US border, I will only be able to post when I'm around free wifi.
Cheers!
Serin

[CrunchyMama]

Just as a head's up, Amber, while I was pregnant I was able to stretch washes like CRAZY! I've always been someone who washed every 2-3 days, but while pregnant, it became more like 3-4, sometimes 5, and my scalp rarely felt oily! I'm sure other women had the opposite experience, but that was how MY hormones reacted, and it sounds like yours might be reacting similarly... Thought you should know, it could affect your experiment. Once my hormones stabilized postpartum (well that's a lie, it's been 6 months and they haven't fully yet), I couldn't stretch them QUITE as far and still have non-greasy-looking hair. Of course, I still do anyway, I'm lazy and I have a baby to take care of, so washing my hair isn't really a priority, lol.

[Amber_Maiden]

Just as a head's up, Amber, while I was pregnant I was able to stretch washes like CRAZY! I've always been someone who washed every 2-3 days, but while pregnant, it became more like 3-4, sometimes 5, and my scalp rarely felt oily! I'm sure other women had the opposite experience, but that was how MY hormones reacted, and it sounds like yours might be reacting similarly... Thought you should know, it could affect your experiment. Once my hormones stabilized postpartum (well that's a lie, it's been 6 months and they haven't fully yet), I couldn't stretch them QUITE as far and still have non-greasy-looking hair. Of course, I still do anyway, I'm lazy and I have a baby to take care of, so washing my hair isn't really a priority, lol.

Hey CrunchyMama! That's good to know! I don't mind if I end up getting earlier later on, perhaps having been through the detox by that point my hair won't care that much and will just need to be "washed" or brushed more often. :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Thanks Amber.
I was thinking about this experiment as a study in opposites as well:

We are quite a few tears apart in age - younger and older
You have very nice hair already, longer, thicker, has had better care than mine (judging by your blog); mine is shorter, thinner and has more damage.
Yours is dyed, mine is natural.
You are pregnant, I am starting menopause (I think ... have hot flashes all the time!)

Hmmm, anything else? It will be interesting to see what different results we come up with, using essentially the same WO regime.

Heading down the road to California at this very moment... when I hit the US border, I will only be able to post when I'm around free wifi.
Cheers!
Serin


My hair is henna and herbal dyed- so definitely an opposite! I do have some virgin hair coming in, and I plan to grow out the dye! :)

hmmmm... Another opposite might be that I'm vegan. Are you?

I think that this is going to be really neat :)

[PrairieRose]

I thought I remember some comments in the WO thread to the effect that for WO'ers, the water moves the oils through the hair, so it less necessary to scritch and preen than if you were SO.
I dissagree with that, though, in fact the whole scritching thing sounds like it would be healthy for anyone's scalp!
I do believe I read that it is necessary for both SO and WO, obviously though without water it would be relied on.
By the way, I think your hair looks very nice. I can't wait to see how you progress with WO:)

[serin blackwood]

hmmmm... Another opposite might be that I'm vegan. Are you?

I think that this is going to be really neat :)

No, I'm a meat eater but very healthy diet, almost zero processed foods, no sugar and low on carbs. Basically meat and vegetables! Oh, and alot of caffeine, my only vice :o

As part of my recent hair improvement measures I've vastly increased my water consumption and am taking DE (diatomaceous earth) which is a silica supplement.

[Amber_Maiden]

No, I'm a meat eater but very healthy diet, almost zero processed foods, no sugar and low on carbs. Basically meat and vegetables! Oh, and alot of caffeine, my only vice :o

As part of my recent hair improvement measures I've vastly increased my water consumption and am taking DE (diatomaceous earth) which is a silica supplement.

Ahh, I get you. I've been vegan for about 8 years now, and vegetarian before that. I'm also gluten free. I'm very healthy minded as well. I mainly shop organic. Not much sugar in my diet, and no caffeine (except for tea sometimes). I'm addicted to water- I drink up to 3 liters a day.

I take a prenatal vitamins :) and was taking a multi before that, along with extra vit D, B12, and Iron. I also have ben taking MSM for my skin for the past 7 months. I took silica for 5 months before that (and for my skin).

[Luxbot]

I will be following this thread! I've been WO'ing for about two months now and I'm slowly starting to understand my hair. This forum has been so helpful in changing the way I treat and think about my hair -- WO (even if nothing comes of it -- I've read that you should give it at least four months?) is definitely an important step. Good luck!!

[Amber_Maiden]

So tonight is it. Last wash before WO. Washed with the rare Elements sample (awful. Smelled horrible. Very bubbly, but in a weird way...), and some of my ACV Live Clean Shampoo.
Also washed hair with a whole bottle of conditioner- but the dryness didn't go away.... I know it moisturizes my hair better than any other conditioner I've tried, but apparently not as well as my natural oils. Hair feels weirdly dry after washing- or maybe I just never noticed? shudder:

Also- people are right about the smells of bath stuff, wow. Don't know if it's the preg hormones but tonight everything smelled very artificial. Or maybe I'm just trying to reinforce how important going WO is, in my mind? :rolleyes::)

Now hair is up in a t-shirt- I don't dry my hair with towels. I'll wait till tomorrow to Tangle Teezer it out. Put some oil at the ends either tomorrow or tonight- I will see... Probably tomorrow.

And yes, to the people who read my blog, this is basically as duplicate- except I had more life stuff added at the end.

[PrairieRose]

Welcome to LHC Luxbot! That is awesome you are WO for 2 months, I have been for 7 weeks:)

[Amber_Maiden]

Update: I think I'm definitely allergic to the conditioner... My scalp is burning... I washed it out for a good 10min... and even braved cold water! This is the second time this ha happened.

Good thing I'm done with it, eh?

[serin blackwood]

Don't forget your official "before" pic!!


... from a Starbucks in Eugene, OR. mmmmmm, eggnog latte....

[Lilli]

My hair and skin always gets drier while pregnant, and anything with a scent is intolerable. Standard pregnancy stuff!

[Amber_Maiden]

Pictures of hair after wash last night and brushing this morning (before oiling). till slightly damp in some places. (Sorry if the pics are bad, I had to take them with my webcam, because my husband was at work):

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/shamber1/Photo13.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/shamber1/Photo8.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/shamber1/Photo7.jpg

[CrunchyMama]

So lovely, long and thick!!

[Amber_Maiden]

So lovely, long and thick!!

Thank you! It's a blessing and a curse. lol :p

[PrairieRose]

Wow Amber Maiden! Lovely:)

[Hollyfire3]

Pictures of hair after wash last night and brushing this morning (before oiling). till slightly damp in some places. (Sorry if the pics are bad, I had to take them with my webcam, because my husband was at work):

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/shamber1/Photo13.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/shamber1/Photo8.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff519/shamber1/Photo7.jpg






Hey your hair looks like mine with less waves!!! SOO pretty!!! WIsh mine was that perfect every day....

[bouclée]

Hi Amber_Maiden :)

I know I said it already, but wow, you hair really looks beautiful!

[serin blackwood]

Thank you! It's a blessing and a curse. lol :p

We should all be so cursed...:)

Here I am at the end of day 5, and nothing much out of the ordinary. But since I usually wash only once a week, I don't expect much to report till the second week, anyway.
I'm finding it easy to practice benign neglect while travelling. I've just been braiding every day and night, taking them out to scritch, massage and re-do at night and in the morning, and just ignoring my hair the rest of the time...
Merry Christmas all!


.... from my Moms backyard in Redding, CA.

[serin blackwood]

Day 10 - First WO wash since starting on Dec. 20. so I stretched from my usual 7 days to 10.
Before the wash my hair was feeling pretty good, not too oily, but a more moisturized feeling than is usual for me. I've been preening, misting and damp braiding every day. Oh, and coconut oiling the ends.

I almost feel like I didn't even need to wash.... maybe I'm a good candidate for SO!
But I thought I would stick with the program and do a WO. I'm at a campground with a good shower, nice water pressure, so I scritched, massaged and rinsed for about 10 min. and followed up with an acv rinse. Then braided wet and took a long walk in the sun.

Now dry and unbraided, it definately feels cleaner, less oily over all, but not completely (which is good) but my ends and canopy are back to being dry again. I guess maybe my natural oils never made it down to my ends, and the coconut oil, I was using washed out?
I'm tempted to not use oil and try to get my sebum only spread through the hair this time. I wonder if using an oil prevents (maybe repells) the natural sebum from coating the hair... I'll ask this question on the WO thread and see what others think.

I took pictures, but they all look exactly like my starting picture! I guess I need better close ups to really show changes in texture and condition :)

I'm wondering how Amber is faring...

[Amber_Maiden]

DAY 9:
That is so funny! we have a lot of the same things happening!

I was starting to feel like I was a good candidate for SO as well- I've stretched my wash from 7 days to 9 (currently at). I'll probably go for another week, just because I think I can. I plan to finally do my first wash on the 15th.

I've oiled my hair with coconut oil several times this week- on the 23rd, 26th and 28th. I haven't oiled since then, even though I probably could put a bit on my ends. I might tomorrow or the next day.

I've been wearing my hair down everyday. I have no idea if my hormones have finally kicked in, or if it's the stretching my wash from the usual 7 days, or if it's my wearing my hair down- but my hair is definitely shedding less. My brush used to be full before, and now it's just pretty normal shedding. I'm relieved.

Besides that... I've been brushing my hair with my Tangle Teezer every day, twice a day usually. My hair hasn't touched any water.

My husband says my hair doesn't look gross- just very 'shiny and wavy'. He is a bit weirded out that I haven't washed my hair yet... My hair doesn't feel that oily though, just soft. It looks different then my beginning pic because my hair looks less poofy from the oil. 'Heavier' my husband says.

Onwards! I'll update again when something happens...

[PrairieRose]

SerinI don't know about the oil repelling sebum, but it definitely takes awhile for sebum to reach the ends of your hair. Depending on you hair condition would depend on of you want to skip the oil. Until the sebum reaches the ends, there is nothing to moisturize and protect it. After 8 weeks of WO and a micro trim I finally feel like my ends are coated better, but my hair is
APL.

AmberThat is awesome that you hair looks good "heavy". That is the exact problem I am fighting. I know there are plenty of fined haired people who are successful, but I still have some stringiness. It has improved and I can stretch the washes but I am still waiting for less grease!:(

[proo]

Chiming in from the other WO thread:
There's a theory that oil is cleansing and removes sebum, especially from the ends.
I preen downward with a castor-oiled comb, concentrating on my scalp, thereby cleaning the scalp and moving sebum downward without removing it from the ends
I follow it up with a good spritz (distilled water), put it in a crown braid, then cover completely with a silky scarf.

[PrairieRose]

Actually now that I think of it, I did stop putting coconut oil on my ends. I ocaisonally put some shea butter on the ends now. Maybe the lack of coconut oil actually helped with the sebum on my ends. My ends have been looking better lately:)

[Amber_Maiden]

Day 10:
Had to oil my ends with avocado oil. I was trying to work the sebum down, but there just isn't enough... I really need my BBB to arrive- but they haven't shipped it yet due to a 2 week holiday vacation! :( My ends felt like hay, and I was debating whether I should or not, so I asked my husband, and he said I definitely should, so I did.

[PrairieRose]

Even though now I don't need the coconut oil and a lack of it may have helped my ends, I still think you need it in the beginning. Especially with you hair being so long, AmberWhen you get your brush it will probably help:)

[Moor_tu_lyfe]

I envy you your success so far with WO, and hope it works long term you both! I did WO for about 4 months, and had to give up- according to my husband, I smelt! :( Just as my hair was looking soooo much better, and my scalp looked and felt very healthy, my husband just kept asserting that the pillows etc all smelt like my sebum. On a fellow WO's suggestion, I tried a "yoghurt" treatment, on the off chance it was a "flora" imbalance on my scalp, but only resulted in smelling like baby vomit for a couple of days, before I couldn't stand it and had to S and C. My diet is very similar to Serin's- no refined foods, lots of pastured meat and organic fruit and veg, low carbs... so I hope you have better luck then I did!

I'm currently using soapnuts, but my hair is very dry, and needs help!

I'll be avidly following your adventures and wish you both luck!

Serin- the success of WO seems to be dependant on water quality- soft water=success for most people. While you are travelling, your water quality may be inconsistent, and might effect your results. Just a thought...

[misspurdy06]

Day 10:
Had to oil my ends with avocado oil. I was trying to work the sebum down, but there just isn't enough... I really need my BBB to arrive- but they haven't shipped it yet due to a 2 week holiday vacation! :( My ends felt like hay, and I was debating whether I should or not, so I asked my husband, and he said I definitely should, so I did.
While I'm in the shower I sometimes use my ends to clean the top so that I get the sebum directly on my ends.

Whatever sebum gets on my hands while I'm washing in the shower I rub off on my ends.

[Amber_Maiden]

Even though now I don't need the coconut oil and a lack of it may have helped my ends, I still think you need it in the beginning. Especially with you hair being so long, AmberWhen you get your brush it will probably help:)

Thanks PrairieRose! Good to know that I'm not alone in having had to oil!


While I'm in the shower I sometimes use my ends to clean the top so that I get the sebum directly on my ends.

Whatever sebum gets on my hands while I'm washing in the shower I rub off on my ends.

Good idea! I'll try that when I get around to doing my first wash! :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Day 12-

Oiled last night... No, more like SATURATED my hair with avocado oil last night. Now today my hair is UGH. I look like a grease ball. It's really gross. I don't have time to wash it before going out. No way to hide it- I do not wear hats or scarfs, they bother me way too much.

Do you guys think that if I waited until Friday to wash my hair the oil I put in would come out??? Get rubbed out while I sleep or something???

[longhairedlady]

Anytime I heavily oil my hair and leave it, it eventually dries back out. It usually takes a couple days though. And thats with me leaving it loose or braided.

[Amber_Maiden]

Anytime I heavily oil my hair and leave it, it eventually dries back out. It usually takes a couple days though. And thats with me leaving it loose or braided.

I have it up right now, but I'll put it in a low ponytail when I get home :) Thank you for the advice!

[proo]

You could try the comb/spritz/preen method
That should clean it up somewhat and move things along

[Amber_Maiden]

Day 13:
'Washed' hair tonight. Hot water, then cold, then hot etc etc etc. I was just trying to get the avocado oil out a bit- not sure if it worked... Do you guys think it might have?
It's too bad, I could have probably stretched my wash past 15 days, if I hadn't oiled my ends- but then again, if I hadn't, my ends would have continued to dry out. Next time I won't use as much. :p

[serin blackwood]

Day 17:

Sorry, I can't chime in here more often, we are boondocking in the desert around Quartzsite Az and having a great time.
I had decided to keep oiling my ends, and whether the oil soaks in or wears off, I don't know but they don't get greasy looking.
I did a wash yesterday, but keept it fairly brief, without much scrubbing, thinking that it would reset too much if I did. It has only been 6 days since my last, and I did not need it for sebum control, but I felt dusty and campfire-y.

I have to say that all the "horror" stories I read about greasiness and transition phases don't seem to be happening for me. My scalp feels and looks clean, and my hair is starting to act wonderful. Could it be that a lot of negatives can be dispelled by stretching washes to 7 days or more (and therefore training your scalp to produce less oils) before attempting WO is the key?
Both Amber and I have done that and neither of us is overproducing sebum, in fact our main concer seems to be lack of enough production.

Amber, I've been wondering if a lot WO people still do oil treatments, or hair masks, protein treatments etc. on a regular basis, thinking that it will solve dryness issues, and how they then get the oil out! So based on your experience, I don,t think I'll try it... I'm really hoping to stop using anything on my hair but my own oils, so maybe I just need to be patient... but I also want to get my hair to grow (It has never gotton beyond BSL) so I'll keep oiling the ends if needed. But the idea of rubbing the ends on my scalp is worth a try, so I'll do that from now on and see how it works.

I don't know, maybe 17 days isn't enough time to see any negative issues... but I am so pleased with my results so far :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Glad it's working for you Serin! Your travels also seem really interesting!!! :D

Day 15:
I'm really not that happy with my hair at the moment. My ends are really dry again, but I don't want to oil them. My hair is no longer oily anymore, but it is lanky and limp. I'm used to it being full looking. It's a bit depressing. I'm also getting dandruff flakes which I can't seem to comb out. I don't get how my hair can be so dry but so limp at the same time?! When i touch my scalp it's not oily at all!
I've been thinking about this though... And I don't think I'll be able to do this long term. I want to finish the experiment or go for as long as I possibly can, but I don't think it's feasible to do in a city. I spend a good hunk of my time taking public transport, so I'm either waiting for buses in bus lines, or underground on the metro, or biking behind cars in traffic. I'm pretty sure my hair is going to get dirty, if it isn't already. This would be so much easier to do if I was back in the country... One day I plan on moving back to the country, but for the time being- I'm stuck here.
I also really do want to look good enough for hospital visits, pictures at the birth, and having visitors after. I do have some time till that starts happening, so if my hair isn't good by the 6 to 8 week mark, or perhaps the 12 week mark, I'm going tow itch back to washing my hair, but with a simple pure system- like Morrocco Method, or Indian herbs. I miss tea rinses :(

[PrairieRose]

Washing hair with Indian herbs sounds interesting. If you ever do that let us know how it turns out.

[Amber_Maiden]

Washing hair with Indian herbs sounds interesting. If you ever do that let us know how it turns out.

Of course! :) It'll probably be after I reach the 6 or 8 or 12 week mark, just because I want to be pure WO for the duration of the experiment :)

[terylenerose]

Hi there! Interesting experiment, Amber and Serin. I hope it goes well!
I would love to do this, but my hair gets greasy easily and needs to be washed. I have tried WO in the past, but I could never get past the transition stage because my family whom I live with would find out and tell me to stop. I may try again in a few years, but at the moment I have to have non-greasy hair. Sorry!
I wish you both the best of luck and would love to hear about your results. Thought I'd say a few words. :)

[serin blackwood]

Hang in there Amber! I really admire you for taking this on while you have so many important things on your mind. I think you are just expiriencing transition blahs.... by all accounts your hair isn't supposed to look or feel good till many weeks have gone by.
Others in the WO thread have experienced flakes, The lankiness is probably where some sebum has started coating your hair, and the dry areas need to catch up (see below).
Did you wind up getting all the avacado oil out? That whole episode maybe set you back some. Just a thought anyway. I think the only reason mine feels good it that it was pretty bad before, and anything is an improvement, lol!

Day 21 (for me):
The day before yesterday I had a 4 hour drive ahead of me, with nothing to do but listen to music while DH drove, so I took the opportunity to preen for, literally, 3 entire hours. The back of my head was feeling a bit oilier than the rest so I did a lot of massaging there then preening just my ends, and also rubbing the ends right onto that area.*
I think it worked! My ends feel way less dry, in fact all my hair feels evenly coated, if you know what I mean, which it never has before.
I like the feel of natural oils, I think it is what others call "slip". It doesn't feel like oil, but more like the silicone spray we have for automotive use where if you get it on your fingers, all the wetness or oiliness evaporates and it's just slippery and smooth.

Also, if I comb my hair straight down, it looks limp and lank, but if I finger comb it away from my scalp, it has a body that is new, and holds a full looking shape, sort of like a good product does but without the coated feel and no tacky or sticky feeling and no buildup.

Another bonus - I went to a Sally Beauty in Tucson (they don't have them in BC) for the first time and everything I wanted was on sale, real cheap ... 2 maple and cherry wood combs, a silk do rag for under my wool hats, a seemless silicone comb, and a soft BBB (a had a stiff one but it felt very harsh, this one is soooo gentle). I like the wood combs the best.

Till next time,
Cheers!

[Amber_Maiden]

DAY 20-

Hair has been beyond dry the last few days. One morning I woke up and the limpness had gone along with the sebum... Now my hair looks and feels like hay. Even DH commented on how dry it was last night and asked if maybe I should condition it. I oiled it again last night, but this morning it is still dry- and I'm talking from the scalp to my ends dry. There is no sebum that I can see or feel AT ALL. The oil appears to have been sucked up... but the hair remains like hay.
I've decided that I don't think WO is for me... I'm going to do it till Monday, and of my hair is still dry that day I will condition it. I'm hoping that I won't have to... but this is really weird. I read through and did a search of the WO thread, and no one else has talked about this... Weird. Maybe it's my hormones?
Also- no sign of waxy scalp. Just flakes from my scalp being dry...

[PrairieRose]

Hope it works out for you. At least you gave it a try, not too many can say that! :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Hope it works out for you. At least you gave it a try, not too many can say that! :)

True!!! I hope it does work for me though- it would save me so much on conditioner every month... Gah!

[serin blackwood]

Maybe you should give the catnip rinse a try at this time. I just re-read the catnip article by ktani and if it works for you the same way, it could be just the solution!

I wish you the best of luck...
Cheers,
Serin

[Amber_Maiden]

Maybe you should give the catnip rinse a try at this time. I just re-read the catnip article by ktani and if it works for you the same way, it could be just the solution!

I wish you the best of luck...
Cheers,
Serin

Tried it two days ago- No luck. :(
I'm officially off WO as of last night. My hair was just too dry, and there was no end in sight. I think it's just weird... Must be my hormones. I conditioned my hair and it feels SO MUCH BETTER. I think I'll try WO when I'm no longer pregnant, one day.
I wish you lots of luck Serin! I think you'll make it!!! I'll check in and encourage you!

[PrairieRose]

Tried it two days ago- No luck. :(
I'm officially off WO as of last night. My hair was just too dry, and there was no end in sight. I think it's just weird... Must be my hormones. I conditioned my hair and it feels SO MUCH BETTER. I think I'll try WO when I'm no longer pregnant, one day.
I wish you lots of luck Serin! I think you'll make it!!! I'll check in and encourage you!

As long as you and your hair are happy, that's what counts!:)

[Amber_Maiden]

As long as you and your hair are happy, that's what counts!:)

OH YES! Definitely happier. My hair isn't dry, and it doesn't feel like a haystack. I also noticed, however, that I really can't stand the chemically smell of my conditioner. Ugh.

[MonaLisa]

It was very obvious this would happen, as I've seen you posting a lot about different washing techniques.
Very brave to take this challenge, and also very brave to admit it's not for you (at the moment)..

Might try this some day..
Right now I enjoy all the stuff I put in my hair :)

[serin blackwood]

As long as you and your hair are happy, that's what counts!:)

BIG DITTO!!! But it was a fun few weeks, anyway:)

Me, well my hair is doing great! I'm finding that even a light water rinse sets me back a bit, so my next step is to stretch washes to much longer, maybe I'll start with two weeks.
I'm reading the SO thread, when I have wifi, and I may even go that route, eventually. Problem is, I just like the clensing feel of water running over my head every once in a while, lol.

When I get home in another week, I'll try to get a good "one month after" picture to compare with my starting pic.

Cheers to everyone following here!

[PrairieRose]

Looking forward to pictures Serin!

[Amber_Maiden]

Good for you Serin! I'm glad it's working for you!!!

[serin blackwood]

So.
37 days WO, but more important, I have not rinsed in the last 17 days.

I have not felt the need. My hair feels and looks clean, soft and not dry. Rinsing with water seems to set it back a bit, and gives me dry ends and other spots.
So I am officially going to give NW/SO a try!

I've been reading the thread on SO and I seem to have the needed qualities to succeed - endless patience, desire to do lots of scritching and preening (I'm addicted to this!), and the lack of expectation for hair to look like it did when freshly washed (I never liked the way it looked before, anyway).

I have some conclusions on this experiment with Amber, me and WO. We started off as opposites and have ended up that way, as well! I think with WO, I had the advantage of shorter, dryer and thinner hair, which allowed for easier and faster preening of sebum to get to the dry spots. I think Amber got impatient sooner and put avocado oil in to combat dryness, which led to some amount of rinsing to get it out, and perhaps this "reset" her, thus losing any progress she made.

Amber has extremely nice hair, and she was succsessful with other methods, which, I suspect made it hard to stick with a method that made her hair look and feel worse for a while. I am the opposite, and thought my hair felt better almost immediatly with WO.

So there you go. I'm going to revive the SO thread, and post my progress over there, from now on. I hope this thread helps others on their journey. And I hope Amber will post some concluding remarks, as well (:

Cheers all,
Serin

[PrairieRose]

Wow Serin !! I'm very interested in how you make out with NW/SO. I don't think I could ever do it but it does intrigue me. I will be following your progress:)

[Amber_Maiden]

Concluding remark:

I was really excited to begin WO, and am still enchanted by the idea of WO. It would be awesome to live without shampoo and conditioner and just use water.

I think that my hair might not like just water because of how dry it gets. I've always had the problem of dry hair- especially at the ends. My hair is past waist, so I think it gets much drier faster than people who have shorter lengths.

Oiling I think actually helped my hair with WO... I don't think I "washed" all the oil out, even when I did wash it. I'm not good at having long showers past 5-10min... I think with WO I spent maybe 10-15min in the shower. Most of the time it wasn't enough to wash all the avocado oil from my ends, and I never seemed to get the greasy, or sebum roots like people described. My roots were oily looking for a few days, but it soon went away, like it usually does when I stretch washes.

I definitely think that the longer the hair the harder WO is. I think you have to have a lot of patience and not mind dryness if you have longer hair and try it.

Glad it worked for you Serin! Let me know how SO works out, if you try it!

As for me, I'm actually doing CO at the moment :)

[CrunchyMama]

So.
37 days WO, but more important, I have not rinsed in the last 17 days.

So... After pic, Serin? Would love to see one!!

[serin blackwood]

So... After pic, Serin? Would love to see one!!

Ok, I've been lazy! Ill try to get one tonight. I think my hair has grown a bit, too :D

[serin blackwood]

Here is my before and after... my hair color is the same, just looks different with a different flash. I guess it grew about an inch, judging from the stipes on my shirt.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Serins%20stuff/a48018b8.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Serins%20stuff/432c3c40.jpg

I'm happy you asked me to post the picture, I can see for myself how much smoother, fuller and well, healthier it looks!

[CrunchyMama]

Yet still looks amazingly clean! Wow, I'm super impressed. It just doesn't make sense--seems to go against everything that I know to think that water is all you need... But wow. Keep it up!!

[misspurdy06]

I don't know why people think their bodies need so much interference.