Shampooing the length of the hair rather than the roots?

[SopphireGem]

I've heard that shampoo can actually cause the scalp to produce more sebum to compensate for the loss of natural oils, making the hair continue to get greasy more (or something like that).

So, what I was wondering is - would it actually be a better idea to:
- when the hair is greasy, use a boar bristle brush to distribute the hair's natural oils all down the length of the hair to protect the length from the drying effect of the shampoo
-shampoo only the length of the hair, not the scalp
-when the hair dries after being washed, use the boar bristle brush again to distribute the natural oils from the scalp to the rest of the hair, leaving the hair soft and not greasy??

In effect, you'd kinda be doing the WO method on the scalp so the scalp can adjust to having no shampoo directly on it, but you'd shampoo the excess oil off the length of the hair, away from the scalp.

I have no idea if this is a good idea or just utter rubbish, but I'd like to hear your opinions :)

[Avital88]

to me this sounds like a bad idea, it would only make my hair dry and my scalp itchy, but it might work for anyone else

[Madora]

You want to get ALL the hair clean, not just the length.

Brushing with a bbb distributes the oil down the hair, if you do it every day. I don't recommend doing it if your hair is very oily.

As far as shampooing is concerned, it is a two part process, using diluted shampoo both times.

First you shampoo the length to get rid of surface dirt. Then rinse thoroughly

Apply diluted shampoo again and concentrate on your scalp. Massage the shampoo gently all over your scalp then rinse well.

Use a diluted conditioner and detangle your hair while it is filled with the conditioner. Rinse with warm water then follow by a cold rinse.

Airdry your hair

When the hair is completely dry and detangled, you can brush if you wish. Always be sure to follow each swipe of the brush with the palm of your other hand. This cuts down on static.

[MaryMarx]

Brushing with a bbb distributes the oil down the hair, if you do it every day. I don't recommend doing it if your hair is very oily.

Oh, why not? More likely to cause shed hairs?

[Madora]

Oh, why not? More likely to cause shed hairs?

No, not likely to cause shed hairs. More likely to cause lanky hair from too much oil. If you can find a way to lessen the oil output, then brushing might be an option--provided you do it every day.

If the hair is oily, then some of the oil can be removed by placing a white cotton sock over your brush and then brushing down the strands as usual.

Shed hairs seem to be the result of natural shedding..or improper hair handling (unfriendly hair tools/toys).

[may1em]

Sometimes I feel like I have to use shampoo on my length - I work at an elementary school and need to get the germs off! But I still use it on my scalp.

[spidermom]

You will hear stories about people who shampooed less and their scalps became less oily, but it hasn't been scientifically proven.

I CWC with diluted shampoo concentrated at scalp area about every 3 days. I don't know if it's the conditioner applied to my length or the suds running through my hair in the rinse, but scalp and hair come clean with just one CWC. I rarely repeat.

I wash from scalp to tip-ends about once every couple of months, give/take.

[serin blackwood]

You will hear stories about people who shampooed less and their scalps became less oily, but it hasn't been scientifically proven.

Maybe not, but there is ample anecdotal evidence. This is the whole point of "stretching washes", for a lot of people the less they wash, the less they need to. There are many threads to check out on this subject...

Official Stretching Washes Thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56574)

[MaryMarx]

No, not likely to cause shed hairs. More likely to cause lanky hair from too much oil. If you can find a way to lessen the oil output, then brushing might be an option--provided you do it every day.

If the hair is oily, then some of the oil can be removed by placing a white cotton sock over your brush and then brushing down the strands as usual.

Shed hairs seem to be the result of natural shedding..or improper hair handling (unfriendly hair tools/toys).

Okay, thanks! I thought maybe it could be harder to get the brush through if the hair is really oily, causing some unnecessary shed.
That sock thing sounds interesting. :)

[bouclée]

When I was into WO, I used to WO my scalp and CO my lengths, because my scalp adjusted better to WO than my lengths (too dry). So maybe you could try conditioner instead of shampoo, so that it would be less drying for the lengths? You might try for awhile and see how your scalp adjusts...