WO with CO/troubleshooting

[Katze]

Being once again frustrated with my hair (it seems waxy), I tried an experiment yesterday:

WO washed the scalp and length, conditioner on the ends. Immediately my ends felt slipperier and smoother, and much less sticky and tangly.

However, today my hair is kinda weird - the ends are much more 'piecy' than they have been in recent weeks, while the crown is more 'feathered' (I get that 80s Farrah Fawcett look naturally, unfortunately). I had a meeting this morning and put product in it and am wearing it down, but it kind of looks 'dirty.' It is really, really dark in color, and not very shiny.

The trouble is that when I tried to clarify recently (CWC wash after about two weeks of WO) my hair got SUPER unruly, fluffy, frizzy - basically unmanageable and unpresentable. So I am not sure what to do with the products I have on hand (various sulfate and non-sulfate shampoos, various conditioners from light to heavy and coney) to 'fix' my hair again. I don't have the time or energy to seek out any special salon products or anything right now - just need a low-maintenance solution.

Normally an SMT helps, but I have been so exhausted nights that I have just gone to bed when DD does - I am 11 weeks pregnant. I am afraid that investing the time in an SMT will just give me even yuckier hair.

Could it just be the pregnancy greasies? I just want hair that looks pretty like I did for a couple of weeks there with WO...

help?

[carloota]

Hi Katze. Congratulations on your pregnancy. Our hair types are different, but hopefully this suggestion can help you. I am on a modified WO regime. If I don't have time for a full head WO in the shower, I "wash" my ends in the sink. I'm talking really, really soak my ends and much of the length with water. Then, with the water on my hands, I run my hands over the canopy and the length in order to impart a bit of moisture there, too. My suggestion is to try a "length and/or ends only" rinse or soak. This might help you stretch washes if your scalp is okay, but the ends and length still need some attention. Sometimes length, ends and scalp need different routines. HTH Good luck with everything! :)

[Katze]

Thanks Carloota.

Ends weren't OK, neither was scalp. I'm afraid I went and did a 'shampoo only' wash with a mild, sulfate, natural shampoo, just on scalp.

Hair looked awesome as it dried, less so this morning - really wispy and unruly, but shinier, smoother, and softer than it has been this week.

I guess my WO just needed a clarifying wash. Will go back to WO for my next wash. No matter what, I can 'stretch' to 3-4 days, regardless of method.

[carloota]

Sorry that didn't work. Maybe try damp-bunning or damp-braiding?

[amanda_the_tall]

have you tried just co washing? my hair is thinner and more fine than yours, but i find it cleans my hair adequately without making it greasy. you could try that until your scalp feels more 'normal'?

[earthnut]

I would do a CO wash or a very mild shampoo wash. So your hair still feels a little greasy in the shower. That should strip off some of the excess, but not all of the sebum/oil. I find that my hair feels best when dry when it feels a little greasy when wet.

[Katze]

have you tried just co washing? my hair is thinner and more fine than yours, but i find it cleans my hair adequately without making it greasy. you could try that until your scalp feels more 'normal'?

CO makes my scalp a lot itchier and crustier than normal. WO was making it feel good; now I am back to rather waxy-feeling, dull hair. The ends are very tangled again too.


I would do a CO wash or a very mild shampoo wash. So your hair still feels a little greasy in the shower. That should strip off some of the excess, but not all of the sebum/oil. I find that my hair feels best when dry when it feels a little greasy when wet.

My hair is finer than yours, but that's a good tip about it feeling a bit greasy in the shower. I actually feel like I can move the sebum down sometimes (not every time I try) from scalp to length.

Mild shampoo just made my hair super, super frizzy and it stayed that way until I WO washed again.

And I wonder if it isn't just time to SMT. Maybe I can manage one tomorrow.

Another weird observation is that WO seems to make me shed more. As I am washing and moving the sebum, my hair is very tangled, and detangling it under the water seems to cause shedding. I remember this from last time I went no-poo - about 4 years ago now - but actually, since I am pregnant, I am welcoming the shedding because it hopefully means no postpartum shed if I continue to shed in pregnancy!

[amanda_the_tall]

CO makes my scalp a lot itchier and crustier than normal. WO was making it feel good; now I am back to rather waxy-feeling, dull hair. The ends are very tangled again too.



My hair is finer than yours, but that's a good tip about it feeling a bit greasy in the shower. I actually feel like I can move the sebum down sometimes (not every time I try) from scalp to length.

Mild shampoo just made my hair super, super frizzy and it stayed that way until I WO washed again.

And I wonder if it isn't just time to SMT. Maybe I can manage one tomorrow.

Another weird observation is that WO seems to make me shed more. As I am washing and moving the sebum, my hair is very tangled, and detangling it under the water seems to cause shedding. I remember this from last time I went no-poo - about 4 years ago now - but actually, since I am pregnant, I am welcoming the shedding because it hopefully means no postpartum shed if I continue to shed in pregnancy!

have you tried super-diluting the shampoo? in my experience if i super dilute it it doesn't strip that much at all. an smt will probably help the tangly parts. hopefully you won't shed that much after the baby, but i'm thinking that's more related to the hormones than how you manipulate your hair during the pregnancy... i may be wrong.

[earthnut]

detangling it under the water seems to cause shedding.
Messing with my hair too much when wet, using any regime - shampoo, conditioner, water only - makes my hair shed more. Hair is susceptible to breakage when wet.

I've been scritching, massaging, and fingercombing my scalp and hair before my shower, when my hair is dry, and that seems to have reduced my shedding and scalp itchies.

[misspurdy06]

When my hair gets waxy I lightly wash with conditioner (Suave Naturals Everlasting Sunshine). Cold water rinse is a must. I was able to get to the point where a conditioner wash once every couple of months is okay because I have been water only for more than a year.

I clean my scalp with my finger tips and every few seconds I wipe the sebum on my ends.

When the length gets waxy I section my hair in four and take one section at a time between my hands and slide my hand firm not hard down the length until it's reasonably clean.

In the summer I take Cool showers so cold water rinse not necessary.

When my ends get chunky or sticky I have conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle

1 part conditioner 4 parts water.

I lightly mist my ends and comb them out till they are dry and all is well again.

I hope this helps I know it can be rough sometimes.