Ready to embrace my sebum! Advice?

[winship2]

I've been on LHC two months, and I've learned a lot from you all and from finally closely observing my own hair for the first time. For one thing, it's not as oily as I thought, or at least now that there's more length, there's a lot of hair length that needs moisture, not to be stripped of moisture. Something that maybe seems obvious, but is a revelation to me. I'd like to make some more changes for hair health and happiness, and would really appreciate some input from experienced folks here.

I've been doing scalp-wash, condition-only-length in the shower. I air-dry and it takes a while, so I'd like to move to doing this every other day, especially as it heads for waist-lemgth. My scalp is still oily, and sometimes my bangs show it by the end of the day so I think I will still need to wash them in the morning. But as I do this, will it be good for me to do a massage and scritch and preen the evening of the day I wash (I wash in the morning)? And the morning and evening of the off day? Will it help reduce the excess oil on my scalp by distributing it along the length, or will it increase the oily appearance and maybe oil production? Won't all that pulling and activity around the roots of my hair increase shedding?

Maybe this seems like a really small thing, but changing from shampoo/condition every day is like... a Victorian woman thinking of wearing her first slacks, or an Oklahoma cowboy going raw foods vegan, or experimenting with walking on my hands instead of my feet!

[Emme76]

I am not able to answer all your questions - but for me stretching washes has helped me alot. I also got greasier scalp and I use dry shampoo. I put some on when I notice that my scalp loos greasy and it helps A LOT! :D For me it is like heaven. It also makes my hair look thicker.

So one suggestion is for you to try dry shampoo.

When it comes to combing or brushing the hair to get the oil from the scalp on the length of the hair - I have read that it should be good for the hair. To use its natural oils. For me - since I have thin and flat hair it doesn´t work. So I use the dry shampoo and get the effect I need. Now I only wash 1-2 times/ week and it is the best thing ever for my hair.

GOOD LUCK finding your routine. :)

[longhairedlady]

For me, the more I brush the oiler my hair gets. I sometimes only brush, every couple days.

[Madora]

Brush daily with a pure bbb! More info:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=229

Gentle, fast airdrying tips:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=223

Hope this helps!

[caadam]

It's really going to depend on your hair and scalp. Everyone is different, but I know a good handful of people here who are WO (water only) or NW/SO (no water/sebum only) experience LESS shedding from their routines compared to when they were using shampoo and conditioner. I, too, have experienced this same result.

I brush every day, and I wash my hair only once or twice a week with just water. I'll even sometimes use mineral oil, but I've not had to use it very often due to my hair having its own oil now.

Brushing, preening, and massaging will sometimes make the scalp produce more oil, but over time, the scalp will learn to not do this anymore. It will take some time, and patience on your part (meaning some weeks of patience, maybe even months. You have to stay diligent). It will also take some practice learning how to do these techniques, figuring out how to preen most comfortably and effectively for yourself. I have my own method, and as does everyone else who preen. Same with massaging.

As well, how often you do this is something you'll have to experiment with. Do what works for you. If you can get away with preening just every other day, then cool. Or, if you find that you have to do it every day in the morning, then cool—whatever works. 8) I usually keep my heavy preening and massaging sessions before I wash my hair, just because I know my scalp really likes them and will go a little nuts with oil. Doing said sessions before a wash helps to work away that extra oil.

[Ocelan]

I used to have to wash every other day and half way of the second day my hair started feeling greasy. Now I can well go 3 days without a wash and only on the 4th or 5th day my hair will start being a proper greaseball. I wash twice a week now and could go further but those days are our sauna days.
So stretching washes really does help hair not getting greasy as fast and your hair will get used to it if you keep at it. You just have to get through the possible greasy period that for me lasted maybe 2 weeks. Maybe start stretching by washing every other day and just wear your hair up in a sleek bun on day two. After your hair gets used to that you might stretch even further. Also rooibos tea sprayed or dabbed on scalp has helped some people (me included) get rid of some of the greasy look (just rub it to the scalp and gresy birs of hair and let it dry, might help with growth too). I used it when I was stretching washes, had to go somewhere and had awful greasy looking hair.

The brushing I haven't found damaging as long as you do it with a soft BBB like Madora said, however with my straight hair it does sometimes make me seem like my hair is greasy when my hair already is on the greasier side and I spread ithe sebum on the lengths aswell. But in general the brushing makes my hair very sleek and soft, and when my roots are already greasy it doesn't matter if my length is too. I never seem to get it to the very ends though, or maybe I just don't brush long enough.

I usually do my scalp massages and scritching etc. only a little before I wash (except if I'll do only updos when going out since then it doesn't matter when) so that I won't make my hair even greasier looking. I am not sure if your scalp would produce more or the same amount of sebum if you do this already early on.