6 weeks water only & there's a sour smell in my hair

[DarleneH]

Well, I tried it. I pressed through the itchies for the first few weeks, have REALLY loved not washing all the time because of how cold that is on your back when getting out of the shower (though I did water-only once or twice a week), got used to how much straighter my hair is now, and how it's somewhat heavier feeling which I actually like. But today I caught a whiff of something sour around me, and when I pulled a lock around to take a close sniff that was it. I can not abide knowing that it stinks. Granted I suspect my sense of smell is on the upper end of the spectrum, but that still means SOMEbody else could be too and be able to smell it.

I may try CO once a week, but other than that what options are there for freshening scalp and locks between washing?

[akilina]

Maybe you could try a mixture of green tea and a few drops of tea tree in a mister bottle and spray right onto scalp before your WO wash?
Or whatever tea you fancy with whatever EO you fancy...

Or try CO washing once a week...I would hate to feel like I am going back in progress. To me, it is a huge accomplishment being WO for 6 weeks...I could not even handle WO for 4 days.

Hmm another thought...maybe some sort of tea rinse would help?

[Madora]

The odor is from gunk building up not only on your hair but on your scalp.

A good cleansing of your scalp and hair with a gentle shampoo can work wonders.

If you don't like using shampoo full strength, then you can dilute it with some water.

The scalp needs to be clean if you want healthy hair.

[EndlessSunshine]

Brush with a clean BBB. Maybe do a ACV rinse.

[cwarren]

I agree with cleaning your scalp using diluted ACV. Also, maybe try adding a lightweight oil like jojoba throughout your hair and scalp. It rinses out easily and acts as a fungicide.

[bunnylake]

Perhaps WO doesn't work well for you. I'm sorry! I think you should clarify and then try another method.
I don't mean to offend anyone, but I don't understand the WO method. Why does anyone do it? I am under the assumption that in order to grow healthy hair, the scalp should be kept clean. Our bodies don't clean themselves... I should hope we are all using some type of body cleanser here! But why wouldn't the same apply to the hair/scalp? Just curious.

[Milui Elenath]

I do WO been doing it for almost solidly for 2 years and my hair doesn't smell - I make DH smell it and trust me he would tell me and he has a very good sense of smell.

Bunnylake Certainly not offended but I'd be happy to tell you why do I do it. Firstly because I am not dependent on commercial products therefore not contributing to corporations profits. Second my scalp loves it - I always had flakes and itchiness before but not now and my scalp is healthier than it ever was before. Thirdly my hair is better and different on WO. I also believe it is way more natural. I do believe our bodies clean themselves to a certain extent.

I keep my scalp clean by brushing and gently scritching (kind of scratching), my hair also gets clean via brushing and the sebum (I admit I have hardly any) gets distributed by preening and brushing. Water removes the excess sebum and any smells I might have picked up in the environment. If I did feel I needed help in the smell department there are plenty of flowers or herbs I could add to the water.

OP If you want to continue with WO there is plenty of advice regarding smell in the WO thread (I know it's massive!) but a few things you could try are clarifying - as smells and residues from previous products can cause issues. Tea rinses, flower rinses, acv and even dilute shampoo may help to remove the smell too. WO is way more fiddly and individual then other methods and really 6 weeks is only barely long enough to have transitioned. Whatever you choose I think WO is a good method to experiment with even temporarily just to get to know your hair. Good luck.

[MaryO]

Hope I'm not hi-jacking the thread here but can WO work for oily haired individuals?

[Pierre]

Comb a few drops of tea tree oil into your hair. That's what I did many years ago, before I heard of LHC or even henna, and the choir director told me my hair stank. Next time, he told me "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!"

I currently use a mix of Melablend (tea tree and some relative), ylang-ylang, and patchouli EOs in jojoba, usually spreading it over my hair with my palms.

Also comb your scalp well while you're in the shower.

[mzBANGBANG]

my big setback with WO was I got tired of what felt like a scalp massage every wash. I just didn't have time for that kind of washing in the morning.

More recently I have been using a very, very diluted VO5 shampoo on just the top of my scalp. It really only takes about a dime sized drop, too. For me this is enough to battle the greasy looking part, and take care of any smell. I am not strict WO, just happened to venture back this way because I ran out of product