Scalp-only washing!

[Upside Down]

So I started scalp only washing a few months ago. I couldn't find a thread about this so here it is!

What I do is tie a loose ponytail on top of my head.
Braid the lenght.
Put a plastic bag over it and tie it
Roll the plastic bag with hair in it as if it were a pastry roll lol
Tie that with another hairtie.

Wash my scalp with an applicator bottle!

It is really cool. So much faster, my scalp hair dries pretty quickly even in a loose braid. So much simpler washing routine.

I think in the long run it will prevent some of the damage we cause by washing hair (water stress or whatsitcalled. When hairs soak up water and expand and then it evaporates and they shrink).

It should extend the time between my keratine treatments, so less work there too.

Anywhoo. I would love to hear from other scalp only washers. I use silicones so I think next week I'll need to clarify (it has been two weeks since I washed the lenght of my hair).

How often do you wash the lenghts?
What is your method for scalp only washing?
Have you changed your conditioners, serums etc to better suit this routine?
I find I need more leave in.

Any other conments? Tips tricks?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I have done this a few times and love it too. I scalp wash on Wednesdays and do a full wash on Saturdays. I use a dye applicator bottle with diluted shampoo. For scalp washing I only use shampoo, no conditioner required. I love the way I save so much time with scalp washing. With my hair almost at classic, anything I can do to save drying time is a bonus.

That's about it for me, I don't use any extra serums or anything, just wash the scalp and leave it alone to dry. I just do a Nautilus bun, then double wrap it in a plastic shower cap and fasten it with an elastic. I do the scalp wash in the sink and it takes, ooh, 5 minutes? Brilliant. I just leave it bunned for the rest of the day.

[Sweets]

*sighs, dreaming of the day I can really join the LHC and have enough hair to scalp-only wash* Only two years to go, right? I never did this when I had long hair. It makes sense!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Sweets, it saves so much time, effort - and conditioner You'll get there!

[lapushka]

I think this is fine for people who need to wash more than once a week, but since it's only weekly for me, I tend to go for a full wash, still. It's just what works for me, and is great for my routine. Scalp-only, since my hair is washed with my head down is a little difficult to do.

Besides when combing out for the wash, lots of lint comes out... lots of it. I do need to wash that all out.

I think there was a thread on this, but... yeah, finding it is a little hard.

[embee]

This is a great routine for me - at least in summer when I've been working in my garden and my scalp really needs a Good Rinse. Mostly I'm NW/SO but this scalp rinse thing borders on WO which is great also as long as it doesn't involve the length.

I have not washed or truly rinsed the length since I don't know when. A year or so? Not sure. Lost track, didn't care, it didn't matter. The hair is soft and doesn't smell funky and is easy to care for.

That said, my hair is always in an updo. Not sure how well this would work if I wore my hair loose.

[meteor]

I'm a huge fan of scalp-only washes: they have been a game changer for me for a few years now (maybe since TBL?) They really save a ton of time on hair washes/drying/detangling and allow to stretch full washes. And the longer the hair gets, the easier it seems to do, especially with more practice.

I have a couple techniques that I use for this:
- over a sink, just the hairline and crown area with the hair braided and bunned under plastic shower cap or braid held down by bra-strap.
- in shower, with braid covered in a plastic bag and held by hand (I need to braid loosely at the scalp, about from shoulder down, in order to access all scalp more easily). I wash the scalp around the braid and under its base.

I always dilute shampoo with water for this procedure, to make it easier to reach all scalp and rinse. It definitely saves lots of water, shampoo, conditioner & products... very quick and environmentally friendly.

When I'm out of the shower, I just wrap a towel/t-shirt around the head like a turban and let the braid stick out on top and sit on top of the turban and on the side. It dries super-fast from scalp heat and the towel/t-shirt. It's also much easier and faster to detangle after a scalp-only wash compared to a full wash.

Here are a couple videos with variations:
- with a braid held down by a bra-strap/collar (works on heavy and long braids better): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwREj8Kadlo
- with a bun covered by a plastic cap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBOVM-dHlc
- with a braid on top of head, held by hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF6H...ature=youtu.be (from 1:30)
- etc, etc

We have a few great threads on scalp wash techniques:
First successful scalp-only wash: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...d.php?t=119848
Scalp Wash Success? http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=35946
PonyDry, scalp washing tool: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...d.php?t=136047

[Hailwidis]

Thanks for the info meteor! You really are a wealth of knowledge.

I may try this in the near future, although I don't know how necessary it is for not-so-long hair (MBL). I wash my hair twice a week so one of those could easily be the scalp-only wash and the other a full wash. Sounds like a good way to baby my ends even more.

[Pearly~91]

I'm relatively new to scalp-only washing, the first time I tried it was about a month ago. I wash every 5-10 days, depending on the state of things, and I haven't yet found the perfect method for me. I've tried something different every time and will continue to do so until I perfect it.

I am loving the time saved, both in the shower and in drying.

Also, my ends are so much happier with this. I was afraid that they would dry out if they weren't getting wet, but it hasn't been a real problem. I went almost 4 weeks scalp-only washing before I washed the length when I first tried it.

ETA: The only downside that I've found is that my hair is even less wavy than usual, the longer I go without wetting the length.

[meteor]

Thanks for the info meteor! You really are a wealth of knowledge.

I may try this in the near future, although I don't know how necessary it is for not-so-long hair (MBL). I wash my hair twice a week so one of those could easily be the scalp-only wash and the other a full wash. Sounds like a good way to baby my ends even more.

Thanks so much, Hailwidis!
I think at MBL it may very well be doable! Can you bun your hair at this length? If so, you could try washing the hairline while the bun is covered with a shower cap or two (or using plastic wrap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBOVM-dHlc
If you can braid your hair, then you could hold the braid with one hand, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF6H...ature=youtu.be (from 1:30) (I'd recommend starting the braid loosely at the scalp to make it easier to reach all scalp and rinse shampoo suds.)

Also, my ends are so much happier with this. I was afraid that they would dry out if they weren't getting wet, but it hasn't been a real problem. I went almost 4 weeks scalp-only washing before I washed the length when I first tried it.

ETA: The only downside that I've found is that my hair is even less wavy than usual, the longer I go without wetting the length.

Yes, my ends love it, too, and don't seem to need getting wet more often. If they do get dry (from seasonal dryness, not scalp-washing), I can always do a mini-LOC (running over length with wet hands, plus a dollop of conditioner and a couple drops of oil) or wet braid tassel under tap and CO-wash just the ends - it takes a minute max.

As for texture, I think spraying length with water and scrunching can revive curls/waves to some extent, but yeah, they won't usually be as bouncy as straight from a full wash.