Recently, I have been trying out a few different methods of washing my hair, namely water-only(WO), conditioner-water-conditoner(CWC), conditoner-only washing(CO-ing) and finally oil-water-conditoner(OWC). Here's my take on each of the above mentioned methods:
WO didn't work for me at all. My hair was a tangled mess after washing with water, and i couldn't run my fingers through it while it was still wet. So, I toweled dry and waited for it to become damp before trying to detangle again. However, even after applying leave-in conditioner and oil, there were still masses of tangles that took me very long to carefully pick out. This is definitely something I will not try again.
CWC was much better compared to WO. In fact, it is one of my favourite methods, other than OWC, but more on that later. I used a rather cheap conditoner for the first C, coating my hair from ear down and massaging in to loosen dirt and buildup. Then I shampooed my scalp and washed both shampoo and conditioner away at the same time. For the next C, I used my usual conditioner, once again coating from ear down, and rubbing the leftovers lightly over the scalp area. This method keeps my hair tangle-free and much less dry than a normal shampoo + conditioner wash would do.
Following my success with CWC, I decided to try out CO-ing, where only conditioner and no shampoo is used. This did not work for me as I have a oily scalp and the conditioner could not clean it properly, thus leading to and itchy scalp. Also, the conditioner built up on my hair very quickly, leaving me with white flakes whenever I brush.
Lastly, i tried a modified version of CWC, the OWC. I applied coconut oil liberally to my hair from ear down, and left it in for at least an hour before proceeding to wash. During the wash, I shampooed my scalp and let the suds flow down to the rest of the hair when I rinsed. After that I followed with conditioner as per the method in CWC.
Both CWC and OWC left the best results, but I think I would probably use OWC more often, as I like to use coconut oil in my hair as a deep treatment.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Labels: Coconut oil, Conditioner-only, Conditioner-water-conditioner, Dry hair, Oil-water-conditoner, Oily scalp, Prevent tangles, Wash methods, Water-only
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WO washing works, you just need to give your hair plenty of time to adjust. I transitioned by going no-poo (no shampoo, just baking soda and ACV). I was no-poo for 8 months, and I never thought I would want or be able to go water-only. however I noticed my hair was becoming brittle, and it broke easily because I had to use a lot of baking soda to get my hair clean. I decided to stop cold-turkey with baking soda.
I was NOT about to go back to shampoo. I did a lot of research on how to best WO wash your hair. What I learned is that it takes work because you're physically (rather than chemically) removing dirt from your hair and scalp. This is what I do each night:
1. Before taking a shower, bend at waist, flip hair upside down and "scrub" scalp gently with fingernails when hair is dry for 3-5 minutes to loosen dirt on hair and scalp.
2. get in shower and get hair wet. gently massage head with fingertips (hair is weak when wet so you shouldn't use fingernails) to further loosen dirt in hair and on scalp.
3. spray hair and scalp with my concoction of 1 cup peppermint and camomile tea (3:1 ratio ---- camomile tea for blonde hair, rosemary tea for dark hair, green tea for any color or type hair. seep 3-4 bags in 1 cup of boiling water until water cools to room temperature, about 1 hour. experiment with different ratios. or use distilled water) with 5 drops tea tree oil, 5 drops lavender oil, 3 drops eucalyptus oil, and a small capful organic unfiltered ACV.
4. bend at waist, flip hair upside down and continue to spray hair and scalp to completely saturate. while bent over, massage scalp gently with fingertips for 3-5 minutes.
5. stand up, but don't rinse hair. do other shower things for a few minutes like shave or wash body.
6. bend over at waist again and rinse tea and ACV mixture out of hair, massaging with fingertips.
7. when you are done with shower, comb wet hair (never brush) to detangle and let air dry. I've been doing this for 3 weeks, and my hair detangles very easily. the ACV helps with this.
8. every few days, brush with boar-bristle brush to distribute oils along entire hair shaft.
I massage as often for as long as I can in the shower. it helps to clean hair and scalp. The oils I used are just the oils I had, but they happen to be very good for hair and skin. they promote hair growth and scalp health while discouraging lice and bacteria. They also happen to be some of the cheapest and easiest-to-find essential oils you can buy (Australian supermarket prices: 25mL tea tree AUD$8; 25mL lavender oil AUD$11; 50mL eucalyptus oil AUD$3.50), especially if you buy them online. I use them all for all sorts of other stuff too including clearing up acne and even cleaning toilets!
if all else fails and you still feel disgusting after a few weeks, oil dissolves oil. it may seem counter intuitive, but many people have had luck in dissolving waxy build-up of natural sebum by applying a small amount of coconut or olive oil to their hair and scalp, massaging it in, then letting it sit overnight, and rinsing/"washing" it out the next day. Generally if I put coconut oil or olive oil in my hair to condition it, it takes me two "washes" to get it out.
All that said, I'm very luck to have relatively soft water. I haven't tested it in any way, but I've never had problems with greasiness or waxiness. If you have hard water, consider investing in a shower filter.
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