new thread
wash with water only still use products in their hair (leave in conditioner etc) or go without it?
Mostly no. I do a vinegar rinse to keep my scalp happy, but it doesn't do anything for my hair.
...you are going to run for a bottle of shampoo.
The greases, acids, and other compounds make for perfect bacterial breeding grounds
not to mention the fact that these 'natural oils' do get old and irritating to your scalp.
If you use just water you will eventually smell bad. Even the ancients knew this
and used fairly sophisticated means of cleansing their hair.
Many people are not aware of the fact that most Ancient Egyptians shaved their heads and wore wigs to prevent all
kinds of infestations of the hair and scalp.
Shampoo your hair as needed and ALWAYS use a high quality conditioner.
Good Luck!
My experience leads me to disagree....
This past fall I was undergoing a medical procedure where I was told to not get my head wet, and I was unable to wash my mane or beard for three weeks. Scalp irritation just didn't happen.
What WILL happen is a mixture of oil and flaked-off skin will build up on your scalp and face (yep, happens under the beard, too). If it itches you will scratch, and the buildup just comes off under your fingernails. So you really don't get any buildup.
My hair did look a bit greasy after three weeks, but not really that much. That first shower sure felt great, though!
That didn't happen either. Nowadays I seldom use shampoo or conditioner, and my hair smells just fine. My scalp has acclimated to the routine I use.
Back when I did use shampoo I had lots of split ends. Now I have none. My mane also has grown a few inches longer.
Bill
...many people experience itchiness when they go without shampooing for any length of time.
I am such a person. I have very sensitive skin and cannot grow a beard.
But the WORST thing about people who don't wash their hair for an extended period
of time is the SMELL--which is not always noticeable to the person
from which it is emanating.
But to each its own.
Being well aware of that of course, I have asked friends. [grin]
Bill
All I'm saying is that it doesn't work for me. And if it doesn't work for me
it may not work for others as well.
is probably dependent on body chemistry and hair type. I am a good friend of Bill, and have smelled his scalp, and it does not have a bad odor. Some people just don't need to use shampoo, but rinse with water only. I know someone else who has hair almost as long as mine and he uses water only with excellent results. He has beautiful hair.
I tried the water only routine for awhile, but it did not work well for me. My scalp oil seems to be too thick and viscous. It does not flow down the hair shafts very efficiently, even when using very warm (104 degrees F) water. The water only routine probably works best on those with coarse and/or curly hair. (I have fine delicate hair.)
Absalom
Thanks for coming to my defense, man. [grin]
Indeed, success with water involves success with moving oil, which is ALL produced on your scalp, off your scalp and down into ALL of your mane. Too little water, too much water, too hot water - all of these can interfere with getting the optimal result. How much water, and how warm, is one to use? Learning how much one's mane needs comes from PRACTICE. Ditto for knowing how often to wash.
If oil stays on your scalp, it can build up and itch. This can especially be a problem when your hair is short because you don't have the hair to absorb all your scalp makes. On the other hand, if you use too much water or too hot water, you'll just wash all your oil off your mane and down into the drain. That is why the need for balance.
Keep in mind, too, that oil loses its lubricating and protecting qualities rather quickly. To keep your mane looking good, you need to move fresh oil from your scalp down into your mane regularly. This can be by brushing, combing, or finger-combing. And if you do get scalp itch, a massage with your fingertips (not your fingerNAILS) will get it off your scalp and into your mane.
After more time, deteriorated oil will build up in your mane and needs to be washed out, as this buildup can impede the inflow of new oil to some degree.
Being aware of this "river of oil" and taking means to manage its optimal flow is really what successful washing with water is all about. Shampooing and conditioning, on the other hand, washes all of your natural oil out and replaces it with synthetic stuff. Synthetic stuff does not deteriorate as rapidly as does your natural oil, but it is also tougher to remove. Ripping the natural oils out of your hair and ripping this synthetic stuff off of it is why shampooing is harsher on your mane than washing in water.
On the other hand, synthetic stuff is engineered to make your mane look great! Over the long haul, though, that look will decline somewhat because the stuff is also damaging your hair.
There are some oils such as jojoba which are similar to natural scalp oil, and those can be used to supplement natural oil if one's scalp does not produce enough oil, or if one's mane is too long or frayed to move oil all the way to its ends.
In conclusion, the thing to remember about washing in water is that it's a learning process. There are no instructions to merely follow on the bottle. If you don't try it for awhile and hone your skills with it, you will never learn what the optimal look you can get with water-only actually is.
Bill
This photo shows how my mane looks, washed only in water, soon after it has dried, which is when it is at its best.
Bill
If I ever get a chunk of time, I have some more hair photos to post, but all the hair pictures I've posted here are Water Only. As others have said, YMMV, but for this 41 yo, coarse, slightly wavy (part Asian hair) longhair, water only works, and works well[2].
Most of the people I know with hair longer than me don't regularly use shampoo on their length...scalp washing, conditioner only, herbal only, water only. Which is not to say that everyone with hair past their butt doesn't...there is at least one person on this board who uses shampoo no conditioner, if I remember correctly.
[2] Better actually...I had a much more cranky scalp, buildup, and dandruff when I was S&C.
That is a great picture, Bill. The curls are great!
Question about water only:
If one's hair is still in the akward phase and requires some product assistance to behave well (i.e. hairspray or gel), would water only even work? Is shampoo required to remove these products?
Once my hair gets long enough to hold itself down, sure I can see water only working, but now? If I don't put in any products, I end up with an unintended afro -- not my intended look.
Shawn
(Mr. Crow)
Thanks!
I can't say with that, because of two reasons: (1) I was already past the awkward stage when I shifted to mainly using just water, and (2) I used a bandanna rather than chemicals for holding my hair down then. (Bandanna removal, by the way, does not cause hair damage. [wink] )
Bill
...it does seem to work well for you, Bill.
There are so MANY hair types out there that each person must experiment
to find what works best for him.
I have a terrible tangle problem and at the very least MUST use a ton of condtioner even if I comb my hair out using my fingers only.
"I tried the water only routine for awhile, but it did not work well for me.
My scalp oil seems to be too thick and viscous. It does not flow down the
hair shafts very efficiently, even when using very warm (104 degrees F) water.
The water only routine probably works best on those with coarse and/or curly hair.
(I have fine delicate hair.)" ~Absalom
I am not going to debating the issue...all I am saying is that no two people
are alike--that's all.
There is often a major difference between younger and older men: usually (but not always: witness Scott) younger men will produce an overabundance of oils and dandruff so shampooing
may be a necessity. Also the type of work and sports they are involved in
are factors that must be taken into consideration.
Wear black and if you have a problem you will know it right away.
Younger guys usually (not always) sweat more. The oils and sweat
can hold on to flaking hair.
Many of the guys who come here for advice
should be given a wide range of choices to deal with their individual hair and scalp needs.
I am not saying that one way is right and another way is wrong.
All I am saying is that every guy growing out his hair needs
to use a method of hair care that is appropriate to his individual needs.
Indeed, that is why people post questions on the MLHH board, rather than just asking one longhair friend. The original post was about washing in water, and I was relating my own experience. My hope was not to utter false generalizations such as "If you use just water you will eventually smell bad." Sorry if I failed in that endeavor.
You're right, there! After a twenty mile hike on dusty trails, shampoo is a must. Removing globs of yummy barbeque sauce from one's beard also requires more assistance than mere water can muster.
When I shifted to "just water", my dandruff went WAY down, so you're right there, too. Wearing black is a good test.
And we've been doing a great job of giving them that here!
On that I'd bet we all concur 100%.
By the way, I saw the merman yesterday, scamming tourists down at Fisherman's Wharf. I asked him if mermen washed in water, and he said 100% of the ones in California do. He doubted that was the case for mermen in Rhode Island where you live, though, because all of the water there is frozen.
Bill
I hate generalizations because they are often incorrect.
Anyway, as my hair became longer and longer I realized that it would
be impossible to comb out my hair without conditioner....and since
most conditions have fragrance added to them, it would be
nearly impossible for me to smell 'natural.'
Maybe I'm especially oily or something, but I would look disgusting after maybe 5 days of no shampoo and just water. It just doesn't seem very right. It seems kinda drastic to cut out shampoo, which is something most people normally use...
...experiment until you find what's right for you.
That's what most of us have had to do until we finally found what worked for us.
Knots and tangles can require heavy duty conditoning. Without conditioner
I couldn't even comb out my hair with my fingers.
Experiment with different methods and products until you find what's right for your hair.
Good Luck!
disgusting after maybe 5 days of no shampoo and just water. It
just doesn't seem very right. It seems kinda drastic to cut out
shampoo, which is something most people normally use...
Never using any sort of cleaning agents on your scalp may work for, in my opinion, a limited no. of people who probably have extremely dry skin.
But remember, your scalp is like the rest of your body, except that it has hair follicles and hair. It secrets skin oil and has pores that can clog. When a pore clogs, and stays cloged, bad things happen, namely zits or blackheads. This may not be obvious because hair will hide them and if they don't hurt, you may not know they are there. Some water only guys might be surprised to find out what's up there besides hair. If the rest of your body's skin has a zit or blackhead problem if you don't wash your skin, your scalp probably will too.
While shampooing every day is usually too much, doing a wash up there at least every week or so probably isn't a bad idea.