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I rarely ask for help here, but I need it now. I have decided to give water only a try. I know that there are some here that do not use any shampoo on their hair but water only. I am having a problem with oil buildup. In between water rinses I have been combing corn starch through my hair to soak up the excess oil. The hottest water (about 108 degrees F) I can stand in the shower does not move the oil down my hair very well.
I have heard that oil production will decrease after awhile. I don't know if I can wait it out. Any thoughts?
Absalom
I know im quite a newbie comparated to you but for me , and plus i wash my hair with shampoo, but the more water i use to wash my hair the more oil i get... maybe you should try to use hot watter to wash and use some cold water to "rince".
hope this helped , cya
My hair Journal
Well I can only give you my story from a shorter haired person. I have not used shampoo for maybe 6-7 years, and initially it did get greasy quick, but now it is never greasy and always feels soft and i have little or no knots and tangles.
I guess shamppoing takes the oils away and the natural body reaction is to replace with a vengence, thus compounding the need to keep washing to keep the oil down.
But once the body knows the oil will be left it will slow down the amount of oil it makes and you will have a 'natural' thing going on.
Hope this helps a little.
Oh and I only ever rinse with very cool water, just enough to displace the dirt and leave the oil.
Hey, Absalom. You had offered a morsel of recommendation as to how I could ascertain the growth rate of my hair. That was months ago. As a matterly factual, it was some time last summer. That was before my Mac crashed, due to an electrical storm AFTER a tornado we had up here in Westchester County. Yeesh! That's what I get for (k)not having had a surge guard on my power strip.
So, since one good turn deserves another, may I recommend TO you, Absalom, when it comes to using "just" water for removing oil build-up, and after corn starch, a dilution of apple cider vinegar WITH the water (presupposing that you're standing in a modernday contrivance of a home shower, of course), which should help to break up the oil AND remove dead skin particles as well.
Tell me what your results are. This actually helped ME with a case of tinea versicolor I had accrued from a swim in a still water pond on a farm.
Best wishes,
Anadae Effro
Thanks for the advice Anadae. Can I use distilled white vinegar? I have almost a gallon of it.
Absalom
Hi Absalom,
I was told by many that white vinegar has too much acid in it. And was told to only use apple cider vinegar only at about a 10% dilution rate.
Various bits: some people find that cooler water works better, cornstarch can be a pain with longer hair, vinegar rinses can help (stronger or less strong), preening is very important.
My experience was about a month of Otter in an Oilslick before my scalp settled down. Some people transition faster, some slower or not at all. What works for me is WO more often than my old S&C routine, a strong stream of comfortable water that penetrates the hair and massages the scalp, a vinegar rinse that mostly helps keep my scalp happy, air drying, and daily preening (finger detangle and fine wood combing finish) starting when my hair is dry. Keeping up with the split ends helps too.
Hi Robert, I will have to try vinegar. Is distilled white vinegar OK? I know acids like vinegar close the cuticle which should allow the oil to flow off more easily.
Yes, I have otter in an oilslick right now. I am doing the WO about twice as often as my S&C routine. Despite the oil, I have noticed my hair is more managable. I have far fewer tangles. Also where can I get a wooden comb? I have been looking for one but have been unable to find one. Thanks for the advice.
Absalom
A plastic comb will do fine if you let it get mildly gunked up with the paste of dandruff and oil that naturally builds up on it. This gunk will fill in any notches or other sharp spots on the plastic that can damage your hair.
Bill
I use white vinegar at about 1:4 dilution. Works for me and the smell isn't as persistent as ACV.
Chinatown. Usually you can find them for a buck or two. Or online.
That's great to know about, --- thanks, Trolleypup!
The last time I got a wooden comb was when I attended an outdoor Blues Festival in Bolinas or maybe Bodega Bay, I think it was. The vendor had some gorgeous and very finely-made woden combs of various styles, --- and an oil to apply to the wood as well. MUCH more expensive than than just a buck or 2, though (maybe it was the setting; but it could also be that they were "art" combs or something)... Anyway, I regret not getting more than just one, as I loved that comb (but lost it). I wish I had gotten the artist's business card...
How about at Street Fairs? My guess is that could be another possibility; but Chinatown certainly sounds the most economical.
- Ken
Ric does beautiful work, if you like a coarser tooth pattern.
Horn combs are also good. http://www.heavenlyharvestinc.com/ has wood and horn combs (look under "grooming")
Often, with the less expensive combs, it is a good idea to run some extra fine sandpaper between the teeth and give them a good oiling before you use them.
Ric the Combmaker
Be sure part of your "washing in water" routine is giving your scalp a good fingertip massage just like you'd do if your scalp area was full of shampoo. Note that I said fingerTIPS, not fingerNAILS. Pressing down on your scalp with your nails will cause hair damage.
The massage gets the oil off your scalp. If you want more oil off of your scalp and not ending up in your hair, massage very early in your wash under running water. If you want the oil to leave your scalp but remain in your hair, massage near the end of your time under running water.
Temperature affects oil flow, too, as you mentioned. Hotter water means more flow, cooler means less. Really hot water breaks the oil down, and oil over time breaks down, too. You don't want that in your hair.
You said the temperature was as hot as you can stand. Of course, as long as your hair is, you won't feel the temperature of very hot water if it is applied to your mane far from your scalp. Those of us who are mere mortals and not hair gods [grin] don't get to experience what happens to oil when it has been on our manes for so long. Our oil has a much shorter journey before it drips off the tips. How the oil decomposes and what you have to do to remove it is something you'll just have to experiment with.
In general, "washing with water" is a matter of both experimentation and scalp acclimation. Once those are in balance, the process becomes so natural that you will seldom give it any thought. Achieving that approach of naturalness may take a few months.
Bill
If you have been using a hair care product, its residue may be clogging up the micro-openings in your cuticle and blocking oil flow. You've got to get that gunk off. The equivalent of paint stripper for hair is called "clarifier". Get some.
Natural oil comes off naturally in water, by the way. Once there is nothing else in your hair, it will never again need to be "clarified".
Bill
I did not think of that. I do use a clarifying shampoo called Tressame. Could it be a buildup of conditioner? Would it be best to not apply conditioner after clarifying?
My hair will be rough and damage prone without it. Maybe I could liberally apply jojoba oil instead.
Absalom
Yeah, you don't want a buildup of anything if you are going to let natural oil do its work. That includes conditioner.
I have not used jojoba, but from what I've heard it is chemically similar to natural oil from the scalp. I'd presume then that it is readily water-soluble.
Bill
Hi Bill, I never use my nails. i am aware of the damage they cause.
I was not aware that when you massaged under flowing water mattered that much.
I do not use water any hotter than I can apply to my scalp without discomfort. That is about 108 degrees F for me.
Yes the oil has a long journey due to my extreme hair length.
I am very determined to make this work. I may have to deal with some hardship for awhile. Last time I tried this I gave up, this time I am going to try to stick it out.
Absalom
Are you opposed to the surfactants that are in conditioner or are you avoiding the potential “limp” feeling that conditioning might give to your straight hair…?
Because an alternative to eliminating shampooing from one’s routine has been “shampooing” with conditioner only… it contains enough surfactants to perform as a cleanser but none of the detergents that most try to avoid (i.e. sodium & ammonium laurel/laureth sulfate, Cocamidopropyl betaine...)
...I think water only will never work well for you. It's just a hunch--and my opinion only--but that's the way I feel.
Over the years I have read many long hair specialist recommend 2 basic techniques for washing really long hair:
1. Shampoo the scalp only--allowing the suds to rinse down and through the rest of the hair.
2. Dlute the shampoo down to half strength (or a bit less). This will clean
the hair without being harsh on the hair or causing the scalp to over compensate by producing extra oil.
My own experience is that when I use water only, a build up remains on the hair shaft and
my hair ends up feeling thicker and dryer.
I use very little shampoo...maybe a teaspoonful...and then I only wash the scalp area.
Then I rinse and condition--and you saw what my hair looks like when it's still damp.
If you have an oil problem you really have TWO objectives:
1. To remove the excess oil
2. NOT to cause the scalp to overcompensate by producing MORE oil.
So perhaps a 50/50 dilution of the shampoo with water is the way to go.
Good luck!
You mentioned in a previous thread that the corn starch forms a paste that has to be scraped out. Ouch! I read somewhere that if you need a dry method to remove excess oil, Corn meal could be applied, rubbed through, and combed out. I would think it would be less likely to form a paste.
Worth a try?
Lon
I'm not into the WO washing thing myself, but there's a good article on it at TLHC.
Two things though...The really hot water you're using, might actually be adding to the oil problem. Try using cooler water and massage your scalp, as Bill said.
And about the wooden comb, you could find one at any beauty supply store. Or, if you do eBay, I'm sure you could find one there as well. =o)