Hi Sarsvati. Do you think the ocean water caused the stickiness, maybe the high salt content or seaweed in the water nearby. Have you tried oatmeal (not the instant stuff) to remove some of the oil in your hair. You supposedly take some of it (dry out the box) and rub it through your hair. Let's search here and the web to see if we can find some info on it.
Well the water I went swimming in is somewhat polluted, which is why I thought the stickiness was build up of whatever gunk was in there. The reason I don't think it was salt is because salt is water soluble, so that should rinse out just fine with water. The acid rinses (I put some lemon in distilled water) and the combings did the trick, and my hair is back to normal.
Thanks for the advice and your concern though. The only reason I wouldn't want to put something like oatmeal in my hair is I'm afraid it would ruin the experiment. I would like to know what you found out about it though. I've never heard of washing hair with oatmeal. Maybe I'll try something like that after I finish the experiment, if my hair's still too oily with just water.
I was concerned about the acid rinse too, but I figure all it did was close down the hair shaft which helped the build up not stick to my hairr: it didn't take off any of my naturals oils.
Now I know I can go swimming with WO and be fine. Haven't tried chlorine yet though - afraid I'd have to use 'poo to wash that out.
Next time I go in the ocean, I think I'll both wet my hair and oil it first.
SO I had to start over again. And I had gone 2 1/2 months!I had to 'poo cause I did a week long fasting retreat and one of the ways you get rid of toxins is through your scalp and some of those toxins are fat soluble and don't wash out with just water. woo, I gotta say my hair smelt HORRIBLE during that week. I was relieved to find out it was from all of those toxins and that's not how hair normally smells with only water. But my sister did say that every now and then I would walk by her and she'd get a whiff of "dirty hair". But that may just be because I would let it get greasy when I was just hanging around the house. When I would go out i would comb it and wash it first so I wasn't greasy looking and hopefully not smelly either.
I had to wash my hair 3 times total because while I was out in utah visiting my dad I went ot a pool twice and had to shampoo the chlorine out. So now I'm on day 3. Washing reminded me of the 3 things I missed about shampooing - having pretty smelling hair, not having to worry about if my hair is going to look greasy or presentable the next day or even that evening. and not having oily fingers whenever I touched my scalp. That didn't bug me so much, but I knew noone else would be able to touch the hair by my scalp and not be grossed out. I did buy some amber scented perfume oil to rub in my hair. but I wouldn't be able to put that on the scalp, just the ends.
I think I'll give water only one more shot for 3 months. because the ends do feel really week and tangly after being washed - like cracked out bleached blonde hair or something. Also, my hair's sebum production is much calmer now. THe second day hair after shampooing looked just like the first day. Today it is looking kinda greasy, but I know that can be fixed with a good rinsing and bang shampooing.
Alright, well, I'll let you all know how it works out this time. It's good renewing my perspective on how "clean' hair looks and feels.
I rinsed my hair last night and today it looks freshly washed. And
since I've been oiling the ends and not washing it, it's starting to
feel real soft and look shiny again.
So even if I do go back to washing, I'm definitely going ot stretch out my washings alot.
has your hair grown faster using this water only test? i am curious. i think i might give this a go, my hair is damaged from chemicals and nothing i have tried will give my hair the moisture it needs so badly except for at the crown where my natural oils are. I have had a serious trim to try and remove the left over bad parts but miss the hair length i once had..
Hi Eve. My hair is growing at about the same rate because I used to
give myself head massages before starting this experiment anyway. But I
haven't had to trim for... 4months now and there's no sign of needing a
trim because my hair is much healthier and stronger when I don't
wash it. I have sunbleached ends that feel dry and very weak usually.
But with water only it feels soft and strong and is shinier with no
frizz. I'm sure this would help the condition of your hair immensely.
It's not for the faint of heart though. It definitely takes getting
used to at first, when your used to the feel of freshly 'pooed hair
every day. Because even when the scalp adjusts and your hair doesn't
look greasy anymore, "natural hair" feels different, moeves somewhat
differently, etc. It's probably somewhat like having straight hair all
your life and then haveing curly hair all the sudden and having to get
used to the way curly hair moves and feels. It's hard to explain.
But if you can stick it out your hair would definitely thank you for it.
Also, I don't know if you've tried conditioner only washes, but that's
what I did before starting this and that m,ade my hair healthier too.
Condition only might be a good place to start if you haven't tried it
because it will put more moisture and life back into your hair without
having to deal withthe greasiness that comes with adjusting to water
only. It would probably also help you scalp adjust to water only if you
decide to do that in the future.
If you do decide to do water only that would be awesome and I'd love to
hear about your experience. Also, I'd love to help with any problems
you might encounter along the way since I've already been working out
the kinks for 3months now.
My first tips would be to
find a couple updos you like, cause you won't be wearing your hair down
for at least a couple months, I'll tell you that right now. And it
looks like you have some hair that would probably frame your face while
the rest is back. I'd just leave those down and shampoo them (tryin not
to get the scalp to much). Then noone will be able to tell your hair is
greasy. the rest will just look shiny in its pretty little updo.
I comb my ahir every day
(well, on the days I'm not lazy) with a wide toothed comb to move the
oils down.
Also rinse really well in the shower
for at least a couple minutes. I part my hair to one side. scrub and
scratch the scalp really well. Then use my fingers to pull the oils
down from the scalp. Then I part it to the other side a do the same.
Whatever wayy works for you you so that you can get as much of the hair
as possible. And don't neglect the bakc of your scalp. I do this with
warm,, not hot water. Because hot water rinses out to much of the oils
and it's a frizzy mess afterwards. THen I end with cold water to close
the cuticle.
Since your blonde like me,
you could alos do a lemon water rinse after to help keep the build up
at bay.
And if you have hard water I
REALLY suggest a shower filter. I got so much build up in my hair from
just one day in polluted ocean water. It totally messed up my hair so I
don't think it would be very possible to do water only with hard water.
Wooh, gues that's all for now. Don't know how my posts always end up so
long. Guess I have alot to say. Anyhoo, good luck. I'm sure there's
beautiful, healthy hair in your future!
luckily wear i work at it doesn't matter if what i look like b/c i always come out all dirty and stinky anyway lol, and i always have to have my hair back so i am quite use to it.
i have done the condtioner only washes for a while now and it improved my hair some what but i know it can be in better shape.
i am gonna have my b/f look in to getting a shower head filter put in i have done LOTS of research and fine others have similar problems to mine. (hard water sucks)And if that dosn't work then down to the creek i go! i know the water is healthy looking there..
I think i will start this coming Monday with a hair journal on my water only experiment. btw when you say 'oiling' what do you use? I am thinking about using only the nexxus hummcant on the end as it seems to work ok there just not on top of my head that and i am almost doen with the bottle i bought a bit back
Yes, I put coconut oil and sometimes jojoba oil from the ears down, or where ever it feels dry. And it's okay if I put too much on because my hair just soaks it up usually by the next day and feels extra soft.
I tried to find nexus, couldn't. Is that a conditioner? If it is a conditioner I think that would be a good thing to put on the ends of your hair to help keep it from tangling and ripping. My hair was very tangly at first which made it hard to pull the oils down, and my hair isn't even that damaged. So, yes I think either conditioner or oil would help. would you mind listing the ingredients though? 'cause if there's things like cones in it, that might just cause build up in the long run and you might be better off just oiling the hell out of it if it gets dry and tangly.
If you wouldn't mind copying your experiences into this topic that would be nice. 'Cause then people who are curious about this could read more than one person's experience with it. Well, good luck and enjoy the adventure! I'm right here with ya
Just wanted to say Sarsvati that I've enjoyed reading your thread and your updates on WO. I tried it but I didn't get very far. Maybe because my skin is super oily (so my scalp is also) and this may be why I couldn't get over the initial hard beginning. I keep reading though and may go for it again one day. Thanks for posting it!
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looks like there's no cones, so that's good. Alot of other ingredients
in there though that I'm not sure about, looks kinda scary. But I guess
if its working for you keep using it.
hows the boar bristle brush working out for you kriss?
I used to use a fine toothed wooden comb to distribute the oils. It did
the job real well, but it also made my scalp really greasy and it got
so much dirty lint in it that eventually I couldn't clean it well
enough and just had to stop using it. Now I just use a wide toothed
comb mostly for detangling and to get rid of the lint, although I'm not
getting that quite yet since I'm only on day 11. It distributes the
oils a little, but mostly I do that with my fingers in the shower.
Susan W wrote:
Just wanted to say Sarsvati that I've enjoyed reading
your thread and your updates on WO. I tried it but I didn't get
very far. Maybe because my skin is super oily (so my scalp is
also) and this may be why I couldn't get over the initial hard
beginning. I keep reading though and may go for it again one
day. Thanks for posting it!
Thanks Susan! It's nice to hear that some people are getting somethiung
out of this thread. And whatever your doing to your hair, it looks nice
and thick and healthy to me.
I also wanted to pop in and say that yesterday was day 10 and I wore my
hair down and it looked great. My friend who hasn't seen me in a couple
months also said that my hair looked beautiful
yea! i had some set backs the other day and had to start over, my hair was in desperate need of a protein treatment and a super deep condtioning. but now i am back on track
the brush so far has been doing pretty good i wear my hair back all the time so it helps out too i too find that a good old finger srub does great buy it's self
hey i got a ?? How long did it take for the oil to reach shoulder length? Also how often did you rinse in water? I want to put a leave in conditioner on the bad ends (about a 1" left) but i am afraid it will stop the oil from fully going down the shaft?
Wow.. Just checked in here to see how your progress is going, and it sounds like overall this has been a great success for you.. Whoo hoo!!! Looking forward to the next updates..
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hey kriss,
I found this entry in the water only journal I was keeping:
Day 19 4/13
WO. When I wring out my hair, it feels waxy all of the way to the tips now.
My hair was about 30" at that point, almost to my waist. So It might
have taken about a week to get at least a light coat of sebum down to
my shoulders. A light coat meaning enough ot make the hair feel
softer, but not enough to look greasy all the way down to the
shoulders. Although I still produced alot of sebum at that point. So if
you don't produce as much sebum, or since your hair is pretty damaged,
it might take a little longer than that to have nice and strong hair
all the way to your shoulders. Hope that gives you some idea.
Your probably right about the conditioner stripping off some of the
sebum. BUt if it helps your hair stay moisturized and not tangle in the
begining, go for it. If your hair likes oil though, you could
probably do just as well with just oiling the ends. You could try that
and if your hair is just too tangly and dry without conditioner, then
you could go back to conditioning the ends untill you get a little more
sebum on your hair.
If I want to wear my hair down everyday and look presentable, I have to
rinse everyday. Of course I don't do that because I'm lazy and
don't care if I'm greadsy at times. But that's the same schedule I was
on when I shampood. So if you 'pooed less often than that you could
probably rinse less often than that and be fine. It might help to rinse
less at first to let your scalp adjust and let the sebum reach the
ends. but then again that might make it so horrible that you end up
quitting. I was pretty greasy regardless of whether I rinsed in the
beginning, althoug hrinsing did help somewhat. SO I just rinsed every 3
days or so. I guess just do what works for you! Alot of help, I know...
SOrry I always make you read so freaking much! Just trying to be
thorough. I'm excited to see how this helps your hair! The new color
looks nice by the way. Looks like you died it a burgundy color?
Thanks Diva. It is working out pretty well. I'm pretty happy about that too!
I'm 2 weeks into it now and my hair is feeling very soft again. I think
the 2 heavy oilings I did helped speed that process up! Also, I can
still run my hands through my scalp without them feeling super oily.
THe scalp does feels and looks a little oily at this point. Not too bad
but I'm due for another rinsing. I'm glad so many people are getting
something out of this thread! I'll definitely keep you all posted....
lol i like to read i am at a loss but not giving in, it seems as though my hair is so dry it is soaking up the oils as i produce them. i haven't touched my hair for a week and it is not oily! it's just about as dry as when i started for the exception on about 1/2" at my roots
i wonder if vitiam e would work in any way? i read some were the e oil is good for you? i bet if i rubbed my scalp down in that it might help, maybe it is to dry?
ya it will probably take a while for your hair to start feeling strong
and moisturized since it's damaged. And you'll probably have to add
your own oil to the ends to keep them moisturized. I still oil the ends
just because they're damaged from the sun so they need a little extra
help. Your hair's priobably porous and loses moisture easliy. It seems
like you might have a dry scalp as well if it's been 2 weeks and your
hair's barely oily. I was a greaseball at that point! THat's a good
thing though because even though it wi9ll take longer for your hair to
reap the benefits at first, you'll probably have no trouble with
greasiness in the long run.
You could try oiling the ends after showering while your hair is still
wet since oil doesn't actually moisturize, but just locks in the
moisture that's already there. That's what I do. It seems to work. I've
never heard of vitamin e oil for the hair, so I can't help you with
that one.
Man if it's been 2 weeks and your still not looking greasy on the scalp
I'd say only rinse your hair quikly to get out the sweat and grime from
work. And only rinse with cold water because even just warm water takes
off some of the oils. And make sure your doing something to move those
oils down the length.
Hang in there. You can take it, your tough .
Just make sure you keep the ends moisturized while your own oils work
their way down. And give it some time- your hair will start feeling
better soon. If your hair's soaking up all the oils your producing that
must mean it really needs them!
So I'm moving down to Santa Barbara tommorrow and I'm a little worried
because they have hard water down there. I might have to start
washing my hair pretty frequently until I get a shower filter. But I'm
not sure yet. I'll just have to see how my hair responds and keep you
all updated.
Otherwise I'm really excited to start school down there. Woohoo!!
My hair situation right now - I haven't rinsed it at all for 5 days and it's greasy as hell! It feels super soft though
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The only reason I wouldn't want to put something like oatmeal in my hair is I'm afraid it would ruin the experiment. I would like to know what you found out about it though. I've never heard of washing hair with oatmeal. Maybe I'll try something like that after I finish the experiment, if my hair's still too oily with just water. 
)And if that dosn't work then down to the creek i go! i know the water is healthy looking there
..
Susan W wrote:
yea!
and a super deep condtioning. but now i am back on track
.
Just make sure you keep the ends moisturized while your own oils work
their way down. And give it some time- your hair will start feeling
better soon. If your hair's soaking up all the oils your producing that
must mean it really needs them! 
