I'm going to wash my hair with flax

[codajess]

You mean to tell me that you ONLY use water to clean your hair? Really? And that gets it clean? My hair is usually oily. I would think that using water alone would let the oil build up. heck I'll try it though!

Quite often it does build up at first, then you scalp starts to regulate your oil production and it balances out naturally & you end up producing less oil than you do now, since your scalp is trying to compensate for the oil you strip by shampooing.

[ChaiLife]

Aha, well I'll lock myself for a couple of days (or wear a hat) and try it out and see what happens. Would save some money. ;) I learn so much on this board!!!!!

[queenfluff]

You mean to tell me that you ONLY use water to clean your hair? Really? And that gets it clean? My hair is usually oily. I would think that using water alone would let the oil build up. heck I'll try it though!

The reason you get the "oil buildup" (which is actually sebum which your scalp produces naturally to condiition and protect your hair) is that your hair is in overproducing mode from being continually stripped dry by shampoos.

Shampoos (even the natural organic ones) are very stripping. Here is the cycle: You scalp produces the natural sebum (or oil as most people think of it) and the shampoo removes it - and usually over does it as that is why conditioner was invented - and than you need to use conditioner to put artifical moisture back in.

When you strip the sebum off your hair and scalp, your body thinks your hair and scalp are too dry and thus keeps producing a lot of sebum to compensate for it. Most people never notice it becuase they are continually shampooing it out. They only notice it if they stop shampooing their hair - than they think my hair is dirty because the oil is there and they go and shampoo it and think their hair has been "cleaned". Oily hair doesn't mean dirty hair.

Once you leave your hair and scalp alone, the oil production in your scalp will balance out and it will stop over producing and than no more oily hair. Most peoples hair doesn't get "dirty" enough to really need soap or shampoo. Water should rinse out any dirt (unless someone poured paint or something on your head!) you get in there on a daily basis. Most of us don't get that dirty on a daily basis to need a shampoo.

It normally takes around 4 to 6 months for ones hair to get through the balancing phase and to return to a normal sebum production cycle which is very little sebum. Nothing like you would experience if you are a regular shampooer and than didn't shampoo for a day or so.

You just have to get through the "detox phase", as some call it (just like when going raw) to let your balance out and return to normal. :)

[ChaiLife]

It normally takes around 4 to 6 months for ones hair to get through the balancing phase and to return to a normal sebum production cycle which is very little sebum. Nothing like you would experience if you are a regular shampooer and than didn't shampoo for a day or so.

You just have to get through the "detox phase", as some call it (just like when going raw) to let your balance out and return to normal. :)

That's some really interesting info. But would I really need to go around with oily hair for 4-6 months?! Hey, I'm gonna give it a try this week. I'll let ya know. ;)
Kelly

[Stina]

Well, I really want to do this, but the 4-6 months duration of oily hair is really a drag. I thought a couple of weeks.......
But I gave my shampoo away! And for this phase of my life, I'm just housecleaning, I don't have to have a professional hairstyle, so this is a good time to do it. I'm scared! But I kept remembering the best my hair ever looked was my two week vacation in Jamaica. I didn't shampoo and just swam in the ocean and my hair looked great.
I can sense shampoo is just chemically altering my hair and I don't like it.

[queenfluff]

Your hair won't look that oily for the whole 4 to 6 months. It the first couple weeks that are the worse actually. It won't be like that the whole time. Most people find that they are OK with their hair after the first month.

Another thing you could do is to just slowly wean yourself off shampoo.

If you are an everyday shampooer, start increasing the days inbetween shampoos and try to dilute your shampoo as much as possible (full strength shampoo is the most stripping.

Pretty soon you will notice that you can wait more days in between shampoos and the other days you can just water rinse (some people don't even water rinse in between shampoos - I usually do every day because I like the freshly wet feeling) and than one day you will realize it has been weeks since you shampooed and your hair still feels clean.

Those that do not shampoo every day normally have an easier time going no poo because their scalps are not as high into over producing mode as those who shampoo every day. They often don't have a high amount of oilness when they switch to no poo.

I was an everyday shampooer - I had alot of oilyness the first week especially - but my hair still had more body and felt thicker. It was like I had used hair volumizer or something. It is still like that too after 4 months. So, I dealt with the oilyness and just kept rinsing and got through my bad phases and stuck it out. Your hair will seem to go up and down a few times through the process. Sometimes it will seem super clean and awesome and than other times it will seem to get oiler and look bad.


Try a sea salt water rinse for the oily days. Or swim in the ocean if you are near one - it will help with the oilyness. I notice when it is hotter and humid out - I use the sea salt rinse more often. Heat stimulates more sebum production. Try to keep your water rinsing on the cool water side.

When you think about you have been shampooing your hair all your life for many years - 4 to 6 months really isn't that long considering how long you have been shampooing.

Once you get past the first few weeks, it won't seem as bad. Lots of people just either wear their hair back or up or put on a scarf. :)

[Stina]

Thanks for the feedback QueenFluff. That's kind of you!:)

[Judy]

When I still washed my hair with (organic and soapless) shampoo, I never washed my hair a lot (as in daily), once a week or once in every two weeks would do.
So maybe my scalp didn't have to go to all that 'getting adjusted', but then, my hair isn't oily either, it was rather dry.
I didn't have anything weird happening to my hair, the only thing I noticed that it seemed to get more curly (I already had some curls, but it's seemed to be curling móre).
And about the 4 to 6 months, well, it's just different for everyone. Do a search on this board, there are some great threads about the subject.

I wasn't so afraid to start it, because I have been using only herbal teas for my hair one period in my life (I read of a woman who was allergic to shampoo and her hair and scalp just really purked up after using only herbal teas, so I wanted to try that) and it did my hair really good, plus I didn't had dandruff anymore.
And I saw this movie about Indians once, in my teens I believe, where these Indian girls washed their hair in the river or near a waterfall or something, and of course they didn't use anything else than cold river water, but their long black thick hair was so shiny and beautiful and it just kind of stuck with me (plus the whole natural washing in the river thing, sigh...).
Hey, wild animals usually have wonderful gleaming coats and don't use shampoo at all. Washing your hair with DETERGENT is actually really weird, when you think about it.

I also completely stopped using soap and cream ages ago, I just figured your skin must be capable to keep everything in good condition by itself. My boyfriend at the time didn't use cream and said your skin gets used to or kind of addicted to all that stuff, and he just had the best of skins. So I started to try that to, because I felt he was right. It was the best thing I could ever do for my skin. I always had dry to very dry skin, and since I've stopped with all stuff (even though it was all organic), my skin improved dramatically. And it saves so much fuss, some people like all the creaming in etc. every day, but I don't. I think it's ideal and very freeiing living this way.

[queenfluff]

Great points Judy!

Yes, it is weird isn't it. We are the only species on the planet who use all this "stuff" to keep ourselves clean. Right now, my cat is taking a "bath" - all she uses is her tongue to keep herself clean and she is cuddly soft and her fur is nice and clean. No shampoo ever for her!

Actually our pets are probably the only other animals that might get shampooed - due to OUR shampooing them. Same thing with cooked food. We and our companion animals are the only one who eat it. :)

I like your point about the Indians. People forget that at one time -shampoo and soap didn't exist - People kept themselves clean by going in lakes, oceans and rivers and just rinsing off. To me, I am starting view all the personal cleansing items that you buy as a way for someone to just make money off of me.

Because of our modern civilization, I think soap is goood to have around to get off anything horrible that accidentially gets on our skin that we can't get off with water but other than that I don't think it is necessary for everyday "cleansing" of the skin.

Natural oils and water are the best for the body.

[Bobbie]

Does anyone know a natural method to remove salt from hair? I don't use shampoo often but I don't know any other way to remove salt.

I never use soap. If there's something you really need to remove from your skin clay works wonders, and ozonated water will kill bacteria.

[Stina]

Remove salt from hair? I was just getting ready to drive a few miles to the ocean to dunk my head.

So, I'm not sure whose crazy idea this was, but I'm going for it. My intuition had been bugging me for some time on the issue of shampoo. Even the expensive organic ones still have a long list of chemicals in their ingredients, and I'd later it into my scalp thinking, you know, my brain is right under there!

Back when I ate SAD, I'd go to the Thai restaurant, and they said they didn't use MSG in their food, but the part-time cook told me they did. I'd walk out of there with a bright red rash on top of my head only. Disregard the fact I kept going back there to eat too........

Now the top of my head is unusually itchy, almost feeling like I'm getting stung by bugs. So, I'm doing some kind of weird detox. It's been quite a few days since I 'pooed and my hair is a little messy but not nearly as bad as I feared.

Thanks very much to my crazy raw friends for bringing this information to me. I shall now go buy a pretty hat!

[Dimond]

My hair is naturally curly and I haven't used shampoo for at least 6 months. I scrub my scalp using water ONLY. I do have to condition, otherwise I look homeless. I use Aubrey Organics Island Naturals conditioner. It's the most natural one I can afford. I leave a little in when I rinse too, and it kind of keeps my hair somewhat under control. I stopped shampooing, not because of the vegan thing, but simply because my hair was coarse and wiry and someone suggested the Curly Girl book. And despite my hesitation, it has worked wonders for my hair.

Your hair sounds like mine, we use the same conditioner & your from Florida! I marinate my hair in the conditioner for 10-30 minutes and then rinse it in the shower. Big time saver.

[queenfluff]

Does anyone know a natural method to remove salt from hair? I don't use shampoo often but I don't know any other way to remove salt.

I never use soap. If there's something you really need to remove from your skin clay works wonders, and ozonated water will kill bacteria.

Huh?

What kind of salt is it? Sea Salt? Rinsing with water should take it right out.

You could also try washing your hair with Baking Soda followed by a diluted ACV rinse. Or a diluted white vinegar rinse will remove buildup.

Using a clay mask (I tried benotite once) on your hair will remove toxins - sort of like soaking in a detox bath. It is VERY drying though - do not put it on your ends.

[luckitri]

I had a dog once who would get in swamp mud to bath himself. He would come home just caked with it and we could not let him in the house. As it cracked and dried off his fur would be really really clean - the white parts just sparkled.

Other times he would go to the local farm and roll in fresh manure.

Today I am trying the coconut oil as my hair is really snarly and dried out.

I am wondering if I do the flax seeds just soak until really goopy with lots and lots of water and not blend them?

Meanwhile I was wondering if anyone had considered trying the soapnuts on their hair?

[GlimR]

I've been reading a lot about this lately and have tried for about aweek to not use shampoo and my hair was so flat and greasy. My hair is very fine and straight. I tried the baking soda and vinegar. I have seriously hard water.18 grains/gallon.....does anyone know anything about how to make this work w/ hard water short of getting a water softner.(not an option) I do have awater filter on my shower head from aquasana.