Warm boot recommendations please

[Eyren]

Well, it's been a whole week now, and though my hair is a tad greasy, it's nowhere near as bad as I would have expected (the oatmeal treatments helped a lot, I think), and it has improved in some respects - it actually has body and volume!

 

I'll see how it feels after a plain shower - I was intending to do a bicarb rinse today, but I think I'll save it for when it's really needed!

 

Anne

[Guest]

I have done bicarb this morning. My hair seemed really strange in a way I haven't seen since stopping the shampoo. Although it didn't have that thick-with-grease look or the lanolin feel, it looked dirty and was separating along the whole length. Ghastly!

 

I'm hoping for decent looking hair today - I'm singing at a wedding later on and should probably look reasonable!

[Sheilaz]

Sounds delightful, Ginette! But, as you know, a few hours later it can look different again, so hope it rises to the occasion!

Great to hear how you're doing Redfox, Muppet, Sarah & Louise.

This morning, I thought my hair looked great even though it was 7 days of sticky hot weather since a drop of water had touched it! (with bicarb). Thought I should for the sake of cleanliness at least use some water today, even though it looked fine without. Trouble is, I couldn't risk a "bad wash", as I had V.I.P. visitor's today. (Lesley & Carl! ) So, I did a vinegar rinse, which means I know it's clean, but it's flattened out the natural waves, it often takes a day to get the body back.

[Lesley]

Sheila - your hair looked wonderful today (and it doesn't smell )

 

I didn't say too much because I didn't know whether you've told your OH yet? I just mentioned the recent trim and said it looked good.

 

No doubt you could smell the shampoo on mine?

[Sheilaz]

Aw thanks, Lesley, I didn't think you'd read that. I thought you were very tactful about the haircut, as I still haven't told Shep about the non shampooing!

Funny thing yesterday, he asked about all the bottles of fancy shampoo & conditioner in the shower room that never seem to move. I just mumbled something about leaving them there for Charlot. I'll have to get rid of them soon!

[Eyren]

I have done bicarb this morning. My hair seemed really strange in a way I haven't seen since stopping the shampoo. Although it didn't have that thick-with-grease look or the lanolin feel, it looked dirty and was separating along the whole length. Ghastly!

 

Mine's bad too - I succumbed to a bicarb rinse 'cos my hair was feeling very greasy, but it's still horrid. I think it must be the humidity...

[Guest]

Oh bad luck Anne. Maybe your hair wasn't quite ready for bicarb?

 

You may have misinterpreted my post - I've got things in the wrong order really. The description was how my hair was, but the bicarb worked really well and my hair is clean and glossy now. Maybe it was the heat causing it be to be strange or maybe I'd overdosed on vinegar. I hadn't used more than usual but maybe I didn't need it!

 

Anyway it's nice that it feels clean now, but I am a little worried about how it will look next weekend!

[Eyren]

Maybe that was it. However I'm afraid I fell off the wagon this morning

 

Between the grease and the sweat (I did two 20-minute sessions on the allotment on Sunday, as it still needs an awful lot of work), my hair was so disgusting this morning that I couldn't face going to work in that state! So I washed it with a minimum of shampoo on the greasiest bits, then followed with a weak vinegar rinse to try and rebalance the pH. My hair feels a bit greasier than it would have done after a "normal" wash (i.e. one with two generous applications of shampoo), but much cleaner and nicer

 

I haven't given up at all - any more than I'd let a one-off chocolate binge derail a diet - but it's really just too hot and sticky to put up with filthy hair for long!

[Guest]

Don't worry Anne. You can just carry on from here. It sounds like you were very restrained!

[Eyren]

Well, I rather liked my hair as it was around midweek - much thicker and fuller than it normally is - so I can see the benefit in persevering!

[Muppet81]

Don't worry Redfox. I think the method of likening the odd shampoo to the odd chocolate is a good one.

 

I must admit I was tempted to shampoo this morning but held back.

 

I think I am reaching a dangerous stage. I feel much better when i use oatmeal but then it starts to feel a little bit itchy so I don't know what to do for the best. I am not really due to bicarb till at least the weekend.

 

Will do my best to hold out. It certainly helps just knowing that there is support on this site

[Eyren]

It certainly gets tough on the "bad hair days" - I don't think I would have had the nerve to try it without this forum

 

I've just ordered another natural bristle brush, as they do seem to help (if only by spreading the grease more thinly!), but they need frequent washing at the moment - especially after oatmeal!

[Sheilaz]

..another vinegar rinse today, I needed a wash in this heat! Looks & feels fine...past the lanolin stage, it's quite silky (if you use your imagination!) I've definitely reached a consistent stage which I'm happy about, so it's worth getting past those worst days whatever way you can.

[The Dogmother]

I like the chocolate analogy.

 

It's really up to what suits you personally; some of the people on this thread have persevered without shampoo at all (and I think they are fantastic for managing that). My daughter is 8 and she hasn't shampooed for over 3 months now, but then she doesn't have any nasty adult oils. I am mostly just rinsing with water, with perhaps 1-2 shampoos a month. My hair feels a lot better and is definitely much more manageable now. I wash/rinse it less now and i think that it is much more healthy.

[Louise]

Good news Sheila Sounds like you are just about there

 

You are right Clare it is up to the individual what works best for them

[Sheilaz]

Yes, I totally agree Clare, each find our own best way. I didn't mean to sound smug I was trying to be inspirational in showing that the theory does work in the end, just giving hope for those at an earlier stage! Ginette & I found it easier giving up chocoalte if we didn't have any at all I seem to be thinking about chocolate on several topics now!

But, it doesn't have to be all or nothing for everyone. Anyone shampooing less than before reading this thread has made a positive change, which is great!

By the way Clare, I'm having real problems with Esther's hair, and think it's terriffic how you have Rosie on board with this. Trouble is, Esther's is very long & gets easily tangled. I've gone down the tons of conditioner route, which is essental to do weekly nit combs, and keep it generally well groomed. However, hers is dry & tangled like mine was, 2 days later I can't get a brush through properly.

Having seen how my hair has changed in doing this, I'm certain that the more conditioner I use, the more necessary it becomes.

Now, simple thing would be to start Esther on this. But, she's only 10 & doesn't make all those oils (grease ) that I did. So, if I gave her a last shampoo/conditioner/detangle & comb through tonight, what will I do in 2 days when I can't get the brush through? It seems impossible to stop. I'm going to cut a couple of inches off, but she's very resistant to not having her really long hair.

I wonder if I do the usual tonight, and then spray with oils instead of conditioner, I could break the pattern? And an egg, but I'd have to disguise it or she'll go and and think I'm chicken obsessed! What do you reckon, Clare and all?

[The Dogmother]

Esther has such lovely hair Sheila Rosie would love long hair too, but I'm not sure that she's aware of how much looking after it needs (I used to have elbow length hair), she winges when it needs washing and drying.

 

I don't know whether it's coincidence, but she has had less headlice since just rinsing. I wonder whether the eggs/lice don't stick so well when the hair has its own oils on each strand. I use Biz Niz for combing through for lice - it is a homeopathic remedy that repels lice too and you just leave it in.

 

Edit claret - you didn't sound smug at all Sheila

Edited July 25, 2006 by Guest

[Louise]

Have you tried plaiting her hair before she goes to bed Sheila

 

That might stop the worst of the tangles

[Guest]

My Esther has long hair - probably about the same length as Sheila's Esther's. My Esther suffered terribly with really dry hair and also hates washing it. She would regularly go two weeks before I got really firm with her.

 

A while back, I reported that she hasn't used shampoo either - for about 2 weeks longer than I have managed. So it must have been in February that she last used shampoo. Her hair is not dry anymore and she finds it easier to look after. She rinses it in water once a week (or less, depending how firm I am!) but it isn't beautiful and glossy. She is 11 and I think the hormones are affecting it. We used bicarb on it before the Palace visit a month ago and we also did a vinegar rinse last weekend. So like the rest of us, she 'manages' it as necessary. She liked the oatmeal effect when we tried that.

 

Sheila, you could perhaps try it over the summer? Tell Esther that you have read (and there's been a lot about this in the press recently) that for some people shampoo really dries out the hair. You would like to try more natural products on her to see if that helps with the tangles. Carrot: it'll probably be a lot quicker!

 

My eldest had terrible trouble with tangles when she was young. I plaited her (long) hair every night before she went to bed. That way we avoided the screams and pain in the morning! it was plaited in the day for school as well and therefore never got tangled! She refused to stay overnight with anyone who couldn't plait her hair for her!

[The Dogmother]

That's interesting Ginette.

 

I think a lot of it is down to the sort of hair you inherit; Rosie's is exactly like mine and does well with only rinsing. You may find that your Esther just doesn't have naturally shiny hair, yet it is still healthy - is it curly? Curly hair tends to shine less.

 

Diet and general health also figure a lot, whenever Rosie or I have been ill, it always shows in our hair - after I had pleurisy, I lost a lot of hair My sister has always been a faddy (and unhealthy) eater, as are her children - none of them has shiny hair.

 

So we're back to the individual again..... Perhaps just rinsing might not make someone's hair more shiny, but it might make it 'better' than it was before.

[Louise]

Mine has never been that shiny but it is definitely better now with no shampoo It is quite curly though

 

I am also rinsing much less than I ever HAD to wash when work is taken out of the equation

 

I am not due to do clean rooms again until January and I am now washing only once per week and it is fine in between

 

I also didn't have anyof the oily shock i used to get with shampoo when the work changed before it used to be hell for at least 2 weeks till it was back in a routine now it takes whatever I throw at it

[Guest]

Good points Clare! Esther has straight hair and eats a reasonably healthy diet. She could probably do better on the fruit and veg front though. Her hair has never been glossy, even with shampoos and conditioners, so maybe you are right that it's just her hair!

 

Diet plays a bigger part in all this than most people realise. Adding olive oil to salads etc helps too. I ended up with very dry skin and hair after sticking to a low-fat diet for a while and corrected it by using olive oil as a dressing..

[Muppet81]

Sheila, how far into this are you now? You seem to have survived all the hurdles. What a star

 

I need to know at what stage it starts to get better

[Guest]

Weeks 3 + 4 are quite good, then it'll be week 8 that things really become manageable. Though Louise has had a much easier ride than some of us in the south!

 

I think Sheila, Anne, Louise and I have been going about 19 weeks now!

[Louise]

I was a couple of weeks behind you and Sheila Ginette due to the VIP visit at work but yes I have sailed through