Neighbour making formal noise complaint.

[Guest]

Thank you for those interesting sites L-J!

[Eyren]

And I am waiting for news from the person (sorry, I can't remember who it was at the moment! ) who was going to try soapnuts. Soapnuts sound too good to be true, and I really ought to get some!

 

That was me - I found that soapnuts left my hair sticky, but it was quite greasy to start with and I was also using a jug to rinse my hair - I'll try the shower next time!

 

The Faith in Nature shampoos are nice (our local healthfood shops sell it). Although they still contain the dreaded sodium laureth sulphate (the detergent part), they seem to be gentler on your scalp - I've had no problem cutting back to one shampoo a week plus vinegar and oatmeal, even in this weather, and I think I could go longer once autumn comes along

 

The Gentle Herb Shampoo from www.essential-care.co.uk looks great, though - no SLeS, hurray! I shall definitely order some - it's not cheap, but if I'm only using a tiny bit once a week or less, it still works out about the same as supermarket 'poo

[The Dogmother]

Ginette, if your hair feels a bit dry then try a spray on leave in conditioner. If my hair feels a bit dry after just rinsing with water, then I use some of this. Especially on the ends.

[Guest]

Thanks Anne and Clare!

 

I'm going to order some of that shampoo, especially now my older daughters have expressed an interest in joining in. Being teenagers, there is no way they can have less than perfect hair though - obviously!

[Louise]

I have some news

 

My hair is so manky today and I think I know why

 

Yesterday I had to do a really mucky job and before I went home I decided to take a shower Because the weather has been so good the steam generators have been switched off in the afternoons because we don't need to run them to keep the place warm but it means we have alot less hot water available as the small tank can't hold much and the big tank needs a steam lance to heat it

 

I had to have a lukewarm to cold shower which was okay because I was hot but this morning I have a grease fest going on and I think it is because I was unable to use hot water at the first rinse it was barely warm

 

I have to do this again this afternoon but I will hold off on the hair till I get home so I can use hot water on it

[Guest]

Louise, thank you for that. We're really working in the dark aren't we? But that's interesting because you have always said you use really hot water. I wonder what will happen when you do? Is the damage now done or will it be immediately reparable?

[Louise]

I think it will be okay but this afternoon I will have a quick shower but no hair wash (I will wear a cap as well when working) and then shower again when I get home and wash my hair

 

I wouldn't be so bothered but I am giving one of the neighbours a lift into work at the mo and I can't sit in the car stinking with a passenger

 

The only difference is the hot water and it wasn't noticable yesterday but I tied my hair back when wet to go home and left it till this morning and it is just greasy feeling and it is kind of clumping a bit as well - not nice

[Louise]

Gave the hot water wash followed by a rinse with cool water as normal last night and made sure it was dry before going to bed

 

What a difference this morning not all oily and clumpy back to how I like it

[Guest]

Good news Louise!

[Sheilaz]

Thanks, Louise, I think that is an important scientific study you've done! I totally agree, that the water does need to be hot to cleanse the hair, then finish cooler to close the pores.

I think that I might be onto just water now! I may do the occasional B. or V. if I think it needs it, but "this week I have been mostly using water".

[Louise]

Great news Sheila

 

When I was doing the hot water thing I could feel the hair becomming less oily very weird

[Eyren]

"this week I have been mostly using water".

 

 

My herbal SLeS-free shampoo arrived yesterday so I'm going to try it tomorrow - my hair is a bit greasy after 5 days with nothing but a vinegar rinse midweek, but not unpleasantly so

[Happymama]

Great news Sheila

 

When I was doing the hot water thing I could feel the hair becomming less oily very weird

 

Nothing weird about it! Fats are broken down by heat, and carried away with the water.

 

Ginette, why not try a couple of weeks with just water and perhaps mild vinegar just to see what happens? You can always run back at any point - don't forget, your hair is in a condition that it's never seen before now anyway, and a shampoo every two or so weeks won't harm that too much. Mine only gets shampooed every 8 weeks or so as the hairdressers swear that they can't cut it when it's 'dirty'. Oh, and the comb would HURT apparently. Worra load o' rubbish!

 

I've short hair now (over my ears, not a no 4) and love it to bits. I can ruffle it up to look like a madwoman - no products! - or smooth it flat to look decent. Magic. The top's still a bit long, am seriously considering getting it made the same length as the rest next week before I go on holiday camping at Perranporth.

 

Any takes on dandruff with the non-shampoo regime, anyone?

 

[Guest]

Yes, I am going to try the hot water approach while I'm away on holiday and see what happens.

 

I wish I'd had my hair cut shorter this week. I was so pleased when the hairdresser said it only needed 3cms taken off, that I just went for that. I have noticed that even after a beautiful shampoo the hair on my head is more close-fitting than it used to be. This is because of the better condition it is now in. Below my shoulders is drier and frizzier (though not frizzy). If I'd had more cut off it would be in better condition all over.

 

One question: Is it better to water the hair frequently, even when it doesn't look dirty, or wait until it is in need of a wash? i.e. is the grease harder to move if you let it build up?

[Happymama]

I'd do it frequently now that your hair's settled down. It's not the oils that make your hair look and smell manky. It's the dirt and sweat and bacteria stuck to the surface. Rinsing removes this rubbish.

 

My hair was shoulder length for the last two years, and for most of that I've been rinsing my hair once a week.

 

Maybe it's time for a radical change, then, Ginette? Like what I did, only not quite so drastic

[Louise]

Mine is definitely less flaky than before I wouldn't say I had dandruff but I think I was heading that way

[Lesley-Jean]

I thought you had long hair Happymama, so was very impressed.

 

Short hair is easy to care for ! Had mine short for years. When and why did you go short

[Louise]

I tried to take a picture of myself this morning as my hair was looking really nice I just uploaded onto the machine and the picture is fine except you can't actually see my hair

 

Dark hair and dark background = invisible hair

 

I will try again another day shame as it is a nice pic otherwise

 

I confessed all to my mother last night and she is going to have a go as well

[Sheilaz]

Would love to see a photo, Louise, with a good light shining on it! Glad your mum was impressed.

I have found that water only leaves too much build up of, er, stuff, so I did a vinegar rinse yesterday & it's great, looks really clean but not dried out. soz no photo.

I think water only etc depends very much on the water, and also individual hair/scalp. Mine is really settled now, but I def. need to keep up the b & v occasionally.

I have the same question in mind as Ginette, whether frequent water rinsing has more or less good effect than infrequent. However, again I think it's personal, after all frequent means weekly to Happymama, whereas that would be infrequent to me.

Well, for what it's worth, I don't think daily water helps mine, it tends to go flat & stuck, which is annoying if it looked ok before the water! So, I'm settling on water 2 or 3 times a week, maybe weekly vinegar & 3 weekly bicarb. Something like that.

Water only does seem possible for some, but not for me, but I'm happy to have reached a settled stage.

[Louise]

Story with my mum is quite good

 

I was talking to her last night she decided a while ago to stop the hair dye as her scalp is getting really sore and we think it isn't helping

 

She is now at the inch of grey hair under the blonde stage and really isn't happy She was going to talk to the hairdresser about it and get it cut short but she has worse problems with frizz than me so isn't keen to go short so I suggested she try the no shampoo route to sort the frizz and then maybe what grows back will be less frizzy than before

 

It has to be worth a try

[The Dogmother]

That sounds like a good idea Louise. Has she tried herbal hair colours? I have never tried them myself, but understand that they are great for colour and very gentle.

[Louise]

I am not going to suggest it Clare I wish she would just stop dying it the colour is always fine at first and then goes a horrid brassy blonde in the sun I'm afraid I am not the worlds biggest hair dye fan

[Happymama]

Lesley-Jean, I was long and unshampoo'd for two years.

 

I cut my hair two weeks ago because: 1, it's been so bloomin' warm, and I have very very thick shoulder-length hair, 2, I'm off camping (tonight) and it's a 'mare to look after when I'm camping when it's shoulder length, 3, it's so much darker now that three years ago, I've had highlights for that long, so wanted to cut them out and discover what my real hair colour is.

 

I can report that it used to be flowerpot red, and is now brown, proper dark brown. This is what having children does to you.

 

Now that it's short I'm growing it out! It grows like weed anyway, and is already on my collar and over my ears. I'm off to rinse it in a mo with a hot bath, I'm shattered, getting five peoples' stuff ready for two weeks camping, ready the dogs, arrange the hen/cat sitter etc etc. His lordship only had to go to work, oh, and I did some of that too!

 

Keep up the good work while I'm away, if anyone's in Cornwall, we're the mad-looking family with a noisy little boy, noisy twin girls, a demented Smooth Saluki and mad JRT (it's the last family holiday for us (DH announced that he wanted a divorce on the eve of our wedding anniversary, charming man that he is) on Perranporth beach.

[Lesley-Jean]

I though you had long hair HM Do you attribute its fast growth to any thing in particular or just to genes

 

Are you going to grow it again now the highlights are cut off

[Guest]

My hair has been growing really fast since stopping the shampoo.

 

I have just spent a week in South Wales with running spring water. I haven't used anything except water on my hair and I can report that my hair looked clean and bouncy and felt really soft. I was thrilled! So there has to be something in the natural water effect. (I'll have to move house now, so this exercise will prove more expensive than shampoo! )

 

I have also located a natural soap and shampoo company called The SoapShed. I'll post the website link when I've unpacked! The farmer's wife uses it on her hair, which looks gorgeous. My teenagers are convinced by the argument but not able to try the transition - image being too important. But they are keen to try the natural shampoos which shouldn't need conditioner either.