Trying Water Only (sort of)

[kinkycurlygurl]

I've been working on my water regimen now for about 4 months and overall it's been a good experience for my hair.

The basic regimen:

Daily

Massage scalp
Run sebum on fingers through hair in sections
Comb+Brush sections to further distribute sebum
Braid or cocoon hair for bed

Weekly

Wash 1x per week with water and Queen Helene Clay Masque
Rinse 1x per week just water
Wrap in microfiber towel
Divide damp, detangled hair into 6 sections and apply coconut oil to each section follow with 1 drop of mineral oil on each section
Braid and air dry overnight
Protective style

Monthly

Color Hair

Changes to the Regime

I stopped spritzing with water nightly instead, I thoroughly soak my hair with water 2x a week

I put coconut oil and mineral oil on my hair 2x per week

Insights

I've found that my hair likes lots and lots of water. When I soak it rather than spritz it my hair feels softer and more moisturized.

I have to add oil in addition to sebum because I color my hair. By the time I've built up a good coating of sebum on my hair, it's time to color again and the color strips my hair of all the sebum I've worked so hard to accumulate.

My hair loves small amounts of coconut oil applied when it's wet. All I need is a few drops on each section. I'm still working on the same bottle of 16 ounce bottle of coconut oil I bought back in March.

I think the combination of removing shed hairs daily, brushing, moisturizing and protective styling has dramatically reduced the number of split ends and SSK's I get. My hair used to be full of single strand knots, now I rarely see one.

Mineral oil has been a surprise. I put approximately 6 drops on my hair after I wash. My hair ends up feeling very smooth. My hair used to have a tendency to cling together at the ends now my ends slide apart very easily. My dry hair seems to have some slip.

I bought a 3 ounce bottle of Johnson's baby oil in the last week of May. That will probably be enough mineral oil to last me for the year.

I find that the Clay Masque melts my tangles away in the shower. I don't spend a lot of time detangling when I wash and I don't need conditioner. I don't know why but the clay seems to cleanse, detangle, and condition in one step. I just comb through in sections under running water as I rinse out the clay.


Resources

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=225

Some of my go-to protective styles:


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Some favorite tutorials:

http://youtu.be/FW_e7o2Ith8

http://youtu.be/hNqmvE4Gl1g

http://youtu.be/RAPHSAPshJE

http://youtu.be/xRd5nPv17VY

http://youtu.be/Kk-0tTYJxrs

Until my next update, happy hair everybody.

 

[Theresamonet]

kinkycurlygurl the clay mask you use is the Mint Julep? How do you apply it?

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

@kinkycurlygurl the clay mask you use is the Mint Julep? How do you apply it?

@Theresamonet Hi, I use the Queen Helene Mud Masque. The Mint Julip is probably not much different except for the smell. I chose the Mud Masque because it is mostly made of bentonite and kaolin clay and it was a cheap way to try out those clays without having to mix it and buy a whole bunch.

I apply it by wetting my sectioned hair then smooth on the mud masque to each section. I squeeze a line of the stuff into my hand that's somewhere between an inch and an inch and a half long, rub my hands together to spread it then rub it into my scalp and smooth it down the hair to the ends. I leave it on to dry a little while I wash the rest of me then I rinse section by section while combing with a wide toothed comb.

 

[lilyofthenile]

Thanks for the update. Your regimen is simplicity galore but what I LOVE is the lower number of SSK's that you've encountered, this works well for you =)

Btw, wen you soak your hair, do you just go under the shower head or tap or do you do it in the shower?

I want to mention that I still do ACV rinses and I only use water with glycerin to moisturise my hair and a butter to seal. I have SD and it has calmed down a lot since I took the simple route. I'm going to change my diet now to combat my SD but this part of the regimen definitely works for me and I'll keep it in place.

 

[Mz.MoMo5235]

Its so funny that I came across this thread.

I have been hearing a lot more about water rinses for a lot of things, not just hair. I was actually reading in another thread about water only showers and the people were raving about it and I was so confused. With more research I came across more and more people going the water only route with great results.

Makes you think.

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

Thanks for the update. Your regimen is simplicity galore but what I LOVE is the lower number of SSK's that you've encountered, this works well for you =)

Btw, wen you soak your hair, do you just go under the shower head or tap or do you do it in the shower?

I want to mention that I still do ACV rinses and I only use water with glycerin to moisturise my hair and a butter to seal. I have SD and it has calmed down a lot since I took the simple route. I'm going to change my diet now to combat my SD but this part of the regimen definitely works for me and I'll keep it in place.

lilyofthenile Hi, I usually soak my hair midweek under the shower when I'm bathing anyway.

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

Its so funny that I came across this thread.

I have been hearing a lot more about water rinses for a lot of things, not just hair. I was actually reading in another thread about water only showers and the people were raving about it and I was so confused. With more research I came across more and more people going the water only route with great results.

Makes you think.

Mz.MoMo5235 Hi,

I've tried showering with just water too. I have dry skin issues and it really helps allieveate them.

 

[Mz.MoMo5235]

@Mz.MoMo5235 Hi,

I've tried showering with just water too. I have dry skin issues and it really helps allieveate them.

kinkycurlygurl

That's good to know. I also have really dry skin except for my face which is oily. However, by using the water only method on my face my oily face has evened out and I dont get so shiny because my skin isnt over producing oil from me stripping it away


***TMI ALERT***
For the last 7 yrs by gyno has been yelling at me for using soap on my jinkies area. She says women should only use water, not even fem washes, just water... I cant help but to use soap, or I feel like I'm sinning lmao.

 

[curlycrown85]

I've been doing water only for almost a month now, since this HCG diet I'm on says I can't use lotions or oil or my body or hair. I'm OCD when it comes to my hair and keeping it moisturized, so when I found out I couldn't use any of my products, I almost panicked. But one thing I remembered was how water is the best moisturizer for your hair.

So, since my hair was stripped of all products, I decided to keep my hair in twists and spray my hair with water a few times throughout each day. It's super hot and humid where I am, so my hair dries in no time. I workout daily--sometimes twice--and each time I take a shower after working out, I rinse my hair (twists) with cool water and blot my hair with a T-shirt.

When I take my twists down, they are super defined and have a natural shine that I did not know my hair was capable of. Twist-outs lasts for days and stay well defined even through a workout.

I like twisting my hair while it is dry, but I like rinsing my hair while it is already twisted up. I am amazed that after my hair dries and I take my twists down, my hair is super soft and moisturized NATURALLY. I never knew my hair was capable of taking care of itself with only water but no products. And it also seems to shed less.

I was only going to do this no-product thing for the HCG diet, but I LOVE my new regimen so much that I think I may stick with this. With 4b hair, I never thought I would like the way my hair feels with no product in it, but it feels great to run my fingers through my hair and have no oil or product on my hands--and yet my hair is soft and moisturized.

I decided to do a little research to see if others have tried water-only and there aren't many. I think more people should give it a try and will be surprised by the results.

OP, I might get that goat hair baby brush you recommended. The only way I've been getting the sebum to spread is by taking my twists down and retwisting (which I do every day or every couple of days).

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

curlycrown85 Hi,

I was really surprised too by the feel of naked hair. I really think a lot of product building up on the hair is what causes so many problems with dryness and tangling. I'm putting small amounts of coconut oil and mineral oil on my hair, I need the extra help because I color my hair to cover grey. The color strips all of the sebum off my hair so I never build up a solid coating.

I've been following this regime since February 2012 and I don't see the need to go back to products.

Thanks so much for your feed back. I'd love to see updates on how water is working for you over time.

What's the HCG diet?

 

[curlycrown85]

@curlycrown85 Hi,

I was really surprised too by the feel of naked hair. I really think a lot of product building up on the hair is what causes so many problems with dryness and tangling. I'm putting small amounts of coconut oil and mineral oil on my hair, I need the extra help because I color my hair to cover grey. The color strips all of the sebum off my hair so I never build up a solid coating.

I've been following this regime since February 2012 and I don't see the need to go back to products.

Thanks so much for your feed back. I'd love to see updates on how water is working for you over time.

What's the HCG diet?

HCG is a very low calorie diet accompanied by drops you put under your tongue throughout the day. It helps you lose weight fast but is also supposed to reset your metabolism. I THINK the reason why you shouldn't use oils or lotions is because they can be absorbed in a way that will affect your weight loss while on HCG.

(I'm not big into "diets" but needed something to push me through my plateau. Now that I'm seeing improvement, I'm getting off of HCG. I don't like doing a low calorie diet (500 calories daily), because I enjoy intense workouts. I can't jog in the heat for an hour off 500 calories.)

I've gone through this thread and have followed your journey with WO. Like you and a couple of others, I first learned about it in LHC and have also seen it being taken a step further: no water, sebum only (NW/SO). Right now, I enjoy WO and have incorporated some of the techniques from the sebum only regimen. I haven't gotten a goat hair brush like you, but I have a baby brush until then.

I also tried soaking my hair like you (for the first time) and really enjoyed it. I allowed my hair to soak in warm while while in the tub for about 20 minutes. Then I detangled and twisted while soaking wet. I never knew how much my hair LOVES water.

Today, I tried the cold-hot-cold method that I had read about in some other forum. You rinse cold first. Then hot. Then cold again. I think this method helps the sebum work its way down the hair shaft.

At any rate, I'm enjoying the fact that my hair sheds less and my breakage is 100% gone.

kinkycurlygurl -- I wish you didn't have that issue with coloring your hair, because the WO method seems to be working for you.

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

Going to take the plunge starting today of washing with water only.

Will give feed back in a few weeks. Here I go closer to getting 100% natural

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

Hi All,

I realized that I've been a mostly water girl now for almost a year. I started last February. I think the experiment is over and I've settled into a routine that works for me.

The pros:

This is the most economical hair care routine I've ever had. I bought a 16 oz bottle of Parachute Coconut oil in March 2012 and I'm just getting down to the last inch or so of oil in the bottle now. I'm still using it. I bought a 3 oz bottle of Johnson's Baby Oil (mineral oil) in May 2012 and I still have plenty of that left.

It's easy. No complicated routines, no special equipment.

Being mostly water MW, for short, frees me from being reliant on products and worrying about where I'm going to get my product when I travel.

I don't spend a lot of time on my hair.

Single strand knots are a thing of the past.

I have fewer split ends.

Cons

I don't collect products in pretty packages any more.

I don't have elaborate but enjoyable hair rituals any more.

I haven't tried any of the new natural hair products that every company on earth seems to be developing now. I'll admit that sometimes I'm tempted.

Current routine:

Every 3 Days:

Take down my protective style, comb and brush to remove shed hair and spread sebum.

Put into a different protective style.

Weekly:

Water wash
Scrub scalp with sugar mixed with coconut oil (3 tsp sugar to 1 tsp oil)
Condition wet hair with coconut oil (appx 1 tsp)
Put 6 drops of mineral oil on my ends

Monthly:

Color my hair (I'm fighting the battle of the grays)

Here are some pictures of where I started and where I am now:

2012

February

July

January 2013

Stretched to show current length

I'm very happy with my results. Over the course of the year I've gone from collarbone length hair to armpit length hair. When I stretch my hair out it reaches the top of my bra strap. It's not all there yet just the longest sections so I don't claim BSL yet. I think I'm on track to get to BSL by the end of this year.

If anyone else is trying out a mostly water regimen I'd love to hear your results.

PS Vintagecoilylocks I saw your post and am looking forward to hearing from you.

 

[morehairplease]

kinkycurlygurl thanks so, so much for your update and congrats on your results! I plan to go water only starting in February(hair & face). Hopefully, I will have positive results because I am on a mission to simplify my hair regimen.

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

kinkycurlygurl thanks so, so much for your update and congrats on your results! I plan to go water only starting in February(hair & face). Hopefully, I will have positive results because I am on a mission to simplify my hair regimen.

morehairplease much success with your new regimen and please share your experience.

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

Well I have done it twice and this week noticed the new growth was not as dry as usual. But I will continue to see if that is the norm. Difference with my regimin is that I never use brushes or combs that is why I delayed trying this. It seems to rely on them. So since I still use my homemade butter recipe I am not strickly water only. I am only water washing.

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

Like you say I love using my natural recipes and i am not ready to give them up. I simply gave up Co wash. If I make my own recipe I may return to it if I feel the need.

 

[kinkycurlygurl]

Like you say I love using my natural recipes and i am not ready to give them up. I simply gave up Co wash. If I make my own recipe I may return to it if I feel the need.

I don't think you should give up anything that you enjoy and that works for you. I've treated this minimal product routine as an experiment. In the beginning I really just wanted to see what would happen if I eliminated the product. Now I'm hoping to see the effects on others with different lengths and textures.

I'm also stoked because I'm a former product junkie who spent years and thousands of dollars chasing the holy grail product that would moisturize, strengthen, and give my hair flexible hold. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that it came out of my scalp and out of the tap.

Best of luck with your experiment'

 

[krissyhair]

I am bumping this thread as a placeholder. I am doing more research on the water only method. I want to continue doing this because it has worked so well for me. I will have to eventually use up these shampoos and conditioners because I don't like to waste. But eventually, I think water only will be a real and viable option for me.

 

[bronzephoenix]

Bump!

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Risingsun]

I tried water only for a while and in the summer time I found I produce too much sebum. I also tried clay mask on hair, but I had to do it too much which resulted in dryness. So now I just use my homemade shampoo bar to clean my scalp monthly. That did the trick for me.