CO Washing Experiment

I've been using low poo conditioner only due to swimming every evening  and setting up my classroom on my own, moving stuff, sweating without air conditioning... Drama!!  As a result,  I've been wetting my hair almost daily!!  I'm not brushing at all, just Scritching and I'm surprised at how sebum can move with just hot water and a wide tooth comb. I knew conditioner only washing worked in principal, (like the oil cleansing method) that's why I chose to do it but, I am producing so little sebum though it makes sense that this would never have worked before I regulated my sebum production.  I spent a good solid 9 mos washing only my scalp and ACV all over, brushing daily and using a flat iron on my curly hair.

My hair today is dry, but soft.  It misses the 50/50% apple cider vinegar:water pH balancing conditioning rinse I think.  It no longer has that sebum smell when I wet it in the pool, not that I minded it but after 21 days without a wash, it did smell different than dry hair.

I also think when I was brushing sebum I'd know where and when to add oil so my hair never got dry and my ends were lovely.

Now I worry about split ends and its only been... Two weeks!  I look forward to going back to my usual routine!!  I miss my sebum hair!!

I'll also roller set rather than flat iron because I get way more volume for way longer and I can do the roller set mid wash cycle so AO (ACV:water conditioning) only is the way to go for me!!   I'm guessing once things settle I'll wash or rather henna once a month and AO mid month.  We'll see what winter hair will be like as I hit my 14 monthiversary poo less!

Smelly??

Have no fear!  Your sebum is coming in, you feel oily... and you're well on your way, great job!! This us GREAT!!

Brush your hair.  Really thoroughly. Like this. Do this every single day. For today though, follow with a nice hot shower to help melt the sebum, massage, preen, just do it.  I personally have a fine toothed comb I use to help comb the sebum, scritch here and there, work it girl!!

Follow with an acid rinse if you want, I find it helps a little to cut smell, sebum, not sure, but I like it with WO.  We call this AO (acid rinse wash)

Out of the shower, your hair is completely detangled, use this time to add some (essential oil) EO diluted in water, spray all over... Or... Add aloe vera gel to the scalp if needed for dryness and it's always a great deodorizer... Or just apply a few drops of EOs in your favorite oil directly to the length of the hair. Don't forget the ends!!  And not too much. Brush or comb it through, it moves the debris from the scalp and from the hair on to your brush and that prevents bacteria making the scalp smelly.

 Wash your brush so its clean for tomorrow.

Dry however you dry it. (Plop to get the best curls)

Ta daa!  No sebum at the scalp means no smellies!  The sebum has moved away from the scalp down the length of the hair, and you.... Look... Gorgeous!!!

Afraid to brush curly hair, here's why you need to.

Deep Conditioning - Coconut Milk & Aloe

This is great for dry curly hair...

1 part coconut milk - this can be seriously conditioning to the point of excess (I use a can, but you can make your own).

2 or 3 parts aloe vera gel depending on how much conditioning you need, it's used to dilute the coconut milk but also offers its own hair and luxurious humectant properties.

Add EOs if you'd like to the mix.

I prefer to apply on dry hair, saturating the ends, working my way up toward the scalp. I personally avoid the scalp completely, it's just too much going on and it makes me feel oily afterward.  Aloe alone is great on the scalp though.

Rinse thoroughly (I only use water).  Style as usual.  This concoction is pH balanced.

Source, although tweaked, and only used as a deep conditioner, NEVER AS A SHAMPOO!  No part of this experience is a cleansing one - this is so misleading - it is a VERY deep conditioner and my tweaked recipe makes it a lovely one!

Yellow Aloe? What's Wrong?

 Aloe vera contains two kinds of 'sap' that are used medicinally. The thick yellow sap that comes from the inner lining of the leaf is called Aloe latex, and contains aloin, a powerful laxative. It flows for a little while after cutting a leaf, and can be scraped off the leaf epidermis. It is also called Aloe juice. The laxative effect of aloin is primary reason why the desert Bedouin people of Arabia cultivated Aloe vera. It has been in cultivation so long that there is no known natural population of the plant.

 The second kind of sap is called Aloe gel, and is contained in clear tissue of the inner leaf. This is the part of the plant that is soothing to skin.

  Source.