i've been considering the water only method for a really long time - when i first went natural in 2010, again a couple of years ago, and most recently a couple of months ago.
when i found myself placing my 10th order of new products to try to "fix" this new hair i have, i decided that enough was enough. i was tired of trying any and everything to make my hair act "normally." what is normal?
i did a bit more research into the method (helpful links here, here, here, and here), gave away all of my products, and took the plunge on january 28.
so far, i am really surprised by how much i like it!
i knew i had soft hair before this, but i am truly amazed by the softness even without products. i absolutely love my natural texture that's been hiding under gels, oils, and other products. i also discovered some golden hairs that i guess had been darkened by whatever i was using in my hair, which is pretty cool.
and a little scary.
my sebum is finally coming in and the first inch or so of my hair is shiny and feels incredibly soft and smooth! i can't wait until it covers all of my hair (it seems like 3-6 months is the reported transition period).
in the interim, i have begun using some tea rinses/spritzes on my uncovered length and ends. i use fenugreek tea for moisture and black tea for strength.
my method:
i water rinse, which includes scalp massaging and scritching, every 2-3 nights. i detangle with a modified denman brush during rinsing as needed (usually twice/week). i then finish with a tea rinse on the length and ends of my hair. i don't rinse out the tea.
on my off nights, i brush my scalp and hair with a baby denman brush to distribute the sebum. i do this on hair that has been lightly spritzed and finger detangled with water or fenugreek tea.
note: if my scalp feels really oily or my hair has buildup, i use the morocco method boar bristle brush to remove excess sebum.
after rinsing or brushing, i style (mostly wild child style - aka no style - and sometimes chunky twists or twist-outs, buns, rods, etc).
bonus: this method = dry hair in 3-4 hours even in chunky sections! pre-WOM, my hair took well over 24 hours to dry in large sections.
i love how i can use this method to condition my hair naturally and reduce my carbon footprint. i am all about treating the earth and my hair well!
would you ever try this method?
in pursuit of:
treating my hair as my crown and glory
drastically reducing my carbon footprint
14 comments:
If I could get that kinda volume---I'd do it in a HEARTbeat!!!
Thanks for the water only method explanation! Your hair looks wonderful. Have you been able to keep your ends moisturized?
www.savingourstrands.com
**scratching my head** water only rings more money for me lol. I wonder if it will work on transitioning hair.
Thank you!
I spritz them almost daily with fenugreek tea or water, or I do a fully-on water rinse :)
I wonder why you think it would cost more.
I haven't spent money on my hair at all since starting because I don't use any hair products, and I already had the tea. But even if I did have to buy the tea, I could do over 200 rinses for around $5 plus the peace of mind in not washing anything down the drain that doesn't belong in our water :)
From what I've read, everyone can do it! But since I'm not transitioning, I can't attest to that, unfortunately.
I meant saving money lol.
OHHHHHHH!
I would try to blame my confusion on my being sick but I really am just slow sometimes...
But yes, it definitely saves!
Wow I have never heard of this method! Sounds extremely easy and straight forward, and most of all, beneficial in the long run. And your hair looks amazing, with the shine and volume. I am so scared to try it though. I fee like the way my hair is set up? aint not sebum travelling down my hair shaft and that is going to leave me with super dry hair. :(
I've also never heard of the water only method - it's quite interesting. I definitely will be following your progress.
Side note: what is scritching?
Wow, in really impressed by this. I haven't heard of it before. My question was about build up but I see that you use a different method for that. Hmmm, in intrigued!
You should give it a try! The sebum doesn't travel past the first inch or so of mine so the rinsing and brushing my hair helps me bring it down to the ends. Before it even covered that inch, I had to massage my scalp pretty vigorously to get the sebum on my fingers so I could bring it down. The greenhouse effect does a great job of increasing sebum production. And in the interim, you can put a little bit of light oil on your ends!
Scritching is light scratching to remove excess sebum from clogging the pores on the scalp. I use a comb to do it because I don't want to chance transferring any bacteria from under my nails onto my scalp.
I will keep the blog up to date with my progress! :D
Wow this is so interesting. I had read about it before on another blog and I'm intrigued. I'm not ready now, someday maybe. Your hair looks good and your dimple is really cute
Thank you! I hope you give it a try someday :)
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