Mediocre water quality and WO

Apr 15, 2013 02:37

I definitely do need to do something about once or twice a month to get rid of some build-up that's probably coming from my not-entirely-soft water ( Read more... )

honey, water only, alternative washes, hair types - fine and wavy, length-bra strap to tushie, transitioning with a natural shampoo, waxy buildup, water quality (hard/soft), detox period, dark hair

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Comments 8

stachelbeeren April 15 2013, 08:43:06 UTC
I swear by acidic rinses. The water quality here is medium hard (judging by the calcium stains around water faucets) and for a looong time my routine was WO a couple of times, maybe even a third time + clarifying wash with either egg yolks or natural soap-shampoo. I used to go for the egg yolk option for it's conditioning properties and it was my routine for a very long time.

But then one day I just retried ACV and the wax was GONE; I used pure ACV. Since then it's been WO + rather strong acidic rinse, sometimes I add stuff like honey, I also tried glycerine. I also recommend aloe vera for the ends.

A couple weeks ago I must have made a weaker acidic solution as my hair was a tiny bit harder to comb and I felt a hint of wax. So for me it's usually around 40% vinegar to 60% water or 35% to 65% + EOs of my choice, I always just eyeball it.

It's worth a try :)

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lilin_unite April 15 2013, 10:52:33 UTC
Damn, you've encouraged me! :D I tried it with OJ before, and it didn't work well. But at the time, I was trying to get rid of oil, and I think I watered it down too much.

So, I'm giving it one more shot based on a recipe from this post (maiafay in the comments).
http://no-poo.livejournal.com/556317.html#comments

I replaced the lemon with lime (since that's what I have). I also increased the ratio of citrus, and decrease the ratio of honey a little.

I've put some of this in a small quirt bottle with a nice nozel and put it right on my roots. It's in an old t-shirt and I'm gonna let it sit for a few minutes.

Then I'll rinse, put some more in, and try the straight honey on those thirsty ends.

If it all goes to hell, I've still got time for a shampoo bar wash before I have to be presentable today.

Wish me luck!

My head is such a salad. :D

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stachelbeeren April 15 2013, 11:28:59 UTC
i hope lime juice will work! I never tried it.
If lime or lemon won't work I would encourage you to try white vinegar, I think it's the most effective of all vinegars and the WV smell fades quickly... it works a lot better than lemon juice or orange juice, at least on my hair.

good luck :)

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lilin_unite April 15 2013, 13:15:50 UTC
That actually worked pretty well! Not perfect, but a pretty big improvement. I've still got some of that waxy feeling on the crown of my head, but not as much, and it looks better. The rest of my scalp is *a lot* better.

Thanks!

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westcoastred April 15 2013, 08:45:40 UTC
For the water quality, you could get one of those wonderful attachments that soften your water naturally... I got mine at a health food store. I think it cost $40 a year ago, and I still have it. (I moved out of the DC area to NC, and don't need it right now ( ... )

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westcoastred April 15 2013, 08:55:33 UTC
Apparently, you're supposed to let the honey sit for 1-2 hours in order for it to lighten your hair. I think you'll be fine.

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kaypgirl April 15 2013, 08:55:25 UTC
The honey is fine to use on your scalp, too, since it isn't conditioner, it just attracts and locks in moisture. May not be enough after shampoo, but all hair is different. Putting oil on your length before the shampoo bar would give it some protection yet mostly wash out after you're done. You may want to try egg before a shampoo bar, depending on how much build up you have. This may not help since you already have build up but a last rinse with distilled water may help or adding ascorbic acid (vitamin c) and citric acid may help. Or an acid rinse every once in a while with acv or lemon juice.

Have you thought about a shower filter? Might be less than what you were spending on shampoo.

This seems like the perfect question to post on the longhaircommunity.com forums. I've come across some honey lightening experiment threads over there, though I forget the exact results. They also have many methods to deal with hard water.
Good luck.

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