Hello Goddess!
Thank you for such a FABULOUS response to the 90-Day Winter Hair Challenge! You have no idea how excited we are ’round here!
While I’m putting the finishing touches on everything, I thought this would be the perfect time to update you on my Water Only Hair Washing Results.
But that post was waaaay too long.
So I decided to put it into 2 parts starting with the 5 Things I’ve Learned Using The WOHW Method.
It’s been 4 months since I started, so I’ll be back tomorrow with a full update, the pros and cons, and my new love: mini twists…
5 Things I’ve Learned So Far Using The WOHW Method
1. Hard Water Can Have Your Hair Looking A Hot, Gray Mess
You’ll be thinking it’s your products, it won’t be. It’s probably the water.
During the first month using this method, I kept thinking it was dandruff. But my scalp was clean and clear, it was only on the hair.
I wasn’t using any products yet, no clay or hair tea.
Clarifying with an apple cider vinegar rinse saved the day.
That’s the good thing about hard water buildup — it’s really easy to remove. ACV is the best, but vinegar can leave hair dry if used too often (I’ve discovered). Adding less helps (1 tablespoon instead of 3), but finding vinegar-free alternatives was a must!
I’ve been keeping a list of what works, and these alternatives will remove product buildup of ALL types. Play around and see if your hair prefers one more than the others:
- coconut water
- aloe vera juice
- distilled water
- rose water
- amla powder and water (add 1 tsp per 8 ounces of water; shake well)
- catnip tea (I buy this kind; add 2 tablespoons catnip to 4 cups of hot water, not boiling; let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes; strain and apply)
- fresh pineapple juice
- comfrey root tea (I buy mine from here; add 2 tablespoons to 4 cups of boiling, hot water. Let cool for 10 minutes; strain, apply. Comfrey root is also an excellent emollient for hair)
- cucumber spritz (4 thin cucumber slices, 16 ounces distilled water)
- bentonite clay or rhassoul clay (added to water, aloe vera juice, or coconut water)
- fresh grapefruit juice
- honey water
- dandelion tea (I buy dandelion root from here)
- lemon water
- green tea
- hibiscus hair tea
2. Food Plays A MAJOR Role — What You Don’t Eat Matters
There are quite a few superfoods, or living foods as I call them, that are wonderful for healthy hair, mind and body. Start paying more attention to what you eat and drink, and how you feel right after. Living foods give you life, literally!
After eating they continue to:
- give you energy,
- calm your digestive system (no stomach, digestion, or gastrointestinal nonsense)
- center your thoughts,
- strengthen your intuitive awareness
- balance your mood
The following foods are especially good for overall well-being, healthy skin, and hair growth. They’re best when you can buy them organic:
- cucumber
- kale
- beans (lentils, black, red, garbanzo, and pinto are best)
- pineapple
- lemon
- organic apples
- wild blueberries (fresh or frozen, contain more nutrients)
- spinach
- red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
- seeds: flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds
- organic strawberries
The Big IFs
IF hair loss, breakage, lack of hair growth, all forms of alopecia, and ALL other skin conditions are a problem for you, eat and drink less of the following:
- Refined sugars, white sugar, and its renamed friend cane sugar
- Remove high fructose corn-syrup from your diet completely
- White foods (breads, cakes, muffins, pasta, all enriched flour-based foods)
- Hydrogenated oils
- Diet drinks (can contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which works as a neurotoxin in the body; it confuses your immune system, knocks your ph levels out of balance, which can lead to hair loss, thinning, breakage, dryness, and lack of hair growth)
- Caffeine (this includes coffee and caffeinated teas, drinks, and supplements)
- Alcohol (yes this includes wine)
Stop giving me the side eye Goddess.
These ingredients can cause inflammation, take more energy for the body to digest, and overwhelm the immune system. I’ve seen clients who haven’t experience hair growth in years, to begin noticing growth
Give your system a chance to recalibrate to it’s original greatness.
You can bring some of these foods and beverages back into your life once the condition has improved or healed completely.
But some things DO belong in the dungeon forever. I’m looking at you high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
Science has your back.
Eating more plant-based meals (fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, sprouted grains) is great for your hair AND relieves depression and stress — 2 healthy hair stealers, amongst other things.
Drinking fresh green juice is one way to get a combination of these ingredients at once. If you’re not ready to become a kale evangelist yet, try the hummus — it’s divine!
- Green Diva (The Ultimate Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie)
- Heavenly Hummus
- How To Make Sweet Flaxseed Milk
- Refreshing Mango Beauty Tonic for Healthy Glowing Skin
- Wash & prep your produce with the Perfect Fruit and Veggie Wash
3. Play With Your Food, It’s Great For Your Hair
Much of what you eat is even better when applied to your hair. Don’t throw away those old bananas…throw them in your blender with some honey and olive oil. Take those avocados and blend them with avocado oil and aloe vera gel — AWESOME!
Use what you have to get started. Most natural recipes will last in your refrigerator from a few days to a few months.
Some of our favorites:
- avocado deep conditioner
- banana deep conditioning detangler
- coconut cream hair mask
- slippery marshmallow detangling conditoner
4. Scalp Massage & Smoothing Go Hand And Hair
I’ve always done scalp massages, and they’ve always worked. Sometimes I use oils but most of the time I don’t. The water only hair wash method taught me that the smoothing process after the scalp massage is equally as important. How else will I get the sebum all the way down to my luscious ends. Since this is the hair that has been on my head the longest, my ends love the extra love and care. I can also tell if they’re well moisturized, getting a little dry, or fuzzy.
The next time you give yourself a scalp massage, take a moment to run your fingers down the length of your hair, like you’re putting on conditioner. Get used to what your hair feels like. You’ll gradually be able to tell by touch, exactly what your hair needs.
This video is a couple of years old but the method is still good. How do you massage your scalp? With or without music?
5. Mini twists provide one option to get you through a pretty long, Very Awkward, awkward stage.
You may have already discovered the convenience of the mini twist, but have you used them to get through an awkward stage?
I was two snips away from a twa until I decided to make my twists a little smaller. This was a big step. I’ve always worn my twists the same way:
Chunky, semi-chunky, chunky-ish, and something kinda chunky.
Thin twists would get too tangly or just didn’t look right on my beautiful crown, so I thought. I’ve found that the wohw techniques work best when my hair is in twists. It’s a little faster to work through and distribute the natural oils.
As my hair started to grow faster, my sides, and the very back of my hair grew very long. The top grew faster too, just not as fast as the other areas. It’s always grown this way, but I didn’t want to hear that. In my mind, it was supposed to look something like this when I was done…
But I was deep in the awkward stage, so the new length made me want to grab the shears and go. Thank goodness I threw them away — darn those dull blades.
Mini twists allow me to have my hair down, without having my hair down. They still give me the versatility I like, and I can go longer between wohw sessions without losing moisture, shine, and softness.
The next time your fingers start itching for the scissors… put some mini twists in!
Give them a try before making any drastic hair decisions. Also — take a photo of your hair, sleep on it over night, and look at it again in the morning. Things always look different to us when we have a new perspective (plus your hair always looks better than you think:)
5 Key Takeaways:
- Hard Water Can Have Your Hair Looking A Hot, Gray Mess
- Food Plays A MAJOR Role — What You Don’t Eat Matters
- Play With Your Food, It’s Great For Your Hair
- Scalp Massage & Smoothing Go Hand And Hair
- Mini twists provide one option to get you through a pretty long, Very Awkward, awkward stage.
Recipes
- Green Diva (The Ultimate Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie)
- Heavenly Hummus
- How To Make Sweet Flaxseed Milk
- Refreshing Mango Beauty Tonic for Healthy Glowing Skin
- Wash & prep your produce with the Perfect Fruit and Veggie Wash
- avocado deep conditioner
- banana deep conditioning detangler
- coconut cream hair mask
- slippery marshmallow detangling conditoner
- Scalp Massage Video
See You Tomorrow
I’ll be back to show you my results!
PS.
Try this Dandelion Hair Tea Recipe
- 1 tablespoon (or 1 tea bag) dandelion root
- 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds
- 2 1/2 cups of water
- 5 drops of lemon essential oil (or 1 tsp of lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Steep your dandelion root or dandelion root tea bag in 8 ounces of water for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain dandelion root from water if using scoops. Set dandelion tea to the side.
- Boil flaxseeds in 2 cups of water for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain the flaxseeds from the water immediately.
- Add honey to hot flaxseed water (consistency should be slippery) and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
- Combine flaxseed water, dandelion tea, & lemon to a 20 ounce bottle.
- Shake well to get all of the ingredients happy and blended.
- Wash & condition your hair.
- Pour tea over your hair for your final rinse.
- Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes with a plastic bag or cap on your hair.
- Rinse and style!
