Frizz/Flyaways still? and Oops an oil treatment gone wrong!

[Hollow]

Quick Summary

• Just over a month since last actual Shampooing.
• I am already past the greasy stage (I was a light shampooer before) but may still be transitioning.
• Water Only usually every 5-7 days.
• Soft Water.
• BBB, scritch and preen once daily (either before bath or bed).
• I sleep with it in a loose bun or braid.
• Long hair 22+inches
• Curly to wavy hair (naturally curly but once slept on or put up long enough turns to spiral curls/waves).
• ACV Only when hair is waxy (x1) or over product oopsie (x2).
• Products I have used/tried/currently have: Cocoa butter with Vitamin E, Nuxe dry oil (I have a sample may or may not be long term product) and olive oil brown sugar with peppermint oil and cinnamon scrub.

So I only heard of No Poo because I was at an impasse to ditch shampoo on my own. Since every time I shampooed with no matter how much product or styling my hair only looked decent basically a day or two before the next shampoo. So I decide how bad would it be to water wash only? And searched and found ‘no(t) (sham)poo(ing)’ was a thing XD

The grease stage was minimal and was over before I even knew it 2-3 weeks. Hair already 1/2 the frizz it use to be if not better, my hair feels a bit flattened (but before was like Magenta from the Rocky Horror Picture Show puffy if not tamed), it’s softer, more manageable but I am already missing how my hair was just before the end of the transition stage when my scalp was still producing a bit more sebum.

I think, now I am shampooless, I don’t actually have oily hair (not dry (no flakes/not itchy) maybe normal?). I even went once 8-9 days before washing (just to see if it get greasy and it didn’t). So trying to brush the oils down my hair doesn’t seem to be working. I use products mostly just for the ends cause I don’t want to over do it.

Roots are fine, tips are a bit damaged (yet manageable) but the top part of my hair just after my roots to about jaw length still a bit frizzy, flyway and puff, then rest of hair is soft and beautiful Mermaid like. Now considering my hair started at Sea Witch level - it’s improved tremendously! I assume the top part of my hair is the most damaged environmentally/most exposed type thing.

So figured had to do hair masks or oil treatments once a month. First was a cocoa butter with vitamin E mask but hair turned waxy - ACV fixed it though. Second, I just had a Olive Oil/brown sugar/peppermint oil/cinnamon scrub fail. Brown sugar/peppermint/cinnamon where fine got a good scrub in felt the blood flow with cooling sensation (best clean feeling I have had even when shampooing and hair smelt divine sugar/peppermint with a hint of cinnamon) but the olive oil…

I Water Only washed and did the ACV rinse just in case and I am still crazy oily (but not so much at the tips), so I tried ACV rinse again better - so I guess I am doing water only washes with ACV rinses till it’s sorted?

So:

How to (for water only washers) wash out any oil/mask hair treatments?
How to lock in moisture with water only washing without buying a slew of products to trail and error it?
Or what are water only washer friendly ways to beat this last bit of frizz/puff?

[Hollow]

Update:

Separated the brown sugar scrub from the olive oil. So olive oil with peppermint oil for tips (1/3-1/2 of length of bottom of hair) and wrap in bag/plastic to sit for 10-15mins, then brown sugar with enough water to make a paste to scrub scalp and rinse. Old T-shirt dry, then I did the Moroccan oil all over on clean damp hair and put up in a loose bun to dry over night. This helped flatten most of my flyaways/frizz and the oil treated tips only slightly looked oiled (but was dry) the day after and still was nice enough to wear down and go out with. My hair drank up that oil fast I had to start moisturizing (cocao butter) and/or morocco oil tips by day 3. I think I am on day 6 or 7 (I am trying to only WO wash when hair needs it but may wash soon). Looks great, got the mermaid hair vibe going

I think I may do brown sugar scrub if/when I feel enough build up that water washing only can’t cover (like the original oil treatment boo boo), ACV when I feel build up/waxiness on actual hair and oil when weather/season or simply hair frizz is worse than usual. I really don’t want to have this as a regiment cause that is one reason I decided WO but if hair deviates I am glad I have a plan, lol.

[Hollow]

Update/Results 6+ months no poo:

No heavy oil treatments needed anymore, AVC spray 1-3 times a month (as needed), dry shampoo 1-3 times a week (as needed), water washing every 1-2 weeks. Brown sugar scrub/rinse once a month.

Before Picture (hair coloring actually smoothed my hair so this was considered an ok day with shampoo/heavy on conditioner), product use unknown pic is over 15 years old (seriously hated my hair’s frizz so much either it was up, straighten with loads of product, so couldn’t find any decent pics).

After Picture (no colouring (well maybe left over damaged tips)), last wash a week ago, last use of product (argan oil and/or cocoa butter) 2 days ago.

[Qqxoxo]

If my scalp has stopped producing oil and my sebum is gone (I think scrunchie or cotton pillowcase once was the culprit) do you recommend the oil treatment to kick the extreme dryness and poof or wait it out?

[Hollow]

I have days where oil sebum/oil seems gone (and I wonder if it is environmental/weather changes) and I have been using coconut oiling (liquid form and not washing out). I start with very little and build as needed- starting as tips and trying to pull what oil I have left on my scalp down and the start brushing oil the oil I added up. Just I don’t think you should oil the scalp; try to let it reproduce naturally again.

My hair seems to be doing better and I do less “water washing only” days to keep natural oil in. If it feels dirty or oily I do DIY dry shampoo and brush out and a good scalp scrub. I am almost all dry shampoo/washing now, with no smell nor scalp changes.

Plus Update: I am getting more and more compliments from friends and family and some family thinking of converting. It’s even softer and easier to style than ever before without product (I can do curls by just waiting in public by wrapping sections of my hair around my finger and they bounce out almost ribbon-like).

[Qqxoxo]

Thanks Hollow that’s great to know. I was washing my hair daily in cold water but it seems to have produced more sebum again since stopping washes completely for a few weeks. Boar bristle brushing ruins my curls but spreads the sebum well. I’ve been doing it everyday though and wondering if I should lay off so my curls actually look good (vs. constant loose top knot or butterfly clip). Unfortunately my decision to not use oil resulted in some breakage that has finally stopped since my head has more oil on it. Apparently I wasn’t detangling before the BBB…whoops!

[Hollow]

Well are you brushing before wetting hair or going to bed? Cause after a brush I lose most of my curl but by morning it’s improved and I do non-heat curls (https://thenopoomethod.com/no-heat-curls/) if not curly enough that day. Also my curly hair did go more loose curls and more spiral since going no poo (but I think for me it looks better).

Plus I’d only do brushing if I feel I need the oil distribution. If my hair looks balanced or only tips need conditioning or oil (I only use oils or cocoa butter on tips). I won’t ruin a good hair look if it is only tips needed oil/conditioning. But if my hair looks over all frizzier but roots fine, Ill brush for a redistribution of oil.

Plus when I dry shampoo, I am only doing the brushing at root/scalp level, so it doesn’t disturb the rest of the nice looking part of my hair. I feel my hair now I no poo is section by section attention. Roots/scalp mostly needs dry shampoo, tips extra oil or product. Mid hair gets oil from scalp when I oil pull and gets some oil and product from tips. And this seems to balance out. Some days is root/scalp attention, others tips, and once in awhile everything in between.