Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've been no-poo off and on for over a year. I've been more no-poo than not, but this time I want to totally make the leap...lol. I've noticed this time that the back of my head seems much more oily than before. I was able to go three days without washing. Last night I did try the brushing to move the oil down the shaft, and then did a water wash last night followed by a vinegar rinse I was praying to maybe let my hair go one more day, but no luck...lol. After the brushing and water wash it looked dirtier this morning than it did yesterday I knew no amount of corn startch was going to fix it...lol. So I did my baking soda wash followed by my vinegar rinse, and the front of my hair looks great, but the back to me looks dirty and oily. Before I would used a baking soda wash and then a brown sugar scrub, followed by a vinegar rinse. I found the brown sugar got out any build up, but I'm not using the amount of hair products I used to so I didn't think I needed it but maybe I do. I don't want to walk around looking like I missed washing a whole side of my head....lol. Any ideas? I use white vinegar as I have oil hair. I use about a table spoon of bs and mix it in my hand. I add a small amount of scented oil to the vinegar could that be it?

flag	asked Sep 15 2011 at 14:48 Stacey 11●2

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I'm relieved to find that this is not another thread about bowel movements. – Don Sep 15 2011 at 20:44

LOL, that's why I clicked on this post! I was thinking, "Ok, how are we going to get from constipation to an oily head?" I am glad, however, that it was really a no (sham)poo question! – FED at LiveCaveman.com Sep 15 2011 at 22:34

Sunshine · Answer 1 · 2011-09-15 17:25:33Z UTC

I've been on and off shampoo for a while and this was due to me not being able to handle the transition very well. In the past, my hair never seemed to stop getting oily and eventually I got fed up with all the "use this or use that." I said f*ck it one day and just restarted using water only. My hair/ scalp adjusted within 2 weeks.

It may or may not work for you, but why don't you just ditch everything and just use water? just one caveat - hard water (water with a lot of minerals dissolved in it) doesn't seem to work too well for the WO (water only) method.

curious · Answer 2 · 2011-09-15 15:10:12Z UTC

I've been shampoo-free for about eight years now (not for paleo reasons—it's a fairly common curly hair approach), and while this never happened to me, I know people who've dealt with it.

You don't say what hair products you're using—the first thing to do, of course, is to check those products' ingredients lists and eliminate anything with non-water soluble ingredients. The next thing you could do would be trying a rinse with lemon juice. I've not heard of putting cornstarch in your hair, but again, it's been a long time since I did this.

And it could certainly be the scented oil—I'd try skipping it and seeing if you get better results.

Other than those things, I do know that a lot of people have had an adjustment period that they've had to get through before their scalp's oil production calms down.

Kyle · Answer 3 · 2011-09-15 15:53:06Z UTC

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Anyone have any tips for getting your hair feeling normal again after being in the ocean?

answered Sep 15 2011 at 15:53

Kyle
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wash it really well with distilled water? That grimy feel is just the salts in your hair. If you hair is still too dry after the water wash, use some honey or diluted vinegar. honey is a humectant, vinegar can react with the minerals and get it out of your hair. – Sunshine Sep 15 2011 at 15:57

Lauren · Answer 4 · 2011-09-15 16:09:41Z UTC

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I noticed you said you used a vinegar rinse after you water-washed. I find that I can only use (and only need) vinegar after I wash with baking soda.
Also, what ratio of baking soda to water and vinegar to water are you using? Maybe use less vinegar to more water (I use 1 TB vinegar to 1 cup water). I also use the same ratio for baking soda.
I second the idea to cut the essential oils in the vinegar - I actually put a few drops in the baking soda container I keep in the shower. One last question - when you water wash, do you use a wash cloth? I just started that about a month ago and it makes a huge difference! I felt kinda ridiculous at first, but got used to it quickly.

answered Sep 15 2011 at 16:09

Lauren
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	i only tried the water wash & vinegar rinse last night so that's not a 'regular' part of my routine. but i had the same oily residue after bs wash two times now. i don't do bs in a bottle but one tbl spoon, and i use that directly on my hair & the following vinegar rinse is one tbl spoon in a plastic cup filled of water. I will leave out the oil in the vinegar. no I've never used the wash cloth with the water wash how does one do that? – Stacey Sep 15 2011 at 17:27
	For the baking soda, you might want to try mixing a TB with a cup of water in a cup - then you can really make sure it's evenly spread around your scalp. I usually pour it on the greasiest parts (forehead, middle of head, and nape of neck) and then massage the bs around the rest of my head. Play around with the ratio though, every body is different! The wash cloth 'method' is ridiculously easy - just pretend you're brushing your hair... using the wash cloth. I usually do 10 brushes on each side, then 10 down the back/middle, then I flip my head over and do 10 or so more. Hope it helps! – Lauren Sep 15 2011 at 18:53
	That said, I have shoulder length hair, that is fairly fine (and used to be incredibly greasy). I now 'wash' it every 5 or so days, with the wash cloth washing every time I shower. I also use a boar bristle brush before bed. – Lauren Sep 15 2011 at 18:56
	so the wash cloth method are you doing that with the bs in your hair or after you rinse it out? – Stacey Sep 15 2011 at 22:26
	I use the wash cloth method on days I don't use baking soda. – Lauren Sep 15 2011 at 23:49

Vrimj · Answer 5 · 2011-09-15 18:09:34Z UTC

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You might consider a citric acid (or lemon juice) rinse to try to strip some of the oil- it can be very drying though.

answered Sep 15 2011 at 18:09

Vrimj
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FED at LiveCaveman.com · Answer 6 · 2011-09-15 22:37:09Z UTC

I'm a guy with short hair, so this might not be relevant to those with long hair, but I have been "no poo" for 4-5 months and seem to do fine with hot water rinsing, scalp scrubbing, and vigorous toweling. My hair is soft, manageable, and the "oily head" only lasted a few weeks.

Stacey · Answer 7 · 2011-09-19 20:45:07Z UTC

so i did BS wash this morning instead of focusing most of the BS around the front of my hair line where I'm normally more oil I also used some on the back of my head & today lovely soft shiny hair. I did leave the essential oils out of my vinegar rinse.

Moonablaze · Answer 8 · 2011-09-20 05:05:43Z UTC

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have you changed your pillow case? I'd bet that's why it was only oily in the back...

answered Sep 20 2011 at 5:05

Moonablaze
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yeah I change my sheets & pillow cases on a regular basis. it was oily right after washing. I just wasn't putting enough BS back there & scrubbing enough. – Stacey Sep 22 2011 at 17:39

Ireande · Answer 9 · 2013-01-14 14:11:15Z UTC

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Buy a cheap condiment bottle. It's easier to get to the roots and other areas than pouring it with a larger container. You waste less too.

answered Jan 14 at 14:11

Ireande
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No Poo and oily back of head

9 Answers