What is the Water Cleansing Method?
I’ve always thought about the idea of washing hair with water only.
However, I was never aware of the advantages it had towards natural hair. To be honest, shampoos work just a little too good to your hair. With a thorough wash, you rid your hair of all buildup and debris, but you also strip your scalp of sebum, the oils it naturally produces.
The usual routine of cleaning your hair causes dry pores to replenish the lost oils by creating even more. The back and forth on your strands causes them to become not only greasier but weaker as the cycle promotes breakage.
The natural oils produced by your scalp are not your enemies. Consistency is what your hair needs, but in safer ways. Products with sulfates and silicones enhance your washing feel but destroy your hair’s body. Gentle, sulfate-free shampoos or co-washes help women maintain the moisture necessary to keep their hair from drying out.
For many others, water alone helps to remove toxins and establish sebum. The differences between mild shampoos and straight H20 is that there are zero chemicals involved with water, and water only is definitely cheaper.
It can become as effective as using cleansing products; think about how your ancestors had to make do!
Who Will Benefit From This Method?
Everyone! Think about this: shampoos and conditioners haven’t even been around for 100 years yet, so what were people doing for centuries?
Depending on the circumstance, people would go weeks or even months without a thorough wash merely to focus on means for survival rather than luscious hair. With the advancement of society, we are privileged enough to have access to so many things that allow us to take care of ourselves daily. Thank you, Lord.
So, does that mean we should neglect shampoo and go back to the ways of our predecessors? Not necessarily. As long as you are content with the state of your hair, you can always just look for ways to improve it.
Generally, those who end up finding out about this method are the ones who are seeking ways to restore their hair’s strength and control the grease production. If this is you, give it a try today!
When Should it Be Done?
A widespread misconception with this method is that it needs to washing as often as every day.
Whenever you feel like you’re in for cleaning will determine how often you should wash. At this point, you should be able to dictate what your hair’s behavior means. By washing less frequently, you are controlling your scalp’s natural oil production.
Even though it may seem as if your hair is oilier than average, consider that the amount can fluctuate from hormones, stress, and even your environment. Take a moment to access any significant life events that cause any physical change, and do not associate the change with negativity. Change is inevitable, so you have to work with your hair’s demands at any time.
Before running to the shower to get a wash in, also take into account the texture of your natural hair. The finer and straighter it is, the more it can appear greasier than usual.
Remember, the oils are meant to help sustain your hair’s moisture and elasticity. By spacing out your wash days, you will begin to notice total sebum coverage. This means the oils in your hair can evenly distribute themselves along your strands.
Without chemicals, your natural hair texture begins to flourish, and it does so without becoming so unruly.
How to Wash Hair with Water Only
The best advice I can give you to start this process is to have patience.
The rinse-only method is a journey, and your hair will most likely seem to feel worse before it gets better. No matter what happens, you have to stay dedicated because this process does not happen overnight and is worth the time!
Check out reviews from bloggers of all ethnicities and hair types on this exact technique to see how they describe their process. The adaptation to this all-natural remedy could take weeks or months.
And it is up to you to ultimately decide if the benefits are better for you or not.
The Run Down
First, prepare the very few tools you will need for this cleansing method.
If you haven’t already, invest in a natural, bristle brush. This will help to untangle your strands as well as evening out your oil distribution. You can also have a wooden wide-toothed comb handy, for those with curlier hair types. You need water, of course, and any natural oil of your choice (such as coconut).
To get ready for your wash, you have to stimulate your follicles to encourage healthy oil production during the process. A scalp massage helps to shift sebum from your roots to your ends.
The tighter and coilier your stands are, the longer and more often you should be massaging.
How to Do A Scalp Massage
To learn how to massage your scalp correctly, you have to section your hair and begin to let the pads of your fingertips reach your head.
It is important to ensure that it is your fingertips and not your nails because scratching your scalp is not what we are about to do. There is a method called “scritching” that uses nails gently to remove the hair from debris.
For the massage, you want to do so in circular flows, letting your scalp move along with your motions. Also, become familiar with “preening,” which is sliding your fingers down your strands to assist with oil dispersion. Do this for about 5-10 minutes a day, depending on your needs.
Your prep helps to distribute the oils by hand. It also helps make the detangling step easier. After scalp stimulation, use your bristle brush to untangle every knot and tangle in your hair. With this washing method, each strand needs to be free to allow a smooth transition to strong, healthy hair.
Continue to alternate between your brush, comb, and fingers as necessary to wake up your cuticles and ease your hair’s activity.
About Boar Bristle Brushes (BBB)
You might be wondering what is it about boar bristle brushing that helps for this method.
Boar hair is closest to human hair and produces benefits with each use. It helps to promote hair growth and prevents hair loss, it naturally conditions hair, adds shine, cleans hair, prevents breakage and frizz, and balances oil production.
These are all the things that we expect from our hair washing products that we can get from just using this tool! It’s a gem in every naturalista’s home, so let it be your go-to item.
Short and Sweet
The extensive preparation makes for a very simple wash. In less than 10 minutes, you can be in and out of the shower with new tresses to follow. To me, that’s the beauty of this whole process since it’s focus is on making sure your hair sustains itself naturally.
Sometimes, after the groundwork, you realize you don’t even need a wash yet! However, when it is time, it is time. You want to make sure if you’re washing in the shower, the water isn’t too “hard.” Soft shower heads are better for your hair because you want to clean with very warm to hot water. This is to help remove the toxins without drying your hair out and causing damage.
After getting in the shower, wait a few minutes before immediately washing to allow steam to dispense the oil down your curls. Then, scrub and scritch as you did before to wash away dirt and excess oil. The longer your hair is, the better it would be for you to clean in sections to guarantee TLC to the core. After washing, rinse with cold water to close your shafts and retain moisture.
Finish strong with air drying or drying with a microfiber towel to keep from break and damage. If you need to brush or comb while your hair is still wet, do so very gently since wet hair is the weakest to manage.
You can even add a bit of oil here to boost your nutrient intake and give your ends some attention.
Why This Can Be Good For You
Many of us can attest to being the cause of our own hair damage. It’s crazy because our crowns are really like gardens.
The best thing we can do to it nourishes it daily with water! Fertilizer is excellent now and then, but the main ingredient we all need to survive is water. If your hair can’t seem to grow and you keep experiencing breakage, water your tresses often and tend to it for the best results.
For something that takes a while before progress begins, it is important to stay dedicated and consistent. You don’t want to spend weeks on this method just to get discouraged shortly after! Keep listening to your hair’s demands. If you think about what you’ve learned, you’ll realize that water is indeed all your hair needs.
When it is in its healthiest state, hair shines and bounces even better than it would from any shampoo or conditioner. You can always still style your hair any way you want, but be sure not to let your hair get too dirty. If you do, then using products might become necessary (ruining your weeks worth of work).
Just be sure to always keep up with your hair’s state at all times while enduring this all-natural voyage.
