Scalp-only washing!

[Ylva]

I just love how your contraption looks, paulownia!

[MusicalSpoons]

Ohhhh that's awesome you've found a method that works for your length paulownia! very clever!

[Nefcerka]

I did a first scalp-only wash today Merely as an exercise, to see if I could manage it at all, and I can. I am looking into ways of protecting my fine length, as I wish to grow as long as it will go. Now I need to figure out for myself, whether scalp-only washing will help to preserve it from hygral fatigue and too much manipulation, or it will make it dry and tangled.
Here´s my way of doing it:
I brushed my hair and put it in a high ponytail (with a soft, seamless elastic). I pulled the elastic a bit away from the scalp, to allow for manipulation. I braided the length, put it in a plastic bag, secured with another elastic. Then I put my shower cap over the braid too, secured with a small claw clip. There is a wire shelf mounted on a wall in our shower, conveniently in the eye level, so I clipped my protected braid to it. I wet my hair, shampooed once (I used a SLES shampoo for this exercise, because I didn´t feel like shampooing twice with sulfate-free), let it sit for two minutes while I quickly washed my body and I rinsed thoroughly.
I must say I love this method, I am a convert. The wash was as quick as if I had short hair again! There was no need to pry long hairs from the drain as usual. It took less than two hours to dry instead of three. I saved a lot of product and a lot of water too. When the hair dried, it was clean and I just finger-combed and put it up in a bun.
I wonder how long I will be able to go with scalp-only washing before my length needs to be washed and conditioned too. (I don´t use any leave-ins, my hair hates them). My length does get some sweat occasionally, as I bun it for running.
Thank you all for your input, it inspired me to try this.

[lapis_lazuli]

I felt my scalp needed an extra wash this week, so I opted for a quick one in the sink, which I haven't done in quite a while. My findings when compared with my shower method:

Pros
Quicker than the shower
Less hair gets wet, barely past shoulder this time
Less tangles and easier to undo them

Cons
Messy: risk of water all over the counter
More restrictive: can't really move, as I have to stay hunched over the sink, which can hurt my back and gets soap in my eyes
Harder to reach every part of my scalp with my hair being weighed down by my braid hanging behind me
Can't wash my body at the same time

It may seem the cons outweigh the pros, but honestly... the less tangles I have to deal with the better. Might have to put up with the annoying aspects just to get some respite from the knots every once in a while.

[ETJ CURLS]

I kind of want to try this. I LOVE feeling the water run all throughout my hair, but it would be a fun experiment to see what happens given the amount of shrinkage I experience.

[lapis_lazuli]

I've still been washing in the sink the last few weeks and may not be going back to the shower method at all. It's easy enough to get used to again, both in terms of minimizing mess and not straining my back.

The increased water pressure speeding up the process is a major draw, but mostly the decreased drying time because less hair gets wet.

Also, now clipping the lower part of my braid to the back of my pant leg to keep it in one spot and from flopping over my shoulder.

[luxurioushair]

I kind of want to try this. I LOVE feeling the water run all throughout my hair, but it would be a fun experiment to see what happens given the amount of shrinkage I experience.

I've been doing my own "version" of this ever since I started growing my hair out (9 years ago). I only apply shampoo to my scalp, but all of my hair gets rinsed in the shower. You can probably have the best of both worlds. I stopped shampooing the length of my hair because I saw this video. (I think these ladies have your hair type, actually!)



edit: Oh, to reduce shrinkage while washing, don't wash your hair loose. Put it in a few braids or twists or something... it works

[gghh]

I tried doing scalp only washing as my hair feels long enough for this to be more doable, however, water did trickle down to my ends though they are not as drenched as they’d usually be from a shower. I made a ponytail around the base of my neck and braided the rest of it, tucked it into a plastic bag, then rolled and clipped it. There’s nothing to clip my hair to in the shower so unfortunately i had to hold it by hand to keep it from getting wet but it still did. I’m disappointed for sure, though not too upset because my ends were oiled recently and shampoo did not go down the hair shaft. My scalp feels clean unlike the last time i tried to scalp only wash. Plus, this is day 5 hair which is already a lengthening time between my last full wash.

Perhaps i can try scalp only washing by kneeling my head under the faucet before finishing, drying, and clipping away to wash the restcof me?

[reedtra]

I did a scalp only rinse the other day. I wanted to rinse the sweat off and did not feel like dealing with all the wet hair. I didn't even bother to bag the bun - I just held it out of the spray and used my other hand to massage the water through my scalp.