Hair Brushes and No-Poo

Before going no-poo, I didn't have a clue about hairbrushes. I'd used the same style of nylon-bristle Denman hairbrush for years and it had been fine. It detangled well, and... well, isn't that all a hairbrush is for?

No, as it turns out. 

The words 'Boar Bristle Brush' (BBB) seem to be synonymous with the no-poo method. But why? What's all the fuss about? And what about nylon bristles, wooden bristles, and mixed medium brushes?

Well, after a lot of research, I found what works for me, and that's what I'm going to share with you. 

So. The thing about going no-poo, no matter which method you choose, is that it eventually regulates our scalp's sebum production. Once we ditch the shampoo, proper brushing will first help us through the initial transition period, and then help to maintain clean hair between washes, as well as condition our hair naturally, once transition is over. 

The best brush for this, I've found, is a boar bristle brush. As the name suggests, the bristles are made from boar hair, a hair that is very similar in substance and structure to our own hair, but coarser. Because of this, BBBs will pick up the sebum from our scalp and move it down the hair shaft, conditioning each hair from root to tip.

Brushing is essential for no-pooers, because without it, it would be very difficult to move the sebum from the scalp down through the hair, and that equates to a greasy, clumpy, icky mess at the roots. Not pretty. Plus it can really mess with your resolve to keep going!

Now, you'll probably know that there are a couple of types of BBBs - pure boar bristle, and a boar and nylon mix. What's the difference, and which should you use?

Some people advocate pure boar bristle, and maintain that nylon bristles aren't good for the hair. But Mason Pearson, the company that makes the 'Rolls Royce' of hairbrushes and who many maintain are the authority on them, make a pure nylon hairbrush for those with very thick hair, suggesting that a quality nylon hairbrush is just fine.

Still, my preference is the boar bristle brush, because it distributes those natural oils. I actually have both types, but up until very recently, I only owned the pure boar bristle brush. It is a Denman D82L, for anyone who's interested, and is an excellent substitute for the more expensive Mason Pearson. The bristles are closely packed, and there are lots of them. I have thick hair, and when I brush it with the pure BBB, I find that it doesn't get all the way through to my scalp without applying not a little pressure. Instead, I have to spend a lot of time brushing the underside of my hair, and then the top layer after that.

I think the pure BBB is great for those with thin to medium hair, or those who don't mind taking a lot of time to brush and distribute those oils. But another option for those with thick hair is the nylon and boar bristle mix.

The nylon bristles stand proud of the shorter boar bristles, and help to penetrate through thick hair, to the scalp. Both sets of bristles work together to pick up the hair, and the boar bristles still coat each hair with natural sebum. Of course, as there are fewer boar bristles, it will take a longer period of time to move the oils down. Also, some find the nylon bristles to be a little scratchy on the scalp. So with these pros and cons, the type of brush you use really is down to your own preference.

All boar bristle brushes can cause static in the hair. I don't really have a problem with this, but it's very easy to tackle this issue; just scrunch your hair lightly after brushing, or pat it lightly to get rid of the static.

Another thing about BBBs is that they are not used to detangle the hair. In fact, if you use a BBB on knotty, tangled hair, chances are that it it will actually cause damage, breaking any dry or brittle hair. Rather, hair needs to be detangled first.

To detangle hair, I use one of two things: a wide-toothed comb, or a wooden bristle paddle brush. 

I was using a wide-toothed plastic comb for the first few weeks and it worked absolutely fine. It need to be wide-toothed to minimise damage. I bunched my hair together and started at the tips, slowly working up to the roots until all tangles were gone. But I wasn't really that keen on using plastic in my hair, and I'd heard that wooden bristles also help distribute oil down the hair shaft. So I bought a wooden paddle brush, and now use that prior to working on it with my BBB.

In addition to conditioning the hair, boar bristle brushes give the scalp a lovely massage in the process. When you can feel your scalp tingling, it means that there is increased blood flow to the hair follicles, which can stimulate hair growth.

So for me, brushing with a BBB is win-win all round; I love them, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them!

How about you? What kind of brush do you find works best for you?

Water Only/ Rinse Only Method (no poo) problems

As I said in my last post, I quit shampoo on 23rd November 2014, and went Water Only.

This was my routine:

1. Before my shower I would 'scritch' and 'preen' (okay, I haven't quite kept on top of the preening).
2. Then I'd jump in the shower, part my hair into 3 or 4 sections, and wash each section with water as hot as I could stand. I would scritch again, and then run my fingers through my hair under the water, to help the dirt out, and distribute excess sebum through it at the same time.
3. I'd finish my shower, dry my hair with a t-shirt, and 'plop' (um... contrary to how this sounds, it's actually a method used by curly girls to avoid frizz and bring out the best in their curls. You lay a t-shirt down - I do this on the bed - and then 'plop' your head upside down in the middle, with your hair piled underneath. Then fold in the bottom of the t-shirt, fold the top over the back of your head, and then roll the sleeves inwards into sausages at both sides, securing them at the back of your head with a hair tie. There are lots of tutorials online if you Google 'plopping'. It's not the most attractive look; even my 2-year-old nephew's only comment was 'yuck' when he saw the photo of me in my makeshift headgear! But it gets the job done.)
4. I bought a satin pillow case to sleep on, to lengthen the life of my curls. And then about three days after washing my hair, I'd brush it through with a boar bristle brush. I take about 30 minutes doing this sometimes, in the evenings while we watch TV. I find it so relaxing, and it's probably why my ends feel so soft so quickly, but you really don't have to take that long!!!

The first several washes were fine, and I went a month with no problems at all. That was my routine. And it worked. Until one day, about four weeks in, when I was brushing my hair, I looked down at my lap and saw... flakes. Loads and loads of them, all over my lap.
Suffice to say, I wanted to cry. I haven't had an issue with a dry flaky scalp since I was a teenager of about 14. I was devastated. And over the next week, my head was just so itchy, with flakes showing up in my hair.

Miserable, I went online and looked up no poo problems, and dandruff solutions. I ascertained that I wasn't suffering with actual dandruff, which is fungal, but rather a dry and flaky scalp, which was probably caused by the hard water here in London, messing with the pH balance of my sensitive scalp.

There was a lot to choose from, but I settled on this moisturizing honey and aloe recipe from Alex Raye. I lovingly massaged it into my scalp, sat with my hair wrapped in a towel while we settled down to brunch, and then washed it out with water after about an hour or so.
The result was shiny hair, and a scalp that felt happy and refreshed. I was so pleased.

But on day 4 after that treatment, I brushed with my BBB, and the flaking was WORSE! I ran into the bathroom to check the damage in the mirror, and I think this time a tear may have come to my eye.

I was desperate. I badly wanted no-poo to work, after I'd invested so much time in it, and seen such good results, but my resolve was failing me. Back online I went.
And then I realised, even though I'd read this on Alex's and others' blogs so many times... the hard water just wasn't doing my scalp any favours. I knew that many can WO wash in hard water with no problems, but I have sensitive skin already, which may be part of the problem.
I also read that the honey and aloe mix can help to lift buildup from your hair, so for some that could mean buildup from hair products, and for me I think it was from the hard water. The buildup can show up as flakes. So the recipe worked, to a point.
I also found out that your scalp is actually slightly acidic, and shampoos are marketed as 'pH balanced' as they, too, are slightly acidic. The no-poo answer to this?
Apple cider vinegar (ACV). ACV is lightly acidic, so it balances the pH of your scalp (without pickling it!), and as your hair is slightly acidic, it acts as a conditioner, as well as closing the hair shaft to give you smooth, shiny hair.

So I gave it a whirl, pouring a diluted mixture (one part ACV to 3 parts water) onto my scalp, scritching, and rinsing as normal. And...?

And it worked!!! After a few days when I brushed my hair, there were just a few flakes, probably leftovers from last time.

The next week, I just used the aloe vera gel, and ACV rinse, and invested in a shower filter that attaches to my shower head, and filters out the chlorine and other chemicals that can damage hair.  And the week after that, I skipped the aloe, diluted the ACV mix a little more and added a few drops of both rosemary and lavender essential oils to the mix (here's the recipe). After washing, my hair smelled wonderful, and a week later, still no flakes! *Big grin*

So. I'm going to use the mix on my hair again today, to make sure my scalp is back to normal, and see how I go from there. 

I'm using water only, with an ACV rinse on my scalp, and my hair is so shiny and soft, it's so worth it.