A while back I wrote an article explaining everything about the sebum treatment: why I decided to do one, what I expected from it and, above all, a few tips to help it go well. I followed every one of those tips to the letter, advice that came from people for whom it had worked.

Please note that I took advantage of the exceptional lockdown situation to try the treatment, but I don't recommend it to people who work with the public during an epidemic. So here is my feedback, step by step, on the sebum treatment.

Before the treatment

I was in the middle of developing the formulas for the LAO shampoos, and for some time I had already switched to 100% natural, silicone-free shampoo and care products. I washed my hair about every other day because it's rather fine and gets greasy quickly.

My hair was soft, fairly shiny and easy to detangle, but a bit thin, and I hoped the treatment would give it a little pep to stimulate growth and gain even more softness and suppleness.

So as not to skew the treatment, at my last shampoo (and the ones before it) I used no mask and no conditioner, and I didn't do an oil bath or any other treatment either. I left my hair as natural as possible so that it could absorb the sebum.

During the treatment

Unsurprisingly, my hair is having a field day and gets greasy very quickly; after only a few days, my whole head is covered in sebum, which I spread morning and evening (sometimes in the afternoon too) with my boar-bristle brush. I air out my hair several times a day by massaging my scalp.

After a week, the sebum had reached the middle of my lengths (my hair goes down to my lower back!), and after 23 days my entire head of hair was saturated; my hair is silky despite the grease and perfectly detangled. I also feel like I'm losing a bit less hair.

Throughout the whole treatment, no itching or dandruff to report!

After the treatment

A week ago, I decided to stop the treatment after 23 days.

When I step into the shower (I won't even try to describe the intense happiness), my hair soaks up the water and is very, very smooth and soft, as if I had just used a mask. I shampoo, then film the second part of the video on the subject (coming soon below). Happy to have clean hair again, right at that moment my hair looks brighter and shinier, but no lighter or softer.

It has now been a week since I finished my treatment, and my opinion is clearly mixed.

No spacing out my shampoos for me, my hair got greasy after two days, as if I'd done nothing at all! Even worse, it feels "heavier".

My lengths even feel a little drier than before, and they tangle very quickly. My hair looks duller and I feel like I have more split ends than before. I don't understand why it didn't work for me!

EDIT: 2 months have passed since my sebum treatment, and I have some significant adjustments to make to this article.

I noticed that my scalp, which had no problems before the treatment, started to itch; some kind of pimples appeared. At the same time, my face too, especially my forehead near the hairline became covered in small pimples. I had never had this type of acne before.

It took me almost 3 weeks to get my scalp back to normal, and I'm still not completely rid of the marks left by the acne, which was most likely caused by this treatment.

I've talked with many people since the treatment, and even though the experience turns out to be positive for some, it is clearly not a practice that I recommend.

My hypothesis? The sebum, which is very acidic, attacked my scalp (which reacted by giving me pimples), and it then spread to my forehead. Worth knowing, and I've written an article on the subject, that the pH of sebum is more acidic than the pH of the skin. See my article on pH.

Rather than letting sebum saturate the scalp, today I prefer to start from a clean base and then care for the hair fiber with a suitable routine. If you're looking for a gentle alternative, you can also read up on clarifying with baking soda to start fresh with clean hair, and keep in mind the real effect of silicones and quaterniums on your hair.

Because I want to avoid misleading you, and because I don't want to turn my own case into a general rule, I asked for outside testimonials.

Women, men, long or short treatments, success or disappointment, there's something for everyone!

A great many of you (and I mean a gr-e-e-eat many) sent me your testimonials and I thank you for that. I've included as many as I could here, grouped into positive / mixed reviews. Feel free to share your own testimonial in the comments here, mentioning how long your treatment lasted!

For my part, after reading all the reviews, I'd say that every experience remains very personal, and that if the treatment appeals to you, it costs nothing to try! Objectively, about 2/3 of the testimonials were positive and 1/3 negative.

You can also try to space out your shampoos, but always remember to brush your hair regularly to spread the sebum! If you prefer a more guided routine, I go into detail on my natural hair routine with LAO, with the Purifying Shampoo or the Nourishing Shampoo depending on your needs, and the Complete Bond Repair Treatment when your hair needs a real boost.

The reviews of the sebum treatment are below:

Positive reviews

Marie. L "I lasted a first week (bearing in mind I'm a very bad student, sometimes washing once a day) and then I tried washing with hot water. I was very pleasantly surprised that the water really did wash my hair! Okay, it doesn't come out with the same effect as shampoo, but it's enough to start another week without shampoo, and I think I can last longer, I can already see that it gets greasy again less quickly."

Manon. R "Personally, I didn't do 1 month but more like 8 days (given that I usually wash every 2 days). It's true that holding out for the last few days isn't easy, but once it's washed, mine is super soft and shiny. I did it twice in a row, and it already lasts (meaning it stays clean and presentable) 1 day longer than before."

Sarah. G "For my part, I didn't try a real treatment (1 month), but I went two weeks between washes. My hair got greasy after 2 days (I have bangs and it turns into a greasy mess), while the rest of my hair had 2 cm of grease. After 2 weeks the sebum had reached my ears. Ideally, to reach the ends I would have had to hold out another 2-3 weeks.

After washing, my hair was soft, supple and surprisingly light."

> I'm very very jealous of Sarah

Tara. D "Hello, 1 month and I'm very happy with it. My hair is in much better condition, softer and lighter. I even feel like it has gotten lighter in color!"

Perrine. H "I did the treatment for 28 days. I find my hair longer and fuller. It's less greasy too. I brushed my hair morning and evening, cleaning my brush well with water and soap. I made myself a few rinse waters (apple cider vinegar + water, green tea) to avoid itching and odors."

Perrine recommends using a rinse water made with apple cider vinegar, water and green tea!

Agathe. B "I did it and I find that my hair has grown, so I've gone down to one shampoo a week instead of 2-3!"

Viviane. S "I did it for 3 weeks and my scalp no longer feels tight and dry like before. I find my hair is 'thicker' than before (it was very fine and dry). I went from a shampoo every 2-3 days to a shampoo every 5-7 days, depending on how much I work out."

Joris. D "For my part, 1 sebum treatment of 1 month. Hair softer and shinier, but above all it gets greasy again less quickly. I easily reach 1 week without shampoo, even more. Before, it was 3 days. I wasn't expecting much, it was mostly a step I wanted to take before switching to 100% natural."

Indeed, the sebum treatment is the perfect time to switch to natural hair products!

Laury. D "I only did it for 15 days and my hair is thicker and less greasy, and I was able to space out my shampoos too! On the other hand, I had dandruff the first week afterwards, but today I don't have any anymore."

Noé. E "I did a sebum treatment after a series of bleaching and coloring sessions on my hair. I didn't wash it for 4 months because it never got greasy. After that, it was revived and gets greasy very slowly (sometimes I go a month without washing it without a single trace of grease). In any case, it worked well on me."

Claire. W "I lasted 4 weeks. After shampooing, my hair felt light (crazy volume) and stronger at the same time. My hair used to get greasy again the day after shampooing. Now I can go 4 days without shampoo. Above all, it freed me from my hang-ups about greasy hair. I went 1 month without shampoo, so having dirty hair for a day, I don't care anymore."

Mixed reviews

Daphné. R "I did my first treatment about 4 years ago, when I was deciding to go no-poo. A clarifying wash, a straightening, because styling curly hair dry is hell. And off I went. I lasted 28 days and the sebum was absorbed little by little as it went down. All of my lengths got some, at least right after brushing, but there was only some left down to about my shoulders. After washing, the conditioning effect seemed effective to me on the part that had been coated, but my lengths were still ultra dry. As for how I did it, I'd move it down with a wide-tooth comb, then a boar-bristle brush morning and evening in every direction."

Daphné is starting her second sebum treatment during lockdown and recommends using a Tangle Teezer (a type of hairbrush) instead of a boar-bristle brush. She also recommends tying your hair up at night.

Sylvie. G "I lasted 19 days and apart from ending up with lots of dandruff, no change, my hair still gets greasy just as fast"

Marine. C "I lasted 2 weeks (that was my max), because of the itching and I couldn't take it anymore... I wasn't happy with the result!!! Hair the same or even drier than before... I think that focusing on a good hair routine (washing your hair with a good shampoo - hello LAO - + doing jojoba/coconut oil baths once a week for shine and softness) is more than enough!

Delphine. G "I did a sebum treatment during lockdown. 34 days. But I didn't see any difference. It was just as damaged as before. The sebum had gone all the way down my hair, though."

Jenn. M "I tried it during the 1st week of lockdown: fine hair. On day 5 I gave in because I was scratching so much: since then, dandruff that won't leave me... Yet I only use professional shampoos. Not the experience for me, too bad."

Elodie. N "I did two 15-day treatments (thanks to all the Skype interviews) on chin-length hair, unfortunately no results... my hair gets greasy again after 2 days, dandruff appeared and still just as much hair loss ..."

Romane. A (replying to the comment above) "It reassures me that I'm not the only one who saw dandruff appear when I'd never had any before... I only did one, for 1 month, but the results are the same."

Léa. B "Personally, even after 3 weeks of the treatment, I had no effect at all... I wash every 2-3 days... and yet I have short hair!"