Fearless Friday | Float Tank Experience Part II

Yesterday, I had another opportunity to experience sensory depravation via a float tank.  The last time was good, but fear of destroying my hair in the heavily salted water kept me from reaching full sensory depravation.  Plus, since the experience is so new,  most of the time is focused on getting acclimated with environment.  That's why they encourage new floaters to return for a second/third time.
Jacob did as much as possible to reassure me that my hair would actually benefit from being immersed in salt water.  His voice was confident and reassuring.  I had no choice but to believe him.  With that said, I still took my own precautions.  Prior to floating, they invite you to use the small shower to remove any oils on the hair and body.  I did the opposite.  Hours before arriving I pre-treated my hair with coconut oil.  I figured that enough time would pass and that my hair would absorb most of it.  Although I told Jacob that I was willing to expose my hair to the water, he still offered up a neck noodle in case I had a sudden change of heart.

Getting back in the tank felt like old times.  I sank into the lukewarm water with ease.  The neck noodles did help keep my head above water but did nothing to prevent my hair from getting wet. Within a minute of being in the tank, I turned off the lights so I can be in utter darkness.  Then it happened.  I started to lose a sense of my body.  Everything felt so light and free.  Everything except for my neck.  Suddenly, the neck noodle was taking all of my mental attention.  All of my senses were focused solely on the styrofoam neck rest.  It was a thorn in my side and had to go.

Without the neck noodle, my head rested a little more deeply into the water.  It felt amazing.  The ear plugs Jacob gave me keep the water out of my ears.  Immediately, my mind began to detach from the body.  The only sound was my heart beat.  It was so clear.  Not in the "I'm really scared and I could feel my heart beating" sense.  More like, "it's so silent and calm that I actually sense my heart."  It was beautiful.

As I laid there, I felt like I was stripped.  Nothing to worry about, nothing to do, nothing to be aware of.  All I could do was let go.  The timing was perfect because this week, I've been practicing letting go. Lately, my mind was brining up things from the recent past, in an attempt to cause an emotional reaction.  Each time it happened, I'd take a deep breath and repeat "let it go." But now, I truly know what it feels like to let go.  And when my mind tries to cause aggravation, I can reflect back to the float experience and let it go.

Now let's talk about my hair.  After stepping out of the tank, I rinsed my hair to remove the salt.  To prevent tangling, I wore it in two pigtail braids.  The salt is completely dissolved so there aren't any grains to contend with.  I reached up to touch my hair under the running water.  The one word I'd use to describe it was soft.  So, so soft.

Once I arrived home, I washed with Keracare shampoo.  Then followed up with Aphogee's 2 Minute Reconstructor.  I didn't leave it in long, I didn't go under the steamer.  My hair already felt deeply conditioned.  Much to my amazement, I experienced practically zero tangles.  My hair loved the salt tank!!!  And....my scalp seemed to benefit too. It appears as if it loosened buildup on my scalp (which is awesome).    I do understand that salt could be drying so I made sure to heavily moisturize and seal.   Overall, I'm very,very  pleased with current moisture levels.  We'll see how it holds up.  And I love how it impacted my scalp.  This will come in especially handy in the fall/winter months when shedding issues arise.

Next time I float will be in a couple of weeks.  They say that each time you go, the experience is different.  This time, I'll go in fully ready to let go and ready for whatever happens.

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  1. Salt water is excellent for scalp dermatitis, I always experience remission with mine after being in the ocean.