Posted by
Dain,
Saturday, August 11, 2007
12:36 AM (Eastern)
It's an absurd name, I wonder if there is a better one. Basically, the idea hinges on the use of a conditioner as shampoo, which seems counterintuitive, because one does not usually think of conditioners as cleansing agents, leading to nightmares of dirty, oily hair, but I assure you this is not the case. Rather, using a conditioner to cleanse is a bit like using a cleansing milk, so it is ideally suited to long, dry, or curly hair. Any lightweight conditioner has mild cleansing properties, and it's far gentler and balancing than surfactants like sulfates.
I did some further research to verify I was doing things correctly. I must have good instincts, because I have been massaging my hair and scalp (friction is apparently necessary with this method) and chose a lightweight conditioner without silicones (I dislike silicones in haircare, as a rule, because I feel that they coat the shaft and dehydrate and dull the hair), because I feared build-up. Normally, I prefer rich conditioners, but I figured a light conditioner would be better at the scalp. I'm grateful to see that a richer conditioner on the ends is recommended for those with drier hair. I will do that.
I've been using Burt's Bees Color Keeper Green Tea & Fennel Conditioner, which was on sale for $4, because it wasn't too rich and smelled nice (green and crisp). You need a lot more product, but no shampoo, of course. I'm thinking I need something richer, I have my eye on Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner or the Blue Chamomile Hydrating Conditioner. I rather like the idea of using a single product for my hair. I've only used this method three times thus far, but my hair already looks shinier and healthier (and clean, no worries there).
I've got tons of tips on how to do it. I found the method used on the long hair forums to work better than the Curly girl method.
The lighter and cheaper the condition the better. Suave and Vo5 are perennial favorites. It really needs to be a cheeeap variety with this method, cause you go through it FAST.
You want no cones and no protein in the formula.
The longer the conditioner sits on your hair, the better it cleans. The more conditioner you use on your hair the better it works.
Conditioners do have very mild surfactants in them. They do clean your hair and scalp. It just takes more of it, longer time and more friction to do it than shampoo.
How I did a CO wash.
Dampen hair. Put a BIG palmful of conditioner in my hair. Work in through concentrating on the scalp. Let it sit. If I was in a hurry, I'd do this in the shower first and let it sit on my hair while I washed up and shaved. If I had time, I did this before I took a shower. I'd fill my hair with conditish, cover it with a shower cap and leave it on for up to an hour. Add a little water to your hair,just enough to help work up a lather. It will be a thin later, but it should lather up a bit. Friction,friction,friction! You're manually cleaning your hair now rather than stripping it with chemicals. Lots of gentle rubbing with the fingertips. Rinse, rinse, rinse again. Rinse some more. I usually finished up with a very mild vinegar rinse and a final blast of cold water. (easier to do if you have a hand-held showerhead thingey). I didn't need a 2nd condition, but you can use one, if needed. Usually a thicker richer one, still cone-free, than the first.
Its a little more step and time intensive. BUT when I was doing this I was able to cut my washings down from every 24 hours to only needing to wash twice a week.
I know, I know, some people just said "EW". Long hair care is kinda a lost art in this day and age of short hair and no time. Hair really doesn't need to be washed every day. Its only really recently, in my lifetime I think even, that we started doing so.
The more you wash it, the more you need to wash it. I have to wash mine every other day now, but thats still better than every single day.
CO washing got to be too much work and too time consuming for me. Using a very mild sulfate-free or low sulfate shampoo is another really good option. One which I still use today.
Thanks for the tip. I definitely foresee that I'm going to go through it fast. I don't find it time-consuming, though... maybe it's because I have so much hair to begin with that it's always been a time-consuming process. You're right about not having to do it every day... my hair is surprisingly very clean.
Hi Dain, My hair was really dry, frizzy and unruly 'till I started using the co-wash a year ago and my hair has never felt or looked better (I have thick, wavy hair). I also gave up silicone products and that seemed to help a lot, too. For the first few weeks my hair looked really terrible (like a bird's next exploded on top of my head, seriously) but after that initial adjustment period everything got better. My hair was softer and actually more well behaved! Anyway, I'll have to try the Burt's Bees Color Keeper one of these days.
cmm
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August 11, 2007 7:42 AM,
Its also called a CO wash (Conditioner Only).
I've got tons of tips on how to do it. I found the method used on the long hair forums to work better than the Curly girl method.
The lighter and cheaper the condition the better. Suave and Vo5 are perennial favorites. It really needs to be a cheeeap variety with this method, cause you go through it FAST.
You want no cones and no protein in the formula.
The longer the conditioner sits on your hair, the better it cleans. The more conditioner you use on your hair the better it works.
Conditioners do have very mild surfactants in them. They do clean your hair and scalp. It just takes more of it, longer time and more friction to do it than shampoo.
How I did a CO wash.
Dampen hair.
Put a BIG palmful of conditioner in my hair. Work in through concentrating on the scalp.
Let it sit.
If I was in a hurry, I'd do this in the shower first and let it sit on my hair while I washed up and shaved. If I had time, I did this before I took a shower. I'd fill my hair with conditish, cover it with a shower cap and leave it on for up to an hour.
Add a little water to your hair,just enough to help work up a lather. It will be a thin later, but it should lather up a bit.
Friction,friction,friction! You're manually cleaning your hair now rather than stripping it with chemicals. Lots of gentle rubbing with the fingertips.
Rinse, rinse, rinse again. Rinse some more.
I usually finished up with a very mild vinegar rinse and a final blast of cold water. (easier to do if you have a hand-held showerhead thingey).
I didn't need a 2nd condition, but you can use one, if needed. Usually a thicker richer one, still cone-free, than the first.
Its a little more step and time intensive. BUT when I was doing this I was able to cut my washings down from every 24 hours to only needing to wash twice a week.
I know, I know, some people just said "EW". Long hair care is kinda a lost art in this day and age of short hair and no time. Hair really doesn't need to be washed every day. Its only really recently, in my lifetime I think even, that we started doing so.
The more you wash it, the more you need to wash it. I have to wash mine every other day now, but thats still better than every single day.
CO washing got to be too much work and too time consuming for me. Using a very mild sulfate-free or low sulfate shampoo is another really good option. One which I still use today.
August 11, 2007 7:17 PM,
Thanks for the tip. I definitely foresee that I'm going to go through it fast. I don't find it time-consuming, though... maybe it's because I have so much hair to begin with that it's always been a time-consuming process. You're right about not having to do it every day... my hair is surprisingly very clean.
August 13, 2007 12:55 AM,
Hi Dain, My hair was really dry, frizzy and unruly 'till I started using the co-wash a year ago and my hair has never felt or looked better (I have thick, wavy hair). I also gave up silicone products and that seemed to help a lot, too. For the first few weeks my hair looked really terrible (like a bird's next exploded on top of my head, seriously) but after that initial adjustment period everything got better. My hair was softer and actually more well behaved! Anyway, I'll have to try the Burt's Bees Color Keeper one of these days.
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