The CO (conditioner only) washing thread

[Belisama]

My hair is really super dense at the back (that's where all the thickness is - wish I had a more even spread across my head!) and no matter how much conditioner I pile on I can't seem to get my hair properly clean (i.e. without any icky-feeling bits hidden in the hair) unless I wash in two layers.

I was having this issue as well. I have very fine, but thick hair across my whole head. Thick to the point that the top layers would be soaked, but the hair against my scalp would be barely wet. My hair felt clean and soft after washing with CO, but by the second day, as I wash every other day, it was more greasy than it had been when I used shampoo. I thought perhaps I wasn't rinsing enough, but longer rinsing times didn't improve the situation.

Then I tried something new. I wash my hair upside down.

I bend over at the waist and let all my hair hang down. It exposes my roots without me having to dig for them and requires less conditioner to get my head scrubbed clean as it it not getting caught in the top layers. After a thorough dousing and scrubbing of my scalp, I stand up straight, coat the length before I bun it and clip it to the back of my head. To rinse, my shower head has massage settings, so I just turn on the high powered one and let it beat the conditioner from my hair. No more greasiness by day two.

[bgarrison]

Proteins can make your hair feel dry and straw like, but there is no need for shampoo since proteins will wash off with a protein free conditioner (it might take a few washes).


I've been using the CO method since november '07 and my hair and scalp feels so much better now, no more dry hair and itchy scalp! But I did have a hard time finding a conditioner suitable for my itchy scalp, and now the conditoner that I have found has been discontinued so I have to search for a new one.

thank you for explaining this.

i'm still having troubles with this method, but for some reason i really want it to work!

i think i must have had a protein overload, as my hair was very dry and strawlike. since i stopped using shampoo and am co only the dryness is gone, but my scalp is an utter mess!! i don't get it. i scritch and massage and i feel like i've got flakes or something, some gunk, because i feel it, but i don't see anything under my nails or when i look at my scalp in the mirror. i don't know if it's sebum or seborrheic d. (sp?) or what. it' s driving me batty. it comes very quickly after i wash, and my hair is uber greasy very quickly.

i'm using an AVO5 conditioning cream rinse.

any ideas would be SO welcome!

[brixxgirl16]

thank you for explaining this.

i'm still having troubles with this method, but for some reason i really want it to work!

i think i must have had a protein overload, as my hair was very dry and strawlike. since i stopped using shampoo and am co only the dryness is gone, but my scalp is an utter mess!! i don't get it. i scritch and massage and i feel like i've got flakes or something, some gunk, because i feel it, but i don't see anything under my nails or when i look at my scalp in the mirror. i don't know if it's sebum or seborrheic d. (sp?) or what. it' s driving me batty. it comes very quickly after i wash, and my hair is uber greasy very quickly.

i'm using an AVO5 conditioning cream rinse.

any ideas would be SO welcome!

Sometimes when I CO I get kind of a waxy/gunky feel on my scalp. Is that your problem? Usually when this happens, I

a) was in a rush and didn't rinse long enough. You have to rinse for at least two minutes to get it all out, and I usually scritch my scalp while I'm rinsing, because conditioner has a tendency to stick.

b) used the wrong conditioner. It must be a clarifying or extra body conditioner. While hair CO'd with a smoothing or moisturizing conditioner might feel cleaner than before, you might get buildup from unremoved sebum and/or leftover conditioner.

c) didn't leave it on long enough. While CO does get your hair clean, the absence of detergents means (at least for me) it has to be left on for about 20 minutes.

Hope this helps!

[Nizhoni]

thank you for explaining this.

i'm still having troubles with this method, but for some reason i really want it to work!

i think i must have had a protein overload, as my hair was very dry and strawlike. since i stopped using shampoo and am co only the dryness is gone, but my scalp is an utter mess!! i don't get it. i scritch and massage and i feel like i've got flakes or something, some gunk, because i feel it, but i don't see anything under my nails or when i look at my scalp in the mirror. i don't know if it's sebum or seborrheic d. (sp?) or what. it' s driving me batty. it comes very quickly after i wash, and my hair is uber greasy very quickly.

i'm using an AVO5 conditioning cream rinse.

any ideas would be SO welcome!

Possible reasons for build-up has been very well discribed by brixxgirl16. When I get build-up I do a sugar/conditioner scrub, that really helps me to get a clean but still moisturized scalp.

[dor3girl]

I just tried the CO last night. I did it on my hair & my daughter's hair. It seems okay. . . Her hair seemed a little coated, though. . .

[Faepirate]

Then I tried something new. I wash my hair upside down.

I bend over at the waist and let all my hair hang down. It exposes my roots without me having to dig for them and requires less conditioner to get my head scrubbed clean as it it not getting caught in the top layers. After a thorough dousing and scrubbing of my scalp, I stand up straight, coat the length before I bun it and clip it to the back of my head. To rinse, my shower head has massage settings, so I just turn on the high powered one and let it beat the conditioner from my hair. No more greasiness by day two.

Ooooh.
I tried this once and gave up after about 30 seconds - how on earth do you do it without getting huge amounts of water in your eyes?! xD

And when you rinsed it off, did you rinse upside down as well, or just normally?

[minkstole]

I belong in here!
For most of last year I COed, but last time I had my hair coloured I bought a conditioner to take out the brassiness that I sometimes get. It´s loaded with cones and I need shampoo to remove that = brittle dry hair that I can´t comb and that will not hold any form of curl.
For the love of all that is holy, I really hope that I stick to it this time! (But knowing me, I will be tempted to buy something or other, or get my hair coloured agin, and then I`ll have to start over, grrr)
I haven´t noticed the buildup other write about, but I use a vinegar rinse every time, so that might be it

[Nizhoni]

I did try the ACV-rinse but I really, really could not stand the smell. Even when dry my hair smelled way too much, and continued to do so after a few washes.

No, I don't think that I will try that again.

[NurseMama]

Does anyone use Monistat and CO? If so, what condish are you using to get the MN out and are you having greasy problems?

[Belisama]

Ooooh.
I tried this once and gave up after about 30 seconds - how on earth do you do it without getting huge amounts of water in your eyes?! xD

And when you rinsed it off, did you rinse upside down as well, or just normally?

*chuckles*

I wet my hair, grab it and bend over so I'm not whipping the shower walls and then let it cascade down gently. I also make sure that my face is at least wiped off before I bend over so any water on my cheeks or chin are not running up my nose or into my eyes. I make sure to keep the sprayer behind me as I condition to keep my hair from getting rinsed prematurely and getting my face wet.

I tried using the hand held sprayer to rinse upside and ended up shooting water up my nose and in my ears. So I just put it on the fierce pounding setting and work my fingers through my hair while standing up right. I also rub my scalp as I rinse to make sure I cleanse all the conditioner off it.

HTH