The CO (conditioner only) washing thread

[Suze2012]

First a big thank you to everyone on this thread. I've learnt so much!

I thought I'd post my first baby-steps with CO washing. I switched from shampoo to CO 2 week ago and boy am I impressed. The first day I used my existing bottle of Faith in Nature (cone-free, SLS-free) and my hair and scalp were clean and glossy without any shampoo. If it wasn't for LHC I never would have known shampoo is optional (hehe).

Then I had my first set back. I used an old bottle of Pantene conditioner and my hair went limp as a wet noddle. It was so greasy despite a thorough rinsing (twice!) and spent the next day in a bun as punishment. Now I'm trying Superdrug Coconut & Sweet Almond conditioner which is proving nice although I think it contains parabens. Over the next few months I plan to try different affordable conditioners (Faith in Nature is a touch expensive if I'm using so much). It's certainly been helpful to read other people's experiences with conditioners, especially in the UK where we do not have some of the tried and true US brands.

I also want to try honey with the conditioner but for the moment...one change at a time

Whoop! for becoming a co washer!!

I'm only about 6 weeks in in total myself...I did a week not knowing about clarifying or cones..doh!


I absolutely agree that the info on this thread is amazing!

The Superdrug co you are using I have seen posted about..um..parabens..what are they? I have seen posts..but I'm concentraring on other things for my hair and it can all be so confusing! lol!

Have you tried Tesco Coconut Smooth? It's 88p for 750ml and last time I bought some was on offer so was 3 for 56p.
I love it!

I tried Tresemme Naturals silicone free..and I have loads of it here but it actually dries my hair out.

Another one which another member is about to try is Morrisons Jojoba..which I intend to try soon too.

Both the Tesco and the Morrisons ones are cone free and I have also seen someone mention a Sainsbury's one which is cone free too.

[Suze2012]

I have tried various bodybutters from Body Shop as curl enhancer etc and havent had any luck so far. And they contain cones which I try to avoid these days. There are some really cheap ones i can get in oriental food shops, that work far more better. And pure sheabutter etc. of course.

/ CMG

Thankyou!

I am trying to avoid cones also which is making me think to go and look for a lotion without them...I could eat mango butter on toast..I'm sure it wouldn't taste as good as it smells...

Shea butter is leading me on to the questions I came here to post...

I tried the 'stretch or snap' test with my shed hair this morning and it stretched.
So..am I right in thinking I need protein?
Wierdly I tried it a few weeks ago and not much of anything happened and it broke.

This is going to sound like a dumb question I know..but..what things contain protein?
I am using a little coconut oil on ends each night (no idea if it has protein) Does it?
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Produ.../?id=268622297
The past few days...since Sunday I have oiled the end each night (heavyish oil on Saturday night) and also used Aloe Vera Gel to scrunch in when it's wet Plus I have added a thumbnail of coconut oil once my conditioner is in after a co wash.

I read that shea butter seals but doesn't moisturise so I'm unsure about it but also really unsure as I just don't know what contains protein - can anyone help?

For the record I am amazed beyond compare with the aloe vera (Aloe Pura 99.9%) and light oilings - my hair is usually a frizz ball in wind and rain...and it's a bit frizzy today and has had a total battering..and i always wear it down.
I walked in this awful weather for over an hour today....and had to pop out in teh rain several times..and I am still looking human!

[Alexblue]

Yeah, another CO newbie!

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely try those conditioners. Gosh, the Tesco one is a third the price of my Superdrug conditioner!

Parabens are xenoestrogens which mimic estrogen in the body and could be linked estrogen-dependent cancers. My mom is a cancer survivor and needs to avoid estrogen. There's a good thread here about it.
I wouldn't necessarily throw out a good conditioner with parabens but if I found a great one without it I would prefer that.

By the way, since learning all about cones, SLS, oils, etc. I find I cannot just pop into a shop without checking out the various conditioners. LHC has put me on the hunt! My husband and I were in the corner shop last night just to pick up some coffee for the morning and I spent 10min looking at conditioners! My husband is a patient man

[GRU]

Just FYI, coconut oil does not have protein in it -- just fat (oil).

[luxepiggy]

I was thinking body lotion. Looking at ingredients lists, a lot are similar. I know at one point a long time ago, my hairdresser told me about how inmates were using lotion as a leave-in, since only shampoo was allowed. I think she told me to try jergens since "other lotions had bad ingredients in them" but I didn't pay much attention to ingredients lists then. It wasn't an unsuccessful experiment.

I think it'd be interesting though, to see if one could find a lotion with all the "good parts" (butters and oils and eos, oh my!) and none of the bad and try that for a cowash. My guess is it might be cheaper. The better conditioners get so expensive because normally people don't use fistfuls of them

I don't recommend it. I've used lotion as conditioner before in a pinch. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly satisfactory either.

[brave]

Just FYI, coconut oil does not have protein in it -- just fat (oil).

Can it still result in protein-overdose, since it's supposed to stop protein from leaving the hair when the hair is rinsed (or something like that, I forget)? That was my understanding of how people could use coconut oil and end up with crunchy ends.

I'm so confused on this whole protein thing. Seems like almost every stronger-than-Suave/VO5 conditioner has protein of some sort. I have coarse hair and the mane and tail I was using started to make it brittle rather quickly. Is silk protein still ok? Is it ok if it's low on the ingredient list? Or should I just do my best to avoid it altogether?

[Thenolegirl]

Hi everyone!

I'm returning and giving CO another shot (I just don't want to try oil shampoo and have to worry about ratios). I bought three V05 conditioners - kiwi lime, passion fruit smoothie and the plain volume one with collagen. I can't find any of the Tea therapy ones anywhere =(

Today I washed my three day old greasy and over-oiled hair with the kiwi lime. I made a center part and used about two small palmfuls for each half - one for the top of the section and one for the sides and underneath. Then I scrubbed gently for a good while, and left it on. Then I used one palmful for my length. I left it all on while I finished my shower and then rinsed it all out under cool water for several minutes.

I shed 20 hairs - the most I've shed in the shower for a long time. A little concerning but maybe it was hairs that had to go? lol

The results - very soft hair, but extremely frizzy. It's been raining for four days non-stop where I live so I chalk it up to this. My sides and under part of my hair is clean ( my main issue from last time).

The only issue I can see with CO is that I'm home for the summer with soft water. What do I do when I go back to apartment living with nasty hard water?

Thanks for all the wonderful tips and advice on this thread =)

[GRU]

For me, "crunchy ends" from oiling were because the ends were already very heavily damaged. Now that my ends are relatively healthy (I still have some of my pre-LHC length from back when I was still shampooing, but the worst of my frazzled ends are gone now), I don't get "the crunchies" at all, even though I'm using the exact same oil that gave me crunchies a few years ago.

There is no one secret recipe that works for everyone. You just have to learn to "read" your hair and what it likes, what it hates, what it needs, etc. You can alternate between a moisturizing conditioner and a protein conditioner, you can mix two conditioners together, you can do deep treatments, you can find the product with the perfect balance (for you) between moisture and protein.... it just depends on your hair's needs.

[GRU]

Thenolegirl, those were probably hairs that would have fallen later in the day that fell now b/c you scrubbed/massaged more than you "normally" do.

As for hard vs soft water, my advice would be the same as I gave to brave one post up -- trial and error, keep trying products until you find out what works.

Also, you can try things like diluting the conditioner (I use about one ounce of condish with 5-6 ounces of water, shaken up in a color applicator bottle), following up with an acidic rinse, etc.

[Suze2012]

Yeah, another CO newbie!

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely try those conditioners. Gosh, the Tesco one is a third the price of my Superdrug conditioner!

Parabens are xenoestrogens which mimic estrogen in the body and could be linked estrogen-dependent cancers. My mom is a cancer survivor and needs to avoid estrogen. There's a good thread here about it.
I wouldn't necessarily throw out a good conditioner with parabens but if I found a great one without it I would prefer that.

By the way, since learning all about cones, SLS, oils, etc. I find I cannot just pop into a shop without checking out the various conditioners. LHC has put me on the hunt! My husband and I were in the corner shop last night just to pick up some coffee for the morning and I spent 10min looking at conditioners! My husband is a patient man

The Tesco one smells yum too if you like coconut. I've had no problems with it at all. I do recomend only buying one to begin with. I made that mistake of buying 3 Tresemme silicone free co's at 2.69 for 900ml..good bargain but I now have almost 3 bottles of it left and it just doesn't suit my hair. So just get one bottle to test for a week and see how you get on with it.

Ah! Thanks for the info on parabens. With so many things to avoid it gets confusing sometimes especially when we all get faced with a massive ingredients list.

I'm the same as you in that I loiter around (looking suspicious I'm sure!lol!) in the conditioner aisle..reading and sniffing! I don't do it just once in each shop as I keep going back and doing the same thing as I learn more about what different ingredients are.
I so wish we had access to cone free VO5 and Suave over here! It seems so much harder to find cheaper cone free conditioners in the UK.