Originally Posted by
GRU
I use Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut for both CO-washing and my leave-in.
Many people need to try several different products to find the one that works best for them -- every head of hair is unique, so there is no one "perfect" product. Read through the CO-washing thread for more info.
I think some people get hung up on *only* CO-washing or *only* WO-washing or *only* shampoo-washing, etc. I like to see CO-washing or any of the other techniques as tools we have in our toolbox to use as the need arises. Just as in home repairs, sometimes you need a flat screwdriver, sometimes a Phillips screwdriver, sometimes a wrench, sometimes a hammer, etc.... hair care is just the same -- maybe CO-washing works well most of the time, but once a month or once every six months or once a year you need to shampoo, just like sometimes you may need an SMT or a protein treatment or whatever. Even if you're alternating between CO-washing and shampooing every other wash, you're still using the tools at your disposal to get the job done while minimizing the collateral damage. None of this needs to be an all-or-nothing type of gig.
As for factors in shedding, I think they're too numerous for us to even fathom. Humidity, temperature, stress, hormones, diet, pollutants, illnesses, seasons, barometric pressures, allergies.... unless someone's shedding has been verified by a healthcare worker (as in they have bald patches on their scalp) I tend to dismiss anecdotal claims that I see around here.
For example, most childhood ear infections are viral in origin. They will clear up on their own within 48-72 hours with no medical intervention whatsoever. But people take their kid to the doctor, and the doctor writes a prescription for antibiotics, and the kid starts to feel better about 48 hours later, so the parents think that the antibiotics "cured" the ear infection, and they want/expect/demand another prescription the next time their kid gets an ear infection. But if the doctor instead gave them a prescription to feed the kid nothing but chicken noodle soup for three days, and the kid started to feel better about 48 hours later, the parents would think that the soup "cured" the ear infection. And if the doctor instead gave them a prescription to have the kid sleep on the floor instead of the bed for three days.... they'd think that the floor-sleeping "cured" the ear infection.
This is why I tend to dismiss most claims of shedding caused by products that are created specifically for application to the hair or scalp... chances are it was random shedding, and it would have stopped whether the person changed their ways or not.
Conditioner is made to be applied to the head/hair/scalp -- it doesn't have a depilatory function. A particular ingredient may cause an allergic reaction, which may result in a dermatitis-related loss of hair, but that doesn't mean that "conditioner in general" is to blame. Same with brushes and combs... when I see people claim that a TT or BB or a comb or whatever "caused shedding" I see that as something that is physically impossible, unless they are bashing themselves in the head with it (to damage the follicle) or using the tool to forcibly yank hairs out by the root.... in neither case is that the fault of the instrument.
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