The CO (conditioner only) washing thread

**Enrapture** · October 18th, 2014, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by In2wishin

I think it would be the oils. The ones I use are very light and hair friendly and make up no more than 3% of the total. In a pinch, I have made a very simple conditioner with only BTMS and water and it has never weighed my hair down. In fact, since I started CO washing with my homemade conditioner, my waves have turned into wurls.

Thanks. I will change the percentages in the recipe and use less oil and probably will use only grapeseed oil because it is light. Gonna make it tomorrow and report my result later

**Enrapture** · October 19th, 2014, 12:49 PM

Today I made a conditioner just with BTMS,water and grapeseed oil and it still left my hair greasy looking after the shower. I don't know how you do it, In2wishin

**nyia** · October 19th, 2014, 02:19 PM

Since BTMS is derived from oils, itself, and is mostly an emulsifier, maybe it is the problem?

**In2wishin** · October 19th, 2014, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by lauramuurr

Today I made a conditioner just with BTMS,water and grapeseed oil and it still left my hair greasy looking after the shower. I don't know how you do it, In2wishin

To know for sure, do a small 100 gram batch with 4 grams BTMS and 96 grams water and use that. If your hair is greasy, then you know for sure it is the BTMS. If not, then you know you need to do something different with the oils.

ETA: I have always found grapeseed oil to be greasy. I use a little of it in my lotion but don't use it for hair care.

ETA 2: I always do test batches of 100 grams so I can remember the percentages I used if it turns out.

**ZeppHead** · October 31st, 2014, 08:04 AM

I tried stretching washes and wound up so oily I was still having to wash every other day and didn't like it. I saw the herbal essences naked cleansing conditioner in my target and decided to try it. My scalp and hair love it and I've been using it every other day with the days in between using just conditioner in the shower. My question is will I ever need an actual shampoo because now if I were to shampoo I get dry tangled hair that looks horrible. I tried it one day last week thinking I could use a shampoo day but apparently my hair has gotten to hate sulfates. I love using coconut oil will my cleaning conditioner get that out or will I need to shampoo it out? Also would it be ok to use my cleansing conditioner everyday will this eventually cause build up? Sorry I'm new to the co washing and have had some questions regarding how often and if I will actually need to shampoo, can get away with a sulfate free shampoo occasionally or would be fine coing all the time never using shampoo again?
Or could this be totally relative to what my hair decides to accept?

**alishaxmarie** · October 31st, 2014, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by ZeppHead

I tried stretching washes and wound up so oily I was still having to wash every other day and didn't like it. I saw the herbal essences naked cleansing conditioner in my target and decided to try it. My scalp and hair love it and I've been using it every other day with the days in between using just conditioner in the shower. My question is will I ever need an actual shampoo because now if I were to shampoo I get dry tangled hair that looks horrible. I tried it one day last week thinking I could use a shampoo day but apparently my hair has gotten to hate sulfates. I love using coconut oil will my cleaning conditioner get that out or will I need to shampoo it out? Also would it be ok to use my cleansing conditioner everyday will this eventually cause build up? Sorry I'm new to the co washing and have had some questions regarding how often and if I will actually need to shampoo, can get away with a sulfate free shampoo occasionally or would be fine coing all the time never using shampoo again?
Or could this be totally relative to what my hair decides to accept?

I just stopped CO-washing because I'm trying to see if it was causing excess shedding. However, I didn't use any products with silicones in them so I never used shampoo. Other ingredients can cause build-up as well but that's more dependent on your hair. GRU is considered to be the CO-washing Queen and she only uses shampoo once a year as a just-in-case. Do you have cones in either of the conditioners you're using? Or do they contain an ingredient known to build up on your hair easily? I know some individuals have issues with polyquats, for instance.

**alishaxmarie** · October 31st, 2014, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by ZeppHead

I tried stretching washes and wound up so oily I was still having to wash every other day and didn't like it. I saw the herbal essences naked cleansing conditioner in my target and decided to try it. My scalp and hair love it and I've been using it every other day with the days in between using just conditioner in the shower. My question is will I ever need an actual shampoo because now if I were to shampoo I get dry tangled hair that looks horrible. I tried it one day last week thinking I could use a shampoo day but apparently my hair has gotten to hate sulfates. I love using coconut oil will my cleaning conditioner get that out or will I need to shampoo it out? Also would it be ok to use my cleansing conditioner everyday will this eventually cause build up? Sorry I'm new to the co washing and have had some questions regarding how often and if I will actually need to shampoo, can get away with a sulfate free shampoo occasionally or would be fine coing all the time never using shampoo again?
Or could this be totally relative to what my hair decides to accept?

I just stopped CO-washing because I'm trying to see if it was causing excess shedding. However, I didn't use any products with silicones in them so I never used shampoo. Other ingredients can cause build-up as well but that's more dependent on your hair. GRU is considered to be the CO-washing Queen and she only uses shampoo once a year as a just-in-case. Do you have cones in either of the conditioners you're using? Or do they contain an ingredient known to build up on your hair easily? I know some individuals have issues with polyquats, for instance.

**eva888** · November 1st, 2014, 03:35 AM

Originally Posted by ZeppHead

I tried stretching washes and wound up so oily I was still having to wash every other day and didn't like it. I saw the herbal essences naked cleansing conditioner in my target and decided to try it. My scalp and hair love it and I've been using it every other day with the days in between using just conditioner in the shower. My question is will I ever need an actual shampoo because now if I were to shampoo I get dry tangled hair that looks horrible. I tried it one day last week thinking I could use a shampoo day but apparently my hair has gotten to hate sulfates. I love using coconut oil will my cleaning conditioner get that out or will I need to shampoo it out? Also would it be ok to use my cleansing conditioner everyday will this eventually cause build up? Sorry I'm new to the co washing and have had some questions regarding how often and if I will actually need to shampoo, can get away with a sulfate free shampoo occasionally or would be fine coing all the time never using shampoo again?
Or could this be totally relative to what my hair decides to accept?

If you use enough conditioner it should be able to get out the coconut oil. Conditioner soaks up excess oil so as long as you use enough and really scrub and rinse well then everything should be fine.

As to how often to shampoo....I do it whenever I end up having too many horrible hair days in a row. Two weeks ago I did it, and then before that maybe 4 months or so ago. The same thing happens to me that you mentioned - when I shampoo it can make my hair really terribly dry and tangly, so I only do it as a last resort!

**~~GetMeToWaist~~** · November 1st, 2014, 04:52 AM

My mom told me my hair looked dull at the crown. Like less shiny. I think its because COing does weigh my hair down a little and she's used to seeing it fluffy. But I LIKE weighed down hair, it makes it easier and silkier. I don't wanna go back to shampoo, it sucks ��

**ZeppHead** · November 1st, 2014, 07:24 AM

Well I had to shampoo again. I used my kid's baby shampoo for a gentler option. I kind of want to start over. I decided to use no leave in conditioner containing cones. And yes my hair conditioner does contain cones I use garnier color shield I used it for years so I just continued using that. But as my scalp cleanser I use herbal essences naked cleansing conditioner. I just looked and it does contain dimethicone but it is quite low on the list. ..don't know if that matters. Do you recommend a good silicone free cleanser and conditioner? I think once I stray from cones completely in my hair care I can use a sulfate free shampoo occasionally and hopefully my hair benefits.