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View Full Version : Observation on shedding and wash method



GracieRae
September 20th, 2012, 07:16 PM
So my routine is all over the place from rinsing only to co washing to sulfate free to sulfates and cone/no cone. I've been co washing a lot and shed maybe 50-100 hairs or so? Today I thought I'd try just a gentle shampoo and no conditioner. Only like 10 hairs! I know there seems to be a debate about conditioner on your scalp causing shedding but it makes me wonder....

PetuniaBlossom
September 20th, 2012, 08:24 PM
Yes, CO washing caused a tremendous increase in shedding for me. I switched to CWC and my shedding instantly went back to normal. I do use conditioner now as part of CWC but I never, ever allow conditioner on my scalp. I also stopped using conditioner in my mister bottle.
It amazes me that my dry and thirsty hair loves conditioner but it's such a disaster for my scalp.

longforthis
September 20th, 2012, 08:30 PM
I just read today that if you don't wash your scalp it will cause shedding and decrease in hair growth because of the sebum clogging up the hair follicles or something?

I know people here do WO, CO washing, no 'Poo, etc. I myself only use vinegar rinses to clean my scalp and hair.

Is there any truth to that?

patienceneeded
September 20th, 2012, 08:53 PM
For me, CO washing definitely increased shedding. My scalp does not like conditioner (or oils) at all. However, it works for MANY people here. To each their own!

gonzobird
September 20th, 2012, 09:06 PM
heres a thought...

Since oil is attracted to oil, if you have clogged follicles, and wash with conditioner, could it be that the conditioner is just cleaning out follicles and making making hair shed more that would normally come out anyway? If this was true... then that should really only happen for a short period of time, then shedding should decrease.

Is this a possibility? Or do some scalps hate oil? And if so, why? Why would conditioers and oils make hair shed more? It seems less irritating than shampoo. hmmmmm.....

DarkCurls
September 21st, 2012, 10:29 AM
I have been co-washing for a few months now (since around May, I think, possibly June) and noticed an immediate increase in shedding. I know it's not just my imagination because I still use shampoo every now and then when my hair gets weird and "mushy" and I shed about ten times less in the shower when I do. Even if I do detangle during that shower.
But because I only wash my hair twice a week, I've decided not to let the shed bother me since I don't shed much on non-wash days. :p

But yeah, co-washing makes me shed more (in the shower, at least). But I like it too much to quit. I'm kind of hoping it's balancing out (as in, I don't shed as much the other days as I used to), since I haven't noticed any decrease in thickness.

Madora
September 21st, 2012, 11:07 AM
So my routine is all over the place from rinsing only to co washing to sulfate free to sulfates and cone/no cone. I've been co washing a lot and shed maybe 50-100 hairs or so? Today I thought I'd try just a gentle shampoo and no conditioner. Only like 10 hairs! I know there seems to be a debate about conditioner on your scalp causing shedding but it makes me wonder....

Generally speaking, the first six inches of your hair are usually sufficiently lubricated by your hair's sebum, so you should condition from the ears down.

It could be that what you were using...or how you manipulated your fingerpads while shampooing and conditioning..was causing the hairfall.

I use diluted shampoo (a tablespoon of GM pink shampoo to 8 oz of warm water). For years I diluted a teaspoon of GM conditioner to 8 oz of water, stirred it well, and poured it over my head and through my hair.

Never had any scalp problems or shedding issues. I also brushed every day so that probably helped keep my scalp healthy.

I'm now using 4 drops of mineral oil to condition and detangle (on damp hair).

spidermom
September 21st, 2012, 11:10 AM
I don't like conditioner on my scalp. It has ingredients to coat the hair, "conditioning" it. I see no advantage to coating my scalp.

But lots of people CO and love it.

gonzobird
September 21st, 2012, 01:33 PM
I didn't condition my scalp today.... And like magic, i shed at least half of what i normally do.i never conditioned my scalp for years, and started to the last year or so....and behold, shedding problems. I feel a huge sense of relief knowing i kinda figured it out. :)

Littlewing13
September 24th, 2012, 01:35 AM
I personally don't think its the conditioner itself that causes shedding. It would take a fair while of build up to significantly block follicles, and most people doing CO notice a difference immediately. I would say its more likely the increased need for scrubbing that causes it in this place.

Even the gentlest shampoos contain ingredients that efficiently eat through oil/sebum. This is why you don't need to scrub as hard with shampoo, whereas many alternative methods of washing (including CO) need a manual scrub to remove oils.

However I've read that methods such as WO/NW can cause shedding, which occurs over time. This would most likely be a blockage of hair follicles. It doesn't happen for everyone though.

Theobroma
September 24th, 2012, 04:31 AM
Littlewing13, "increased need for scrubbing" has nothing whatsoever to do with it. I massage my scalp at least as vigorously with hair soap as I ever did with conditioner, but I'm now shedding about 20% of what I shed on the CO regimen.

Some scalps just don't like having anything rich or oily put on them. I tried castor oil treatments and managed to apply the stuff with pretty much no massaging at all, but still lost a handful of hair.

DarkCurls, please be vigilant about your washday sheds. I only wash every five or six days, but even that was enough to result in a significant loss of thickness over time. I did CO for a year and a half and my washday shedding actually increased during that time... but it increased so gradually that I didn't notice until I'd reached the point where I really was shedding hair faster than it could grow back. It's going to take my length years to recover from that mistake.

MinderMutsig
September 24th, 2012, 04:48 AM
I do shed more during a CO but on the flipside I shed less when I brush my hair that night. I think it pretty much evens out in the end. I think you're just releasing hair that was going to fall soon anyway.

jacqueline101
September 23rd, 2013, 02:10 PM
It could be the products you're using and some people have issues with co making them shed.

Silverbrumby
September 23rd, 2013, 05:38 PM
I shed a lot anyway (or did until recently) CO washing made my shedding a lot worse. Letting my scalp go too long between washes also didn't help. My scalp likes to be cleaned with sulfate free poo every 3 it 4 days.

jeanniet
September 23rd, 2013, 07:41 PM
I CO almost exclusively and there's really not much difference in shedding between that and shampoo. If anything, I shed slightly less with CO. My hair sure likes it better.