CO for thin fine hair? Share your tips!

[Elina]

Hi!

I was wondering about CO for fine thin hair.
What is your experiences?
What products would you recommend?

I have very fine thin hair (-_-)
And, I'm trying to grow it out. (It is a little below my shoulders)

I am currently using l'oreal everstrong shampoo and tresemme naturals conditioner for my washes. I get split ends easily, and I am wondering if shampoo is too harsh on my hair?

But then, CO might lead to that my hair would get over-mosturized and greasy and, heavy. *sigh*

I'd love to hear what you think.

[raingirl]

I have thin/fine hair as well and CO worked for me when I used Suave Naturals. However, it is extremely hard to find where I live and the one store that had it no longer carries it so I've gone back to a modified CO/W routine (CO with coney Herbal Essences conditioner, then use a tiny bit of SLS free shapmoo on the scalp over the conditioner to loosen it up so I don't get heavyness at the roots). It's working ok so far, but I would prefer to go back to the Suave Naturals if I can find it again.

[Nini]

CO only worked for me if I had time to leave it in for at least an hour. It's been years since I tried it, but I tried a few different condish'es.

[ravenheather]

CO didn't work for my thin fine hair. I use toadstool shampoo and conditioner on etsy when I use shampoo. Right now I am using clay to wash. The best thing I have found for conditioning without weighing down my hair is catnip tea soaks/rinses. Really helps with split ends. There's a big thread on it.

[lapushka]

CO was just too grease-inducing for me. It didn't clean my hair enough. Big no-no. I have F, oily hair, so CO just wasn't an option for me.

[cranberrymoonz]

If you use a very light conditioner, leave it in for a good 5-10 minutes, massages well and most importantly: rinse very very well (until you can't feel any trace of conditioner in your hair), it might just work.

[Neneka]

My hair actually got less greasy with CO. When I was using shampoo it was oily and stringly again after couple of hours if I combed it too much. Now with CO my hair doesn't seem to get greasy at all. My scalp needs washing but hair is ok for long time. I use Tresemme Naturals conditioner but I have heard it's not the bes for eveyone.

Remember to use A LOT of conditioner and leave it on for more time than normally. Also most people avoid silicones because they aren't usually water soluble and need shampoo to wash out. Some like silicones but usually they don't work well with CO washing.

[Firefox7275]

Much as I love conditioner only washing you may well find you prefer the 'pouf' that comes from shampoo. There is quite a lot that could coat or build up on your hair in that shampoo and that can contribute to tangles and splits. Maybe go for a gentle cleansing product that is pH 4.5 to 5.5 such as Komaza Care Moja shampoo, plus ingredients in your conditioner that help penetrate or patch damage - hydrolysed proteins, ceramides, panthenol - also coconut oiling your ends the night before washing. You could also try scalp washing by diluting shampoo in a nozzle bottle and/ or precoating the ends in conditioner.

[Babyfine]

while exclusive CO did not work for me, (I second the gentle shampoo for fine hair) you might like it. I recommend 3 conditioners, ones I still use for CO between my twice weekly shampoos:
VO5 kiwi lime(my hair squeaks after cleaning with this one)
V05 Tea therapy(also cleans well)
Nioxin scalp therapy-scalp tingles after use-but pricey.

[marykatz]

I have been co washing for over a year. I use a VO5. There was a transition period for me where my scalp over produced oil for the first two weeks and my head was so itchy I could barely stand it. So you might hate it for a while. After a year of co washing, I found my ends looking oily so I started using an ACV rinse after co-washing and this helped.
You really can't use any silicones while co-washing.
If you don't like this method, you might also like to try a sulfate free shampoo routine.

[Miss Maisie]

V05 Kiwi Lime was the only conditioner that worked for me for co washing.

The tricks I've learned are:

1. Use WAY more conditioner than you think you need. I'm talking a full on handful for sl hair.
2. After you initially put it in your hair, get a little more water on your head and scrub like crazy. Since there aren't as many detergents in conditioner as there are in shampoo, you have to really work to get your hair clean.
3. Rinse. A lot.

My hair really likes this!

[McFearless]

Dilute the product with water if it is too rich for you. It works just as well for me that way, and I have medium/coarse hair. And stretches the product too. I thoroughly wet my hair, apply the conditioner to my scalp and length. Pour a handful of water on my head and massage my scalp. Tie up the hair, do shower duties and rinse very well.

[Vrindi]

CO works for me as a way to stretch shampoos out further. I can't do it every time, or it gets limp and kind of gummy feeling, but I love it on occasion. I use Whole Foods brand conditioner, the 360° stuff, in grapefruit.

[NymphSpirit]

I have fine hair but my skin in general tends to be quite dry. CO has been working nicely for me, when I apply the conditioner I don't apply crazy amounts though, just enough to feel my scalp completely covered, then massage for 5 or more minutes, put on a shower cap and leave it for 15-20 minutes before rinsing while massaging until I feel there's no more product, and then some more massaging :o My hair's been getting oily more often though, with shampoo I could go almost a week before I needed to wash it again, now at the 3rd/4th day my scalp is already noticeably oily. It could be a transition, but I doubt it since I had been using 1 shampoo in 10 water. In any case my hair feels much better since I switched to CO, not heavy, itchy, anything, it's softer, curlier, and it hasn't really affected the volume I get on my scalp. It IS true you shed a bit more while washing, but as I haven't been doing it for too long I can't really say if it's because the massaging causes the already shed hairs to fall all together or if it actually has an effect on how much hair you shed.

Oh- I've tried vo5 chamomile and suave naturals jasmine and essential oils and both have worked nicely. (I haven't found them in any english speaking sites though, may be they're just from Argentina.)

[Eireann]

I use Whole Foods 365 herbal mint conditioner for CO. I don't exclusively CO, though, but alternate with baking soda washes, egg washes and Fernwood shampoo bars. I find the CO works well on my fine hair, even after heavy oiling with coconut oil. I was extremely skeptical that it would, but the secret was to use a lot of conditioner and leave it on for a few minutes.

[AspenSong]

I've just began to CO-wash off and on again myself. I use the VO5 conditioners - I love the Extra Body one and any of the Tea therapy ones. I personally, just get it on my hair about 10 minutes before a shower, clip it up and go about whatever, then get in and get a bit of water on it and mush it around, rinse and then condition as usual. Now, whether it was the CO washing or what, I did start using sulfate-free shampoo about a year ago and started shampooing again to change things up because I started shedding BADLY. It seemed to diminish after starting the shampoo for me, so I don't know if that was because of co-ing for so long or just a scheduled shed. However I haven't been loving how my hair has been feeling lately, so I started CO washing again and so far it's great like before, no greasies and my hair is as fluffy as it usually is. I think it depends on finding the right conditioner that works for your hair also. For me, Suave just doesn't work well for CO-ing usually, but the VO5 is great.

[Delila]

The only time I use a CO type cleaning is when I do a scalp massage/deep oil type thing on my hair. I use the Cure Care conditioner from Sally's, because it's un-perfumed. (Scented stuff stays in my hair for ages and gives me a headache.)

I do it LHC-style, and load up my hair with conditioner, let it sit on my hair for a good while under a cap while I do something else, then get in the shower, add some water, massage my scalp really well, and rinse it all away.

My super-fine, cob-web-like hair doesn't care one way or the other about CO methods in general, but my scalp is typically quite oily, and CO washing just doesn't do enough to keep my scalp clean.

I've long since given up experimenting with CO, and now just use shampoos right on my scalp, rinsing a bit of lather through my length as I rinse. I try not to get conditioner on my scalp at all, but lately I've been dealing with psoriasis treatment and have been using some more slippery/detangling stuff right to my scalp just to cope with the tangles. (Sigh.)

[Louise148]

I have baby fine thin hair and I CO in the week. As I use silicone products to protect at the weekend as I often blowdry it (on a low heat) I shampoo Monday morning then go back to CO'ing until the weekend again. My hair seems fine with this routine. I have no splitends even though I haven't had a trim since May 2012 but I am always on the lookout for them. It doesn't get weighed down, in fact I would say the conditioner washes my hair as well as any shampoo ever has. My favourite conditioner for CO'ing is Tresemme's Naturals as it has no silicones, comes in a big bottle and make my hair feel soft but not limp. But I do use others from time to time and the only specification I look for is cheap, no silicones or mineral oil (my hair is not keen on mineral oil) and they work fine too.

I just put a large amount on wet hair while in the shower, vigorously massage it in, leave while I continue my shower which is only a short time, a couple of minutes at most and then throughly rinse it out.

[mariazelie]

When I COd my fine, thin hair, it was winter, which always makes my hair different. At first I liked it and it seemed to add lots of body and it felt thicker. After a month or so, I felt like my hair was breaking off and getting very dry, so I stopped. I have not tried it again.

[anitacs9101]

Try to find a conditioner that is labeled "clarifying". Use TONS of conditioner, and I mean TONS!! You want every inch of your scalp to be soaked in conditioner, with no spot left dry. Then add more :) This may seem counter-productive but you need lots of it because the cleansing ingredients are very mild. Then scrub like a crazy person!! Imagine you are trying to scrub every part of your scalp. Do this at the beginning of your shower so it has time to soak in. Then at the end, rinse it out. I usually do this twice, so I don't rinse as thoroughly the first time. So I repeat the process, then rinse VERY thoroughly. Try rinsing even past when you think the conditioner is gone. And I suggest at least using warm water or rinsing will be very time-consuming.

Lastly, don't be afraid to clarify! After a month or two of co-washing my hair sometimes gets limp & greasy all of a sudden for no reason, and it is easily fixed with shampooing.

[missketi]

I use Balea conditioner. I live in Europe and I buy it in DM(Drogerie Markt ). It smells too strong, ugh but it's great and it is cheap.
I put a 1/4( or even less) of conditioner into the empty bottle of previous conditioner and fill the rest with water. Then I shake it and put it on my head and massage like with a shampoo. I do not even leave it for too long. I leave it for 5 mins max.
I did have a few times when I didn't wash it all out or something but it happend rarely.
My hair is fine, straight and thin and at first I was really sceptical but it works, at least for now. I may return to shampoo someday( I do use it rarely for scalp washes 5-6 times a year)
i think the most important things are that the conditioner has to be light and that you have to scrub especially the back(end) of your scalp( at least with my hair).

[iluvlovelylocks]

I don't necessarily have fine hair, but my hair gets oily fast. I thought I'd give it a try with trader joes tea tree tingle conditioner. I've tried it multiple times with no success. I tried diluted, undiluted, leaving it on for 30 minutes, leaving it on for 2 minutes and nothing worked. It might not have worked for me because my hair is stick straight and/or because I have hard water.

[jillosity]

I've had good luck with Suave Clarifying conditioner, I do use quite a bit but it's cheap so not a problem. The Shampoo is good too, for when my scalp is feeling like it needed washing. It's been important to not ignore the signs that your scalp is telling you to wash it, a wash once in a while will clear your scalp and keep it healthy. Don't feel like you'll "undo" anything by washing, that just leads to scalp issues.

Also use the coolest, dare I say COLDest, water you can stand when you rinse, when I freeze myself I can go for up to 4 days after a co-wash. Suave coconut worked ok, strawberry was a disaster, the clarifying works best. Afterward, I use a balm I make and my ends feel thick and smooth.

My hair feels significantly thicker when I co wash compared to shampooing. I really like it.