Washing more often vs. washing "deeper"

[Katze]

Lately, I've been trying to re-train my brain about how often I wash. A year ago, I was trying to stretch my washes as long as possible, believing that this was better for my fine, wavy hair. However, after so many failed attempts at updos (hair is messy no matter what; unwashed hair looks more two-tone and has ugly "scalp cleavage") I am starting to think my hair is better off if I wash more often, AND if I sometimes (gasp!) forget the conditioner, and/or shampoo TWICE.

Despite my hair looking and feeling better I am not sure if this is good!

Currently I'm washing every 2-3 days. Every other wash I leave off conditioner, or only "C" before the W. Compared to other types of washing (CWC, WO, CO) this gets my hair and scalp clean and seems to prevent dull, stringy hair.

My hair is baby fine and straighter (1b-1c) on top and coarser and wavier (2a +) below. It is layered and still has some old bleach/dye damage.

Does anyone else do this? Occasionally shampoo twice, and/or occasionally leave off the conditioner? Why? What are your results?

I'm also curious about hair type and about comparison with other ways of washing.

[twilight_faerie]

I personally only wash my hair and not condition it when I'm about to use henna. Otherwise, if I shampoo but don't condition, I can't get a comb through my tangles. I've heard of other henna users washing without conditioning, since henna is really conditioning in itself, but that definitely wouldn't work for me.

If you use gentle shampoo, though, I'm sure it's possible to do it without harming your hair. Particularly if it's moisturizing.

[Calista]

I use Chagrin Valley bars, and I never condition. I do use a vinegar rinse afterwards, though.

[Nini]

I wash every second day. I use Urtekram, and I usually shampoo once, maybe twice if I feel like it, or if I've gone a day or two more before washing.

I hardly ever use conditioners. Maybe three or four times a month, if I remember. But normally I don't have time for it in the mornings. I prefer to have a proper breakfast instead:)

My hair is very fine, and I don't really have any trouble combing it out. I'll braid it on the first day, and bun it on the second.

Nini

[rhubarbarin]

I shampoo once or twice a week, but I NEVER EVER go without conditioner! I get build up on my length and a greasy scalp very easily; but shampoo really strips my hair and I have to put lots of moisture back into it after I use it. Even with leaving condish on my hair in the shower for 5 minutes, and using some as a leave in with an all-natural moisturizing gel over that, my hair is sometimes dry and poofy the day after washing.. like today.

Katze, if your hair looks and feels better this way, I think you're on the right track.

[Reptilia]

No way. I can't even brush through my hair if I shampoo only! I've been COing for a week now, and my hair is MUCH happier. My hair is a 1a-1b (1a from roots to ears, 1b the rest of the way down)

[Melein]

I never go without conditioner - but I do shampoo twice when I wash my hair. I've been doing this since I switched a mild, sulphate-free shampoo and found that once didn't quite get it feeling 'clean' enough for my liking, but twice was perfect for me.

I don't know what it'd be like with a harsher shampoo, but I've had no ill effects from it.

[rockkcor]

I think that combing does more harm then anything else...
That is why oiling and conditioning is helpful.

[Nightshade]

I've forgotten conditioner a time or two, and gone without between my pre-henna shampoo and applying henna.

My hair isn't THAT bad without it, but that could also be the natural conditioning properties of the henna at work :ponder:

[Tabitha]

I always wash twice, but never skip conditioner. I did try sulphate-free shampoo in the form of 2 varieties of Burts Bees, but bizarrely found they made my hair feel MORE stripped than sulphates. I couldn't even use them as handwash, since they made my hands feel too dry (they now do duty to clean the shower or launder underwear by hand).

I like to feel my hair is really clean - this way I feel my scalp is clean, and my ends are clean before I put back moisture with conditioner. Skipping conditioner on the lengths is unthinkable - it would be pretty much uncombable, and just feel wrong.

I generally wash every 5-7 days, always applying shampoo twice. The first application doesn't lather that much, the second application lathers more, with less shampoo needed.

I prefer this partly because I feel my hair gets deep down cleaner washing this way, and also because I hate washing my hair :o, and couldn't cope with washing it every other day or so with a single application of shampoo. I don't like standing in the shower fiddling with it, and I hate the 5 or more hours that it takes to dry with it hanging round my face or down my back.

[Katze]

interesting responses!

What about the idea that washing more often is bad for your hair...combined with the conflicting idea that hair "needs" lots of conditioner? If I use conditioner (or god forbid when I tried CO - what a disaster that was) my hair *might not* get clean after a while. It looks lank and dull, has no shine, and hangs in what my mom calls "bacon strips".

But washing more is bad, right?

This is an ongoing project and question of mine. Since I'm pregnant, I have *even more* sebum than before and really find I need to wash more often...but I do feel weird about not using conditioner each and every time. At the moment, "C" before the "W" is working well for me, as is washing every 2-3 days. And as my hair gets longer (or maybe just because of the hormones!) it seems to need even MORE washing...how can this be?

Tabitha, like you, I like to feel my hair is clean. Sometimes if I don't use conditioner, it feels like it resets and cleans the ends better.

Nightshade, I suspect there is also some "natural conditioning" even without henna, but that sounds kind of controversial given LHC wisdom!

Rockkcor, I'm not sure what you mean about *combing* causing damage. Do you mean brushing?!? For my fine, wavy hair, harsh *brushing* can easily damage it, while careful combing with a wide toothed comb is ideal. And I can't really oil at all - every time I do my hair gets horribly greasy.

Nini, I suspect my hair is more like yours than I have previously thought, except that it's wavy. Though I do *like* to use conditioner!

Can it really be that the longer/healthier my hair gets, the "cleaner" it needs to be? Only time will tell! :cheese:

[Unnamed]

First, pardon this is long, especially as I'm sure I probably either repeated or left something out that might be interesting! :oops:

Hmm. Personally, I can't stretch washes. Just doesn't work. My hair is an oil slick pretty quick, and honestly, to be presentable I'd have to wash it every day or every other day. I'm at about 3-4 days right now, but it gets rather oily. Past 12-18 hours, and it starts getting stringy and couldn't be worn down, or really even in a braid. Some people just need to wash their hair more often and can't stretch washes. I've tried, but it just doesn't work for my hair. Even my length likes getting wet, so I can't do scalp washes. :lol:

And, I'm one that almost always does a double shampoo. Part of this is our hard water, and so the first cuts through the residue from the last wash (doesn't lather), and the second shampoo does the bulk of the actual washing (lathers). I have to do this regardless of harshness of the shampoo, and some shampoos won't clean (like suave clarifying, believe it or not). I've found very few shampoos that actually dry my hair out, even those that others have found do. Right now the two I'm using...one's an ALS clarifying 'poo and one's Burt's Bees Grapefruit, which I've seen many say was very drying, and both of which would possibly be considered by most as being 'harsh'. It's what works, though. :oops:

And, yep, I'll leave off conditioner! I actually did that recently for I think a few months straight, and just doing the bit of condish/oil after shower, sometimes doing the CW you're doing during. I had to stop, but it was more going too far on the 'neglect' half of 'benign neglect' in other areas (as a side effect of being too tired from a health issue or two). When I was younger/hair shorter I went for long stretches of not using conditioner at all.

I do usually use a conditioner in the shower, although my current one (er, VO5 Grapefruit?) is somewhat taking the place of a citric acid rinse, and not sure it's actually doing any conditioning, more mini clarifying. :lol:

Also re conditioners: At your length, I only put conditioner (CWC) on the last few inches/starting no higher than shoulder length. Right now, I rarely put conditioner/oil/anything higher than shoulder blade, and sometimes it's just BSL/waist down or the very ends (last 12" or so). Basically: Scalp area gets ONLY shampoo; any conditioner is kept far away unless I'm doing an SMT or something like that (and I always do those before a wash). Oh, and I never use conditioner after clarifying, as that's actually when my hair feels the best. :rolleyes:

At least for me, for why on the shoulder blade/whatever...it usually goes by how far the oil got down the length (ie, stringy length from all the sebum from scalp). If it gets to waist (happens!), say, usually I won't bother with any conditioner above that point. The oil always reaches past shoulders, even if I don't touch it.

And, since it's been brought up, I've had no issues of uncombable hair just from lack of conditioner. No tangles from it, either. From shed hairs that can't escape on their own, though...now that's becoming an issue, conditioner or not!


I have super fine hair and a very oily scalp. CO is waaaay too heavy (for the length, and it took several washes without conditioner to fix that I believe--oddly, mom's hair does great with CO, but her hair isn't superfine, just fine), and WO rinses result in...just ick, so I'd never dare try doing that, forget that I'm not sure it works well for 1a hair, as curlies/wavies seemed to have more luck with it. :lol:

[Tai Shan Fan]

With your recent hormonal changes, have you noticed that your hair is straighter at all? Relatively speaking.

I think it's quite common for people with both fine and straight hair to be better off with minimal conditioner. I'm not saying for everyone, just that it's common. The wavier or curlier the hair the more it seems to need conditioner and be prone to dryness requiring as gentle cleanser as possible. What is less discussed is that hair that is both fine and straight is frequently overloaded and can often be better off without oils and heavy conditioning, yet strangely responds well to sulphate shampoos, unlike those with wavier or curlier hair. As someone with both fine and straight hair, my biggest problem is the stringies and how to avoid them, as well as how to make my hair not look too flat. Dryness - the problem so many have, isn't really on my radar.

[lapushka]

I have oily hair, and not using conditioner at all seems to work, I can postpone washing with at least a day because of this.

[Ohio Sky]

I have the same problem sometimes... One of the biggest things is finding the right conditioner. A lightweight one will not make your hair lank and gross like you describe. I can't really recommend any though as I don't know what's available where you are.

If it doesn't seem to be drying your ends out, I would say it's not that bad for your hair. If you are concerned about the ends being dry or tangly, try conditioning first, then washing, or do a pre-wash oiling. That way your hair will get a little extra moisture but the excess will be washed away.

[bunnii]

I either CO or CWC followed by vinegar rinsing I cannot go with just shampoo, my hair tangles and knots and my head itches like crazy. Even my wash before dying where you're supposed to leave out conditioner completely I use a runny conefree one because my head will itch too much to use the dye.

[Manako]

I always condition after washing, too tangly without doing so. I agree with Tabitha, my sulfate-free shampoo I find to be rather drying. If I wash my hair every 5 days it is fine, any closer and I get an ichy scalp. The shampoo recommends that I repeat the shampoo, so I do, but use 1/2 as much as I normally would. I find that it doesn't lather well until I repeat.

I then put conditioner through my entire head, which helps re-moisturize. I oil a bit each evening, focusing on the tips and I think this leaves me with a good hair texture.

[sapphire-o]

I use shampoo bars and almost never use conditioners. Usually a weak ACV rinse, sometimes I forget and it's OK as well. I like my hair with less slip, holds up updos better that way. :) When I was using sulfate shampoo I use very small amount of conditioner on length only.

[BunnyBee]

I've never dared to go without conditioner unless I'm doing an SMT afterward. I don't want to risk the tangles..:o

[spidermom]

I chose sometimes, but really, I can't remember the last time I shampooed without conditioner. I know it has happened, however. Sometimes I will condition-wash and skip the second conditioner. Most times CWC with diluted shampoo does what I need, repeated every 3-4 days. I have been known to wash my hair twice or more times in a day, however. Like the day Buster python released musk into my hair, and I had to wash it three times to get the stink out. Or the days I wash it, then get into some heavy-duty gardening or something else that makes my hair dirty. My motto - wash hair whenever needed. If the ends get dried out and damaged, cut them off. Works for me.

[Tangles]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!

My hair needs conditioning, but heavy conditioners dispersed throughout the length make it slimy and lank on the second day. This is especially true of coney conditioners. What works better for me is to use a sulfate shampoo on scalp only and then V05 OR sulfate shampoo and then heavy conditioner on the very ends ONLY.

[Leisha]

I always shampoo my hair twice or three times in a row :)

I only wash my hair once every 2 weeks or so, and I want my hair to be really (squeaky) clean after I wash it. The shampoo I use is usually Urtekram, so that's quite mild and I would feel like my hair isn't completely clean if I only shampood once.

I do use conditioner afterwards, but only on the lengths (from ear length downwards, I'd say).

On rare occasions, I skip the conditioner, like when I did a heavy oiling or a coconut milk treatment before shampooing. But I almost never do those :)

[Kirin]

Sometimes, but not always. In the summertime my hair hates conditioner, so i only use a dab on the ends after a shower..... if I absolutley -have- to.

[Adrienne]

My hair is very course and curly. If I skipped the Conditioning I would be bald. I Co a lot ( in fact I don't remember the last time I used shampoo it was weeks ago.) and I shampoo whenever I feel the need.

[MadHatter]

I do more scalp washes than anything. I don't condition after a scalp wash (conditioner+scalp= BAD!). I'll do a full wash every week or 2, during which all my hair gets wet, and the length gets doused in conditioner.

[amiaow]

I have been skipping conditioner on occasion- just depends how my hair feels in the shower! Have been using a soap bar for washing and ACV or citric acid rinse. Sometimes I put in a few drops of evening primrose oil when it's wet.

Conditioner was definitely an essential item when I was using liquid shampoo, but now, not so much! I do still like it though :)

[Rae~]

I can never, ever go without conditioning; it feels awful and it would take me hours to get a comb through it afterwards (even without any scrubbing while washing etc).

[soleluna]

I always condition.. otherwise, frizzy mess

[avraea]

I don't use conditioner, but instead I follow my shampoo bar wash with an acidic rinse and then oil the length while my hair is still damp. My hair has never looked or felt better, but I know this definitely doesn't work for everyone.

[starfire]

I've been shampooing without conditioning afterwards lately... it makes my hair shinier. I wash about once or twice a week. I'll condition every once in a while.

I used to CO. I used to S/C... so who knows how long this routine will last.

[mitabird]

I always have to use conditioner. My hair would be a knotty mess without it.

[Buddaphlyy]

I'd go without shampoo for a year before I'd go without conditioner once. It's that serious for my hair. I wash once a week, but mostly because it's getting quite cold where I live and I don't want to walk around shivering all day. When I do wash, I usually lather once with shampoo and then DC with heat.

[Katze]

The other night (mon) I did an SMT (Shampoo just the scalp, SMT all over) and even that was too much conditioning. My hair is already feeling greasy and it's only Wednesday morning...! So, I think washing "deeper" as well as more frequently is the ticket, at least while I'm pregnant.

Oh, and I do only condition from the ears down, but my hair gets buildup and dull regardless.

I really wanted to be able to keep my ends well moisturized and stretch my washes, but it seems my hair is asking for shampoo without conditioner!

[CryssieWillow]

An FYI... I also found out that when I thoroughly wash my hair and not mess with it too much, it stays cleaner for a lot longer.

[teela1978]

I've always been greasy, and despite my best efforts to drag out days between shampoo I find that I need to wash just about every other day. I use pretty dilute shampoo (small squeeze in an old shampoo bottle filled 1/3 with water), and then condition each time. Without the conditioner I'm not sure if I'd ever get all the knots out.

[Monsterkitti]

I have to always condition or my hair feels all dry. I did just shampoo in an effort to stop my oily scalp but it really dried out my lengths and now strangely my scalps calmed down oil production on its own.

I do shampoo twice most washes, my scalp never feels clean the first time, I blame the hard water where I live.

[Leisha]

The other night (mon) I did an SMT (Shampoo just the scalp, SMT all over) and even that was too much conditioning. My hair is already feeling greasy and it's only Wednesday morning...! So, I think washing "deeper" as well as more frequently is the ticket, at least while I'm pregnant.

Oh, and I do only condition from the ears down, but my hair gets buildup and dull regardless.

I really wanted to be able to keep my ends well moisturized and stretch my washes, but it seems my hair is asking for shampoo without conditioner!
Maybe you've tried this already, but what about washing your hair and then putting aloe vera on it afterwards?

It varies per head of hair, probably, but for me, aloe vera is very light but also moisturizing. It makes my hair soft and healthy but not greasy or weighted (sp?) down.

But if washing frequently and without conditioner works for you right now, you should definitely do that! :)

Maybe now and then you can put some oil on it the night before you shampoo, to protect the ends from splitting.

[Arctic]

Maybe you've tried this already, but what about washing your hair and then putting aloe vera on it afterwards?

It varies per head of hair, probably, but for me, aloe vera is very light but also moisturizing. It makes my hair soft and healthy but not greasy or weighted (sp?) down.


I can recommend this too: I have actually applied aloe vera gel on my scalp too lately right after washing and it never makes my hair or scalp greasy (feeling or looking).

For the ends and length, I mix some aloe gel with a drop of oil and apply it gently.

[ClareDee]

This is interesting. I can't give a verdict either way, because firstly I'm not long-haired, and secondly I am still at the stage where I'm only experimenting with stretching washes. I can't say yet whether the stretching has helped or not...

I do know that my scalp is very oily. I mean extremely so. If I wash my hair very early in the day (e.g. 6am) it will be visibly greasy by 10pm that night. There have very occasionally been days (don't tell anyone) when I've washed my hair twice in one day, if I was up early and going out somewhere at night...

This would mostly be without conditioning it. My scalp produces enough oil to compete with any conditioner or coconut on earth, so I don't know whether it really needs it. But having said that, I've never had hair longer than about APL, so I can't speak as a long-hair yet.

The main benefit I get from conditioning regularly now is ease of combing. Maybe that's enough of a reason :)

[Katze]

Maybe you've tried this already, but what about washing your hair and then putting aloe vera on it afterwards?

It varies per head of hair, probably, but for me, aloe vera is very light but also moisturizing. It makes my hair soft and healthy but not greasy or weighted (sp?) down.

But if washing frequently and without conditioner works for you right now, you should definitely do that! :)

Maybe now and then you can put some oil on it the night before you shampoo, to protect the ends from splitting.

Do you mean aloe gel INSTEAD of conditioner? I do use aloe *gel* as a hair gel (was using 100% pure aloe for a while - big mistake as it doesn't hold at all), sometimes mixed with Goth Rosary (ends only) as a leave-in.

I shampoo nights, so sometimes I do oil during the day (if it's a "dirty day" and I have my hair up - I wear my hair down most of the time since updos don't work with my hairtype) but honestly don't notice that much of a difference from oiling. For my hair, oiling has to be very, very light, or it gets weighed down and greasy very easily. Honestly, I'm not entirely sold on oil as being that good...the teeny amount I can use doesn't seem to do much.

I am using conditioner but only every other wash, and washing literally every 2 days! That does seem like a lot, but my hair and scalp feel good, so...!

[Medvssa]

I cannot go without conditioning, my hair (dry, coarse and porous) gets matted. I think this depends a lot on texture, coarseness, and how oily your scalp is.

[JessTheMess]

If I ever went w/o Conditioner, my hair would never forgive me. I put conditioner on the ends (ears down), and use water or a CV bar on the scalp.

[WritingPrincess]

Much of the time I use a shampoo bar and no conditioner, which works fine for me. If the tangles get bad I use a bit of oil.

[Starr]

I have gone without a commercial conditioner, but I can't go without some sort of conditioner (I've used herbs or tea rinses). My curls would turn into dreads if I thought of it.

[Leisha]

Do you mean aloe gel INSTEAD of conditioner? I do use aloe *gel* as a hair gel (was using 100% pure aloe for a while - big mistake as it doesn't hold at all), sometimes mixed with Goth Rosary (ends only) as a leave-in.

I shampoo nights, so sometimes I do oil during the day (if it's a "dirty day" and I have my hair up - I wear my hair down most of the time since updos don't work with my hairtype) but honestly don't notice that much of a difference from oiling. For my hair, oiling has to be very, very light, or it gets weighed down and greasy very easily. Honestly, I'm not entirely sold on oil as being that good...the teeny amount I can use doesn't seem to do much.

I am using conditioner but only every other wash, and washing literally every 2 days! That does seem like a lot, but my hair and scalp feel good, so...!
I mean aloe as a leave-in. I can put loads and loads of aloe on my hair and it just sinks in straight away and makes my hair soft and healthy-feeling :)

[mooglewoo]

I said never go without, but I don't really use commercial conditioners. I usually use a catnip soak, but have been known to use other stuff from time to time.

[TheSpottedCow]

I cannot go without conditioning... I have when it becomes necessary, if I don't have any, but my hairs a mess. However, I have found that washing more is best for me, and sometimes with less "gentle" shampoos. I tried to stretch and CO, and it made the ends nice but I just got sick of constant two tone scalp cleavage over shiny oiled roots in a ponytail.

[Kyamo]

I find that if I do that, my hair looks extra clean and fluffy, but is also staticky, dry, itchy scalp, and annoying. Before I shaved my head, I never used conditioner, and the staticky itchiness of it was part of the reason I shaved my head.

My regular wash method is CO, and my hair would probably look at its best if I COed every other day, but I'm lazy and only do it every 3-4 days and just don't wear it down if its getting oily. I only point this out because I wanted to say I'm going that long between washes because I can without itchy scalp (well, can't if I only use shampoo) and I'm lazy, not because I think its better for my hair or its going to get longer if I don't wash.

[Speckla]

My hair would snap if I shampooed but didn't use a conditioner. It's dry, fine, and very porous.
________
MEDICAL MARIJUANA (http://medicalmarijuanacard.info)

[1nuitblanche]

I voted for sometimes, but not often. Like if it gets wet in fresh water, I might decide that it doesn't need any, or if I'm travelling and only realize that I have no conditioner once I'm hopping into the shower.

[Sarahmoon]

Sometimes, but not often. I went without conditioner more often in the past when I was in a hurry, but now I usually make sure I do it.

[Nanni]

Without conditioner, my hair looks like wool. It is frizzy-frizz-frizz!!! And not to forget, impossible to comb.

[burns_erin]

I sometimes do go without conditioner, it really depends on how it feels. But, I really typically only wash my scalp. i will let a certain amount of the suds flow down my length as i rinse. And soemtimes I will even wash my scalp twice if it seems to need it.

[savi]

Without any conditioning very very rarely. I don't like the scrunch + poof effect it gives me. If I wanted big hair, maybe then..

[TennesseeGirl]

I would never get my hair combed out if I didnt use conditioner. No matter how healthy my hair has been in the past it just doesnt happen.

[Anje]

Well, I normally don't wash without conditioner, unless it's a WO wash (more of a rinse, really), but I just tried it yesterday -- more specifically, I clarified (hair seemed to need it), followed by a catnip rinse.

Not sure if catnip counts as a conditioner or not, but I think I'm going to WO+catnip a few times to let it build up a bit, and see if it does anything for me. As it was, I needed a bit of oil to help things along and minimize the tangles, and my hair is still pretty fluffy.

I think I need something besides shampoo, but whether that's conditioner, oil, sebum, catnip, or glycerin is up for debate.

[Carolyn]

I'd never be able to comb my hair if I didn't use conditioner. The thought scares me. I didn't use conditioner for a while when my hair was shoulder length. I remember it being so much nicer and shinier when I started using it again. I can't recall why I stopped using it for a while. Now I condition each wash and the heavier the better. I also apply it from roots to tips, sometimes adding a heavier conditioner on the ends. My hair eats up conditioner. There is no such thing as too much. I've gone from daily shampoo + conditioner to every 2-3 days using S + C some days and CO most of the time. I think my hair feels cleaner now than it did with daily S + C.

[Katze]

since posting this I have rethought how I treat my hair several times! :) First I started washing more and using more shampoo, since I LOVE my hair light-colored and with body.

Lately, especially because I have been swimming the past weeks, I have been wearing my hair 'dark' - brushed, even oiled, put up (gasp! still can't really deal with how it looks... ;) ) for several days, then I swim and wash and condition (length only, I never condition above the ears). Last week I went 5 days between swims and thus washes, and had dark, sleek(er), shiny(er) hair...and when I washed, soooo soft! I think that might have been the oils...

For my hair washing deeper seems to be the key - using enough shampoo, even shampooing twice or shampooing the length. It seems contradictory, but letting it go a little longer, then washing really thoroughly, is working really well right now...

[Isa-belle]

I just cannot go without conditioning either... My hair looks and feels like straw otherwise shudder:

[dreamhair]

I have always used conditioner after shampoo. I guess I was trained as a kid to do so. Without conditioner, my hair gets super flyaway.

Since I have never really had my hair long, I'm not sure what a difference this makes to you longer hairs.

i also only wash my hair a couple times a week or as needed. Have always done this.

[zen_oven]

I CWC, so I never go without conditioning. I do this twice a week now, and I think my hair is much softer for it. I just use Kimberlily's defrizz spray and jojoba oil in between. My hair likes being misted, which helps get rid of bed head in the morning and keeps it moisturized.

[Ryanne]

I always use conditioner, my hair feels and looks terrible when I don't.

[Eden Iris]

If vinegar rinse followed by coconut oil on drying hair counts as conditioning, then I vote never.

[HeavyHenry]

Okey I can't say I condition my hair very often and the only difference I can see is that my hair goes emm frizzy as for cleanliness its just as clean and healthy as someone who uses conditioner without having to use more chemicals.

[Sissy]

I never go without conditioner!

[dearladydisdain]

I never wash without conditioning. I used to go longer between washes (4-6 days) but my ends really hated it, even when I oiled them. They like to be wet and have conditioner. :P Now I wash about every other day and it appears to be working out well (with conditioner every time).

[CestMadeleine]

I generally wash my hair everyday, unless I don't need to go out anywhere for that day.

My hair is baby fine as well but it's also very oily which is why I shampoo everyday only once. I always condition afterwards even though friends have told me I don't need to because of my natural oils and hair texture but if I don't my hair feels dryer than usual and I don't like it.

[catfish]

I have not used commercial conditioner in 6 months and my hair has never been better.:D

I shampoo about once a week, with a mild, natural shampoo, oil daily and use catnip tea in between washes as a 'CO' style wash.

Works great for me.

[Alia]

I voted always conditioner...the tangles a dreadful without. Katze, when I was pregnant my hair was madly oily, too, and washing more definitely helped. After birth, my hair went back to normal (except a few shades darker and wavier:) ).

[NebraskaChick84]

my hair is thick and slightly wavy, if I don't condition it looks horrible. sometimes I don't wash but I ALWAYS condition.

[jojo]

I tried this last year (no conditioner) and got great results, the secret is to use either your fingers or a shower comb whilst rinsing it, this gets the knots out. I sometimes do this still and have had no ill effects from it, in fact my hair stays up better.

[Isa-belle]

Jojo, I believe this may also depend on the kind of shampoo you use (cones/no-cones/organic), as well as on the hair type and also hair length.
I never used conditioner when my hair was shorter than BSL (and I was using regular supermarket stuff at the time, probably with the occasional cone, although I didn't check all this at the time). After my hair reached mid-back and I switched to organic shampoo, conditioner was essential. :)
I do know a few long-haired ladies who don't need to condition, but either they use non-organic stuff (organic tends to give you fluffier hair), or their hair is ultra smooth to start with :)

[EvaSimone]

I have to have conditioner... my hair is a tangly mess without it. Not to mention super dry!

Even with CV bars and vinegar rinses my hair was very unhappy.

[Cantabile]

Another one for no-conditioning! I use shampoo bars, followed by a vinegar rinse. On occasion, I might add a squirt of conditioner to my ends if I felt they needed the extra moisture, but otherwise, it's just the shampoo bars and vinegar for me.

[longhairedfairy]

I never go without conditioning unless there is no other option!

[hipmama1970]

I use Chagrin Valley bars, and I never condition. I do use a vinegar rinse afterwards, though.

Ditto.

I usually do this every day, but sometimes it's every other day.

[joyjoy]

Without conditioner, my hair is a fluffy, frizzy tangle that can't be combed either wet or dry, without it "catching" -- such that I can feel hairs being pulled from my scalp.

[joyellen]

If I don't condition my hair after shampooing, it becomes a big, frizzy matted mess that's impossible to comb through. shudder:

[Garnetgem]

I always use conditioner from shoulders down its length which is approaching tail bone,but trouble is it seems to give me bad residue so i feel i may well be using way too much and plan to reduce in next wash...

[Arctic]

Awww I miss these old members who have wrote in this thread, and are no longer active :(

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I always only wash once, with diluted shampoo - and always use conditioner. That's just the way my hair likes it. When my hair is happy, I'm happy.

[Pinni]

I have lightened hair so I need conditioner. It would be interesting to try it without.

[tiffycakes]

I use a shampoo bar every three days and no conditioner or vinegar rinse but I don't get any tangles. I do oil the ends after though.

[catasa]

I scalp wash every other day (rather obviously I do not use conditioner then :) ETA: sorry, I realize this is of course not obvious at all in view of CO washing, which I even did myself for quite a while :o but personally no condish or oil gets near my scalp any longer). I wash lengths about once a week and then I use a version of ROO with about six drops of mineral oil spread through lengths, followed by pure honey as conditioner (spread through lengths, allow to sit for a few minutes, rinse). After wash I use a few drops of mineral oil leave-in.

Before starting to scalp wash I did a full wash (i e shampoo on scalp only, rinsed through lengths) every other day, then I used conditioner (or later honey) only once in a while, the other days just the mineral oil leave-in. My hair hates conditioner/gets crazy buildup/is easily over-moisturized, but honey works astonishingly well without buildup for me!

[humble_knight]

Awww I miss these old members who have wrote in this thread, and are no longer active :(

On the other hand, this community is always boosted by newbies and new groups of active users :blossom:

[Frankenstein]

I've never washed my hair without using conditioner. I would imagine that the tangles and dryness would be terrible. :eek:

[MlleMC]

I went for years without using conditioner, and my hair actually looked good.

Now I wash every five days on average, and I'll shampoo and condition once, and shampoo only the next time, but while keeping my ends dry, so they don't get any shampoo. I just find that my ends generally start looking good on the fourth day, so I prefer getting them wet as little as possible.