Alternatives to conditioner?

[lithostoic]

I am someone who NEEDS conditioner. If I skip it even once my hair tangles at the slightest movement. I'm not even able to braid it. I cowash in between shampoos, in which I cwc. So conditioner is very important in my routine.

But no matter what conditioner I use, I always manage to get acne on my back because of it. I try to keep my hair off my back when it's got conditioner but there's really no avoiding it altogether. It's itchy, painful, and ugly. My face doesn't break out nearly as much as my back does and I don'tt have good skin by any means.

Any suggestions as to what I can do instead?

[diddiedaisy]

Could you wash your hair with your head down (forward) in order to avoid it touching your back? I think if it was me I'd try that, then put a shower cap over my clean hair before getting into the shower to avoid any residue running over my back.

[lithostoic]

diddiedaisy No because then the front of my hair wouldn't get wet.

[Anje]

Well, the solution I see a lot is to rinse out the conditioner and otherwise finish the hair steps, then wrap your hair up (shower cap, bun, towel, whatever), and scrub your back with soap before you finish your shower.

I got by for quite a while with vinegar rinses and oiling my hair, when I was doing a modified WO routine. But my length didn't love it long-term. (It might now, as it seems to like oils more now than it did then.)

Some people get slip from things like tea rinses. Catnip is popular. There are also various masks you can make with fruits, oils, etc.

For what it's worth, washing upside-down often works better if you get a handheld shower sprayer, so you can position it as needed. But I generally dislike the process as uncomfortable and tangle-causing, plus it puts my hair down where I could step on it or it tries to go down the drain.

[Hinza]

I am used couple of times mix of water and AVG (Aloe vera gel) 50/50 both + little bit apple cider vinegar. I made it to spray bottle and shake and then sprayed to almost dry hair. I wait about 10 min then start to comb carefully. Sorry my english; Im not 5 years just foreign.

[Anje]

I am used couple of times mix of water and AVG (Aloe vera gel) 50/50 both + little bit apple cider vinegar. I made it to spray bottle and shake and then sprayed to almost dry hair. I wait about 10 min then start to comb carefully. Sorry my english; Im not 5 years just foreign.

Your English is easy to understand! Welcome to our forum. :)

[Chromis]

I haven't tried this with shampoo-shampoo, but I don't use conditioner with my shampoo bars, just an acidic rinse. My hair feels squeaky until I rinse it and then it magically sleeks down like silk. With very hard water or lots of build up you might need to mix a bit of citric acid and vinegar, with softer water, you might be okay with just vinegar. Could not hurt to try for a wash or two since it is likely something you have in the cupboard. I like apple cider vinegar, but you can also use white vinegar (ACV has a darkening effect for some, so people with lighter hair often prefer white vinegar). I have even heard of people using lemon or lime juice, but you might want to read up on a good dilution.

ACV is often touted as being good for acne as well! If it does not work in place of conditioner, you might also just give it a go as a final rinse. When I briefly tried using "normal" products again, I found I had the best results still using an acid rinse and so do many other people locally.

[Hinza]

Thanks, I try to write thorough and slowly checking words sometimes.. hehe

[meteor]

I am someone who NEEDS conditioner. If I skip it even once my hair tangles at the slightest movement. I'm not even able to braid it. I cowash in between shampoos, in which I cwc. So conditioner is very important in my routine.

But no matter what conditioner I use, I always manage to get acne on my back because of it. I try to keep my hair off my back when it's got conditioner but there's really no avoiding it altogether. It's itchy, painful, and ugly. My face doesn't break out nearly as much as my back does and I don'tt have good skin by any means.

Any suggestions as to what I can do instead?

What I do is after washing my scalp (and hair) with shampoo, I wrap a towel/T-shirt around my scalp like a scarf/turban to let that area towel-dry and I put conditioner on length, wrap the length in cling film or plastic bag and get out of the shower. I let conditioner sit like this on length for 10-30 minutes. Then I rinse out only this length (hair hanging forward over bath tub) and by that time, my scalp area is already towel-dried. This saves on washing/drying time a lot, but also allows you to avoid conditioner touching skin.


Alternatively, pre-poo oiling with penetrating oils (e.g. coconut, olive, etc) or honey+oil masks or coconut milk or yogurt-based concoctions as pre-poo treatments, acidic rinses and LOC routines can allow you to reduce the need in conditioning. Leave-in conditioners/oils/serums can be a good alternative for conditioning, if you manage to find products that give the right amount of slip for you.

[diddiedaisy]

I meant using the shower head, with your head tipped forward before you get into the shower. I sometimes shampoo my hair like this if I'm going to do a treatment, you just use your spare hand to swish the water to wet all of your hair. I also rinse out hair dye using this method, I just kneel on the floor and stick my head into the shower cubicle. :)

[catasa]

I also had this problem while I was using regular conditioner, the only solution I found was to wash upside down as has already been suggested, but as noted it is uncomfortable and maybe not even really doable if you don´t have a handheld shower head. Anyway, I don´t use normal conditioner anymore, though the reason is not the acne but simply that my hair doesn´t like it. Currently I use pure honey as conditioner instead, together with a rinse-out oil of mineral oil, and for me it works great (and doesn´t give me acne). Could be worth trying, note though that my hair isn´t really tangle-prone normally, I have no idea if this would give slip enough for tangly hair (though mineral oil is often touted as a really good de-tangling help if I remember correctly).

My routine is this: wash scalp with shampoo, then spread 6 drops of mineral oil through wet lengths in the shower. Add pure honey (I use liquid honey for convenience, about the same amount as I would normal conditioner) on the lengths on top of the oil. Let sit 1-5 minutes, rinse well and continue with another few drops of mineral oil spread through lengths as leave in on wet hair after shower.

I hope you find something that works! :flower:

[Roscata]

I wrote a blog entry about this a long time ago, you may find it useful: Natural alternatives to conditioner. (http://adelinahair.blogspot.com/2012/11/natural-alternatives-to-conditioner.html)

[lapushka]

Maybe wash bent at the waist, leaning over your tub, or at the kitchen sink (I think that might be *the* solution). Or, try replacing the conditioner with an oil, preferably a non comedogenic one. My hair is washed at the sink, and it gets wet very easily all over. Don't knock it till you try it. ;)

[lithostoic]

Thanks you guys. As I mentioned before, washing upside down is not an option. I do not have a handheld showerhead. And I would get yelled at if I used the sink to wash my hair, lol. I'll try some of the suggestions, thank you ^-^

[Adorkable One]

I don't understand how washing your hair with your head down would make it impossible to fully saturate your hair. It's water, the logistics of not being able to saturate your hair doesn't make sense. You can move it around, or hold your hair up, or wet it first, and then flip your hair over. I don't even have a removable shower head, and it's a non issue. I'm not trying to insult you, but I think you need to try again! Lol. ;) Use a cup if you have to. Water is pretty easy to move around.

If it really is somehow impossible, then why not wash your hair first, and then pin it up with a clip, and then wash your body? That way you can wash off any conditioner residue on your back.

[Chromis]

Hmmm, I am not the OP, but I would get super dizzy if I tried to wash my hair hanging upside down like that! I get dizzy sometimes holding standing forward fold too long in yoga even :lol:

[pailin]

You could keep a big clip in the shower, then after rinsing the conditioner the last time, clip your hair up and then wash your back. Also (maybe you've been doing this) you might find that some conditioners are better for you than others, so keep trying different ones.
Also I don't have a big problem with it, but I used to think my conditioner was making my back break out. Then I switched only my shampoo, for other reasons....​Turns out it was actually the shampoo (a heavy moisturizing one), because the breakouts went away. So don't forget to be suspicious of your shampoo too.

[nekosan]

I hang my head to the side when I comb in or rinse out conditioner, and have it up with a claw clip when I'm letting it soak in. I first went to flinging my hair over my shoulder to the front, but then I just got more acne there instead.

I just try very hard not to let my hair with conditioner touch my skin.

It does also help to soap up and rinse off after conditioning - again, the claw clip helps keep hair out of the way.

[turtlelover]

Wash you hair, put it up in a towel, and then wash your body to get rid of the conditioner residue. Get dressed BEFORE you take your hair out of the towel.

[Adorkable One]

Hmmm, I am not the OP, but I would get super dizzy if I tried to wash my hair hanging upside down like that! I get dizzy sometimes holding standing forward fold too long in yoga even :lol:

True. Especially if the OP has super long or thick hair. But, even still, raise slowly, right? Lol.

[blackcats666]

Is there ANY conditioner you've found that doesn't do this? Even if it's no good and not moisurizing enough?
What I would reccomend doing is finding the ingredient that's setting off the acne - it's got to be something that's in the conditioner but not the shampoo/body wash you use. I have sensitive skin and swear by checking cosdna - compare the ingredients from something from works and something that doesn't and filter out the ingredients until you find the culprit.

[nakima]

lately I have been skipping the conditioner and just oiling the ends after my hair dries. I know most people oil while a little damp but my hair seems to like it better dry :shrug: maybe try that and see how it goes???

[lithostoic]

I already clip my conditioner soaked hair in a claw clip but but I have to rinse it out somehow. No matter how I rinse, I still get an acne flare up. I'm about to just stop using conditioner and make my hair suffer out of sheer frustration.

[school of fish]

I already clip my conditioner soaked hair in a claw clip but but I have to rinse it out somehow. No matter how I rinse, I still get an acne flare up. I'm about to just stop using conditioner and make my hair suffer out of sheer frustration.

Could you clip up your hair *after* rinsing out the conditioner and then scrub off any remaining conditioner residue off your back?

I hear you about having hair that needs conditioner - I have that hair too, and oils or leave-ins don't work for me as an alternative. I wish I could offer up a better suggestion...

ETA: just thinking what I would try in your position - I think I'd be giving rinse-out oil a shot. That's literally the only type of oil application my hair will tolerate and if I had to stop using conditioner that's probably what I'd turn to, with a very light touch, 5 drops or less :)

[ElvenEngineer]

You could try an oil-free conditioner, like Free and Clear (I bought it for other reasons and actually had to add oil because my hair really likes its jojoba). You could also do a pre-shampoo detangle/deep condition with your choice of rich conditioner(s), then shampoo carefully, then use oil-free ingredients for the final condition. (And maybe oil the ends afterward if need be, with a shirt or a towel on). Good oil-free ingredients include aloe vera, marshmallow root tea/extract/gel, slippery elm tea/extract/gel, behentrimonium chloride/methylsulfate (though it's usually dissolved in a fatty alcohol, like cetyl, not sure if those are a problem for you), and then panthenol and hydrolyzed protein depending on how you do with those. Make sure the final rinse is mildly acidic -- which aloe would ensure.

Edit: Using a good leave-in might also allow you to get less tangles and use a less rich conditioner in the shower. I would definitely recommend marshmallow, slippery elm, aloe vera and your choice of oil or no oil as a leave in.

[Inga-Marjukka]

ACV-rinses have actually replaced conditioner for me. I sometimes CO-wash but my hair behaves very well even if I just shampoo and ACV.