co washing - color safe?

[impishglee]

I started co washing my hair at the beginning of the year after hearing everyone's great experiences with the technique. I was satisfied with the results (though honestly I think I was more influenced by the "I wash with conditioner just because I can" factor).

Last week I colored my hair darker to more closely match my natural color. After having spent such a pretty penny for the process, I wasn't in a hurry for the color to wash away.

My stylist mentioned that pH balance (or lack thereof) in a shampoo could cause color fading. That made me wonder what the effect of co washing might have on color treated hair.

In the meantime, I started using Redken Color Extend just to be on the safe side. But I'm curious if anyone out there with color treated hair co washes, and what effect (if any) it has on their color?

[intothemist1999]

I don't have coloured hair, but I do CO. I would have thought conditioner would be *more* gentle on the hair/colour, so I think it would be ok. I have no first hand experience, though.

Oh, for what it's worth, I DID use a temporary colour last year ("Vegetal"). It hung on a very long time in spite of being "temp" but I read here recently that temp colours rarely ARE! lol I'm not sure if I still have any of it in or not, because I think some of the colour that still remains might be from a Sun-In treatment I did before joining LHC.

[impishglee]

Thanks intothemist1999. I was thinking along the same lines, i.e. that conditioner should be more gentler. But then I had a moment of doubt and ran for the shampoo lol. So I was just curious if anyone had experience with the issue.

Also, when I was co washing, I noticed I'd get some flakiness (buildup?) sometimes. It didn't really show when my hair was highlighted, but I'm worried with the darker color it would be more apparent.

Then again, maybe I was overdoing it on the conditioner and that's why I was getting flakes.

[impishglee]

So no comments on pH levels in conditioners?

[Carolyn]

So no comments on pH levels in conditioners?I don't know anything about ph levels. But I color my hair and have been CO'ing for several years with no problem. I use either VO5 or WR conditioners for CO.