How do you CO?

[jezebel17]

I tried to run a search but nothing comes up.I have read alot about CO washes, but nothing about the actual steps.How do you CO?

[AJoifulNoise]

Here's how I do it:

Apply conditioner

Finger comb

Scrub the scalp area

Finger comb

Braid

Go about the rest of my shower business (takes about 5 minutes, if that)

Rinse with warm water then cold water

[GlennaGirl]

My method is slightly different from the way I originally read about it (ugh! I hear the sirens...the Grammar Police are coming, and I FULLY deserve it for that one), but I'll post it here because it works so beautifully for me:

1. Buy a cheap conditioner WITHOUT protein. No "milks", "silks" or anything of that sort. Protein, I find, weighs the hair down. (Not everyone will have this reaction, so experiment.) VO5 is always good, and so are various Suave varieties.

2. Pour some conditioner in a cup--maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons for my length hair--and then add water little by little, stirring until it's about as thin as a shampoo would be.

3. Pour it on wet hair, massage into the scalp gently to loosen stuff there (eew! I know, I know), plop it all on top of the head and put a towel over the whole thing.

4. Go about your business for 30 minutes.

5. Rinse out THOROUGHLY, then use more conditioner just on the ends (cheap or cone-ey, it's up to you and what kind of a hair day you're having).

This is the best method for me. Not greasy at all, very clean and very soft.

[Addy]

Wet hair.
Apply conditioner.
Scrub scalp.
Add more to length & ends.
Let sit while I wash up.
Rinse.

:D

[Copasetic]

To wash my hair, I apply a thin conditioner to the roots and scalp, then I sort of massage it in like I would with shampoo. Then I rinse it out and condition the length with a Suave conditioner.

[Peter]

I use 2 big blobs of conditioner on my scalp and then comb my roots. After a few minutes I wash it out and comb from the roots all the way down to the ends. I don't put anything on my length or ends while washing.

[Dvips]

I wet my hair, apply a handful of conditioner (for whatever reason, thicker conditioners work better for me than thinner ones), apply to scalp and run down length, rub scalp a bit, wait a few minutes (3-10 depending on how long I shower), rub scalp some more, rinse, and repeat.

My hair needs what I call CO-C... CO twice in a row, basically.

[curls2grow]

Wet hair.
Apply conditioner.
Scrub scalp.
Add more to length & ends.
Let sit while I wash up.
Rinse.

:D Same for me. I use a lot of conditioner even though my hair isn't very long. But it's dry, so I use a lot. I also find that if I don't have enough conditioner in my hair, I get too much friction when I do scalp massage and that results in breakage.

[jezebel17]

Does the condish have to stay in my hair for a long time to work, because I can't wash my body while I wait, then rinse my hair.I hate the slimmy feeling of condish running down my body and the residue it leaves on my skin if I dont soap up afterwards.Plus I get really bad bacne, and I found that my bacne decreased after I started washing/conditioning/rinsing my hair before I wash my body.

[Roseate]

Does the condish have to stay in my hair for a long time to work, because I can't wash my body while I wait, then rinse my hair.I hate the slimmy feeling of condish running down my body and the residue it leaves on my skin if I dont soap up afterwards.Plus I get really bad bacne, and I found that my bacne decreased after I started washing/conditioning/rinsing my hair before I wash my body.

It does help for it to sit in your hair for a while. I put mine in a shower cap while I wash the rest of me so it doesn't trickle down my back, then rinse it out by bending over and sticking my head under the shower so the conditioner-y water goes down the drain, not on me.

[Peter]

Does the condish have to stay in my hair for a long time to work, because I can't wash my body while I wait, then rinse my hair.I hate the slimmy feeling of condish running down my body and the residue it leaves on my skin if I dont soap up afterwards.Plus I get really bad bacne, and I found that my bacne decreased after I started washing/conditioning/rinsing my hair before I wash my body.
For me, I only put conditioner on my scalp so nothing trickles down. I don't know if you've ever not used conditioner on the length/ends, but if you're not using shampoo, maybe it's worth a try?

[jezebel17]

Thanks for the replies. I'm soo excited to try my first co wash.

[FallenAngel]

Wet hair.
Apply conditioner.
Scrub scalp.
Add more to length & ends.
Let sit while I wash up.
Rinse.

:D

That how I do it as well. Sometimes I rinse after scrubbing my scalp, and then add more CO after that.

[Fluke]

I mostly CO, but I don't find that I have to let it sit as long as most instructions say.

I wet my hair, goop it up with cone free condish (BTW, after quitting the cones I no longer have back acne) do the rest of my body and then just splosh some water on my hair, not rinsing just adding a bit of water, and then quickly massage it a bit, this will actually make the conditioner lather, at least mine does. Then I rinse it out completely.

In all I guess I don't leave it on for more than a couple of minutes, if even that long, and this gets my hair perfectly clean.

What others have to do to get their hair clean will depend heavily on hair type and their conditioner :)

[Dvips]

jezebel17, if you find that you need the conditioner to be on your scalp for a while, what some people do is to apply the conditioner to their dry hair however long is needed before getting into the shower and just covering the hair with a shower cap until they are ready to get in the shower and rinse it out.

HTH!

[jezebel17]

Thanks for the great advice everyone! I still havn't started my Co because Im still looking for a cone free condish.I bought Vo5 split ends because it's all I found at the discount store, but I havn't heard anything good about this condish.

[Carina]

When I co I do pretty much the same as the others here already have told you.1)wet my hair 2)remove excess water 3)apply conditioner to my ponytail first then the scalp 4)massage my scalp for a few minutes with my fingertips 5)Rinse. 6)Apply a conditioner with cones only on my ponytail.7)Rinse. :cheese:.That is my way.I hope that you will have a great time finding out what your hair likes :joy:.

[intothemist1999]

My routine:

-wet hair
-apply conditioner (either a cheap, thin one, or a thicker one that's been diluted)...ALOT of it - to the scalp until it feels throughly covered in it, then the ends....as much as it takes to feel really coated and I can easily finger comb it. Rub it all in.
-do my shower stuff
-add a few handfuls of water to my head and "lather" it up and finger wash the scalp and gently rub the length
-rinse ALOT, especially the scalp, and rinse the length by finger combing with the water running over it.

I usually wash my back once I have it up in a towel because sometimes my skin can act up if there's been conditioner than didn't get rinsed off well.

[Flaxen]

Also, be sure to check out the Articles Section. Here's a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=18) to the CO Wash article. :grin:

[Heavenly Locks]

For myself -

step into shower, wet body and hair. Cover hair in conditioner, twist and clip up hair.

finish showering, wash self...shave etc.

let down hair, scrub/massage with fingers.

Rinse

:D

In all I spend about 20 minutes I think.

ETA: I have VO5 sun kissed raspberry, Suave Coconut, Suave Apple and Suave Cucumber Melon that I use.

[JamieLeigh]

My favorite so far is the Suave Naturals tropical coconut. I apply it to my scalp and entire length, before stepping into the shower and while my hair is still dry. Luckily mine is long enough to wrap around my head and stay there during my shower, lol. If it's not, you could use a showercap to make sure it stays out of the way if you intend to let it sit while you wash your body. Then after about ten minutes I rinse it out, making sure I massage it completely out of my scalp area (to be sure I don't leave greasy spots!) and down my length. I don't apply any other conditioners afterward, that does it for me! :)

[jezebel17]

Ok so I have done 2 CO washes with my Vo5 split ends since my last post, and I have to admit I love the way my hair feels and looks.It's so moisturized and soft.I have 3b curls and my curls "clump" together more nicely without the frizz in between each curl.Plus I was amazed at how clean my hair actually felt after the CO wash.I do have two concerns though. First thing is that I noticed I shed alot of hair during both CO washes.I really can't tell if Im just over reacting, or maybe I was just due for a big shed. Has anyone else had increase shedding during CO washes? Secondly I noticed that my scalp started to smell the day after my washes. Not really a bad ordor, but a scalpy smell if that makes sense.I feel really self conscious about it because my bf loves smelling my hair, and I never had a smell problem using shampoo. [/FONT]

[GlassEyes]

I do it differently as well.

1. Apply conditioner ALL OVER.
2. Scrub.
3. Rinse.
4. Condition all over once more. (lots of conditioner)
5. Comb.
6. Rinse, unless too lazy to apply more as a leave-in, then walk out of shower. XD;

[GlassEyes]

Ok so I have done 2 CO washes with my Vo5 split ends since my last post, and I have to admit I love the way my hair feels and looks.It's so moisturized and soft.I have 3b curls and my curls "clump" together more nicely without the frizz in between each curl.Plus I was amazed at how clean my hair actually felt after the CO wash.I do have two concerns though. First thing is that I noticed I shed alot of hair during both CO washes.I really can't tell if Im just over reacting, or maybe I was just due for a big shed. Has anyone else had increase shedding during CO washes? Secondly I noticed that my scalp started to smell the day after my washes. Not really a bad ordor, but a scalpy smell if that makes sense.I feel really self conscious about it because my bf loves smelling my hair, and I never had a smell problem using shampoo. [/font]


I noticed that I started shedding more when I first started CO. I think that it's mostly your scalp getting used to the absence of shampoo during a wash so it sort of freaks out. Give it maybe two weeks or so to adjust, and then if you're still shedding, you might consider CWC, which is conditioner, wash (shampoo), condition.

The smell probably results from the same thing; scalp not adjusting. I never noticed it, but then again, I CO everyday. It could also be that you didn't scrub enough, so there may be excess sebum still lingering in the scalp. Try scrubbing more thoroughly next time and subsequently, again give it a couple of weeks, and then decide. :D

I will mention, however, that some don't have success with CO, and did have a lot of shedding with it. Spidermom comes to mind, though I can't remember the names of others. Since you have 3b hair though, I'd still give it some time. It works wonders for mine. xD I have fuzz without it.

[Carolyn]

I use 2 different types of CO washes.

1. Long CO Soak - I apply the CO conditioner to dry hair. Saturate it well. I use about 1/4 bottle of conditioner. I cover my conditioner laden hair with a plastic cap and a Turbie hair towel and leave it on at least an hour. Usually longer. Get in the tub, rinse and apple a second heavier conditioner. Rinse again.

2. Quickie CO - get in the tub and wet hair. Gob on the CO conditioner. Massage scalp with fingertips. Rinse well. Apply a second heavy conditioner and rinse again.

I do the Quickie CO when I don't have time for a long CO soak.

[jezebel17]

Ok so I will stick to the CO because I really like the way my hair feels.Hopefully my scalp can adjust to it and stop the smell.I do have to say though that CO washes waste alot of conditioner! It almost breaks my heart to be so wasteful.Thank God Vo5 is only $1.

[Carolyn]

Ok so I will stick to the CO because I really like the way my hair feels.Hopefully my scalp can adjust to it and stop the smell.I do have to say though that CO washes waste alot of conditioner! It almost breaks my heart to be so wasteful.Thank God Vo5 is only $1.It's not wasteful if it's doing the job you want it to do. Luckily the conditioners most of us favor are the cheapies, VO5, WR and Suave. If you use 1/4 of the bottle per wash that's only 25 cents worth of conditioner. My hair is certainly worth that :D

[jezebel17]

When you put it that way I dont feels so bad ;)

[Tap Dancer]

I wet my hair and squirt a huge blob of conditioner into my hand. I put that on my hair. (I do it 3-4 times.) Then I massage all that conditioner into my scalp. After about a minute, I rinse just the bottom of my hair, from about my chin to the ends. I apply a heavier conditioner there. I leave my hair alone for about 5 minutes or so before I rinse everything out. And that's it. :)

[ChloeDharma]

I find that conditioner on the scalp can cause big sheds too, which is why herb washing is my favourite way to wash hair but sometimes i'm in too much of a rush and have to CO wash.
When i do CO wash i use Original Source Coconut and Almond conditioner usually, i wet my hair, smother my length in conditioner so that it makes finger-combing my hair easier and keep applying until everywhere is covered in it. Then massage my scalp, put my hair in a high bun and leave it while i do the rest of my showery things. Sometimes i do a second conditioning on my length with a coney conditioner if i want it to be extra slippery/shiney that day....but really not often and never 2 washes in a row.

For the scalp smell you could try an ACV rinse, i usuallyadd some essential oils to the vinegar in the jar before adding the water and really work it into my scalp. The vinegar smell goes once the hair is dry then all i can really smell is essential oils.

ETA Some people do find that putting conditioner on the scalp increases shedding. Ktani mentioned in a thread that the problem is often worse with conditioners designed for dry/damaged hair, but i can't remember what thread that was in now