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edensapples
May 3rd, 2009, 09:10 PM
This may have been asked before, but tonight while I was washing my hair I thought of a technical question to all those who CWC.. and, I guess also those who don't.

CWC stands for Condition Wash Condition, correct me if I'm wrong.

But users who try this method don't actually stop there as the name implies, do they?

In reality, they Condition Wash Condition Wash, right? They don't just leave the conditioner in their hair the second time and go on about with a head full of conditioner.

I think CWCW would be a more fitting name to this method, as that's what is actually done if I'm not mistaken.






Discuss.

Gumball
May 3rd, 2009, 09:18 PM
The "wash" bit usually constitutes a shampooing. Conditioner, then shampoo over it to help lessen the strength of the 'poo, then some nice and good conditioning after. Like condition the length, shampoo the scalp, have the suds wash down and then rinse it all and follow with a full conditioning bit. Adds a bit of protection for some.

edensapples
May 3rd, 2009, 09:28 PM
Oh, I see now. So it's actually Condition Shampoo Condition? CSC?

Roseate
May 3rd, 2009, 09:28 PM
I do CWC, and no, I don't wash twice. I do rinse the second conditioner out with water, but I don't count that as washing. For me it's: put conditioner on my length, shampoo scalp, rinse, put conditioner all over, rinse.

I guess if you wanted to note the rinsing in the acronym it would have to be CWRCR, and that's just too long!

spidermom
May 3rd, 2009, 09:30 PM
It's condition - wash with whatever you choose to use in addition to conditioner, whether it's soap, shampoo, baking soda, whatever - rinse - condition again - rinse. Sometimes I don't rinse the second application of conditioner out. My hair needs all the moisture it can get.

edensapples
May 3rd, 2009, 09:35 PM
Thank you for the input ladies.

Wash seems like a faulty term here to me, since you can "wash" your hair with water, (which would make it CO method instead) or just about anything else you want under the sun, including more.. or a different, conditioner.

chrissy-b
May 3rd, 2009, 09:44 PM
Wash seems like a faulty term here to me, since you can "wash" your hair with water, (which would make it CO method instead) or just about anything else you want under the sun, including more.. or a different, conditioner.

Actually, that would make it WO if you were washing only with water. I think "CWC" is fitting and not at all faulty if you condition first, then wash (with whatever you choose) then follow with a final conditioner. If you're washing with conditioner then that would be CO and you can always follow that CO with a final conditioner and still consider it CO.

Carolyn
May 3rd, 2009, 09:52 PM
Way back when Martine, coined the phrase, the "wash" part of CWC was meant to be some kind of a shampooing. Many of us do a scalp wash with diluted shampoo after coating the length with conditioner. That is all rinsed out and then a second conditioner is applied. I'm one who can't get enough conditioner so this works well for me.

Carina
May 3rd, 2009, 11:18 PM
When I CWC I only use my schampo once.I apply conditioner to my ponytail and wash my scalp with schampo.After that I rinse and then apply my second conditioner.That is how I do my CWC.Good luck to you!

edensapples
May 3rd, 2009, 11:48 PM
Actually, that would make it WO if you were washing only with water. I think "CWC" is fitting and not at all faulty if you condition first, then wash (with whatever you choose) then follow with a final conditioner. If you're washing with conditioner then that would be CO and you can always follow that CO with a final conditioner and still consider it CO.


I think there is a valid point to be made about the language used here. What if I use conditioner, then "wash" it with a conditioner + shampoo.. then condition. I am actually "conditioning" my hair in all three steps, by your thinking.

In my opinion "moisturize, clarify, (or something similar) moisturize" would better describe, and also create a bigger umbrella for "washing" agents to fall under. (soapnuts? do they condition, wash or both?)

Does one not "wash" their hair after a henna application? They may not use shampoo, they may not use conditioner for that matter, but it is washing. I'm not saying that this would be CWC, only that the language leaves room for misunderstanding.

It may not change a thing, but I am of this opinion.

zombi
May 3rd, 2009, 11:57 PM
Well... I always assuming CWC means conditioner, then shampoo, and then conditioner again, all rinsed out with water. I never would have thought otherwise? Now this thread is making it more confusing!!

edensapples
May 4th, 2009, 12:03 AM
I'm sorry you're confused. Sometimes things tend to get a little muddier with questions before becoming clearer with the right answers. :flowers:

Carolyn
May 4th, 2009, 12:08 AM
I think there is a valid point to be made about the language used here. What if I use conditioner, then "wash" it with a conditioner + shampoo.. then condition. I am actually "conditioning" my hair in all three steps, by your thinking.

In my opinion "moisturize, clarify, (or something similar) moisturize" would better describe, and also create a bigger umbrella for "washing" agents to fall under. (soapnuts? do they condition, wash or both?)
I am probably nit picking about language here but while "clarifying" is often done with shampoo, not all shampoos are clarifying. I would hesitate to use terminology that would confuse new members who are not clear on exactly what constitutes a clarifying wash or clarifying product. IMO a true clarifying wash would not be needed each wash time. Way back when CWC was first discussed, the washing was a simple scalp washing with the suds running down the conditioner coated length.

edensapples
May 4th, 2009, 12:32 AM
I agree that "clarify" might not be the right word, I did put (or something similar) next to the term.

Niphredil
May 4th, 2009, 01:41 AM
Well to me, washing is washing (with whatever product you like), and rinsing is rinsing (not applying product, but removing it). For me there is a clear difference between them, but that might be influenced by my native language. I looked both terms up in an English dictionary and they are said to be synonyms. I don't think they are in Dutch.

In CWC, the conditioners are not used for washing but for conditioning purposes. If you CO, you also use conditioner for washing, instead of just for conditioning purposes. Technically, if you put a conditioning conditioner on the length, than wash the scalp with a different conditioner and than rinse it all, following with another conditioning conditioner, you would be CWC-ing using just conditioner. But we like to call that CO (conditioner only - as you only use conditioner) and there are all sorts of different ways to do that, not just what I described above. Therefore, CWC is a term that applies to cleaning your scalp hair with a separate cleaning agent (detergent or other) while protecting and conditioning the length.

WO doesn't actually mean washing to me as you only rinse your hair. You are not so much removing product though, but dirt and sebum.

To summarize, CWC uses 2 different products - a conditioning agent and a cleansing agent - while CO uses just a single product ( even though one might use different brands or types in a single wash). Using two different letters for a method that uses different products does make sense to me.

Besides (but that is a non-argument), the term has been around for a long while now and changing it doesn't help with clarity either. :cheese:

Dientje
May 4th, 2009, 02:05 AM
Might be due to my native language, which is also Dutch, but I completely agree with Niphedril about the difference between a wash and a rinse. In my opinion they are two distinct things. A wash is using a product to clean something, and a rinse is just using water to remove product, dirt, dust, sebum etc. So after a henna application, I rinse my hair. I might also wash it if I would choose to, but I need to rinse it to get the henna out.

If you would apply conditioner to the lenght, then apply another conditioner to wash your hair, rinse it, and apply new conditioner to condition the length, you are just doing CO in my opinion, since you are using conditioner only.

There might be a fine line between CO and CWC. Some washing products have conditioning properties, so you could justify that it is not a washing agent, but a conditioner, and therefore it is CO. On the other hand, one could also argue that when you use conditioner to wash, it is a washing agent and thus CO = CWC. Still, I think it would be best to keep to the old defintions, that CWC uses a separate washing step and conditioner to first protect, and in the second C, condition the lenght. CO only uses conditioner, and while you might choose to use different conditioners for the scalp and length, this is not necessary.

FallenAngel
May 4th, 2009, 02:19 AM
For me as a newbie it was easy to understand the CWC procedure. Now I'm on CO, and that is equally easy for me to understand.

The difference between the two is also quite clear to me.

Is it so that the more you know about something, the more you tend to complicate it?

WHEN you know a lot about washes, hair etc, you do your own routine and call it what ever you want to, not caring so much about what others call it. YOU know what you are doing. :-)

chrissy-b
May 4th, 2009, 09:00 AM
I think there is a valid point to be made about the language used here. What if I use conditioner, then "wash" it with a conditioner + shampoo.. then condition. I am actually "conditioning" my hair in all three steps, by your thinking.

If you're washing it in the second step (because you're adding shampoo to your conditioner) it would still be CWC.

I think you're making this more complicated and confusing than it needs to be. I agree with FallenAngel: call it whatever you want. If it suits you to call it CCC or CRWRCR or MWM great! Just don't be surprised if you use that terminology on the boards and others don't understand because they're used to the standards of what we use here. :)

Heavenly Locks
May 4th, 2009, 09:06 AM
CWC to me (as a newbie) means = wet, condition, rinse, wash with shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse.

WCRSRCR seems kind of long though ;)

I agree, though, that the word 'wash' can have many meanings here. I am now a COer and I just say 'wash' my hair even though I don't use any shampoo.