CO only - dilute?

[goatgurl]

I have been CO'ing for about 2 weeks, maybe 3. I've done it about 4 times so far. This last time my hair looked greasy when it dried. Can I dilute the conditioner? I have been using Suave, but recently got some White Rain to try. Or maybe does my hair just like cones? I guess I could go back to shampoo and conditioner and make sure I use a clarifying shampoo occasionally.
Any other suggestions would be good.

[amaiaisabella]

I have found the longer I leave on the conditioner, the less greasy my hair is when I wash out. It's different with each conditioner though- Vo5 left me greasy, but Kiss my Face leaves my hair soft and smooth!

Maybe those conditioners are too heavy for your hair? Experiment with others to see what suits your hair the best.

[Riot Crrl]

It might be adjustment phase. Or, the conditioner in question.

Do you apply it dry? I only apply it to wet hair, so I guess that counts as dilution.

[teela1978]

I used to dilute my CO a lot. It seemed to spread better and get my whole scalp. I stopped when I moved. Hard water and CO don't seem to mix very well.

You might try a bit of gentle agitation too. Massage the CO into your scalp a bit right after putting it on, let it set while you do the rest of your shower, then add a little more water and massage again. That also helped get more oil out of my head (I'm a greasy girl).

I don't think it's an issue with your hair liking/not liking cones, that usually results in tangles rather than greasies :)

[missy60]

You have got some great advice. The only thing else I can think to add is did you make sure to rinse really well? I have heard people say to rinse until you think it out then rinse some more. Is there anything you did different the last time that might help you solve your problem.

[Faepirate]

Having only tried this successfully for one week so far, and I suppose it's still possible it could go wrong, so I might not count..! But I wanted to add my thoughts anyway :) -

When I do it I put LOTS AND LOTS of conditioner on my roots (damp hair i.e. water squeezed out) - much more than I would have ever applied of shampoo - and I massage with my fingertips until it's a bit suddy. I then twist it up on the top of my head, pop on a showercap and leave the conditioner to sit at least half an hour while I do something else. When I get back in the shower, I massage again, adding a bit of water, and I rinse in sections to make sure it's all washed off. I've discovered that you can't half-arse a CO! :)

- What I've found is that my hair looks and feels far cleaner when it dries that than when I wash with shampoo. (Shampoo, even followed by the most moisturising of conditioners, tends to give my hair a slight stickiness, and my crown roots always got greasy within a couple of days...)

I also love the feeling of having a sea of conditioner on my scalp :D It's soooooo cold and silky and mmmmmmmm. I love it. CO wash is much more fun for me because it feels lovely both during and after the wash.

The first time I ever tried CO, I used a conditioner that was too heavy, and I didn't leave it to sit for long enough, and I also didn't use enough and ALSO I think I rather rushed the second massage and final rinse. So it didn't really work well at all. My hair was still greasy in several places, and it was all a bit gross really!

If you liked the results you were getting with shampoo followed by conditioner, then by all means go back to that! CO is definitely not something that seems to work nicely for everyone. There are plenty of people here at LHC who avoid it like the plague because their hair or scalp didn't like it.

If you want to continue trying CO, though, like the others in this thread already said I would just suggest maybe experimenting with:

1. different types of condish
2. how long you leave it on for

and really concentrating on massaging it over your roots, especially the parts of your hair/scalp that are more prone to greasiness.


Is it at all possible it is some sort of buildup on your hair rather than actual greasiness..? Maybe your conditioner is depositing something on your hair even if it isn't cones?

[sibylla]

Apply vinegar. That way it works up a lather. I let the condish and vinegar work together for about 5 min then rinse.

[intothemist1999]

Apply vinegar. That way it works up a lather. I let the condish and vinegar work together for about 5 min then rinse.

Thanks, sibylla! I never heard that tip before, I don't think!

Could you describe how you apply it, and is it diluted (like a vinegar rinse?)



- What I've found is that my hair looks and feels far cleaner when it dries that than when I wash with shampoo.

If you want to continue trying CO, though, like the others in this thread already said I would just suggest maybe experimenting with:

1. different types of condish
2. how long you leave it on for

and really concentrating on massaging it over your roots, especially the parts of your hair/scalp that are more prone to greasiness.



I agree with all Faepirate's points! Leave it on a while, experiment till you find the best conditioner for you, and rinse, rinse, rinse.

My hair looks super-shiny with the CO method. Once I found the right conditioner my scalp hair wasn't greasy once it dried, but after a few such washes would get greasy looking after one day (or sometimes scalp itchies, depending on the conditioner), and I really DON"T want to be washing it daily.

I look forward to the info on adding vinegar to it, and maybe that will help the next-day oiliness.

Come to think of it...I don't think I've even tried CO followed by a vinegar rinse. I wonder if that would help.


.

[starsaphire]

You know, I had "the greasies" with White Rain. I'd been using VO5 Tea Therapy but my store didn't have it, and the White Rain was on sale. When I got to the end of the bottle my hair was just not getting clean, and I was despairing of CO ever working for me.

Next time at the store I picked up a bottle of what I thought was White Rain Tropical Coconut, turned out to be Suave Tropical Coconut (they look a LOT alike) and after using the Suave, the light bulb went on.

Oh! THAT was what everyone was talking about! :!:

I used up my Suave and am now back to the VO5 but I probably won't use White Rain again except in an SMT. I loooved the scent but the greasies just weren't working for me.

- starsaphire

[sibylla]

intothemist1999

Well I first apply condish all over my hair (usually I have slept with coconut oil in my hair the night before). Then I lean forward in the shower and pour from the AV bottle on to the lengths and take a hand full of AV and try to apply it to the scalp. The AV makes a lather that I try to rubb as well as I can on all of my hair (try to do this with eyes closed..or else....yawoouii..).Then I make a bun on the top of my hair-letting the mix in my hair for as long as it takes to take a shower. Then I rinse the condish+AV out.Voila!!

[intothemist1999]

intothemist1999

Well I first apply condish all over my hair (usually I have slept with coconut oil in my hair the night before). Then I lean forward in the shower and pour from the AV bottle on to the lengths and take a hand full of AV and try to apply it to the scalp. The AV makes a lather that I try to rubb as well as I can on all of my hair (try to do this with eyes closed..or else....yawoouii..).Then I make a bun on the top of my hair-letting the mix in my hair for as long as it takes to take a shower. Then I rinse the condish+AV out.Voila!!


Thank you for that info!! Since you are pouring from the bottle I'm assuming it's not diluted.

Maybe you don't have oily hair to begin with, but if you do, do you find the addition of vinegar helps?

Thanks again!

[sibylla]

intothemist1999

I use a nondiluted AV. I don´t get oily hair because I don´t use schampoo. Two days after CO-day a do Snowys finger technique to distribute the little sebum that has been produced on to the length (I do a massage at the same time). That way you can´t really say that my hair gets oily. When I feel that my hair needs more volume I do my coconut over night and CO+ACV in the morning and around around it goes...The ACV keeps dandruff away and makes the hair super shiny!
Hope I managed to explain.

[amaiaisabella]

So is diluting a good idea? I have a great conditioner for CO but I'm going through it too fast so I'm wondering if diluting it might make it last longer. Would it decrease the power of the conditioner and not clean as well?

[intothemist1999]

So is diluting a good idea? I have a great conditioner for CO but I'm going through it too fast so I'm wondering if diluting it might make it last longer. Would it decrease the power of the conditioner and not clean as well?


I go through alot of it, too, when I CO. The conditioner that had worked best for me was a bit pricey -- too costly to use it long term, so diluting is something I think I should try with that one.

L.

[amaiaisabella]

I'm not sure if diluting would decrease the power of the conditioner, though. Does anyone know for sure?

[Emme76]

Question.....
Do you apply the conditioner into dry hair...and then pour the AV over your hair? Or do you use it on already wet hair???????
THANK`S :D
/Emme

[Ursula]

Diluting may or may not help. If you dilute, you probably only want to dilute slightly (say, 3 parts conditioner to 1 part water, thinning it just enough so it spreads easily) rather than diluting a lot the way you might dilute shampoo.

Do your think the greasies are from the natural oil of your scalp not being washed away, or do you think they are from conditioner being left behind?

If you think it is scalp oil, you probably want to use more conditioner, especially on your head. CO works by having the emulsifying agents in the conditioner picking up the oils and dirt, and it generally takes a lot of conditioner. Your hair should feel slimy, and not just on top, but all the way through, when you reach behind your head and run your fingers against your scalp. It can be quit shocking how much conditioner it takes to CO wash - I can use a cup or more.

If it is conditioner residue, you want to rinse more thoroughly. As others have said, it can be surprising how much rinsing it takes to get a CO wash rinsed. I've found that it is essentiall to comb my hair as I rinse, since this seprates the hair and lets the water penetrate the thickness. Otherwise, just the canopy gets rinsed, and the rest of my head stays dirty. A very wide tooth comb, such as a Conair shower comb (3 tines per inch) works best. It also helps to part the hair as if making two braids, and rinse each side separately.

[intothemist1999]

After hearing so much about it on TLHC, I finally stumbled across White Rain products while shopping today! I've never seen it before! No wonder, they had it up on the top of the 6' shelf! I guess they don't want us to see the inexpensive stuff!! :steam

I just used it and it was lovely to use, and this is the nicest my hair has felt after washing (it's still pretty damp).

I really like that it was a "thinner" formulation compared to others I've tried. At the same time, it made my hair nice and slippery in the shower.

I was wondering if anyone dilutes this. It's pretty thin already.

.