Can you CO your hair too much ?

[slim_red]

Hi !

I am new to the forums, and have a read and learned a lot. Everyone seem so nice here:eek:

I have a question. Can you CO your hair too much ?

I have very thick, dry hair shoulder length. In the past I would wash my hair with shampoo about 3x a week, now I started CO washing. The thing is since it is conditioner(without cones), is it OK to do it 5x a week ? Would this make my hair even more dry ?

[Reptilia]

I'm not sure why you would need to, but it can't hurt!

[Fractalsofhair]

It shouldn't make your hair drier if you're using a rich enough conditioner. You may not need to CO that much though! If you were using cones in the past, your hair may temporarily feel drier. This is where a hot oil treatment is your friend!

[spidermom]

It was definitely possible in my case. The more times I CO, the more limp, dull, and awful my hair becomes. I do better with CWC using diluted shampoo. I do CO or just a rinse between times. (I have to do something with my hair nearly every day because I work out and sweat a lot.)

[GlassEyes]

Depends. I CO everyday because my hair loses moisture like crazy overnight. ):

And CO has never made my hair drier, unless I'm using a horrible conditioner. Like Burt's Bees Shiny Grapefruit crud.

[Carolyn]

If you think you need to wash (CO) that often I don't know why you couldn't. I'll sometimes CO wash on consecutive days with no adverse effects. I use cone free, moisturizing conditioners most of the time.

[rogue_psyche]

You clarified after going conefree? If you still have cone buildup your hair may not be letting enough moisture in.

Either way, you may want to try weekly moisture treatments if you have dry hair.

As too whether you can CO wash too much? Maybe. I think this could vary a lot person to person. If your hair is okay with it, then I doubt you need to worry so much. You can always wash out conditioner build up if it becomes a problem.

[RavennaNight]

*lays cards on table* I am a conehead.

That said, I experimented with cone conditioners and CO recently and can honestly NOT reccomend it. I would try CO with conefree stuff like VO5. That is what I use to CO inbetween shampoo & CONEditioner washes.

Can you do it too much? Depends on your hair. Experiment with it and see!

[SeaShell]

I was going to post this same question! I just began CO and have been washing my hair every day or every other day to revive the curl...so far my hair has been much softer and shinier, I use mane and tail, I'm not sure if that has any cones?

[JamieLeigh]

Mine actually works better the less I wash it per week. I think my maximum is twice a week, otherwise my hair looks limp and greasy. :(

[jivete]

I would think if you watch the temperature of your water, it shouldn't be so bad. That being said, I do think the wet/dry cycle is somewhat damaging. After all, it can be damaging for other materials like concrete or wood, I would think it might not be great for our hair either. But that's just a theory.

Wait, maybe that's the freeze/thaw cycle that's damaging...:hmm:

[CavyQueen]

Hi! Yes, if your conditioner has protein in it you can CO too much. Too much protein can make your hair more dry and brittle. So read the label on your conditioner to see if it has proteins and how many.

[Lamb]

There is such a thing as overconditioned hair. But, as other things, it all depends on what your hair likes or dislikes - see Ursula's Standard Newbie Advice in the "articles" section. Go with one routine for two weeks, see how your hair does with it, and evaluate.

[Flynn]

I don't know, but I do know you can over-moisturise your hair, which can weaken it. If you give this a shot, and your hair ends up feeling stretchy and kind of "squishy", you've probably over-moisturised. You should be able to remedy it with a protein soak (e.g. coconut milk). Really, though, I don't see why you would want to wash so often when you've been getting away with less...

[Adrienne]

Hair is Super Dry, Super Course, Super Curly, Hair Loves Co Every Day.

[lonestargal]

I'm new to the whole CO thing but I have been CO everyday during the week and then doing a shampoo/condition on Saturday then nothing on Sunday. So far my hair seems just fine, I've been doing this for 3 weeks now. I've been alternating between Suave and VO5. I have found that if I try and skip a day with CO my hair is very greasy and limp looking. I don't know if that's still the transistion period you all talk about and I just need to deal for a while or if I'm not rinsing well enough or the wrong conditioner??!! Who knows but as far as CO everyday my hair seems just fine with it right now

[Honey39]

I CO-wash my hair every day, and have done for about 15 months. My hair loves it, no ill effects whatsoever. I shampoo it every 6-8 weeks if it gets a bit limp looking, but haven't shampooed since my last hairdressing appointment, which was almost three months ago.

I have very thick hair with a lot of frizz and wave/curl. A daily CO-wash with a cone-free conditioner kind of re-sets it for me. I use a light cheapy conditioner, and then a heavier, cone-free leave-in conditioner (a fair bit of that). I've also been using cocount oil to smooth down the canopy to help with the hair style I'm wearing at the moment (I dry it to damp in a turbie, comb out, add LOADS of leave-in conditioner, comb through and wear up; then about four hours later, I take down and let dry, so the top should be smooth and shiny, and then the rest go into natural curls/ringlets, but without the frizz!).

Anyway, long-winded answer - no, my hair absolutely loves daily co-washing and thrives on it. I don't mind my hair being wet though, and I love the feeling of soft, damp hair - my hair gets pretty dried out looking without daily co-washing.