CO question - cleaners in conditioner?

[Rapunzal2Be]

On another board I'm on, someone is asking about the Wen system, so I told her about the CO method. She is saying that Wen has "mild cleansers" in them that conditioners don't.

Now, from learning on here, I'm almost positive that conditioners do have cleansing properties in them, which is precisely why they work for CO.

Can anyone enlighten me, so I can give her an answer? Thanks!

[Elfe]

Sorry, I don't know what the Wen system is, but the preservatives in the conditioner can have a cleansing effect.
In some conditioners are even tensides, but that is the minority.

[teela1978]

Most conditioners use fatty-alcohols as conditioning agents. These can have mild cleansing properties (such as the ones used in WEN, cetyl Alcohol and cetearyl Alcohol... which are also used in several commercial conditioners), and if left on the hair for a while, and agitated breifly, will remove some excess oil.