How many times should I condition?

[pinklemonade]

Hi everyone! First of all, I want to say that I'm so glad I found LHC!!! I used to have a real difficult time washing out oils, but then I found LHC and I read that many of you ladies wash out oil by using conditioner first, and it works for me!:cheese:
Now I've been doing this for a while, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm exaggerating with conditioner. Here's what I do: I use coconut or olive/almond oil and leave it on overnight. The next morning I apply lots of conditioner and wash it out, then I shampoo( my hair get dirty easily and I have an oily scalp) usually sls-free, and then I condition again (because I'm paranoid that the shampoo defeats the purpose of oiling/conditioning!). Thing is, maybe too much conditioner isn't a good thing either? What do you ladies do? Though my hair does feel better than it used to before, I also feel it's slightly 'heavier' and seems dirtier (dustier for sure!) which is strange..I tried clarifying with a bit of baking soda but it made my hair slighty dry again. I wish I could find a 'perfect' procedure where my hair would be soft/moisturized but also Clean! Do you have any suggestions:confused:

[Sabayon]

I oil my hair the day before, then usually add another coat 30min-1hour before, then wash with a shampoo bar and rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. During winter I put in a light coat of oil when my hair is 90% dry. That leaves my hair soft but non-greasy. I'm not sure this helps since I don't use conditioner, just oil.

[Fayjoi]

After you washed it with shampoo, do you put the conditioner also on your scalp?
Then you might wonna try to just apply it from the ears down. I never put conditioner on my scalp after washing, because it's too heavy and my hair will be starting to get greasy the next day.

[Kaijah]

What you do sounds almost exactly what like I do. I wet my hair in the shower, apply conditioner, shampoo my scalp, rinse all that out, then condition again and rinse. Then I put in coconut oil and sometimes leave in conditioner once I've squeezed out most of the excess water.

I think whether or not his works for you depends on your hair type. Mine's pretty thick and dry to begin with, so it just can't get enough moisture. It also might depend on your products - are you using all really thick, heavy conditioners? The first one I use is usually light/thin/only 'mildly' conditioning. That might help balance it out.

If you're using a lot of oil, that can contribute too.

[rogue_psyche]

I actually just wrote an article draft in my blog about how I hybrid wash. What I basically do is put conditioner on my length to protect it, then shampoo my scalp with the CO still in, rinse, and then condition again with my rich conditioner. I use a leave-in, and sometimes oil before I wash, but usually not. I feel that I get both clean and moisturized with this method.

[Jeni]

Ok so I might be reading this wrong but it sound like you are CWC washing (except your washing out the 1st CO before you shampoo) which alot of us do. If your hair is happy with what your doing then I see no reason to change. Your hair should let you know if its getting to moisturized.

I have very fine hair and an oily scalp so I wash daily and I do CWC-C. My hair couldnt be happier.

[jaine]

My hair loves conditioner too - so I don't think your routine sounds like too much at all! :) If your hair is healthier then go with it. :)

My hair routine is almost all conditioner. In the shower I saturate my hair with a lightweight cheap conditioner, then add shampoo, lather, rinse. Then I use more lightweight cheap conditioner to help rinse out the last of the shampoo bubbles. Then I use a small amount of a more expensive oily conditioner and rinse most of that out but some of the oil stays in my hair. After I style it I add more of the oily conditioner to tame any remaining frizzies. My hair loves this routine - it feels like silk and looks very shiny with no frizz.

[pinklemonade]

Thank you for your answers ladies! I know that conditioner is like the greatest thing ever, but I feel that since there are non-natural substances (chemicals) in 'em too, that's why I thought I shouldn't use it twice (before and after shampooing).

Sabayon- I'm wondering what would happen if I condition, and then shampoo out like you, would my hair be drier as opposed to conditioning my hair after shampooing?....another problem is that I blow dry (I know I know....) on a low setting , just till the roots are dry! I let the ends dry on their own usually...

Fayjoi- no I don't condition my scalp. Tried it, definitely too oily!

Kaijah- my hair is also pretty thick...I use normal conditioners. One of them contains shea butter and another avocado oil...

rogue-psyche- that's great that your hair gets both clean and moisturized. I can't seem to find the Perfect method!

Jeni- yes I CWC. My hair does seem quite happy with this routine, but it never seems perfectly moisturized, or perfectly clean. But that could be because I ruined my hair with a perm (last year) so my hair still has to grow out....

Jaine- your routine sounds so effective! Do you never get 'dusty' hair? I forgot to mention that I put a couple of drops of oil, run my fingers through my hair (especially the ends) after I wash my hair. I feel I have to do this since I use a blow dryer, I figure I need a some protection.

I have another question: what do you think about using a hair mask instead of a conditioner for washing out oils? Shouldn't it work the same if I oil my hair, use a hair mask, shampoo out and then condition...?