Results of first CO wash: Oily or Healthy?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Hmm...i just did my first CO wash and, well, since i always had squeaky clean hair with SLSs, i cannot tell if my hair's greasy or just better moisturized. here's a very recent pic:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4555&pictureid=60999

my hair feels kinda smooth and "lubricated" but doesn't clamp together like oily hair would. It looks shiny in the photo but there are dull parts. It's not poofy and frizzy (despite my combing, very good thing) but that makes me think i didn't clean it enough.

By the way, i also rinsed my hair with ACV.

So, what do you think? Am I just squeak-addict? Did you feel the same when you were starting with CO (or non-sls washes)?

ETA: Once my hair completely dried, i found out that clean areas got dry and oily areas got normal& moisturized. I'll use smaller amount of conditioner next time :shrug:

[serious]

If you have some dull parts, maybe you didn't use enough conditioner?

My hair used to look like this when I first started COing, until I've learned to use way more conditioner and leave it longer on my head...

[Madame J]

How strong was your ACV rinse? When I use too strong a rinse, it makes my hair feel a little heavy and greasy.

ETA: Did you leave the conditioner in for a while and then rinse for 2 minutes, as per the tutorial in the articles section? I've heard it's really important to rinse for long enough with CO washing.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

If you have some dull parts, maybe you didn't use enough conditioner?

My hair used to look like this when I first started COing, until I've learned to use way more conditioner and leave it longer on my head...

I used like half of the bottle :confused: but i didn't leave it in. My roots are perfectly clean, so i guess that means length and ends didn't get enough conditioner. I'll try to apply conditioner to my length before wash and keep it in a cap or something for a few minutes before i enter shower. Conditioner is so runny (no cone one) and goes liquid so fast.


How strong was your ACV rinse? When I use too strong a rinse, it makes my hair feel a little heavy and greasy.

ETA: Did you leave the conditioner in for a while and then rinse for 2 minutes, as per the tutorial in the articles section? I've heard it's really important to rinse for long enough with CO washing.

I did rinse a lot, but i didn't leave it on and rinsed right away. next time i'll apply conditioner to my head before shower, cause when i apply it in shower, conditioner doesn't stay on the hair and flows with water.
About ACV rinse, honestly i didn't measure the amounts, but i'm sure it wasn't as strong as %50.

[Madame J]

I did rinse a lot, but i didn't leave it on and rinsed right away. next time i'll apply conditioner to my head before shower, cause when i apply it in shower, conditioner doesn't stay on the hair and flows with water.
About ACV rinse, honestly i didn't measure the amounts, but i'm sure it wasn't as strong as %50.

50% would be way too strong. I find the best dilution for me is 1:8 (so 2 Tbsp. vinegar in a cup of water), but most people dilute it even more.

Yeah, leaving the conditioner on your head is the key to CO washing, since the surfactants take a while to do their thing. I avoid the conditioner rinsing off by bunning my conditioner-y hair and turning so I face the showerhead and my hair isn't in the spray. You can also put a shower cap on.

But I've abandoned CO for now, since my scalp seems to hate conditioner.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

50% would be way too strong. I find the best dilution for me is 1:8 (so 2 Tbsp. vinegar in a cup of water), but most people dilute it even more.

Yeah, leaving the conditioner on your head is the key to CO washing, since the surfactants take a while to do their thing. I avoid the conditioner rinsing off by bunning my conditioner-y hair and turning so I face the showerhead and my hair isn't in the spray. You can also put a shower cap on.

But I've abandoned CO for now, since my scalp seems to hate conditioner.

A question: would surfactants do their job on dry hair? or should i wet it beforehand?

[serious]

I sometimes put conditioner on dry hair, put the shower cap on and leave it for an hour or so and it works!

[Dreams_in_Pink]

ahh that's good news, will definitely try that for my next wash :) my conditioner's a no-cone one and it washes out with water so easily, using it on dry hair would be far easier.

[serious]

Just don't be discouraged, after a bit of experimenting, you'll hopefully find the right way to go with this.
Good luck!

Btw, your hair looks great, so thick and healthy!

[myrrhmaiden]

What I do, is put the conditioner in at the very beginning, as soon as I wet my hair. Then I shower cap it while I do all the rest of my washing. Then at the end I rinse for at least 2 minutes under cool water. Works like a charm. :)

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Thanks serious, i'll definitely stick to CO for a good while trying different methods of applying conditioner.


What I do, is put the conditioner in at the very beginning, as soon as I wet my hair. Then I shower cap it while I do all the rest of my washing. Then at the end I rinse for at least 2 minutes under cool water. Works like a charm. :)

I tried to do that, but this no-cone natural conditioner is so runny that once i put it on my wet hair, it kinda disappeared :( This is the only cone-free conditioner i could find, so I'll try applying it dry and letting it sit for an hour or so.

[redneckprincess]

id say better moisterized for sure,

[rogue_psyche]

Are you rinsing well enough? With CO you have to use a lot of CO, but you also have to rinse it a lot better than with normal S&C washing.

[ravenreed]

I tried a really runny conditioner at one point also. I think it was a VO5? It didn't work well for me. I keep going back to cone-free, protein free Suaves. First off, they work the best for my extremely picky hair, second off, I go through an insane amount and I can afford to do that with the Suave.

I have a more expensive, thicker conditioner that I use just on my ends at the end of my shower, because it gives good slip and lets me detangle.


Thanks serious, i'll definitely stick to CO for a good while trying different methods of applying conditioner.



I tried to do that, but this no-cone natural conditioner is so runny that once i put it on my wet hair, it kinda disappeared :( This is the only cone-free conditioner i could find, so I'll try applying it dry and letting it sit for an hour or so.

[spidermom]

It looks oily/limp at the top (to me). I'm not a fan of CO for myself; my hair will look clean the first day but not after that.

[ArienEllariel]

I guess I CO differently than mentioned above. I treat my conditioner like shampoo and rub it into my scalp then rinse immediately. Then I add more conditioner to my hair from the ears down and leave it on as usual before rinsing with cool water. It works fine for me.. but do what works for you. Experimenting can be time consuming and a little frustrating at times, but eventually you will find what works best for your hair. :)

[Beets]

Glad you posted this. I did my first CO wash yesterday (TOTALLY dashing the rule about trying one new thing at a time:rolleyes:) and had the same results.

[rogue_psyche]

I'm not a fan of CO for myself; my hair will look clean the first day but not after that.

Same here. I use it if I want to delay wash day by one day. Maybe if my hair were coarser I could get better results with CO. :shrug:

[serious]

It looks oily/limp at the top (to me). I'm not a fan of CO for myself; my hair will look clean the first day but not after that.

That happens to me sometimes, that's why I use deluted SLS shampoo ocasionally.

[serious]

I tried to do that, but this no-cone natural conditioner is so runny that once i put it on my wet hair, it kinda disappeared :( This is the only cone-free conditioner i could find, so I'll try applying it dry and letting it sit for an hour or so.

I don't know what brand you are talking about, but I know it's not easy to find cone-free conditioners nowadays...If you have DM drogeriemarkt stores where you live, you could find Alverde natural hair products there, also Balea brand is a good one...Garnier Fructis Repair and Shine is also cone-free, though I'm not a great fan of it...

[JamieLeigh]

A lot of CO washers apply the conditioner to dry hair before getting into the shower. I normally apply to wet hair, but when I do my deep condish treatments with conditioner and honey, I apply to dry hair. And I'd definitely leave it in at LEAST five or ten minutes, if you don't have time to leave it in an hour. :)

[baobhan sith]

I apply conditioner to dry hair, but that's more for conditioning purposes than cleaning purposes. I find although my hair is moisturised, it's not very clean, and kind of lank. So then when my hair's wet from rinsing out the first CO, I do another one (using a more cleansing conditioner).

[xoxophelia]

OP: You have inspired me to do my first CO wash today :)

I don't think your lack of puff is a bad sign. I get this as well after washing my hair with shampoo and I heard that is why some switch to a CO method. You might tweak it a little but sounds like the right track to n00b me.

(n00b=newbie for any non-native english speakers)

This link might help you:
http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/'cone-freeconditioners (http://ladylonghair.googlepages.com/'cone-freeconditioners)

[Barniie]

not to be a noob, but how do tyou CO wash, and does it bring out natural curls? xx

[thriftesfai]

I'll tell you what I do; I take a thinner conditioner and apply that to my wet scalp in the shower, massaging it in a little bit. I then take a thicker conditioner and apply it to the length, put a shower caps on and continue with the rest of my showerly duties. I take the cap off after I'm done and use the pads of my fingers to gently massage my scalp to loosen up any dirt, I do this for maybe 2 minutes. I then rinse and my scalp is squeaky clean. I haven't done an ACV rinse yet, but I will soon. I'm sure a lot of people have a similar routine as mine. It does wonders for my curly hair, leaves it less frizzy, soft and managable, as well as practically free of tangles! It has also given me more volume and helps me keep it.

Well, I just recently started CO washing and it has worked amazingly for me. I've heard it does take some time for some people to get used to it and figure out a routine that works well for them. Give it a few more tries, maybe change things up a little in your washing routine. If you aren't massaging already, give that a try, if I didn't do it, my hair would just be an oily mess.

[aksown]

I've been COing for several months and I remember the iffy days, lol. Make sure you use enough conditioner and that it's evenly distributed. And rinsing well can never be stressed enough. When you think you've rinsed enough, rinse for another minute. That was my biggest issue when I first started. Part of the fun of CO is knowing I can grab ten or fifteen different conditioners to try at once. If I don't like them, I pass them on to un-picky friends. :D