For those that did CO washing for awhile...and now dont...

[threelilbirds]

why did you stop? It seems like lots of people here "used to" CO, and with success, but dont do it anymore. Just curious!:o

[smileycat]

I found CO left my hair a little too limp and thin feeling, plus my scalp likes to itch. Today, however, I did CO and received a "Wow, your hair looks wonderful" from my boyfriend, so I might throw it into my routine once in a while.

[triumphator!]

I love CO. It definitely takes some trouble shooting, but I don't see any reason to quit yet! Other than when people ask me what I do to make my hair so shiny, and the looks on their faces when I tell them I wash with conditioner. Then I feel like a wackadoo....

[Dani]

It made my hair great, but it's not worth the breakouts on my skin (no matter what I do), and I just like to shampoo my scalp, rinse, and condition my length and rinse it on each side whilst leaning forward in the shower. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :D Benign neglect is my bestest imaginary bud.

Also, CO made showers take forever and I try to take the quickest showers I possibly caaaaan.

[whiteisle]

It made my hair great, but it's not worth the breakouts on my skin (no matter what I do), and I just like to shampoo my scalp, rinse, and condition my length and rinse it on each side whilst leaning forward in the shower. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :D Benign neglect is my bestest imaginary bud.

Also, CO made showers take forever and I try to take the quickest showers I possibly caaaaan.


That's probably my biggest problem with CO. The time it takes. I've got 3 little ones and rarely that much time to shower so that's why I include S/C in my routine too. I avoid any build up that way too. Win! :D

[Kristin]

I love CO and I don't think I'll give it up any time soon. As to the time issue, I dampen my hair before showering and leave the light conditioner in as long as I like before jumping in the shower and adding some heavy condish to the length before detangling and rinsing. If I CO too many times without shampooing, I do notice that my hair gets a bit waxy.

[Avital88]

like 2 years ago i tried it for 3 weeks. My hair looked great after the cowash but started to get greasy within a day,so i had to co almost every day.
The main reason that i stopped doing it was because it took more time to care for my hair,(i usually wash my hair once or twice a week)and my volume disapeared.
But i also got a compliment from a good friend who is really into hair too,so it must have looked good when freshly cowashed.

[Monkie]

It definitely made my hair a little greasier but that I could deal with. What I could not deal with, was that I ended up with so much buildup. My hair started off looking amazing from it, and then slowly, started to look terrible. I was really ready to cut it, but them someone in the shorties thread suggested I try shampoo and conditioning again. I did, and wow! My hair has been looking stellar ever since. :cool:

[enfys]

Flat, limp and super slippery. Three things CWC doesn't make my hair.

Only my length really wants conditioner most of the time. I do still CO if I want to get something like hairspray out of my hair with minimal manipulation. I won't go back to it full time.

[jaine]

I stopped because whole foods changed their formula for whole foods 365 mint conditioner, the new formula left my hair dull, and I wasn't able to find a suitable replacement in my price range that didn't give my hair buildup and didn't irritate my skin.
Now I use an organic sulfate-free shampoo diluted with conditioner...then a richer conditioner after...skin and hair are both happy.

[Cheeks1206]

I'm another one for "CO washing takes too long." We don't have a big enough water heater for me to CO wash in the winter. Plus, I could never get all the condish out of my hair, which I guess really goes with the "takes too long" issue. I would get tired of rinsing!

[Ash]

I used to CO with chemical conditioners (Suave) and it made my hair really heavy and flat on top and after a few months it started falling out in small clumps so I stopped. I switched to natural products (Giovanni) and CO 6 days of the week with CWC on the other day and it works much better. If I had started the CO experiment with natural products I may have been able to stick with it but now I am too paranoid to not shampoo at all.

[Eire]

I found that it made my hair too heavy and limp on top, and although it was a good transition from shampooing every day to stretching washes, my hair still became too oily too quickly. I've recently started BS/ACV rinses with conditioner as a step between them, and so far I absolutely love it. My hair is softer than ever and we'll see how well it keeps the greasies at bay.

[chelles2kids]

I go back & forth with CO'ing...depending on the season.
My hair needs a *ton* of moisture, even moreso in the wintertime, so I usually seem to do more of the CWC method during the Spring/Summer and then once I get into Fall...I go back to CO'ing and continue through until Spring rolls around again.

I've read alot of threads about problems with CO'ing and they range from using the wrong conditioners, build-up, limp/greasy hair, itchy scalp, using too much conditoner, spending too much money on conditioner, etc.

But as with any new routine there is a learning curve and sometimes, no matter how hard you try with CO'ing, it still doesn't work best for everyones hair type.

[Dars]

CO worked so wonderfully for me in Europe, just not in Aus. I would persist in giving it more chances but just didn't get the same results, even when I added regular alternating S/C washes.

[Coan-Teen]

Right now I'm straying a bit from the CO straight and narrow. I've noticed a lot of build-up in my hair while CO, so much so that it affected an actual color change so until I run out of my current bottle, I'll be CO most of the week with CWC once or twice depending on my need.

[Lady Mary]

It made my hair pretty limp but my main issue was, even when it looked great, the next day it didn't. If I use shampoo (just a bit) I can avod washing for 2 more days so I wash every three. With CO I felt I had to wash every day which was inconvenient.

[wimsey]

My hair just got so long that I don't want to leave it up soaking in conditioner for 45 minutes any more. It's just too messy. I can't find a clip big enough to hold it up securely enough. Diluted shampoo is neater and faster and I don't have to plan around hair washing so much.

[threelilbirds]

Huh. I actually didnt realize that you were supposed to leave the conditioner in Sooo long. I only left it in this morning for the duration of my shower which was between 12 and 15 mns long. My hair turned out pretty good after. I did do an ACV rinse after I washed the conditioner out, and I did not pply any styling products or leave in conditioner. My hair still looks great tonight. It has been about a week since I have used shampoo, with 2 washes this week. I will see how it looks tmw morning, i would like if I could go through tomorrow at least without washing. I do definitely think that I would use shampoo every once in awhile..
I have been using Giovanni conditioner, the tea tree formula, and I LOVE it.
Thanks for the input, melissa

[Roseate]

My hair needs to be washed more often if I'm doing CO. I need to CO twice a week to keep my scalp happy, but if I do CWC with diluted shampoo, I only need to do it once a week. Since my hair takes forever to dry, I like to wash it as little as possible!

I do CO if I need to wet my hair more than once a week for some other reason (like if I go swimming, or I get it really dirty somehow.) It works, I just like the convenience of only washing once a week more.

[freznow]

I got bored, and I ran out of conditioner. :shrug: Then I tried shampoo bars, and now I have so many I can't justify another hair purchase, so I use them.

[teela1978]

It stopped working, and it seemed kinda wasteful. I'm not sure if it was my dyed hair growing out and it not being cleansing enough to my natural hair, or if water quality changed, or if it was wearing it curly/wavy to wearing it straight... but it stopped working very well. If I needed to do a regular shampoo regularly anyway, why waste all that conditioner?

[jeanniet]

I only stopped because I wanted to transition to herbal washes/conditioners. COing was great for my hair, once I got the routine down. :)

[misspriss]

I moved. It worked great at my apartment, but I lost my job and had to move in with the future in-laws and their water has never worked with CO. I am SC right now, but since it has gotten cold my hair went really dry really quick, so I am going to give CO'ing a shot again next time I shower.

[Loreley]

I was a CO washer for 9 months. I stopped because:
- I had to use a HUGE amount of conditioner and I needed 2 different kind, one lighter and one heavier for my length
- conditioner is too expensive to be wasted like that, shampoo is a lot cheaper
- my hair was a bit flat
- my favourite CO conditioner is no longer available and I can't find another one which works as good as that

I've been using sulfate-free baby shampoos since I stopped CO washing (in March, I think). They work great, make my hair slippery and easy to comb but not that flat.

[Artsy]

My hair codition improved throughout the aproximate 8 month with CO and it just stopped being that effective. It was nice looking and shiny, but not very soft. I mean it is never soft because it's coarse, but I couldn't go cone-free with CO. Now I switched to oil shampoo thanks to Ktani, and that seems to work better then CO and I am finally cone-free.
________
Mercedes-benz o309 history (http://www.mercedes-wiki.com/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_O309)

[chelles2kids]

Huh. I actually didnt realize that you were supposed to leave the conditioner in Sooo long. I only left it in this morning for the duration of my shower which was between 12 and 15 mns long. My hair turned out pretty good after. I did do an ACV rinse after I washed the conditioner out, and I did not pply any styling products or leave in conditioner. My hair still looks great tonight. It has been about a week since I have used shampoo, with 2 washes this week. I will see how it looks tmw morning, i would like if I could go through tomorrow at least without washing. I do definitely think that I would use shampoo every once in awhile..
I have been using Giovanni conditioner, the tea tree formula, and I LOVE it.
Thanks for the input, melissa

Some people use the same exact method that you're using Threelilbirds and it works great for them.
I think alot of people leave it on their scalp to 'soak' just to kind help break up any oils that they might have.

Some people (me included) use two conditioners, a lighter more cleansing one for the "wash" portion and then they follow up with a heavier (sometimes 'cone filled one) for the "rinsing" step.
Even with this step I do mine a bit differently, I just use a dollop of the 'heavier' conditioner and rub through my hair as a leave-in and I don't bother even rinsing it out.
Then others use only one conditioner and don't apply a follow-up conditioner.

But if you're routine is working well on you're hair, then by no means change it because of something somebody else posted.
With CO'ing as with everything else, everybody has their own routine that works and I say if it ain't broke don't fix it.:p

[spidermom]

I can throw a CO into the washing routine every once in awhile, but if I CO exclusively, my hair gets limp and dull and gunk builds up on my scalp.

CWC gives consistent good results, so I stick with that.

[Stephichan]

I cut my hair super-short and decided that it was the perfect opportunity to use up the shampoos and conditioners that my "long" hair hated. As it gets longer I may go back to the CO. I use a light conditioner (usually VO5) for the duration of my shower and as I rinse out I make sure to scrub/massage my scalp. Works great for me, but I know other people's hair is different.

[little_cherry]

I stopped because I had to clarify way too much from the waxy build up I was getting....also, all those plastic bottles are so bad for the environment. I felt guilty for buying so many plastic bottles.

[HintOfMint]

I shed like a maniac with CO. I loved the condition of my hair, it wasn't limp or greasy at all, but my scalp felt otherwise. I tried using a sulfate-free shampoo, but that gave me serious flakes, so I went back to the "evil" sulfates that never gave my scalp any problems in the first place. My ends hate sulfates though, so I CWC.

[mellie89]

I really tried to make CO work for me, but it just didn't. I had to wash my hair everyday when I was COing, compared to once ever 3 days with S/C or CWC. I felt like it wasn't worth it if I was going to end up handling my hair so much more.

Also, I went back to cone-y conditioners. I know some people have good luck using cones on their length as the last step of a CO, but I could never make that work. I would just end up with super frizzy, tangly hair.

[chickpea]

Doing CO washes exclusively made my hair over-conditioned and limp. My scalp also feels better when washed once or twice a week with a gentle shampoo.

My current routine is a variation of CWC. I mist my hair just enough to get it damp, apply coconut oil + conditioner to the length, and let it soak in for about 15 minutes. I can do other things around the house during this pre-wash phase so I don't feel constrained by the wait time. Then I get in the shower, wet my hair, and wash my scalp with a non-sulfate shampoo or a shampoo bar. This may be followed by a vinegar rinse and a 2nd conditioner on the ends, depending how my hair feels. If I don't need more conditioning I just apply a leave-in and curling cream or gel.

[boomtownrat]

I did CO exclusively for a couple of months when my hair was about collarbone length. After I started getting it cut to quicken the transition to virgin silver, I needed to use product to make the style look halfway decent and CO washing didn't really work. Every once in a while I CO wash now that I'm not using product, but I'm having to experiment to figure out how to relieve flaking and scalp itching, so I don't do the same thing to my hair two days in a row at the moment. At some point in the future, when my hair is longer, I'll probably take up CO washing again. It doesn't seem to work as well for me now that my hair is short, but if I only do it occasionally then it looks good for that one day.

The one thing that I'm concerned about is that my hair doesn't shine as much when I do CO, and I daresay shine is even more important for silver/grey hair than it is for darker hair.

[ratgirldjh]

I stopped because whole foods changed their formula for whole foods 365 mint conditioner, the new formula left my hair dull, and I wasn't able to find a suitable replacement in my price range that didn't give my hair buildup and didn't irritate my skin.
Now I use an organic sulfate-free shampoo diluted with conditioner...then a richer conditioner after...skin and hair are both happy.

Doesn't this suck that they changed the formula? The new one made my hair dull and I hated it. The old one was great... :(

I hate when they change the formula to something that is worse!!!

I used Nature's Gate Herbal conditioner for years and it worked wonderful for CO for me and I wasn't allergic to the essential oils and it smelled great!

Then NG changed the formula and added fragrance oils and they are STRONG! It also made my hair dull - well from what I could see - I actually had to wash again immediately because I was having an allergic reaction to the new formula :(

Stupid companies! Why don't they keep their PROVEN formulas especially when people already love them?

[Watergallop]

Like a lot of people's, my hair got greasy really fast with this method. I would have had to CO every day... the second day looked like an oil slick. I didn't notice enough improvement in the length to continue to mess around with it, so I went back to CWC with a sulfate shampoo.

[Ninika]

We've moved to a place with extremely hard water and my usual CO routine made my hair greasy and my scalp gunky and itchy. No big deal though, I got three kids since and wouldn't have the time for COing these days anyway :p.

[lindenblossom]

I stopped because I had to clarify way too much from the waxy build up I was getting....also, all those plastic bottles are so bad for the environment. I felt guilty for buying so many plastic bottles.

Totally agree with this. Even recycling a bunch of plastic bottles seems wasteful when it's excessive. To remedy this, I often CO with conditioners available in bulk from the co-op grocery stores, so I can re-fill and re-use my bottle. These types of conditioners are thicker and pricier, but I always dilute conditioner for a CO wash anyway, so one bottle can last a long time. This might not work for everyone, but my hair's not picky.

Whenever I happen to see conditioner for sale at a secondhand store, I buy it as well in order to use up something that someone else gave away.

[Issmene]

It felt/looked like my scalp broke out, as did the skin around my hairline. Also at some times it would leave greasy residue and other times it would make my scalp perfectly clean for a looong time, but I just want consistent results :P Also I used up a lot of conditioner and it took a long time in the shower. But if not for all this, co-washing is awesome, because without the greasy reasidue my hair looked pretty damn good xD

[Eireann]

My hair is very fine and I found the CO washes made it look stringy and limp. Now I've gone the opposite extreme. For the past couple of weeks, I've been skipping conditioner altogether in favor of ACV rinse and a home-made leave-in of coconut oil and aloe. About twice month I do a deep conditioning protein treatment, but no longer condition everytime I wash.

[CrisDee]

So many people mention CO washing taking extra time, it makes me wonder if I'm doing it wrong. I CO just the same way I would if it were shampoo. I rub a blob of conditioner onto my palms, then fingertips, then scrub my scalp with it. Rinse. Second, larger blob of conditioner, rub into scalp and on length. Shave underarms, bikini line, legs. Rinse everything. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Is there another type of CO washing that I've missed?

[Nae]

In order for it to work for me I would have to leave the conditioner on for about a half an hour. I tried the shorter time frames and it would dry and look as though I had never even washed. Even with leaving it on for longer I still had to wash every second or third day in order for it to look the best for me. I also didn't like how it made my hair feel over the long term, too moisturized, if there is such a thing.

I still do it sometimes, just to change up the routine. I think it works better for me in the winter so I may try it again more regularly.

[Gladtobemom]

I still do CO washes sometimes. Especially doing my roots and the first few inches with VO5 Kiwi and Lime Squeeze.

Mostly, as my hair got longer, I got really good at stretching with Nanny Pauline's Airing Powder. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=6387) I also started doing Dianyla's lite coconut milk wash (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=15746&highlight=dianyla%27s+coconut+milk+wash). . . with a little diluted non-sulphate shampoo or pine tar soap for the root area.

I often take about 1/2 cup of the VO5 KLS and about a half teaspoon of tea tree oil, then mix well and CO my roots. Massage, let it sit 10 minutes, add water and massage some more, and rinse really well, then do a scalp flood with acid rinse (3 Tbl. vinegar with 3 cups water) and a final bit of condish massaged through and rinsed. Still my go-to for a really dirty-feeling scalp.

[nytquill]

I had no problems with CO in itself. My shower routine takes me long enough that it didn't add any additional time (just let the conditioner work while I'm scrubbing, shaving, etc.) and my scalp liked it a lot better than regular SLS shampoo! My hair was pretty soft, and I didn't have a problem with greasiness either. I did have some buildup but my understanding was that's normal with even cone-free condish and most CO washers need to clarify from time to time with shampoo.

Mainly for me I just felt my hair didn't look as good as it had when I was using cones, it was just kind of dull looking all the time, although it felt fine and was in good condition. Clarifying just made it frizz out but didn't get rid of the dullness so I don't think it was all buildup either. I can't really go back to cones because all the clarifying would aggravate my scalp, but I mentioned missing my shiny coney hair and someone here suggested oil shampoo. I tried it and fell in love! Although I'm still nailing down a good routine with it, but the shine and softness are perfect and apparently there are some protective benefits as well. As long as I use a sulfate-free shampoo and don't schedule washes too close together my scalp is okay with it, so I'm running with that for a while!

[Aliped]

Flat, limp and super slippery. Three things CWC doesn't make my hair.

Only my length really wants conditioner most of the time. I do still CO if I want to get something like hairspray out of my hair with minimal manipulation. I won't go back to it full time.


My feelings exactly!

[Ash]

So many people mention CO washing taking extra time, it makes me wonder if I'm doing it wrong. I CO just the same way I would if it were shampoo. I rub a blob of conditioner onto my palms, then fingertips, then scrub my scalp with it. Rinse. Second, larger blob of conditioner, rub into scalp and on length. Shave underarms, bikini line, legs. Rinse everything. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Is there another type of CO washing that I've missed?

I think a lot of people leave it on for a really long time. My method is similar to yours except I don't even rinse out the scalp conditioner first. I do the "shampooing" motions and then add some more to the length, bun it, do everything else in the shower, and then rinse it all out at once. I would not have the time to do it the way everyone else seems to do it. The conditioner stays in up to 10 minutes or however long my shower takes.

[boomtownrat]

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that my shedding seemed to double when I was CO-washing.

[bumblebums]

So many people mention CO washing taking extra time, it makes me wonder if I'm doing it wrong. I CO just the same way I would if it were shampoo. I rub a blob of conditioner onto my palms, then fingertips, then scrub my scalp with it. Rinse. Second, larger blob of conditioner, rub into scalp and on length. Shave underarms, bikini line, legs. Rinse everything. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Is there another type of CO washing that I've missed?

Yeah, I think you're supposed to give it at least 15 minutes to work. What cleansing effect conditioner has, it isn't strong enough to work instantly or in a short time. I definitely get different results when I give it time to work.

I should say I am an occasional CO washer, for when I need a change from Indian herbs. My hair just seems to like a change. So none of my old routines (except for shampoo) are off-limits.

[Intransigentia]

I still CO my scalp, because that's what seems to be the least aggravating to it. I use an already-thin, no cone, no protein conditioner, diluted 50%, and give the scalp a good scrub. Then that stays until the end of my showerly duties when I rinse everything.

But for my lengths I find squishing some movie star oil shampoo through it (avoiding the scalp, and definitely not rubbing it in), then following with the conditioner I would use as the heavy one in CO washing, gives superior results to straight CO. My hair seems softer and shinier, especially at the ends, and, for want of a better word, it feels resilient and springy (as much as that's possible for straight hair).

[danacc]

My length loves CO, and my scalp skin absolutely hates it.

I've found that CWC to be the best compromise for my scalp and hair. I'm trying a honey wash experiment right now, and may try an oil shampoo method in conjunction with in.

[virgo75]

I CO washed for over a year and lost GOBS and GOBS of hair. :shake:
My scalp did not like it and it did not adjust. It was gunky, felt waxy, and as I said, just tons and tons of hair would fall out no matter how I washed it with conditioner/what conditioner I used/how long I rinsed or rubbed my scalp.

The middle of my hair was ok with it, but my ends had lots of buildup and would get tangley. I had to clarify often and that didn't even work after a while. The tangles, buildup, hair loss, and gunky scalp didn't go away until I started shampooing consistantly.

I can get away with shampooing a couple of times a week, but my scalp goes crazy if I CO wash more than once a week. Even that one time will give me increased sheddig, but not as bad as when I do it more often.

[misspriss]

This thread inspired me to try CO again, and the results are great so far. Much less shedding than I was getting with CWC and/or SC. Of course, I've also been wearing it curly so...

[Lianna]

I did CO for several months, no cones, no mineral oil, I followed the rules. I washed like Ash said, with no problems. The length was more moisturized than usual, than when I was washing everyday with S/C and occasional deep treatments. I didn't really have a "problem" with it, I still do it a few times a week, but now I'm back to shampooing too, and cones. And oil, when I do deep or light oilings, even when shampooing, my hair isn't that dry anymore, it's occasionally dry, it's not perfect after all. I also noticed my hair grew faster when I shampoo it (SLS).

[LaceyNg]

stumbled upon this thread and thought i'd share my :twocents:

i CO'd for maybe around 6 months or so, using Vo5 conditioners only (no 2nd conditioner that was thicker).

i never had any problem with limp hair, no moreso than i did when i used regular S&C-- my hair's fine, thin, and has very little waves, etc, so theres never really much volume.

i also had no trouble doing CO every 3 to 4 days without getting greasy in between.

the reason i STARTED CO washing was b/c my scalp psoraisis and seborrheic dermatitis was too irritated by regular sulfate shampooing. the milder sulfates in the conditioners did improve my scalp some, but not to the extent that i wanted. i ended up washing when i felt itchy, not when my hair was greasy or dirty :(

now i'm using the Chagrin Valley Neem & Tea Tree Body & Hair Shampoo Bar, and i'm in love! the first few times i used in all over, scalp and length. now i just use it on my scalp every other day, and my hair's in the best condition its ever been in. and my scalp's flaking is already down by 80% or so, i'd say. i;m working up to being able to wash once a week, and i think this shampoo bar will make it possible for me to do so without having an outrageously itchy and flaky scalp! :cheese:

also worth checking out are the j.r. liggett's shampoo bar's, in the herbal and damaged hair formula, if anybody's looking :)

[mallorykay13]

I Co-ed, stopped and then went back. I was stinking at stretching my washes with CO and honestly, was too lazy. I went back and just forced myself to stretch so it's all good now.

[Reptilia]

My hair changed too much. When I started my hair was fine (about a 1b) and thin (I was barely pushing a 2 inch pony tail base). My hair really liked CO washing!

Over the years, and especially just the last year, my hair has completely changed. It's measuring 3.75 inch pony tail base, and is bordering on a 2a hair type. My oil production seemed to up as well (and my hair is growing faster!). My hair just doesn't respond well to CO washing anymore!

[long]

Tried it for a week and got a itchy and unhappy scalp. It also takes to long and makes the shower really slippery.

[FrozenBritannia]

I tried it a couple times. I really wanted it to work, but my scalp didn't like it. I can't handle itchies at all. It didn't seem to matter what kind of condish I used either. I'm soing BS/V now, and I just added in one S/C every couple washes because frankly, I just like the way it smells. I only C the ends though because most of my hair doesn't like C at all it seems.

[thelittlestdoc]

I COed for at a month and found that it was just too time-consuming for my schedule. To properly clean my hair COwashing I had to shower and wash daily to prevent oiliness. When I use a paraben/silicone/sulfate free shampoo and conditioner I only have to wash twice a week to prevent an oily look. I felt like I was handling my hair a lot more with CO, also.

It's really working out for my roommate, though! She thought I was crazy and then tried it and it's turned out to be ideal for her curly hair :D

[Annibelle]

Yeah, I think you're supposed to give it at least 15 minutes to work. What cleansing effect conditioner has, it isn't strong enough to work instantly or in a short time.

This seems to be true for most people, but it definitely wasn't true for me. I would use the scalp conditioner for about 4 minutes and rinse, and my roots were never oily after... I even used the heavy stuff on my roots after. :D


I forgot to mention in my earlier post that my shedding seemed to double when I was CO-washing.


I shed like a maniac with CO. I loved the condition of my hair, it wasn't limp or greasy at all, but my scalp felt otherwise.

This is what happened to me! My hair LOVED CO (perfect moisture balance, could go longer without "washing" than with shampoo, got waves), but... a lot of it fell out. :o The hair that stayed on my head loved CO, but too much was fleeing for comfort. After shampooing ONCE after four months without, my shedding problem stopped and now I'm shedding less than ever!!! I still CO every-other wash, though, and the other washes I CWC. :)


I CO washed for over a year and lost GOBS and GOBS of hair. :shake:

:( I'm so sorry! I'm really glad I stopped before it came to that-- I already don't have a lot of hair! :rolleyes:


I tried it a couple times. I really wanted it to work, but my scalp didn't like it. I can't handle itchies at all. It didn't seem to matter what kind of condish I used either.

My scalp was itchy for the first month of CO... not sure why, but then it suddenly stopped. :shrug:

[PixxieStix]

I tried just CO washing for a few weeks, but my hair seemed to build up a residue and felt like it was greasy after two days, so I did a clarifying shampoo and wow, the shine and volume was back! I try to only wash my hair every 3-4 days, and alternate between CO and CWC, because my scalp just needs that shampooing about once a week to be happy. That, and my showers became more time consuming. I want to handle my hair less, not more!

[els23]

I briefly stopped CO washing, resumed Shampoo/Conditioner with regular SLS shampoo, decided that CO washing really is much better for my hair and started again. I stopped originally because it was too time consuming and it's really hard to find Suave (which is the best CO conditioner for my hair) here.

My job also meant that it was hard for me to CO wash well since I travelled a lot and was frequently staying with families in rural El Salvador, who had no running water and usually no electricity. When you're bathing outside with cold, rain water bucket baths it's a little harder to make yourself do the full CO routine. However, I found that my hair was getting really dry from the shampoo even if I did CWC. Now that I'm not travelling as much and after accidentally buying a protein filled Shampoo and Conditioner that made my hair disgusting I decided to go back to CO washing and am loving my hair again.

I do however plan on bringing back a boatload of Suave conditioner when I visit the US at Christmas because $3.50 for a small bottle here is waaaaay more than I want to be spending.

[HintOfMint]

I stopped because it was making my hair shed like crazy. A pity though, it was great for my length.

[EmiliaF]

I CO-washed for about 4 months but stopped because my hair started shedding like crazy. The shedding started 1 month after starting CO and it took me three months to figure out that those two things were linked.
I've had this shedding-problem with other stuff, too. I can't use Pantene shampoo because of that. But a hairstylist once told me that shampoo can't possibly cause shedding, so it took a while to believe that stuff we put on our heads can have an immediate effect...

For me it' everything that adds too much moisture. My hair starts falling from conditioner, oil and some shampoos...

[MissAlyssa]

I love CO washing, it makes my hair look and feel soo amazing. Plus it keeps my hair color from fading much at all. But it makes me shed a lot more than usual and it was starting to freak me out, so I use shampoo every other wash and now my shed rate seems to be back to normal

[Rosetta]

For me, there were (are) several reasons...

* hair didn't stay clean-feeling for long - usually it wasn't anymore the next day
* CO washing didn't have any noticeable improvement on my hair, nor growth rate (actually contrary, to the latter)
* here it's next to impossible to find cheap coneless conditioners in huge bottles - CO washing does use up a lot of product. So S&C is actually much cheaper.
* it's simply much easier and more convenient just to shampoo and conditioner (or CWC) in the shower
* related to the above, I also don't like going around the house with conditioner on my head (as you need to leave it on for at least 10-20 mins) :D Especially when it's cold *shudder*...

[Arashi]

Well, a few things... it takes a bit too long for me, I didn't get consistent results, and my scalp and skin around my hair line would break out if I CO washed several times in a row. Nowadays I might do a random CO wash here and there but I generally find I prefer the way my hair looks and feels with CWC or simple S&C.

[Lize]

That's probably my biggest problem with CO. The time it takes. I've got 3 little ones and rarely that much time to shower so that's why I include S/C in my routine too. I avoid any build up that way too. Win! :D

It's strange that people say that. I experience that CO takes less time than shampoo and conditioner washes. With CO I only have to apply product once and rinse once. I usually put conditioner in the hair in the beginning of the shower and rinse as the last thing I do in the shower. In between I wash my body and shave legs and stuff. I have COed successfully even at the gym where I left it on my hair quite a short time. And... I still CO. :)

[skyblue]

yes it takes no more time then it would the regular way, I might let the second conditioner sit but only while I wash my body, it actually takes me longer now as I switched to CWC...I found that my head needs shampoo lol but only at the roots I get a bit more lift and it's not so flat to my head....sighs the trials of thinner hair

[StormVixen]

hmm... I kinda go off and on co washing... I LOVE how Co washing makes my hair look and feel but my scalp gets unhappy and itchy occasionally so at those times I use anti-dandruff shampoos and anti-fungals if its bad...

Plus I don't like a lot of the cone-less cheap conditioners (apart from Inecto) so when I'm skint I end up with a bog-standard Elvive co (which I really need to remember to stop buying because of animal testing! tut me...) or what ever is on offer in Boots at the time (plus staff discount :D).

[Curly Hermione]

My hair adored CO, and i still do it a lot, but i CWC every week or two now because my scalp didn't like it.

[Annibelle]

For me it' everything that adds too much moisture. My hair starts falling from conditioner, oil and some shampoos...

Same here! :( I can't oil my scalp because of shedding... and WO didn't work for me because of massive shedding. Grrr!!!

[jaine]

I stopped because my curls were annoying me - it's the sad truth.
With shampoo and silicone my hair acts as if it's 2a (instead of 2c/3a) - and I like that.

[Cainwen]

I stopped because my curls were annoying me - it's the sad truth.
With shampoo and silicone my hair acts as if it's 2a (instead of 2c/3a) - and I like that.

I stopped CO washing because my scalp didn't like it and it seemed to kill my curls. My hair must love being contrary, because cones make it curlier :shrug: I love my curls and fly aways

[missmelaniem]

Its great in a pinch and when my hair is feeling dry but my hair just never felt that clean with CO.