Skipping conditioner?

[Magdalene]

I was in a big hurry in the shower, and wound up skipping conditioner. Much to my surprise, not only is my hair NOT overly tangled or rough, but it is lighter and dried so quickly! Its also *gasp* has some waves to it (though this might have been caused by my towel turban).

Makes me wonder whether I really need conditioner every time I wash! Does anyone else go without?

[Bonkers57]

I skip conditioner half the time because my scalp is so oily.

[misstwist]

If I skip conditioner I get tangles and floaty hair.

If I skip conditioner but use an acid rinse it's just fine.

[bumblebums]

Maybe you should also try a lighter conditioner on the days that you do use it...

I am convinced that most of my success in stretching time between washes has been due to not using conditioner. It used to leave a layer of gunk on my hair that would attract dirt and react with my sebum to create an unholy mess... Of course, now I don't use shampoo, either :P

[sparkle'n'bling]

I've used conditioner maybe 5 times in my life - each time it has resulted in my hair feeling sort of heavy/greasy/coated.

[enfys]

I can't remember the last time I didn't use conditioner but it's good to hear that skipping it may not be a total disaster. I think I would just go for a scalp wash if I had none but it gives me something to think about.

[Bucatini]

I skip it sometimes. Gives me good volume. But too much skipping and it gets dry/frizzy on me.

[jojo]

I have done when my hair was shorter and it actually looked better but alas my hair turns into a tangly mess without it these days, your lucky to have super long hair and get away without it; surely a sign of really healthy hair.

[Chiara]

I now use conditioner every so often- I've found that I can get away with that now that I'm washing weekly. Coconut oil in shampoo can be good (see ktani's thread about hair care of movie stars of the past) when you're skipping conditioner. I also want to give catnip a try. When I don't use conditioner, my hair tends to get less dirty, and I get more waves and volume, which I quite like. It can be more tangley, but I don't find it gets too bad. Washing less really was the answer, for me.

[embee]

One can also dilute the conditoner in a big tumbler of warm water, and pour that over - or just dunk your length in the tumber and avoid conditioner on the scalp altogether. I used to use conditioner all the time, but my hair always was limp and looked greasy very quickly. When I cut down on the amount of conditioner things became much better, and the tangles were still pretty much gone.

(At the moment I'm trying NW/SO which is so different .... )

[ratgirldjh]

I pretty much never use conditioner however I usually use a soap bar and a vinegar rinse.

The times I have used conditioner over the last several years I could feel a coating on my hair... and I tried CO washing many times in the past with the same result :(

Maybe you don't need conditioner after all? Dilute, dilute, dilute :D

[christine1989]

I have always used conditioner since I was old enough to wash my own hair. I was so suprised when I learned that one of my best friends has NEVER used it! I will have to work up the courage to try it one of these days when I'm in a hurry.

[Lianna]

When I'm too tired I skip conditioner. My hair ends up a lot straighter and full due to the lightness you have spoken of. Still looks okay but I think if I did it all the time it would be dry. I rather have waves and less poufiness.

[Laurenji]

Ugh. Heavens no. For years and years, I never used conditioner, only shampoo, and I wondered why my hair was so static-y and and tangly. I didn't really like the greasy/weighed-down feeling I got when I started using conditioner, but after I tried several conditioners and found a good one, it didn't feel greasy any more, or static-y either.

[KittyLost]

My hair is horrible without conditioner, glad to see you're having a better result without it though :)

You can probably save a lot of money by not buying it now haha.

[LaurelSpring]

I have been thinking of giving it up also or at least diluting it a good bit. I do think it can weigh it down too much. I might just spritz it with some water that has a dab of oil or a squirt of condition in it.

[alwayssmiling]

If you are worried about the lack of conditioner, you may want to try putting a conditioner on before you shampoo? I do this sometimes with great results. I'm also a massive fan of AVC withou rinsing it out - instead of conditioner. I love AVC! I do worry about lack of moisture in the long run so still enjoy my weekly DTs and a teensy tiny drop of oil on the very ends and the underneath section that gets a little frizzy.

[Tia2010]

I have skipped conditioner a few times ( when I ran out and didn't want to run to the store :p) but I always used a leave in conditioning spray so my hair was OK even without the conditioner .

If I go without conditioner and the leave in spray my hair may be to hard to handle and comb...I'm not sure. I may try it one day to see :)

[Artsy]

I have been skipping conditioner on few occasions and my hair is fine, just overly staticky. I have been skipping shampoo for a while (CO) and again hair was fine.
A few times I was skipping both, just washing with camomile tea, and it came out clean and nice as well.:confused:

[bluesnowflake]

I've tried skipping but my hair ends up a tangled, frizzy mess, so I stick with conditioner. But if it works for your hair and doesn't cause damage/weakness, go for it!

[Quixii]

If I skip conditioner, I want to :scared:.
My hair looooves conditioner.

[chopandchange]

I'm the opposite - I skip the shampoo!

[redwoman]

About every 5th wash I'll use some conditioner on the length. Mostly I don't and my hair is ok with that.

[Rabya-Khadija]

I never use it, my hair gets too greasy. :( I have to wash it almost everyday anyway , if I used it I would have to wash twice a day!