CO PROBLEM - Grease

[turquoisebud]

Okay, so I CO washed my hair yesterday. Today it was slightly greasy. Now, the logical explanation would be I didn't scrub enough. But now I am confused. :confused: I scrubbed pretty well I thought. Do some of you use a little shampoo? Also, should I have clarified with baking soda or something before trying CO method? :rolleyes: Please let me know your thoughts, I am pretty new as you can tell.

[excentricat]

How long do you usually go between washes? A lot of people find they have to wash slightly more often with CO than with shampoo. Also, you said you scrubbed well, but how well did you rinse? If you don't rinse really really well, you can have leftover conditioner in your hair which can cause that greasy, lank look.

[Snow White]

I'm trying to return to COing. My hair feels kind of greasy today too (I washed two days ago) Sometimes with me this happens if my conditioner is too thick/heavy (which I think is the problem today). Something with too many oils can also make my hair to start feeling this way. I love Jessicurl stuff, but after about 4 uses my hair starts feeling weighed down and greasy.

[Angel_Abby]

I've found that diluting the conditioner with water (half and half) is the way to a cleaner rinse. Even though my conditioner is already pretty thin (Suave Daily Clarifying) I dilute and get much better results.

:)

[Tabitha]

CO only works for me if I leave the conditioner on for about an hour (the "long soak" method) so that the gentle surfactants in it have a chance to work.

[bunzfan]

Okay, so I CO washed my hair yesterday. Today it was slightly greasy. Now, the logical explanation would be I didn't scrub enough. But now I am confused. :confused: I scrubbed pretty well I thought. Do some of you use a little shampoo? Also, should I have clarified with baking soda or something before trying CO method? :rolleyes: Please let me know your thoughts, I am pretty new as you can tell.

I have being CO for about 5 months and washing with a low poo once a week and i can tell you at first it does look greasy till your scalp gets used to it, its definitely worth it my ends aren't dry any more and i can go nearly 7 months without needing a haircut:)

[Annalouise]

The first two times I tried CO it did not work at all. I thought, this is crazy!? Then the third time it worked like a charm.
Make sure you are not using a heavy conditioner on your scalp. And make sure you rinse it thoroughly.

Also, you need to use a lot of it. I use about four palm fulls on my head and about one palm full on the length. I let it sit on my head under a shower cap while showering then rinse last.

I use Whole Foods fragrance free on my head and walgreens deep conditioner on the length.

[EmiliaF]

I also dilute my conditioner (50 CO/ 50 Water), because it's too heavy otherwise. Today I also noticed that even if I rinse for 5 minutes I still see tiny little bubbles in the drain, so I think it's also a good idea to rinse as long as possible... even if you think there can't possibly be anything left in the hair, you should rinse more. Maybe that helps... :)

[spidermom]

I gave up on CO. It left my hair limp and dull, especially if I did CO twice in a row. Then I decided to break up CO with CWC, but CWC gives such consistently good results that I've abandoned CO completely. My scalp gets oily pretty fast and doesn't respond well to conditioner.

[Dolly]

Yes, if you have been using strong shampoos in the past, your scalp is most likely used to producing an over-abundance of oil to compensate for the fact that it was being stripped of all of its natural oils. It will adjust over time.

[turquoisebud]

Thank you all so much for your replies! The conditioner I was using is pretty thick so maybe I will try to dilute it like a lot of you said. I was using pretty strong shampoos. I bet what Dolly said about the over-abundance of oils my scalp was producing was part of the problem. So hopefully it works and bye bye :waving: to grease! Thanks again everybody.

[alwayssmiling]

I have had great success with CO. The only times I have had greasy hair was if I haven't left it on long enough (my best CO washes are done an hour before I get in the shower covered with a bag)

Or the conditioner hasn't been right, too rich or thick, too moisturising. I find the cheaper and runnier the better. If you need extra moisture after that then use a small amount of leave in.

[bunzfan]

Or the conditioner hasn't been right, too rich or thick, too moisturising. I find the cheaper and runnier the better. If you need extra moisture after that then use a small amount of leave in.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this totally i use a super cheap conditioner which costs 99p and use plenty but i massage my scalp quite a lot while in the shower but leave it on for at least 5 mins before rinsing out and applying a slightly heavier conditioner to the ends. Once my hair is dry it looks freshly washed.

When i first started using the CO method i had to do this ever other day until my scalp had adjusted so that may be worth a try also.

[caadam]

If your conditioner is too heavy, you might have better luck with a less expensive conditioner,
like Suave or VO5. Those are, I believe, the top, most common picks amongst many LHC members.
I use Suave Rosemary Mint conditioner every other day as a CO-wash, though yesterday I had
to clarify a little because of build-up, so I did a CWC-wash. Regular S&C (shampoo & conditioner)
washes leave my hair dry, so the CWC-wash worked out nicely and cleaned off the build-up.

Anyway, when I'm CO-washing, I do use about a quarter cup of conditioner. When I put the
conditioner on my scalp, I make sure to massage that stuff in very well. I take about 2-3 minutes
of massaging my scalp, making sure those cleaning agents in the conditioner do their job. When
you massage your scalp, make sure not to use your nails but the pads of your fingertips. Rub
firmly, but not too hard as to damage your scalp. It should feel good, not uncomfortable.

Then I rinse real good, maybe about a minute or so. Some people have to rinse for longer, but
I've found myself not having to. My hair is never left greasy, so far, after rinsing for only this
long. As well, it might help you to rinse with cold water.

If nothing works, though, the next time you CO-wash, then it may not be for you,
and that's all right! There are many other methods out there.

I've just gotten started myself, but so far, CO-washing has been good to me.

[ravenreed]

I have the best results with Sauve conditioners. They are not too thick or too thin. I also put conditioner in my hair first thing when I get in the shower and let it sit at least 15 minutes. I make sure I get it all the way to the scalp, all over. I massage it in a bit and do my other shower stuff. I also use a LOT. Handfuls until every part of my hair is well coated. You have to rinse really well, or you may experience greasies. Finally, an acidic rinse will probably help, which is why I use ACV.

[turquoisebud]

Thanks everybody! :) Maybe I will get some Suave or V05. I seems I didn't leave it in there long enough either. I will keep on trying and make myself not give up because it didn't work at first! :flowers:

[Deborah]

Here's another CO method that you might want to try:

In a clean, empty, quart plastic bottle, pour in a teaspoon of citric acid powder and a little HOT water. Shake this together really well.

Next, add in 1/4 - 1/2 cup of your cheapie conditioner (Suave Tropical Coconut works especially well.)

Now add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of plain old very warm tap water.

SHAKE the heck out of it.

Wet hair in the shower, then dump on your conditioner concoction, and wash about like you would with shampoo. There's no need to pre-apply it or anything like that. Stick it all on top of your head while you wash the rest of you, then rinse it out.

End with 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid powder shaken into a different quart bottle of very COLD water. Don't rinse it out.

I find this cleans the hair more easily and more thoroughly than just the conditioner alone, and it stays cleaner and oil-free longer this way.

Best of luck with whatever you do. :flower:

[turquoisebud]

Here's another CO method that you might want to try:

In a clean, empty, quart plastic bottle, pour in a teaspoon of citric acid powder and a little HOT water. Shake this together really well.

Next, add in 1/4 - 1/2 cup of your cheapie conditioner (Suave Tropical Coconut works especially well.)

Now add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of plain old very warm tap water.

SHAKE the heck out of it.

Wet hair in the shower, then dump on your conditioner concoction, and wash about like you would with shampoo. There's no need to pre-apply it or anything like that. Stick it all on top of your head while you wash the rest of you, then rinse it out.

End with 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid powder shaken into a different quart bottle of very COLD water. Don't rinse it out.

I find this cleans the hair more easily and more thoroughly than just the conditioner alone, and it stays cleaner and oil-free longer this way.

Best of luck with whatever you do. :flower:

Where do you get citric acid powder? I don't really even know what it is. :undecided I know about citric acid the liquid kind I think, but powder?

[lajsa]

When I do CO, I have to do something very crucial for it to turn out non-greasy; I have to rinse properly. To be really sure I've gotten everything out (I find my perspective of time is really messed up when I'm in the bathroom!) I usually time my rinses. I make sure to always rinse for ~10 minutes. Sometimes it's seven, sometimes it's eight, but always around ten minutes. That makes for a thorough rinse for my fine hair. Also, I think leaving the conditioner on for a while before rinsing it out makes it work better too. Most often I get in the shower, apply condish, pop on a shower cap and go out do something in my room for ten minutes or more before I go back to rinse.

I love CO. My hair feels so much better with it.

[smileycat]

CO with Suave Tropical coconut left my hair greasy looking and flat. I liked Suave strawberry for CO washing, but mostly I CWC now. I get better, consistent results.