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Loepsie
April 18th, 2011, 05:49 AM
Recently I've been considering starting to CO wash, but I have no idea how to start. I've read through the CO-thread a bit but couldn't find all the information I need (I have to admit I didn't read all 130 pages, lol) since most people on there already know quite a bit about it.
I haven't used any conditioner at all for the past years, and I've only used coconut & jojoba oil to moisturize my hair. I feel like my hair isn't living up to it's full potential though, so I want to try CO washing for a while to see what it'll do.
Now my question is: how does it work? So far I understood I need to get a cone-free conditioner and just continue my washing routine (washing once in 3/4 days) with it and then clarify every once in a while. Is that right? Is there anything else important I've missed? Any tips? =)

FluffSpider
April 18th, 2011, 06:17 AM
Some heads-up things you might want to consider:
-use enough condish to saturate your hair. If not, the cleaning properties won't show.
-massage it well onto your roots, to loosen up grease and debris
-use a sort of condish which isn't too rich in oils, or isn't too 'conditioning'-those generally have the best cleaning properties. Using an oily treatment condish will just make your hair look stringy.

Also, you might be able to get your hands on Avon's Hair mask with kiwi and mandarin or something like that. It's the best I've used for CO, leaves my hair soft and nice, and as clean as after a shampooing-but without the flyaway and frizz. Good luck on your CO-ing and let us know how it went;)!

AchtungCurly
April 18th, 2011, 06:22 AM
I really hope I'm allowed to link this, but these instructions helped me so much when I started: http://dormroomcurly.blogspot.com/

RitaCeleste
April 18th, 2011, 06:24 AM
I just started it myself. I went to Lakshmi's Cupboard and got some Trader Joe's nourish spa (No trader joe's within MILES) and Aubrey Organic Honeysuckle Rose together to try it out and LOVED it. I tried the Honeysuckle Rose as a deep conditioner and a conditioner and a leave-in. I mostly use it as a leave in because I'm too cheap to want to wash it down the drain. If it starts to feel bad or look bad I'll use shampoo but so far my damaged hair is just eating oils and cowashing up. I like meadowfoam oil (SoaperSupplies had it on sale) on dry hair and coconut oil as a prewash. Sorry for including the names of the products and sites but I'm in a rural area so I'm stuck ordering and always waiting and wondering if the places are real.

MrsGuther
April 18th, 2011, 06:53 AM
Great thread! I've been meaning to look up how to do this myself... I've been trying what I thought was CO washing, and it's been working pretty well. LOTS better than the sulfate free shampoo route... my hair feels softer and less or no frizz now. Yay!!!

Izae
April 18th, 2011, 07:02 AM
I don't know if you're aware of this, but there's an article which summarizes the important info from the CO threads.

The link is here, http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=68006

I have to CO wash every day at the moment, or every other day, because grease builds up on my scalp really quickly otherwise, because I workout every day as well.
I'm trying to figure out a routine that will let me CO wash only every few days instead, but it might take me a while.

Knotted
April 18th, 2011, 08:21 AM
Thanks for all the info, I was curious about CO as well. :)

Loepsie
April 18th, 2011, 09:18 AM
Thanks a lot, time to start the hunt for appropriate conditioner... I'm really excited to try this, I wonder how it'll turn out ^-^

Copasetic
April 18th, 2011, 10:11 AM
Thanks a lot, time to start the hunt for appropriate conditioner... I'm really excited to try this, I wonder how it'll turn out ^-^

A lot of people like Suave naturals, or V05 for CO. They are cheap, and not too conditioning, which makes them good for CO washing.

Anje
April 18th, 2011, 10:20 AM
It's really very easy. You get an appropriate, usually cheap conditioner. Preferred ones are usually silicone-free and often protein-free, because these can build up on hair and have more opportunity to do so if you don't shampoo. The Suave Naturals line works best for me, and a lot of people really like VO5 conditioners for CO. White Rain used to also make the favored list, but it's been recently reformulated to include silicone. I also suggest buying a plastic shower cap to keep the conditioner from getting rinsed out while you shower, and to stop it from dripping if you wait longer.

Get your hair wet, then apply a couple palmfuls of conditioner to coat your hair from root to tip. How much depends a lot on length and thickness, but you want your hair to be good and slimy. Cover it with a shower cap, and wait for a while. How long it takes varies from a few minutes while you wash your body to a half hour or so.

Once the allotted time is up, you apply a little bit of water, like a handful or so, to your scalp. Massage your scalp a bit, so the conditioner gets frothy. (It doesn't really foam, but you can get it so it's more like froth than slime.) If you like to comb through conditioner, this is a good point to do it. Finally, you rinse your hair. A lot. Then rinse some more, til all the conditioner is out. (People who complain of lank hair with CO often discover they've not rinsed it thoroughly enough.)

ETA: Some people have a transition period where their scalps slow down the oil production in response to the reduced drying of CO compared to shampoo. Some people find they shed less with CO, some people find they shed more or that their scalps get angry without harsher cleansers. Nothing's one-size-fits-all, but CO and CWC are quite useful for hair that wants more moisture.

tl;dr version:
1) Apply several palmfuls of conditioner.
2) Cover and wait.
3) Splash with water and massage.
4) Rinse copiously.

CaityBear
April 18th, 2011, 11:53 AM
Slather it on really good, massage really good and WAIT. Waiting is very important. If you don't let it sit at all then it won't do its job. And then splash some water, massage and wait again.

That's all you do. I have started to put conditioner on dry hair and let that sit before I shower so that I can have shorter showers. That works fairly well for me.

And otherwise just remember it will take time for your hair to adjust and you might have to adjust your routine a bit until your scalp gets used to it.