New to COing...with questions! :)

[JadeTigress]

Ok, so I just started CO at the beginning of the week. I really don't even know why I did it, but I'm glad I did. Conditioner, when I use it after shampoo, has always made my hair look terrible. It gets really limp, dull, greasy looking, and just plain icky. Such is the life of fine hair. :p So I just would never use conditioner; I'd shampoo and be done with it. Even when I went SLS and cone free, I tried out conditioner again. Same results, with the exception of the very first use.

But for some reason the CO made my hair look and feel way better. Could someone explain to me how that makes sense? :p I would think that conditioner all on it's own would've made my hair way worse. Especially after the way I did it last night. The first time I did it, I just wet my hair like normal, threw the conditioner in, rubbed it around like normal, and rinsed it out. Quick process. But last night, I put the conditioner on while my hair was dry, tried to rub in in my scalp as best as I could because I thought I remembered reading that it needs some friction to dissolve stuff, and let it sit for 5 or 6 minutes. Then I rinsed it for forever, rubbing in my scalp the whole time to try to make sure I got it all. The result this morning was crazy good.

So here's my questions, other than wondering how any of that makes sense. :p When I put the conditioner on dry hair (which is what I'm going to keep doing for awhile since it turned out so well), how much should I use? Should it be saturated, or just kind of put some on there. Last night I had planned on saturating it, but I ran out of conditioner so that didn't happen. But I did get a lot on there. I didn't realize the massive amount it was going to take for dry hair. :p

Also, is there any sort of oils or anything at all I can use to make my hair look thicker? Because that's the only downfall of this whole CO thing for me. However, now that I think about it, I think it was thicker looking with only shampoo because it was frizzier and poofy. Which isn't really happening with the conditioner. But I still want my hair to look thick. I'd rather have it actually be thick, but I don't know how to do that. :p

Thanks in advance! And sorry for the long post (yet again). I start typing, and my fingers just go. :p

[Siiri]

I don't know about the oils, but aloe vera gel makes my hair feel slightly thicker, have you tried that? And about the hair feeling cleaner after co-washing, maybe you just rinsed the conditioner out better after co-washing than after using both shampoo and conditioner? I apply the conditioner on dry hair too after deep oiling, because I think it cleanses better, but it takes a lot more conditioner that way. Normally I apply it on damp hair. Have you tried diluting it with water?

[Mesmerise]

I don't know about the oils, but aloe vera gel makes my hair feel slightly thicker, have you tried that? And about the hair feeling cleaner after co-washing, maybe you just rinsed the conditioner out better after co-washing than after using both shampoo and conditioner? I apply the conditioner on dry hair too after deep oiling, because I think it cleanses better, but it takes a lot more conditioner that way. Normally I apply it on damp hair. Have you tried diluting it with water?

This is what I thought too! Conditioner probably made your hair limp in the past because it wasn't all rinsed out properly, but because you made extra extra sure to wash it all out, there wasn't any remaining.

Also is your hair really as thin looking as you think? I mean... I've seen a few people on here say how thin their hair looks, and yet to everyone else it looks fine. And then there are people with thin/fine hair whose hair looks great! You've described your thickness as a ii which is just normal, as most people's hair falls into that category.

I also CO my hair (have been for the past month) and lately have been diluting the conditioner with water, as it helps it get in and around my hair better, and I use less.

[JadeTigress]

Thanks for the input. :) I'll definitely try out some aloe and see what happens.

And Mesmerise, I think you're right; my hair's probably thicker than I realize. I'm just so used to that poof that I get from shampoo only, so it'll take me awhile to get used to something else. But I've just always wanted insanely thick hair. :p

[MyKing'sQueen]

I'm new on here and I've been co-washing for a month now with good results, but I have the same problem I have fine hair and I've lost my volume together with the frizz)))) One thing that helped me was the ACV rinse, but as far as I know, you are not supposed to do it too often. I haven't been dilluting conditioner or doing it on dry hair, I will give it a try though.

[Jimothea]

Oils remove oils--which means earlier, you were stripping your hair of oils, but then adding external ones (not exactly; I mean the conditoner) on top. Also remember that there may be an adjustment period to any new hair idea; there are so many genetic factors, environmental factors, stress, health, etc. that can effect your hair when you're trying somethign out that you might want to stick with whatever you decide for a few weeks at least, just to make sure that the greatness or horrific-ness you experience the first few times doesn't change later. Hope that makes sense.

I'm a finey too, and I L-O-V-E LOVE condition-only washes. I second the whole rinsing well thing; for me it's harder to tell when I've gotten all the condish out on days I use shampoo because my hair feels so dry from the stripping. But I have wavy hair, so left-in conditioner helps my cause, lol.

I like to saturate, especially in hot, gross weather, so I know the conditioner is getting a chance to grab onto whatever's in my hair. Not very scientific, but it makes sense in my head. BTW, you can dilute (I do), and CO works just as well. Swear it! Just play with it to find the right ratio; it varies from head to head and bottle to bottle, in my experience. Really cuts down on the amount used though.

IMO, fine and baby-fine hair rarely looks full and thick, no matter how many hair strands actually exist (so whispy! so floatie!); this is just something you might have to reconcile yourself to. Not that you can't make it look thicker, but since you're starting with such a teensy-weensy little hair shaft, you may only get to mid-looking-thickness, know what I mean? This is accuate for mine, anyway. And actually, I think the CO is helping b/c it seems to make my hair a bit....plumper?...I dunno if that's quite the right term... it's not so fly-away now as when I S&C'd, so I've more hair laying into my actual haircut, which makes it look thicker than it is. But yeah, I'm a bit more wavy than you, so you might have less of an issue with the floaties (although CO really brings out wave, it seems). Just give it time, I guess? I'd originally guessed myself a 2a-2b person, pre-CO (not pre-LHC), but as my hair becomes healthier and more moisturized the wave factor seems to increase, and some days the wurls at least seem pretty thick-ish, even if I know they really aren't. And with fine hair, we need all the help we can get, right? Lol.

Coconut oil is pretty heavy on mine; I like it but since CO I've went to using it the night before clarifying only. EVOO seems to do pretty well, but that's more for wave-enhancement, rather than thickness. These are the only ones I've tried, yet. Yet! I want to say Castor Oil is resputed to work pretty well, but maybe that's only for length, and not for thickness.

Monistat seemed to up my thickness, but that means dealing with a lot of baby hairs--a lot!--I think I'm one of the few who got new follicle growth, rather than existing, but it's something to investigate when you are bored. It filled in my temples and part quite a bit. REALLY. lol. The baby hairs were making me nuts!

Equally sorry for my long post...HTH!

[JadeTigress]

Thanks a ton, that helps a lot. :)

Rosemary-infused castor oil is next up on my list of things to try. Monistat's on my list, too, but I'm waiting to try that one until I know I can afford to keep at it for awhile. I feel like I'd be ok with a lot of baby hairs. We'll see if I still think that after I actually get them, though. :p