Co washing = Hair Loss?

[kellysmum]

I am 46 with naturally curly hair, 2c/3a, which is fine and is thinning diffusely. My hair is very dry. I used to use Ouidad products, but the silicones and sulfates in them dried me out and I was a bundle of frizz. Then I found the Curly Girl method and I purchased Curl Junkie Gentle Cleanser and Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner to use. I started this in June. Now, my hair is as dry as it was when I was using Ouidad, no matter how mild the shampoo I use. The only thing that seems to work is to use co washing (only conditioner) methods. Thing is, it makes my hair fall out more. I don't know what to do. I have armpit-length hair (middle of back when dry) and I desperately want to let it grow. I have purchased botanical shampoos and conditioners through the Internet, but am afraid to use them. I don't know what to do about my hair. I deep condition once a week and it doesn't seem to be helping. Why would co-washing make my hair fall out more? Any advice is appreciated and it's nice to meet you all.

[celebriangel]

Are you sure it's actually making you shed more overall and not, for example, making more of the hair that would fall out anyway fall out in the shower?

Second, you may be sensitive to one of the ingredients in the conditioner you selected. Try a few different ones - conefree tend to be cheap.

Third, CO washing sometimes makes your hair "smoosh" more and make smaller buns because the cuticles are flatter. Could it be this?

[Madora]

Perhaps you might want to schedule an appointment with your doctor to see that everything is ok with your blood (no anemia) and also have your thyroid checked.

A trichologist (hair doctor) can also be consulted. Ask for a referral from your physician.

Good luck!

[spidermom]

Have you tried applying conditioner generously to the length of your hair, then washing the scalp area with diluted shampoo?

[Cainwen]

Are you sure it's actually making you shed more overall and not, for example, making more of the hair that would fall out anyway fall out in the shower?

Second, you may be sensitive to one of the ingredients in the conditioner you selected. Try a few different ones - conefree tend to be cheap.

Third, CO washing sometimes makes your hair "smoosh" more and make smaller buns because the cuticles are flatter. Could it be this?

I second this possibility. When I started COing (2 months ago?) I was really freaked out by how much hair I was shedding with each wash. Then I realized I was shedding next to nothing during the week (I wash hair on Saturdays). Two months later, it seems to be evening out a bit (ie, shedding less in the shower, but a little more when brushing/combing). Maybe this is whats happening to you?

[FrozenBritannia]

I'm new here, but I would second the checking of the ingredients.. During my hair loss I found that anything with sulfites in it made my hair continue to fall out (and over a period of three months I lost it ALL- thankfully not all at once, hard to believe I'm saying that, but I was never completely bald).
Also, I have several family members that swear up and down Pantene products make their hair fall out, so if it is already coming out you may want to avoid those..

[kellysmum]

I should have mentioned that I visited both my family doctor and my dermatologist, and had bloodwork done, and everything is normal EXCEPT that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and take BCP for it, along with Glucophage. The Curl Junkie cleansing conditioner is supposed to be sulfate free-don't know about sulfite free (can someone explain the difference?) Here are the ingredients:
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG -7 Olivate, Guar Hydroxypropytrimonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Mentha Piperita (Pepperment) Leaf Extract, Matricaria Recuitita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Yucca Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Polysorbate 60, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance.

You gals and guys are the experts-is there anything there that would totally dry out my hair? It's because of this dry hair problem that I started cleansing with conditioner (Curl Junkie Argan and Olive Oil) in the first place. I stay away from anything with sulfates or silicone. I'm wondering if I should try washing just my scalp with the diluted shampoo and using conditioner on the rest of my hair. Keep up with the advice. It's really helping!

[kellysmum]

Here are the ingredients for the Curl Junkie Argan and Olive Oil conditioner I've been using as a co wash:

Water, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Esters, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Virgin Coconut) Oil, Panthenol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Yucca Leaf Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Propylene Glycol, Iodopropylnyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance, Citric Acid

Can anyone recommend a good co-washing conditioner to try?

[FrozenBritannia]

I know that there are different types of alcohol and some are (reputedly) non drying, but in my opinion (I studied chem in school) alcohol is alcohol and it's best to be wary of anything with that ingredient in the first five on the list because they are listed in order of amount in the finished product. The top one you listed has two alcohols in the top five.

[kellysmum]

Frozen:

You're right-that is a lot of alcohol for a supposedly conditioning product. Maybe that's what is drying me out so much. Thank you for the reply.

[Cainwen]

There was a recent thread which dealt with the prescence of alcohols in conditioner. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=78274 There is an explanation of many common ingredients on page 3. Just because something belongs to a particular chemical group doesn't mean that they all act the same way. Isopropyl alcohol will dry out my skin like nothing else, and kill me if I drink it. Ethanol will not dry my skin very much at all, and it will make me drunk if I drink it (yes, it will kill me if I drink enough, but so will water). Citric acid makes my orange juice tangy and prevents scurvy. hydrofluoric acid will eat through my hand. etc, etc

I like VO5 Kiwi Lime squeeze for CO washing, btw. Its cheap, light and does nice things to my hair.

[CurlyCap]

PCOS can cause hair loss.

Unless my glucophage is at the right level, my hair starts to thing, especially at the top. In fact, hair thinning is how I know it's time to go to the doctor to discuss my medications.

[Cassie 123]

Cetearyl alcohol is considered to cause waxy buildup, as mentioned in this thread (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56746). Really, any perfectly good conditioner can build up; it's just something that happens. Buildup can make hair feel dry. A really important part of COing is to occasionally use a clarifying shampoo (Neutrogena makes a popular one). Follow this with an SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) to rehydrate and then let us know if your hair feels better!

Now as for the thread title.. more than one LHC member has found a noticeably reduced ponytail circumference to result from CO, and I am one of these people. I really don't know why. I initially decided that it was due to the cuticles lying much smoother, as celebriangel mentions above. Maybe. But then this thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?p=1774816#post1774816) came along, and I also spoke to Lianna (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1774769&postcount=49), who in further conversation (on our profile pages) said that she knew five other people to whom this had happened. As I've said, I haven't a clue as to what is really causing this, but I'm going to be experimenting a bit to see if there's anything I can do about it.

[hototogisu]

I think you manipulate your hair a lot more when you co-wash, as you really need to scrub your scalp to get it clean. I don't think co-washing causes hair loss - I also suffer from hair loss (just had my implanon removed to stop this), and I find co-washing makes my hair healthier and stronger, and I'm convinced the regular scalp massage is slowing shedding overall.

[Audrey Horne]

When I just started to CO I freaked out: it looked like a major shedding and dried me out. I found out that a conditioner I used for CO wasn't the right one for me. It works wonderful when not left on my hair for more than a minute or two. Some people do not experience it with the same conditioner. I finally found one that doesn't dry me out, so I use it for CO and that other conditioner just to rinse my length to give it extra moisture (I mix it with coconut oil too).
And I don't shed so shockingly anymore. I still get greasies faster though.

I don't know what pre-LHC routine you had. It took me about two months to re-adjust at least a little. The first month of my cone-free routine was awful, my hair was thin, dry and looked like puke. So it can take some time, don't lose your hope.