I have a Co-Washing issue.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Ive been co-washing my hair for about 2 weeks now, and the first week was fine. But now, my hair is starting to get the itchy oily's. And im starting to break out more. I dont know why either, because im not using heavy conditioners. But ill co-wash, my hair will stay clean for a day and then get really oily and itchy at the scalp. Which I find odd because before when I was using sulfate shampoos and coney conditioners, my hair stayed clean longer, felt dry and not healthy, but it was clean.
Now, i see less breakage and my hair feels nice, its just SO OILY.
Do you think maybe im doing something wrong?
I use Suave natural to clean my scalp and i wash it all out, then i get the suave and distribute to my ends, and rinse again. I never leave conditioner in my hair and usually am able to wash it all out, yet my hair is so dirty!
Any pointer or tips? Or is co-washing just not a good idea for my fine hair? :) Thanks.

[Mairéad]

It's possible that you're still transitioning? Two weeks in would not be uncommon to still be adjusting from shampoo, even if it's sulfate-free. (But you said you were using sulfates.)

Your hair seems to be enjoying the CO but your scalp seems to be hating it. Maybe CWC would be a good routine for you to try. The conditioner would protect your lengths but your scalp could have its shampoo.

If you want to give CO a little more time I'll have to ask a few questions.

Did you clarify before starting? (You said you were using cones before hand)
and--
How often did you wash with shampoo?
Daily or even every other day washing in my experience would lead to fussier transition periods, especially if the surfactant of choice is a sulfate.

But, if all else fails I'd take a look at CWC.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

It's possible that you're still transitioning? Two weeks in would not be uncommon to still be adjusting from shampoo, even if it's sulfate-free. (But you said you were using sulfates.)

Your hair seems to be enjoying the CO but your scalp seems to be hating it. Maybe CWC would be a good routine for you to try. The conditioner would protect your lengths but your scalp could have its shampoo.

If you want to give CO a little more time I'll have to ask a few questions.

Did you clarify before starting? (You said you were using cones before hand)
and--
How often did you wash with shampoo?
Daily or even every other day washing in my experience would lead to fussier transition periods, especially if the surfactant of choice is a sulfate.

But, if all else fails I'd take a look at CWC.

No, i did not clarify, I havent in... years. Lol. I probably need too >.>
And i washed every 3 days. Which is why I am.. curious as to why the transitions taking so long.

[battles]

I had no luck with CO washing. My hair looked great the first week, but after that it turned into a greasy wreck. Now my hair threatens to commit seppuku whenever conditioner is in the vicinity.

It could be that you need to stick with it longer and you'll get used to it, or maybe you're like me. :p

[Mairéad]

Haha, Suave makes a clarifying shampoo. Give it a shot. It's recommended to clarify before starting a new hair routine. I don't know if it will help with your scalp problems but who knows? Also, many COer's throw in clarifying washes as often as once a week. I go about 3-6 weeks just depending on what's going on. That may be a way to tame your scalp. Your actual hair seems to be enjoying the routine though.

Hope it works out. There's nothing wrong with routine not working though. Sometimes the scalp just doesn't transition. My hair never liked shampoo bars and was perpetually gross. So, if it doesn't clear up soon I'd probably go routine shopping again.

[jujube]

It could also be how you're co-washing. Do you use lots and lots of light, runny conditioner, scrub your scalp, leave it in for a few minutes and then rinse the heck out of it? And then rinse some more?

I only co-wash, never use shampoo except for clarifying once in a while. When I initially started co-washing, I had kind of left out the "scrubbing scalp" part and that would leave my hair greasy. There was also a transition period after I learnt to do it correctly, I won't lie about that. I've gone from washing daily with sulfate shampoo, to now co-washing every three days. I'd suggest to alternate a co-wash with a CWC wash to ease into the transition.

Or it might just be not for you. :p

[Lianna]

No, i did not clarify, I havent in... years. Lol. I probably need too >.>
And i washed every 3 days. Which is why I am.. curious as to why the transitions taking so long.

A simple sulfate shampoo is enough clarifying in most cases. The only way you didn't clarify in years would be that you didn't use cones at all (or just the water soluble ones), or your hair would be a mess long ago.

Perhaps you need to co-wash more often until your hair adjusts to co-washing less often. So your hair would look clean/less oily on a daily basis. Many people co-wash everyday.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

A simple sulfate shampoo is enough clarifying in most cases. The only way you didn't clarify in years would be that you didn't use cones at all (or just the water soluble ones), or your hair would be a mess long ago.

Perhaps you need to co-wash more often until your hair adjusts to co-washing less often. So your hair would look clean/less oily on a daily basis. Many people co-wash everyday.

I didnt know sulfate shampoos clarify.. o_o Well then im wrong.

Im going to try to keep co-washing. :cool:

[MissEarlGrey]

It took me a LONG time to make the transition. Almost 6 months. At first, I S&C every other day and CO in between; I did that for about 3 months. Then, I started every 3rd day, which has now lead me to every 5-6 days. It does take a long time, the faster you go, the harder the transition will be.

[Lianna]

Yes, sulfates have the power to clean everything from your hair. It might need more than one wash if the hair is really gunky though (like too much styling products).

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Yes, sulfates have the power to clean everything from your hair. It might need more than one wash if the hair is really gunky though (like too much styling products).

Yeah no, lol. Then i guess ill try clarifying once a week and seeing what that does.

[Lianna]

Sounds like a good plan, many members do it. :)

[hototogisu]

Co-washing changed my hair, but I find I still need to shampoo once every one or two weeks. It takes time to find the right conditioner and method for your scalp. But my biggest advice is to SCRUB, SCRUB, SCRUB and use WAY more conditioner than you think you need to. It's the friction that gets rid of the oil on your scalp. I scrub my scalp for at least two minutes. I actually time myself, scrubbing each section of my scalp for 30 seconds before moving on to the next, then I flip my head upside down and scrub my whole scalp for a minute longer. It sounds tiresome, but it feels really lovely.

It might help to see co-washing as an every-second-wash thing, then condition-wash-condition. I think my scalp would be overwhelmed if I suddenly switched to exclusively co-washing. And be sure to play around with the conditioners you use - the cheaper the better, for some reason!

Good luck!

[Carolyn]

You can throw in a CWC wash or a S & C wash any time you feel CO washing isn't getting your hair clean enough. You may not have to do it as often as once a week. I find that a sulphate poo will get more of the gunkies off but I like to use a shampoo made for clarifying occasionally. I think it gets more of the gunky crap off my hair. It's especially good when my ends get really velcro-y.