Conditioner on dry (not wet) hair?

[CurlyCap]

Hi all.

The past week I've been doing an experiment.

I usually co-wash my hair. This week I decided, rather than wetting my hair with water then adding conditioner, I would add conditioner directly to my dry hair.

My hair usually requires a lot of conditioner, and yes, this made my hair use up even more.

But what I've noticed is that I get much better results. Better (and quicker) detangling, softer hair, and since I co-wash, cleaner feeling hair.

I usually apply the conditioner, do my body routine, and then duck my head under the shower to get my scalp wet. I briefly scrub my scalp for a quick cleanse and then rinse the conditioner out, finger combing as I go. Detangling has been a dream and that's a big statement coming from me.

Has anyone else tried this? What were your results?

For thoroughness, I'm currently using VO5 Rosemary and Sage Tea conditioner. I do a vinegar rinse afterward because of the hard water in my city.

ETA: SORRY FOLKS. It seems I double posted this topic. In order to avoid confusion, hopefully people will post to the other version (it already has more replies). Rena, I asked for the threads to be merged, so hopefully your comment will be added there soon!

[rena]

Wow CurlyCap, your experience with the conditioner on dry hair sounds very intriguing if I do say so myself. It also makes sense, because the conditioner can better lift the dirt/sebum when directly next to it without water to get in the way. I've been thinking about doing more of that lately, but I'm torn between the results I get, and how much conditioner it would cause me to use (because as you said, it does indeed take more when applied to hair while dry).

[lostchyld]

I've been doing the same thing. It has really helped my itchy scalp. I've been using Suave Naturals Coconut. I'm also switching off of an SLS routine, so washing more often, but I feel like my scalp is happier already.

I make sure I give myself a nice massage while I'm working the conditioner in.

[jacqueline101]

I have never done but it sounds like it is as good as putting it on damp or wet hair.

[pepperminttea]

When I don't go swimming beforehand, I do this too. :) I use a lot more conditioner, but the effect is worth it. I would only recommend doing it with a conditioner you really love the smell of though, as it does linger more than when it's used on wet hair.

[Chetanlaiho]

I want to try this but I'm afraid of the amount of conditioner I'll go through xD and diluting it would kind of ruin the effect of putting it on dry I suppose :/

[Carolyn]

I've done it that way for years. I do what I call "long CO soaks". That's where I load my dry hair with conditioner, cover in a plastic shower cap and Turbie towel, and let my hair marinate in the conditioner for at least an hour. It works especially well when I've done a heavy, overnight oiling. It really gets the oil out and leaves my hair super soft and silky. Yes I use a lot of conditioner but I don't think it's a big deal as I use VO5 or old formula WR conditioners and they were a dollar or less per bottle. I have a huge stockpile of the old WR conditioner. For those who don't know, the new version of WR has cones added. I get 4-5 CO washes from each bottle so that's only .20 to .25 per wash.

[Tota]

That's a great idea, thank you! I will try it tomorrow :cheese:

[Gulbahar]

I always do it like this, but I leave the conditioner on for at least half an hour before I rinse it out. It's also perfect as a wash after heavy oiling.

[piffyanne]

Well, this sounded like a good plan. I'm sitting here with virgin-olive-oiled hair, and hoping that this will all work out. I've got a big thing this weekend, and am hoping I haven't just done something my hair will consider drastic. >please please please please<

Anyhoo, wish me luck. I'll ETA in the results, unless there's a post after this. (I won't make you guys go digging, because I love you.)

[rock007junkie]

I do this when I don't have a lot of time to deep condition. I apply the conditioner on dry hair, go about my day and then rinse it out in the shower and wash....comes out soooo soft.

[afu]

I also find that this gives me a much cleaner result than a normal CO, especially after a heavy oiling. I apply the conditioner just to my scalp area about 2mins before showering. I then get in the shower, get some water into it, apply conditioner to the lengths and go about a normal CO

[MintChocChip]

Mmm, that sounds very intriguing. I will definitely be trying this out! Thanks for the tips :)

I'll let you know how I get on with it.

[piffyanne]

Results: my hair has NEVER acted like this in its life. First of all, my hair is now actually SOFTER than the softest hair my imagination ever cooked up, so my mind is blown just from the start. Also, 90% of my ever-present halo of frizz is tamed, and the last 10% is only putting up a pathetically half-hearted attempt at fluffing up.

My hair's also shinier than it's ever been.

On the other hand, my hair feels like there's still conditioner in it, or something. I stood under the showerhead for longer than usual, and scrubbed and scritched, so I don't know why that might be. Maybe I'm just not used to the feeling of sleek hair?

That aside, ladies and gents, I put my hair into a loose braid yesterday once it was mostly dry, and, since I'd just shown up at my DBF's house and was (and still am) excited about this, I told him to run his hand down the length of the braid (petting with, not against the hair, naturally.)

He said my hair felt like "the cord of a silk robe." :D Amazingly, though it sounds like hyperbole, it's an accurate description: it's truly like silk now.

I almost went nuts when I couldn't find this thread again, because I was so eager to tell you all how well this worked for me! (It's worth a try, right?)

Thanks, thanks, thanks for telling us! I am sooo going to do this again and again and again!:cheese:

[luxepiggy]

I always CO on dry hair - it works way, way better for me. My method is very similar to Carolyn's, right down to the number of washes I get out of each bottle (^(oo)^)v


I've done it that way for years. I do what I call "long CO soaks". That's where I load my dry hair with conditioner, cover in a plastic shower cap and Turbie towel, and let my hair marinate in the conditioner for at least an hour. It works especially well when I've done a heavy, overnight oiling. It really gets the oil out and leaves my hair super soft and silky. Yes I use a lot of conditioner but I don't think it's a big deal as I use VO5 or old formula WR conditioners and they were a dollar or less per bottle. I have a huge stockpile of the old WR conditioner. For those who don't know, the new version of WR has cones added. I get 4-5 CO washes from each bottle so that's only .20 to .25 per wash.

[MeowScat]

Funny, I just tried this for the first time a few days ago out of boredom and now here's this thread on page 1 of the Forum. (insert Twilight Zone theme song)

I flipped my dry hair in front of me, detangled and drenched it in cone-free conditioner (3/4 cup of Loreal EverPure Hydrating Conditioner, it's pretty good). Then I gently twisted it into a Cinnabun on top of my head with two Spin Pins and put on a shower cap and a knit hat. Not the most attractive look but DH was at work and the cats don't care. :)

I kept the conditioner in for 5 hours, took a shower, rinsed it out, then put in conditioner again (habit, I guess?) and rinsed it out.

After a few hours of air drying, I checked the scalp hair and it was shiny and clean, not greasy / oily looking at all. The next day it wasn't terribly greasy and it's usually pretty bad by then.

Putting conditioner on dry hair will be on the To Do List again. I'll try less than 5 hours next time, though. The showercap elastic and my forehead were not agreeing with eachother after that much time together.

[Charybdis]

Results: my hair has NEVER acted like this in its life. First of all, my hair is now actually SOFTER than the softest hair my imagination ever cooked up, so my mind is blown just from the start. Also, 90% of my ever-present halo of frizz is tamed, and the last 10% is only putting up a pathetically half-hearted attempt at fluffing up.

OK, piffyanne, you've convinced me, I'm giving this a go. "Ever-present halo of frizz" is an excellent description of my hairline, especially at the temples, because I have a high percentage of "baby" hairs there with a terminal length of just a couple of inches (not due to breakage, you can see the perfectly tapered ends of new growth on them when they shed -- they just don't get any longer). Maybe this will finally encourage them to play nice!

[theodora]

I CO wash on dry hair too, most of the time I CO wash, I'm sitting in the bath, cover hair in conditioner, let it soak for however long I stay in there (30mn-1hr) and then do the actual CO washing.
I did write about this on my hair blog and talk about it on another forum and got told "this is not the way you're supposed to CO wash". Well this is how it works for me. I was told to try doing the diluted conditioner in water way (applying pre-mixed conditioner and water) instead but it really didn't cleanse my hair as well.

My OH also does CO washing like this, he's got short (about ear length) kinda greasy hair and he gets greasy much less quickly with this method.