Co wash is it causing all these problems?

[sazzie88]

I would like some advice on your own co washing experiences.

I started co washing in august of last year. When i first started my hair was great it was in good silky condition all over after just starting and I was so excited.

Now 10 months down the line I have been having some real problems. My ends are so dry and almost crispy ( I have tried increasing moisture and also adding more protein, to which nothing has helped)

I have tried to clarify which helps the roots but dries out the ends more. My roots are getting so greasy so fast. I used to be able to go for almost four days without another wash but now I am having to wash the next day.

I have also had a very severe flair up of acne (the cystic kind) all around my jawline and neck as well as chin. I have been to the doctors and she believes this is hormonal and given me oxycyline. I have been taking these for a month and they seem to be getting worse. I today realised that as I am growing out my frige and it is currently at jawline and that it could be the products on my fringe rubbing on my face. I have enquired about this on here before with not much luck. Now it is really egtting to me.

I am becoming spotty and greasy please help!

[brave]

What conditioners are you using/what is your routine?

[sazzie88]

I use fructis conditioner on my roots , and a moisture rich one on my ends and let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing.

Every 2 weeks or so I clarify. It feels like my hair is coated in something even after I clarify and trying to brush is very hard as It feels like my ends are snapping :(

[fridgee]

I am going through exactly the same thing at the moment, tho I hadn't linked it to CO washing. All I can do is sympathize and hope there are some great suggestions from other people :flower:

[sazzie88]

Thanks, I might have to revert back to shampoo for a while and see if the problem changes. Maybe my hair needs a mix up every so often.

If you find a solution please share :)

[RitaCeleste]

I got build up with co-washing. I picked up some Pantene Moisture Renewal shampoo and it seemed to remove the build up pretty well and was gentle. I started using Pantene products for conditioning even though it has cones and my ends are not too bad except in a couple of spots. The hair on the sides does have dry spots even though I put coconut oil all over them and let them soak in it before I add the conditioner and let it sit for 30 mins at least then rinse it all out. I tried a protein product and saw zero difference in my hair so I guess I didn't really need it. I vote for changing it up with cheaper products and seeing how it is. As long as you don't break the piggy bank on products, you can afford to switch it up once in awhile.

[winship2]

I believe that I break out where my ends touch. I notice it less now that I'm at BSL. If I were you I'd switch back to a more conventional gentle, diluted shampoo and compensate by doing a pre-oil and maybe oiling the ends with something really light that's suitable for use on the face, like argan oil. Nix the conditioner for a few weeks. I can be prone to breaking out, and I have no trouble with argan. In other words, make a pronounced change to your CO habit to see if it clears up. I really hope so!

[sazzie88]

I believe that I break out where my ends touch. I notice it less now that I'm at BSL. If I were you I'd switch back to a more conventional gentle, diluted shampoo and compensate by doing a pre-oil and maybe oiling the ends with something really light that's suitable for use on the face, like argan oil. Nix the conditioner for a few weeks. I can be prone to breaking out, and I have no trouble with argan. In other words, make a pronounced change to your CO habit to see if it clears up. I really hope so!


Thnk you I thin I will have to resort back to shampoo and see if this helps.
On the plus side I have two bottles of Mane n Tail waiting to be used up that have been gathering dust :)

[Amber_Maiden]

Just clarifying might help.

[Anje]

When you clarify, you're making sure it gets concentrated on your ends where the problem is, right?

[nobeltonya]

I couldn't get CO-washing to work for me... I just use good old shampoo [with SLES, no SLS] and conditioner, as well as leave-in. But I also oil at night. I've been doing it every night, but now I'm going to start stretching that some. :rolling:

[Miss Maisie]

CO didn't exactly work for me. What I do now is CO for 2 days, then S&C the third day. My scalp requires shampoo. Good old (bad old?) shampoo with sulfates. I decided not to fight it anymore :)

Good luck tweaking your routine!!

[Slug Yoga]

I know pretty much nothing about this, but isn't dryness and crispiness sometimes a sign of protein overload?

[TheMechaGinger]

I started getting acne on my back with co-washing and I'm all too familiar with the crunchy ends/greasy roots scenario. I just used regular VO5 products in mine and it still did this. So I went back to regular old s&c and everything cleared up for me

[spidermom]

I can recommend CWC with diluted shampoo. My hair responded well to CO at first, but it didn't work long term.

As for the ends, sometimes they need to come off. Maybe it's time for a trim?