Pro's/con's of co washing

[poppy81]

With those of you who CO wash, what pro's/con's do you see in your hair? If I am right, is CO washing used mainly for protecting your ends and roots against harsh shampoos stripping your hair? having your natural oils come back? and eliminating frizz and flyaways? please correct me if I am wrong? :)

[Tisiloves]

After a couple of washes:

Pros: softer hair, pleasing volume, don't need to oil as much, hair doesn't freak out quite so much with humidity.

Cons: second day hair is bizarrely greasy (my hair seems to have absorbed it all by day 3), use a lot of conditioner, takes a while and requires plenty of rinsing.

[afu]

For me it is all pros - my hair is silky, tangle free, moisturised, manageable and healthy :) I havn't noticed any bad points at all, it is certainly the best thing i ever did for my hair and i'll never go back to shampoo (except for maybe the occasional clarify when changing products). CO also works out really cheap for me, because i am not stripping my hair i can get away with using super cheap conditioners, I can get 1.5litres made up (part diluted supermarket brand) for 80p. It adds more definition to curls and waves and my hair feels thicker. would recommend it to anyone :D

Oh and it also takes less time for me to do than a regualar shampoo and condition, although I know it varies between people/heads/hair!

[cwarren]

I've been cowashing for about two years now:

Pros: my hair is soft, manageable and moisturized.
Cons: I have to clarify my scalp with baking soda every two weeks.

[lmfbs]

Pros:
Easy
Less products to carry around
I spend more time and effort making sure my scalp is clean
Less frizz, more moisture
Cheaper
Less tangly

Cons:
Sometimes people look at you weird if you say you don't use shampoo.

[battles]

I've just recently started, and so far I've noticed:

Pros:
Softer, more moisturized hair.
Less tangles.
Doesn't feel like I'm stripping my hair daily.
I enjoy washing my hair more now.
Less frizz.
More waves.

Cons:
The amount of shedding I do while washing can be alarming at times. :bigeyes: I've had to clean the shower drain mid-wash because the water wasn't draining anymore.
It does use a lot of conditioner, and not all hair likes the cheap Suave or V05.

[ravenreed]

The only con for CO washing for me is that it takes longer. I CO twice, letting both sit for a while, and then rinse every bit out. That takes a while.

[Tisiloves]

The only con for CO washing for me is that it takes longer. I CO twice, letting both sit for a while, and then rinse every bit out. That takes a while.

I just do the first rinse sticking my head over the bath and then I can let both sit in a shower cap whilst I potter round the house.

[jeanniet]

I've never been able to get CO to work for me consistently. I can do it occasionally, but more than twice gives me too much buildup. I also have a hard time finding leave-in conditioners that work. I suspect it has to do with my well water, but maybe it's just me. I wish I could CO, because it's much gentler for your hair, but I've found a good moisturizing shampoo so I settle for that.

[Loviatar]

Pros:
No sulphates
I also used conefree conditioners - no coney buildup
Very shiny hair
Very few tangles
Super easy to get heavy oil soaks out. Much easier than shampoo.
One bottle to take on trips.

Cons:
Lots more shedding
Occasional painful scalp patches
Sometimes would get flat, limp hair and feel like I had to shampoo
Bought too much conditioner all the time (I am a product junkie though)

I have decided to switch back to CO when I'm at The Gentleman Writer's house. It's quicker and easier and deals better with Epic Bedhead than shampoo does. :D

[Lauren710]

Pros: I can get to 3rd day hair without feeling itchy/looking greasy :D Used to have to wash my hair every day. My hair is softer, my waves are wavier, my head just feels less dry and more healthy.

Cons: total product junkie. I've bought something like 6-7 conditioners in the last few weeks and am forcing myself to use them up before I buy more. Washing is more time-consuming - I scrub my head for a full 2-3 minutes, maybe more, and stay in the shower as long as possible with my rinse-out conditioner in.

[lilliemer]

I've never been able to get CO to work for me consistently. I can do it occasionally, but more than twice gives me too much buildup. I also have a hard time finding leave-in conditioners that work. I suspect it has to do with my well water, but maybe it's just me. I wish I could CO, because it's much gentler for your hair, but I've found a good moisturizing shampoo so I settle for that.
Sorry to divert the topic of the thread...but what moisturizing shampoo do you use?

I am currently alternating between CO and CWC, I like CO especially after working out as it allows me to wash my hair without exposing it to drying shampoo every day. It is surprising how clean some of the conditioners can make the hair feel. I'm not sure if that's a reflection of the conditioner's cleaning power or of how dry my hair is.

[cheetahfast]

My only con, was build-up, which is solved with better scalp massaging while COing.

I also sometimes get a greasy length, but I suspect, it is because I over-oil sometimes :o.
I love co-washing, but I do end up shampooing, perhaps once a month, I do it before cassia treatments, or if my scalp has been feeling bad (it's usually fine though).

[DarkCurls]

Pros:
- Soft hair and soft ends! My ends used to be so dry.
- I have curly-ish, dry hair, so just giving up on shampoo altogether and only using conditioner is doing wonders for it. It feels healthy.
- It also looks healthy -- the other day my mom asked, What did you do to your hair? It looks nice. (Which would have been a better compliment if she hadn't sounded so surprised.)
- Detangling. So easy. Even though my hair "clumps" to curl, when I break apart the curls to braid it, they separate very quickly. I don't use a comb anymore, just my fingers.
- Makes washing out an oil treatment easier. :p

Cons: There are a few, but none of them major enough to make me want to give up the advantages of CO.
- More shedding. Nothing major, but it's a fact. I'm shedding a bit more in the shower. Oh well. I don't wash my hair that often anyway.
- Some scalp issues -- no greasiness, but a bit of flaking at my hairline. Fixed that by using shampoo on the scalp about once a month.
- I use tons of conditioner. More than I ever did shampoo. :D
- A bit less volume at the roots (and no, plopping does not work). But that's easy to take care of -- just muss it up a little and voilà, ready to go. Sometimes I just do a scalp massage = double benefits, yay.

[XcaliburGirl]

I'm not a long-term CO user. I've tried twice now, though, since I like the idea in theory.

Pros:
- Hair feels nice
- Only one product

Cons:
- Buying big bottles of conditioner constantly
- Scalp build-up and flakes after a few days (I've tried different conditioners. My scalp is finicky.)

[gracenotes]

Pros: Super soft and shiny hair, promotes waves and wurlies, great for hydrating my hair in dry and cold climates, gets heavy oilings out of hair with minimal difficulty, cheaper.

Cons: Hair feels greasy a bit sooner (especially in summer), requires lots more rinsing.

I really really like CO for my hair, but during the summer it just doesn't cut it if I'm trying to stretch washes.

[ravenreed]

I occasionally put conditioner in my hair and let it sit in a shower cap for a while before I hop in the shower, but I hate the drips down my neck!


I just do the first rinse sticking my head over the bath and then I can let both sit in a shower cap whilst I potter round the house.

[fridgee]

Pros:
Soft shiny hair with well defined wurls.
Hair never feels stripped.
Great for getting loads of moisture into your hair.

Cons:
Takes a little longer than shampooing and conditioning.
Needs an acidic rinse afterwards to keep my scalp from freaking out.

On the fence:
Possibly costs more (I've not done the sums and its hard to say because I heavily dilute the washing conditioner so may actually work out cheaper!)
Possibly shed more (wasn't really paying attention to shedding when I was shampooing, but it seems like more, but my hair is also longer so I don't know!)

On balance COing is worth it for me.

[Thenolegirl]

I loved CO washing, but I was on a trip for two weeks with terrible water quality and in a position where I used hot curlers and hairspray. I had to go back to shampoo.

Pros
- softer
- thicker
-easier detangling
- smelled great!
- cheap

Cons
- The shedding. Oh my goodness the shedding was frightening. I've been stressed a lot too lately and CO + stress made my hair fall in clumps. With gentle shampoo I can do more cleaning with less scrubbing.

It's definitely worth trying =) I enjoyed it while I did it.

[kaydana]

Pros:
Cheaper (because I can use a very cheap conditioner).
My hair is smoother, shiner and softer than it has ever been.
No more frizz!
Less tangly and generally more manageable and easier to work with. I used to need a brush to redo braids/buns, now I can just run my fingers through it and it looks fine.
My hair doesn't get greasy as quickly as it used to.

Cons:
*thinks hard*
The washing conditioner takes up slightly more space in my suitcase than shampoo.
It takes a couple of seconds longer to wash out of my hair in the shower.

[caadam]

Pros:

• Soft and shiny hair
• More variety, I think
• Clean hair without harsher cleansers

Cons:

• CO washing can be a hit or miss method for people
• Increased shedding (not me, but I notice this with a good handful of others)
• Can be difficult to find the "right" condish
• Buildup
• Excessive product use. lol I'm working on not being tempted to use too much condish each wash. :o

[Alexblue]

Pros:
Silky hair whereas before it was limp and dry
Increased thickness
Affordable

Cons:
Glamorous shower cap and towel, no wait....that's a Pro!!

[poppy81]

Thank you for all your advice everyone that replied, I have a better idea now. :-)

[natural_shine]

I've tried CO for a month and it doesn't work for me. Maybe it works for people with dry hair and with very clean scalp. I don't have dandruff at all, but there is some dead skin going on there that only comes off with shampoo washing.
And I can't stand the feeling of my hair/head being dirty even after bath, and CO gives me that dirty feeling. I intensely dislike it.

I like the clean nice feeling the shampoo gives. Scalp and hair, all squeeky clean. Can't get that with CO.

And it does get greasy faster, I think CO is ment for daily use. Not my thing.

[louzen]

I've been CO washing for about 4 weeks now and love the results and intend to stick with it. I tend to suffer with a dry scalp, so it's been a God-send in restoring my scalp to a nice happy equilibrium.

Pros


Nice soft, smooth hair
Lots of volume (I can't get this with shampoo)
Soft, well moisterised scalp
Not using harsh detergents on scalp
Less tangles
Gets oil out really well
Can use lots and lots without it drying out my scalp
Reduced shedding


Cons

Hair gets greasy quicker (although I may be going through the transition phase)
Washing hair takes a little longer (need to massage condish well into scalp and rinse thoroughly)
Can get build-up, but this is rectified by clarifying

[Deborah]

I love it. I have found a way to do it that (a) uses less conditioner, (b) is faster, and (c) keeps hair clean longer.

Into a quart bottle I pour 1/4 cup conditioner, then 1/2 cup pretty hot water, then 1 teaspoon of citric acid powder. Shake it all up and wash.

I don't need any after-wash conditioner, so I just do a citric acid rinse (1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon citric acid powder shaken into a quart of very cold water) and go. The conditioner mixture is a little more runny than the conditioner alone, but for me it cleans better, faster, and easier. What's not to like? ;)

[nowheregirl]

I have twice tried CO (once for a month once for almost 4 months) then went back to regular cone based shampoo + conditioning routine
pro: no frizz. its like magic
: I have wavy hair rarely any curls but CO always gave me coils
: hair looked glossy and healthy

Cons:less volume
:I like my lose waves
: it might be totally psychological but i missed the whole shampoo-foams experience a lot , a shower is just not shower without headful of fluffy-scented(okay, cone'y) foams ...which is the primary reason i have given up CO for good :(

[MissManda]

PROS:
~ Softer hair
~ Shinier hair
~ Significantly reduced tangles
~ More volume
~ Hair feels very moisturized
~ Reduces frizz
~ Clean, but not stripped hair
~ Less greasies
~ Cheap
~ Since the conditioner has so much slip, it makes washing my thick hair much easier. When I shampoo, I might still have unwashed/dry spots on my inner layers/scalp! :eek:
~ Seems to make hair a darker color
~ I can CO while doing other things; just put on the conditioner, massage, put on shower cap, and do homework or watch a movie.

CONS:
~ Washing and rinsing are more time-consuming
~ If done with the wrong conditioner or not rinsed well hair can get awfully stringy
~ Can use up a lot of conditioner (I often dilute mine with water)
~ It can be difficult to find a good CO conditioner for those who are scent-sitive

[johnnystiletto]

I've only VERY recently gone back to CO, but I did it long-term several years ago, so these are the pros/cons I remember from back then :)

PROS:
-My hair was MUCH softer & shinier (ESPECIALLY those weird wiry "head pubes" I've started getting)
-More defined waves
-no cones, no sulfates. YAY!
-BODY! I have REALLY heavy hair, which can look limp or flat.
-Moisturized hair, without it being greasy or weighed down
-CHEAP! I use Suave & V05, which are about $1 per bottle, and I STOCK up when a store runs a good sale!
-Able to stretch washes further without getting the greasies
-Healthier scalp - no more flakies a few days after washing!
-Hair is easier to detangle, thanks to the added slip of the conditioner.
-SCENT! My hair smells SO GOOD thanks to the conditioner, and the BF approves (he HATED the smell of my old S&C, which was one of the VERY few that ACTUALLY WORKED for me)

CONS:
-Enables "hoarding" of conditioners - I LOVE so many of the Suave scents that I stockpile!
-Loss of precious cabinet/shower space (see above) ;)
-Product waste - my hair is THIRSTY and I use a LOT of conditioner. Like 3-4 bottles a MONTH.
-Takes a LOT longer to REALLY rinse clean; this can waste water.
-Time. Not exactly a QUICK washing method. Luckily, I wash my hair at night though!

For me, the Pros definitely outweigh the Cons!

FWIW, I use Suave & V05 (though I DID just pick up some Tresemme Naturals), which I usually can find SUPER cheap at Big Lots or Dollar Tree. To cut down on water waste (and running out of hot/warm water), I actually have a SUPER cheap ($5!) Power Shower head from Wal-Mart that is meant to SUPER boost low water pressure. This helps me rinse cleanly, and, best of all, there is a little button thing on the shower head that, when pushed, turns off $95 of the water flow to keep from wasting! I *DO* have to so an ACV rinse every week or so, thanks to our hard water, but I have always done that, even when I was doing regular S&C.

[jessa]

PROs:
-fixed my greasy roots - dry ends problem.
-cheap- as i only need to buy one product.
-my waves came back.
-less frizz.
-i now only need to finger brush.

CONs:
-a bit of shedding when i wash (im not too worried since my hair is thick and theres plenty of it).
-i definitely had a transition period where my hair was extremely greasy within a few days but now i stretch washes and wash once a week with no problems (transition period was for a few weeks).
-i found it difficult at first to find a conditioner that was cheap but also one my hair liked.
-i have found i get itchy scalp sometimes (has anyone found a fix for this or know what it could be?).

note: i do an ACV rinse after each wash.

[ravenreed]

My hair gets squeaky clean with CO-ing. The trick is to make sure that the conditioner gets all the way to the roots of the hair, and that the whole scalp is well coated. I use the pads of my fingers and massage my whole scalp with the conditioner. Then I rinse really, really well, again using my fingers to massage the scalp and make sure that there is no conditioner left. Finally, I follow with an ACV or citric rinse. My hair gets oily less quickly when I CO too, so I can do it every other day, as opposed to when I would S & C and have to wash every day.

ETA: I also shed a LOT less when I CO.


I've tried CO for a month and it doesn't work for me. Maybe it works for people with dry hair and with very clean scalp. I don't have dandruff at all, but there is some dead skin going on there that only comes off with shampoo washing.
And I can't stand the feeling of my hair/head being dirty even after bath, and CO gives me that dirty feeling. I intensely dislike it.

I like the clean nice feeling the shampoo gives. Scalp and hair, all squeeky clean. Can't get that with CO.

And it does get greasy faster, I think CO is ment for daily use. Not my thing.