PDA

View Full Version : CO Vs WO (and stretching washes)



afu
July 25th, 2012, 01:23 PM
So i've been a keen CO washer for about 5 months now and my hair loves it :)

The thing is that i've never had success stretching washes, I've never been able to get past 2-3 days (using either shampoo or conditioner) without my hair looking awful (full fringe doesn't help matters).

So I was wondering if it would be worth using WO to help me stretch 'proper' CO washes. Has anyone tried this with success?

My main question though, is I know that just the process of getting hair wet causes damage - so is WO actually any better for hair than CO? My plan is to CO, WO for a couple of washes (adding leave in afterwards), CO, WO for a couple of washes etc - is there any point? or should I just stick to the CO every 2 days

akilina
July 25th, 2012, 01:36 PM
I am almost beginning to think that I am not meant to stretch washes and I should stop forcing it to happen. I think after 5 months, if stretching 2 or 3 days is the best your hair can do, I would just let it do that. You could always experiment though for fun and see what happens. You never know until you try since we are all different.
It would not hurt I am sure.

I am envious of those who can stretch to once a week, or even once a month, but that will never be me. I have tried countless times to stretch washes, and at best, could stretch it 2 days. After that I smelled and looked bad. So, I accepted it and became happy with what my hair can do. Although I am wanting to start COing everyday again, or every other day. If I get in the shower, it is like I just have to wash my hair too.

afu
July 25th, 2012, 01:41 PM
yes i am very happy with my routine at the moment, so if this experiment doesn't go well it doesn't really matter. I spent months trying to stretch my washes when i was in my old shampoo/condition routine, my hair just ended up looking awful and the health/look of it wasn't improving - So when i started CO and it totally transformed my hair I was so happy :)

I'm like you, once i get in that shower i just want to wash my hair, thats why i thought maybe WO might be a good thing to try - I couldn't go SO!

DarkCurls
July 25th, 2012, 01:46 PM
I was under the impression that it was the actual wetting of hair people tried to avoid when they stretched washes... But I may be wrong. Have nothing to offer aside from that, but I'll be watching this thread.

akilina
July 25th, 2012, 01:52 PM
yes i am very happy with my routine at the moment, so if this experiment doesn't go well it doesn't really matter. I spent months trying to stretch my washes when i was in my old shampoo/condition routine, my hair just ended up looking awful and the health/look of it wasn't improving - So when i started CO and it totally transformed my hair I was so happy :)

I'm like you, once i get in that shower i just want to wash my hair, thats why i thought maybe WO might be a good thing to try - I couldn't go SO!
I could never do SO, unless a zombie apocalypse happens and I dont have access to bathing :D
I can not imagine doing SO because I don't feel complete unless I do get my hair wet. Even if I just hop in real quick after being in the pool, its just a habit. I have played around with trying WO in the shower just by doing a massage with water only on my head but to me, I love the whole action of washing my hair with something. I like the smooth sleek feeling. I am done trying to deny myself what I know I like :]

afu
July 25th, 2012, 01:57 PM
I was under the impression that it was the actual wetting of hair people tried to avoid when they stretched washes... But I may be wrong. Have nothing to offer aside from that, but I'll be watching this thread.

yeah i wasn't sure if it was just the wetting or also the use of surfactants. I thought maybe in the long run it might allow me to stretch washes with nothing in between, like maybe just a CO once per week - but using this as a kind of intermediate stage to help with the transition

DarkCurls
July 25th, 2012, 02:27 PM
yeah i wasn't sure if it was just the wetting or also the use of surfactants. I thought maybe in the long run it might allow me to stretch washes with nothing in between, like maybe just a CO once per week - but using this as a kind of intermediate stage to help with the transition

You know, I think that could work.

afu
July 25th, 2012, 02:35 PM
You know, I think that could work.

Hope so :) Washed today with honey water (teaspoon of honey dissolved in water) followed by a lemon rinse. Then conditioner leave in when hair was damp. So far i'm really happy with how clean my hair is feeling, really hope this helps

brave
July 25th, 2012, 02:44 PM
In the Indian hair thread a lot of people advocate covering your hair in coconut oil and then doing a WO rinse. Coconut oil protects the hair from hydral fatigue and protein loss. Maybe try that? I don't remember if you've said your hair doesn't like coconut.

Edit: I did try this once and it worked fairly well. I overdid it with the oil but I think had I put less on this would have worked quite well.

kidari
July 25th, 2012, 02:55 PM
In the Indian hair thread a lot of people advocate covering your hair in coconut oil and then doing a WO rinse. Coconut oil protects the hair from hydral fatigue and protein loss. Maybe try that? I don't remember if you've said your hair doesn't like coconut.

Edit: I did try this once and it worked fairly well. I overdid it with the oil but I think had I put less on this would have worked quite well.

That's an awesome idea. I am definitely going to try this. I feel like using dry shampoos prevent you from getting water on your hair but WO or CO is better for your scalp and distributing oils and moisturizing the ends. Maybe it's good to vary methods or maybe your hair likes a simpler routine with one routine working better for your hair than others. It doesn't seem like it would hurt to try.

earthnut
July 25th, 2012, 02:57 PM
I found the most benefit from WO to come from the preening before I even turned on the water. The preening helped distribute the sebum, making my scalp feel cleaner. During the water wash itself, I didn't manipulate my hair that much.

Preening is very similar for WO and SO and for that reason, during my WO time, I actually ended up going more SO because I didn't see much point in wetting the hair when I'd already done the work without water. The water just introduced more risk of fragile wet hair.

I am incorporating preening into my CO routine now, because I like neither shampoo nor conditioner on my scalp. Right now I preen my scalp, turn on water, apply leave in, detangle, plop.

This is the kind of preening I do: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=181

afu
July 25th, 2012, 02:58 PM
Thanks for the suggestion brave, however with my fine hair im not sure that it would work too well with having so much coconut weighing it down (as im sure most if it will be left in after rinsing). I might try it with sweet almond though as it seems to wash out easier

afu
July 25th, 2012, 02:59 PM
thanks for the link earthnut, i'll have a read now :)

skeletonous
June 26th, 2014, 09:18 PM
This is what I'm considering now, I currently use WO to stretch my washes (I shampoo twice a week with a SLS free shampoo) but I'm considering CO washing and I'm wondering if I should even wet my hair between CO washes. When I started the WO stretches it seemed to help keep my hair less greasy.

EDIT: Perhaps preening might help. I'll give it a try.

meteor
June 27th, 2014, 10:25 AM
Since you'd like to minimize hygral fatigue, I'd recommend dry shampoos (commercial or DIY versions: cocoa powder, cornstarch, etc) and scalp-only washes. Here's a tutorial by LauraLongLocks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBOVM-dHlc

Zebra Fish
June 27th, 2014, 01:12 PM
Can other see the link earthnut gave? To me it's broken and i'm interested in it :)

sarahthegemini
June 28th, 2014, 01:36 AM
IMO if I was going to go through the hassle of saturating my hair, I'd just co-wash. Water can dry hair out, atleast if you're using conditioner you're kind of putting back some goodness.

leilani
June 28th, 2014, 01:54 AM
I think the idea behind wo is that by massaging scalp under hot water, your sebum gets rinsed down the length, released from your scalp.so you are putting a conditioner on it, thIe best kind.
I would do this except my scalp doesn't seem to produce any noticeable amount even if I don't traditional shampoo for ten weeks. Only time my hair it's greasy is from heavy handed oiling, but my roots don't get greasy. I have to every 3-4 days freshen up my scalp with something though because of the itches.