CO question

**myotislucifugus** · April 6th, 2010, 11:35 AM

Hi all, after reading the how to post of CO, I thought I'd give it a go as a washing method. I was taking a bath, had time to let conditioner sit and work in, and then was able to rinse with a shower.

Except... that after 20 minutes of rinsing and scrubbing, I couldn't get the conditioner out. I thought it was mostly out, and gave up but when my hair dried, it clearly hadn't been rinsed out. My hair was clumpy and full of conditioner, so it looked oily and gross.

Did I miss some key step, any advice?

**marikamt** · April 6th, 2010, 11:40 AM

did you actually 'wash' with the conditioner?? I took me a while to figure how to CO properly (at least for my hair).... here is what I do...... put conditioner on dry hair. Let sit (I find I only have to CO about once a week now), today is wash day, so I have had it on my hair for a couple hours, w/ hair up, but I had time today. If no time, I would do the same but just do it before I start my shower routine.
Once in shower, I do all my other shower stuff (wash, shave, etc), I then wet my hair and take additional conditioner and 'wash' like i would w/ shampoo, really work it in.
Rinse, then I condition (again, like normal, except I do it just for additional detangling, so I don't let it sit)

Not sure if it is the 'right' way, but it works great for me.

**chopandchange** · April 6th, 2010, 11:43 AM

Hmm. Maybe you were using a conditioner that was too heavy. It's best to use a light, milky conditioner (conveniently, these ones tend to be the cheapest)! rather than a thick expensive one. If you do want to use a thick one, maybe consider diluting it (I normally dilute even the thin ones, as it helps distribute it better if you're able to "pour" it all over your head).

If not, another idea could be that maybe your hair just isn't suited to CO. Do you have quite thin hair? Maybe if you have thin fine hair, the residue that might be left is going to show more.

Other than that, if you rinsed it adequately, I am stumped!

**-j-** · April 6th, 2010, 11:47 AM

I wet my hair first and then put the conditioner on. After a while (5-10 minutes) I add some water and really "wash" the roots with the conditioner. I repeat this a couple of times (add water and rub the scalp) and then do the final rinse, until all conditioner is gone.

This works for me, but not with all conditioners! One conditioner I have, is clearly not suitable for CO, it leaves my hair lumpy and greasy no matter what I do (or maybe it wpuld need much more time to work - I don´t have that time...).

ETA:
So maybe you should try another conditioner? Or emulsify the hair more intensively (=add water & rub)?

**little_cherry** · April 6th, 2010, 12:18 PM

What conditioner were you using for CO? I find that suave or v05 is the best for COing.

**myotislucifugus** · April 6th, 2010, 01:05 PM

I used V05 chamomile tea therapy conditioner

I wet my hair, applied conditioner, and then rubbed it in, washing the way I used to with liquid shampoo. Then I let it sit for about 15 min, then I rinsed. And rinsed. And rinsed. And rubbed and rinsed, rubbed and rinsed, and still it didn't feel totally out, but I figured that was maybe how it was supposed to feel after 20+ minutes.

I am on the fine side of "normal" hair thickness, but I think the problem was I just couldn't get all the conditioner out.

**little_cherry** · April 6th, 2010, 01:15 PM

Hmm... strange indeed! May I suggest clarifying your hair then doing the COing? Perhaps there is a bit of build-up on the hair that is leaving your hair feel gunky. Whenever I CO, I only let it sit on my head for 5 mins max. When it comes to washing it out, I first add some water to my hair and massage...repeat until the conditioner doesn't feel so thick, then I rinse rinse rinse!

I avoid toughing my scalp as much as possible- just the initial "I'm getting the conditioner off you" gentle rub. Warm water followed by a nice refreshing cool rinse.

Detachable shower heads are fantastic for us that CO!

You don't have to stick to one cleansing method...my hair is ridiculously happy ever since I adopted the "I don't stick to one cleansing method" thing. Sometimes I CO, sometimes WO and sometimes I use Shikakai or use a shampoo bar.

**Copasetic** · April 6th, 2010, 01:46 PM

What method did you use to rinse your hair?

**chelles2kids** · April 6th, 2010, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by myotislucifugus

I used V05 chamomile tea therapy conditioner

I wet my hair, applied conditioner, and then rubbed it in, washing the way I used to with liquid shampoo. Then I let it sit for about 15 min, then I rinsed. And rinsed. And rinsed. And rubbed and rinsed, rubbed and rinsed, and still it didn't feel totally out, but I figured that was maybe how it was supposed to feel after 20+ minutes.

I am on the fine side of "normal" hair thickness, but I think the problem was I just couldn't get all the conditioner out.

I would try after the 'washing' phase, to then rinse out right away, don't leave it to sit on you're hair.

As for the 'flavor' of conditioner you used I'm not familiar with it, but on some of the VO5 bottles of conditioner, they actually state they are a 'clairifying' conditioner, so one of those might work better for you???
The one that I've found good results with is the Tea Therapy Vanilla Mint Tea~which sounds very much like the one you're using except with the Chamomile difference.

I always try to use one of the more "cleansing" conditioners for my washing stage because I was having one heck of a time with an itchy scalp with CO'ing until I changed my conditioner.

And...as I'm sure you know already, there is a learning curve with going from regular S&C to CO'ing and most people also have a acclimating period as well, for some it's just a few days, for others, it's a few weeks and then of course for alot of others, it just never works out for them.

Good Luck to you~

**skarab** · April 6th, 2010, 01:54 PM

I couldn't CO because I had the exact same issue!!! No matter how long or little I let it sit, no matter how much or little I scrubbed, or how long I took to rinse it, with every single conditioner I tried for CO washing I had this problem. I'm doing WO right now and my hair looks great, so I don't think it's a weight issue so much as just.... the stuff wont wash out! Oh, and definitely not a buildup issue. I never use any styling products and only all-natural shampoos. Even conditioner I only used infrequently.
Sooooo, count me confused too. But I've accepted it's not for me and moved on to WO instead.