Co-washing hair - YouLookFab Forum

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Co-washing hair

Hil

(website)

Veteran

I read an article last week about the benefits of co-washing you , or washing with conditioner instead of shampoo.

Apparently washing with conditioner leaves your hair almost as clean but doesn't strip colour and makes styling a bit easier. I decided there was nothing to lose by giving it a go. Especially since I wash my hair daily.

One week in amazed by how the co-washing really works - my hair honestly does not look like it hasn't seen shampoo in a week. I'm finding that I use less product for styling.

Has anyone else tried this?

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43 replies

Latest reply was from Jules

Eliza

Veteran

Yes, Hil. I have tried this and it does work well for my dry hair. I also only use shampoos and conditioners without sulfates, finding that that also makes difference. Perhaps the biggest help came when my hair stylist suggested not washing my hair more than twice a week. It has been fine, despite my initial skepticism. I use the conditioner as shampoo if I have a week with more need to wash my hair than usual.

Glad it is working for you.

Anonymous

I use shampoo without sulphates or parabens and only wash every 5 days. I would like to try using conditioner to wash with instead. What a good idea. At the moment, I've been using Argan oil on my hair after washing and I love how it feels.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

I've been co-washing for at least 10 years. My hair LOVES it.

crutcher

Veteran

This is just the information I needed...I am trying not to wash my hair but once a week...Co-washing will provide the necessary inbetween...Thanks for the information...

AviaMariah

Veteran

I usually only wash my hair a couple times a week but haven't tried the co-washing. I'll give it a try. Thanks for sharing your experience.

deb

Veteran

My hair is too fine for this but I so use sulfate free shampoo and conditioner. I was my scalp every day and my whole head every other day and condition only the ends up half way.

rabbit

Veteran

I need to wash my hair daily because it gets sweating from running, but I might give this a shot because it sure doesn't need me stripping out the moisture that frequently.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I'll admit I'm too nervous to try. But I do space out washes several days and just cleanse around the face/bangs area if it's a day I haven't gone running and sweated up a storm. I don't really color my hair, though. Highlights once every other year on average.

Oh, and I get sulfate free shampoo when I remember to think about it. lol

L'Abeille

Veteran

My DH discovered this by accident, because he refuses to get out his reading glasses in the store. He was raving about how soft his hair felt with his new shampoo, then we read the label...

My hair is much too fine and oily to get away with doing this. (I can't even apply conditioner after shampooing or my hair is too limp. 2-in-1's were invented for me.) However, I have discovered that if I massage lots of conditioner into dry hair 15 min or more before I wash it, and tehn rinse it out and give it a light shampoo, it is softer and shinier and less staticky in winter, without the limpness.

Lucy

Veteran

It's worth a go I think!
I tried it after reading about it on a blog, but I did not find it worked well for me. I do have oily hair, and it seemed to be quite oily by the late arvo (still at work!) I tried it a few times, but have gone back to shampoo. I imagine if i kept it up it might re-balance, but I have to look presentable for work in the meantime!
That said, hair is a very individual thing and it sounds like it works well for a lot of people.

MsMary

Veteran

I do this. I use shampoo maybe once every couple of weeks. I've been pleased with the results!

Thistle

Veteran

Hmm, I wonder if it would work for my hair. It's super thick, but each strand is baby fine. And it's oily. I would love to move away from washing it so often. I feel like I am lucky if I can get away with washing it every other day!

Desmo April

(website)

Veteran

I've been doing it for years. I do "wash" my hair almost everyday but I only use shampoo once or twice a month. My hair is shiny and healthy, in fact, I think it looks better now.

I do a semi-permanent haircolor to cover my greys and it used to wash out super fast but now it lasts forever.

JAileen

Veteran

I used to wash my hair everyday, and it was very oily and felt awful if I missed a day. I gradually stretched the time out from every other day to once a week to two weeks, to now, where I don't use shampoo or conditioner at all. This took a summer to accomplish. The only time my hair gets shampooed is when I get it cut. I do wash my hair with water twice a week or so. I scrub my scalp with my fingers as if I were shampooing it. It doesn't itch or feel greasy. It feels great, actually. I especially like this in winter when the air is so dry. I was telling someone this and they were shocked. I asked if my hair looked dirty. No. It doesn't feel dirty either. The main benefit is my hair has more body.

Echo

Veteran

I'll admit that I am so accustomed to washing my hair daily (sometimes more than once a day when exercising outdoors in the heat) that I have a hard time wrapping my head around this idea. I have a tendency toward excess oil production, too (both in the scalp/hair and skin in general), which makes it even harder for me to believe it could work. But I've heard so many rave reviews that maybe I should try it.

I would find conditioner washing easier than no washing or even washing only once or twice a week, but I think that's probably due to a misunderstanding, as well. I cook a lot and I just can't imagine my hair not carrying scents if it weren't washed. If I am ever in a real hurry and do not wash my hair in the morning, I absolutely have to wear it up since it is less likely to show oil and to smell "off" if it is braided or in a bun.

elpgal

Veteran

Glad you asked, Hil as I was wondering if I should try it.

A question for those of you who do this - what conditioners do you use?

Anonymous

I find my hair smells after 2 days I can't imagine this would work for me

Diana

Veteran

I have tried this but it didn't work for me. Just left my hair feeling very weighed down and greasy. But it could be because all my conditioners are quite thick and rich.

I do only wash my hair every 2-3 days.

And I am allergic to one of the common surfactants used in sulfate free shampoos! So it's still good old SLS for me.

MsMary

Veteran

The thing that convinced me to try this was when I read somewhere that even conditioners have a cleansing ingredient in them. It must be true because my hair feels clean!

Gigi

Veteran

I've just been water washing my hair and have done that for quite a few years. It really made a difference in giving my very fine hair more body.

I have thought of co-washing, since my hair tends toward being dry, but my hair is prone to getting weighted down with conditioner. I did buy a different conditioner and am going to try that. I buy the conditioner at the food co-op and there's nothing like silicones or stuff that requires shampoo to wash out, so it should be OK, at least in theory.

Hil, do you put the conditioner on wet hair to wash it, or do you start by putting the conditioner on dry hair and then rinsing it out?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm sorry, but I'm still laughing at the term "co-washing" -- I clicked on the thread, wondering if this is some strategy for a couple washing each other's hair, and wondering what on earth the benefit would be!

But on to the actual topic, I've never tried this and am reluctant. I work out and sweat A LOT (especially because I always wear either a cap for running or a bike helmet while cycling), and I can't imagine that conditioner alone would wipe out the stink of my sweaty scalp.

Maybe I'll try it for a couple of days when I won't be expecting to be around people much.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

elpgal -- I use Suave Naturals coconut conditioner to wash, and I only wash my scalp. I use Nature's Gate organics mandarin patchouli conditioner to condition, and I don't condition my scalp.

Back when I first learned about it, I thought I'd read that washing with regular shampoo can make your hair seem greasier, because you're stripping all the good oils from your hair, so your scalp produces more and more. For some people, scalp/hair can take a while (weeks, months) to adjust to the new process, but in the end, your scalp and hair are healthier.

One thing to note is that you have to use products that are water-soluble if you go this route. For example, most silicones (ending in -one, -zone) are not water-soluble, so conditioner won't wash them out and your hair will end up gunky. Pretty much any commercial product that says it's made for curly hair and/or shine contains silicones. (Frizz Ease is the worst!)

I use Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Gel.

Tons more info on the naturallycurly site. They do a much better, and more accurate, job of explaining this! http://www.naturallycurly.com

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I just recently started doing this. I used to think I had to shampoo every day because I run and sweat A LOT. But I got tired of my hair color fading even with special shampoo for colored hair so I tried it. It works fine - but I do have very short hair with tons of body so I can see how this may not work for everyone. For me, it makes my hair texture even better to work with than when it's freshly shampooed. I started with alternating shampoo and conditioner every other day, but have started stretching it out to shampooing only two or three times a week.

Sarah A

Veteran

I hadn't heard of this before. I made an attempt at "no poo" a few years ago but the baking soda left my scalp irritated. I am going to give this a try...

kkards

Veteran

hmmm, i've never heard of this. i don't mean to be flippant, but, how do you get your scalp clean? wouldn't this be like not washing your face for a week?

Isabel

Veteran

I used to use Wen, which was a cleansing conditioner. It was little expensive for me, so I switched to Herbal Essense last year when they introduced their version. I absolutely LOVE it. I even use it to shave my legs with.

http://us.herbalessences.com/e.....x?id=39756

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

kkards, that's what commercial shampoo companies want you to believe.

No one needs SLS in their life! Products don't need to lather in order to be effective at cleaning. But as I said above, the key is what you put in your hair after washing. It has to be able to come clean with just conditioner or water.

Hil

(website)

Veteran

Sorry for the late reply!

Gigi - I just wet my hair and put through my hair the same way I would shampoo. As Pastrygirl says, the conditioner needs to not contain any silicone type additives.

This article was interesting: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloo.....r.html?m=1

As for not washing your face... Can I tell you that the best thing I ever did for my oily skin was start to washing my face with oil?

Susie

Veteran

Isabel mentioned Wen and I've used the Sally version of it called Hair One which is much cheaper. I did like how it made my hair feel...I'm really not sure why I stopped using it. Currently,unless I've been really sweating, I wash (and condition) my hair just every other day.

My hair grows fast so the gray growing out at the roots is more noticeable than any fading I get.

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