Washing with conditioner only and omitting shampoo is a big method for many people. There are a lot of advantadges to this method including increased hair moisturization, decreased hair dryness from sulfates in shampoo, and increased growth.
So how do you conditioner-only (CO) wash?
Well when i started co washing, I would leave the conditioner on my dry hair and slather coconut oil on top then use it as a deep conditioning for an hour then rinse. This however left me with greasy hair a lot of the time. Now what i do, is i jump in the shower, apply my conditioner after wetting my hair, put my hair up in my shower cap and bathe, then rinse for 5 minutes while combing. You must rinse well for co washing to be an adequate cleaning device without leaving you with icky greasy hair.
The conditioners I find the most moisturizing and cleansing are: VO5 kiwi lime, Suave tropical coconut, VO5 free me freesia, and VO5 champagne kisses.
Experiment with the CO washing method and don’t forget to clarify every 4 weeks so that your hair is not weighed down and can respond to products normally. You would clarify by either using baking soda or a clarifying shampoo such as Nexxus Aloe Rid or ORS Aloe.
Happy conditioner washing!
Courtney\'s Hair Journey 
Thanks for commenting on my blog! I love the design change you made to yours!!
You asked about my goal… It is to be full BSL by end of 2008. I’m soo glad I got that major trim because now my hair is much thicker.
Co-washing has definitely helped as well. (I’m loyal to Suave Tropical Coconut.)
And I looked at your fotki– your hair is amazing! It has grown so much since you started your journey. Keep up the good work! =)
Comment by Ms. S — May 28, 2008 @ 3:21 pm |
I recently stumbled upon the information about V05 after I was research the Wen cleansing conditioner products. They are off the hook expensive.
I was skepticle, but this method really works and the V05 conditioner really got my hair clean, but left it soft and shiny. I think I may shampoo occasionally, but this is my new beauty secret for sure! PS – I used V05 Tropical Mango Smoothie.
Comment by Cindy — August 15, 2008 @ 2:54 pm |
[…] I used Suave tropical something-or-other conditioner only, in place of shampoo + conditioner. I followed the instructions I found online to really massage it in, leave it sit for the duration of my shower, and rinse with cool water […]
Pingback by Wen Cleansing Conditioner Review from YourMamaReviews — March 3, 2009 @ 9:06 am |
i just did my first co wash today after reading so much about it online…
even the most scalp friendly, sulphate free shampoo’s leave my scalp itchy and sometimes even with a burning sensation which is why i tried co wash… so far so good.. my hair suprisingly is clean and full of volume.. only thing is that my ends r really dry.. i probably shud have followed the rinse with a heavier conditioner/detangler for the ends.. anyhow im going to continue with this mthod of cleansing every other day and sometime next week i’ll do a shampoo wash to get clarify… shall see how it goes.. i heard about an adjustment period for ur scalp to adapt to just co wash.. but my scalp is just loving extra moisture.. soaks it right up! woohoo.. no stinging scalp for the first time in…. about 1 year?!?!!! super. one question how often are u supposed to used shampoo to clarify?
Comment by mar — April 14, 2009 @ 9:15 pm |
You are supposed to clarify every month or so! Or more frequent if you really need it!
Comment by Courtney Smith — May 16, 2009 @ 6:31 pm |
People say once a month..but you know what, I havent used shampoo at all to clarify in the past month..and my hair is doing quite fine! I only wash with an aritha/shikakai mix.
Comment by Courtney Smith — July 19, 2009 @ 2:53 pm |
Hi, thanks for you explanation on going no-poo. A lot of people say it works well for them, so I was thinking of giving it a try too. But I was wondering (sorry if this is a stupid question! =P), how do you get your hair clean without shampooing it?
Thanks a bunch! =)
Comment by rina — October 19, 2009 @ 1:45 pm |
You have great blog and this post is good!
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best regards, Greg
Comment by WillieNY — January 24, 2010 @ 1:03 pm |