My hair is only about 6 inches long right now (apparently it grows like a weed, though, which makes me happy!) and I've been hearing/reading tons about the benefits of CO...

Here's the thing...my hair is short, and it's rather oily. It's NOT as oily as it used to be...used to be, if I skipped one day washing it got absolutely disgusting and slippery with oil. Now it just gets a tad oily but I could probably manage skipping a day without it being too bad. Now I'm wondering if attempting to CO for awhile, or at least shampoo less, would be a really bad idea or not.

Is CO something that should be saved for longer hair?

Ella

Hi Ella,

It's never too early to try to minimize damage to your hair. However, CO doesn't suit everyone, so I would give it a try and see what you think. It also takes your hair a while to adapt. When I started, I had to wash (CO) every other day because my hair would get so greasy. Now, after 6 months of COing, I usually wash every 3-4 days.

There's nothing magical to CO, it's just a gentler (and cheaper!) way of cleaning your hair. You can always use shampoo every once in a while if you feel the need.

Good luck!

/Kate

See...I was under the impression that CO would make my hair greasier.

A CO wash can make your hair less greasy?

Now I'm confused.

Ella

Washing your hair only with conditioner will clean your hair, just as shampoo does. However, since your scalp is used to the harsher chemicals in most shampoos, and is therefore used to producing more oil to combat these chemicals, you may get greasy hair when you first start doing CO. Even I did, and my hair is naturally dry as straw. Persist with CO for at least 3 weeks (washing as often as you need to), and the greasiness should subside as your scalp adjusts.

Or, as I mentioned in my other post, use shampoo occasionally if you feel the need. It's all about what feels right for you! :-)

/Kate

I agree with everything Kate has said. :D

All I wanted to add: the combination of C's in a CO really REALLY matters, in my opinion, especially if you normally use cones.

My experiences as a cone user:
(1) Combinations of a PVP conditioner as first C and a cone as the second C... can result in "plastic" hair.
(2) On the other hand, a cone-free cetearyl alcohol conditioner as the first C (or V05 works well too) and a cone as the second C ... works well for me and possibly others-- give it a go ;D

Anais

Thanks, guys!

I think what I'm going to do is take it in phases and see how my hair adjusts.

So, phase one, since I have NEVER, EVER been known to regularly skip shampooing, is going to be this:

Shampoo every other day. CO on the days in between. See what my hair does.  ^_^

I'll try that for November and see what happens.

And for anyone who knows more about this stuff that I do, the conditioner that I use now is Nature's Gate Rainwater Awapuhi Conditioner for fine and limp hair...no cones, mostly a bunch of natural ingredients, but cetyl alcohol.

Is it better to CO with cones? And, I didn't know that CO involved doing more than one wash with different conditioners...I don't know anything about this process. Anything that anyone can elaborate on would be great, thanks! My conditioner so far seems to be working beautifully, so...

Anyway, I'm off to do my first CO wash!  *grins*

Ella

What's CO?  ??? I thought it meant conditioner-only wash, but now i'm confused.  And what are cones?  Does that stand for silicones?  If so, what do they do to your hair and what happens if you do/don't use products containing them?  And while I'm asking questions, is Suave Humectant or Suave Biobasic (i think that's what it's called-the 2 dollar a bottle stuff) shampoo and conditioner safe to use? (does it have cones?)
  Have I confused you yet? :D

Hi folks,

Cones coat the hair shaft and make the moisture attractors stick to the hair to "do their thing". And they make hair shine. I love 'em myself, but some hair types don't like cones (mostly fine haired or curly haired folk). You'll have to determine your hair's preference before considering cones for CO.

For coarse thick hair I find it better to CO with a coneless and a cone in that order (I have coarse Asian/Native American hair). and many coarse haired folks swear by cones.

As for fine hair, there's been a survey that found finehairs to NOT do well with cones. For finer hair or hair that doesn't like cones to begin with, then a coneless followed by a coneless. The trick is to use a LIGHT conditioner as your first C-- e.g. anything from V05 is coneless, and anything Suave Naturals is coneless as well.  

The Suave Professionals line (I use BioBasics for a CWC) is too heavy/leathery/coneladen for a first C in my opinion. They contain massive cones so I wouldn't want my scalp coated. The first C should be safe for the scalp.... Plastic ingredients can make the scalp break out. The Humectant contains a less flexible cone than the BioBasics, but I use Humectant while camping or cherry picking. Both are relatively expensive for CO. In CO, expect to use up to 3x the amount you'd normally use, just because C doesn't lather.

Whoooo! That was mucho loopy.
Good luck with your CO experiment, Ella!   :D ;D

Anais

Wow, Anais Satin, it sounds like you have a complex and scientifically-proven method which is working well for you (your hair looks amazing!).

Now I feel like a supreme under-achiever.  ::) I use a light, cheap conditioner and nothing else. I love cones in my styling products, but my hair does better with coneless conditioners. I clarify with vinegar every other week. I oil my hair when I feel the need. That's it.

/Kate

I have fine straight hair.

I use Pantene Pro-V as my last condition, and my hair loves the cones.

I think the difference in success for different people trying CO wash is most often due to the products they choose, the order they use them in, and their techniques.

Except for the first time I did CO wash (when I used the wrong conditioner, leaving my hair greasy but dry) I have never had a problem with it, and I have CO washed every 2-3 days, just as often as I used to shampoo.

Bleh...

I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold out until my hair adjusts...

My hair is really, REALLY soft right now. Like...wow. But the roots are super greasy and it's driving me crazy.

If I wash again, will that make it worse or better?

I'm only doing CO every other day for now...my hair is so oily I need to take this in phases...so I get to shampoo tonight. But in the meantime...if I CO again this morning will it get greasier or better?

Ella