CONDITIONER WASHES: Do Conditioners REALLY Clean Hair (???)

[Poohbear]

I'm trying to convert to the "No Poo/Curly Girl" Method and I want to use conditioners only to wash my hair. I find that washing my hair with Suave Humectant is very moisturizing to my hair, but sometimes I feel like it's not clean because conditioners don't lather like shampoos. I find shampoos drying to my hair so that why I wanna convert to using no shampoos.

I was wondering if conditioners really clean you hair like shampoos do. Are they as sufficient as shampoos? And what conditioners do you use to co-wash? Can you use just any conditioner?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Koffie]

Your question is exactly why I don't get down with CO washes. I have superthick hair and I work out, so if my hair isn't cleaned at least once a week, then I my head smells horrendous.

I am on the stinky challenge so I don't need my hair stinkin' anymore than I already allow.

 

[krissyprissy]

I recommend that you use a shampoo thats low in sulfates or none at all. I saw one at the bss but I cant remember the name. Sulfates are found in most shampoos and detergents for that sud look you see in commercials.

 

[sillygurl18]

If you don't use a lot of products in your hair, then you should be okay. If you find that shampoos are drying to your hair no matter what you do, then I would try CO washing. I condition wash daily and I do okay. I don't use anything else in my hair after I wash the conditioner out. I do use shampoo though about twice a month. If CO washes don't work on your transitioning hair, try it when you chop.

ETA: No suds doesn't mean that your hair isn't getting clean. Suds causing ingredients are added so that you feel your hair is getting clean.

 

[Angelicus]

Yes, it's the friction that actually gets that hair clean. The conditioner that you are using, Poohbear is great as a conditioner wash, but you need to clarify too, possibly every week if there are cones in your conditioner (or if the consistency of the conditioner itself is thick). If you want to do without shampooing, try to stay away from cones.

Once a week you can do a conditioner wash with a cheaper conditioner specifically for clarifying, or spike your fav conditioner with either:

baking soda
vinegar
lemon juice

Check out www.motowngirl.com for the best co-washing tips,... she pretty much got them straight from Lorraine's book. HTH.

 

[senimoni]

Sounds like the Humectant conditioner may be too moisturizing. I found this info.....


Conditioner Only (C/O) wash
Although it may sound strange, washing with condtioner instead of shampoo does get your hair clean!
Read some background information: An interview with Dr Hugh Molloy, an Australian Dermatologist who recommends to stop using soap or detergents altogether.

Use a cheap, light conditioner for this. Drugstore conditioners made for fine, limp hair, or "clarifying" conditioners usually work well. If it's too light to condition long hair properly, it will most likely work for C/O.
Conditioners contain surfactants that gently lift oils and dirt from your hair and scalp, instead of stripping and drying your strands like many shampoos do. Even if you normally don't get conditioner on your scalp because it makes your hair greasy faster or makes you break out, C/O may still work for you, as for some reason the result feels totally different. It leaves my hair so soft and well moisturized!

According to a fellow LHC member, LisaJaney, who taught me how to C/O wash, there are four main reasons why your hair may not feel clean after washing with conditioner:

- the conditioner you used isn't light enough. Moisturizing ones usually don't work.
- you didn't leave it on long enough
- you didn't rinse well enough
- you didn't use enough conditioner. You'll need lots and some more!

 

[Poohbear]

If you don't use a lot of products in your hair, then you should be okay. If you find that shampoos are drying to your hair no matter what you do, then I would try CO washing. I condition wash daily and I do okay. I don't use anything else in my hair after I wash the conditioner out. I do use shampoo though about twice a month. If CO washes don't work on your transitioning hair, try it when you chop.

ETA: No suds doesn't mean that your hair isn't getting clean. Suds causing ingredients are added so that you feel your hair is getting clean.

The only products I plan on using is S-Curl and Citre Shine gel throughout the week. I want to conditioner wash once a week. Right now, conditioner washes are working great for my transitioning hair...I just don't know if it's cleaning my hair.

 

[Poohbear]

Yes, it's the friction that actually gets that hair clean. The conditioner that you are using, Poohbear is great as a conditioner wash, but you need to clarify too, possibly every week if there are cones in your conditioner (or if the consistency of the conditioner itself is thick). If you want to do without shampooing, try to stay away from cones.

Once a week you can do a conditioner wash with a cheaper conditioner specifically for clarifying, or spike your fav conditioner with either:

baking soda
vinegar
lemon juice

Check out www.motowngirl.com for the best co-washing tips,... she pretty much got them straight from Lorraine's book. HTH.

Thanks anky. I saw one cone ingredient in the Suave Humectant. Right now, I use LeKair Cholesterol Plus to deep condition and didn't see any cones in it. I plan on clarifying once a month. I've been using shampoo for that but I will need to go out and buy something to clarify like the products you mention. I've checked on the motowngirl site several times. I just wanted to get some opinions from you gals here!

 

[Poohbear]

Sounds like the Humectant conditioner may be too moisturizing. I found this info.....


Conditioner Only (C/O) wash
Although it may sound strange, washing with condtioner instead of shampoo does get your hair clean!
Read some background information: An interview with Dr Hugh Molloy, an Australian Dermatologist who recommends to stop using soap or detergents altogether.

Use a cheap, light conditioner for this. Drugstore conditioners made for fine, limp hair, or "clarifying" conditioners usually work well. If it's too light to condition long hair properly, it will most likely work for C/O.
Conditioners contain surfactants that gently lift oils and dirt from your hair and scalp, instead of stripping and drying your strands like many shampoos do. Even if you normally don't get conditioner on your scalp because it makes your hair greasy faster or makes you break out, C/O may still work for you, as for some reason the result feels totally different. It leaves my hair so soft and well moisturized!

According to a fellow LHC member, LisaJaney, who taught me how to C/O wash, there are four main reasons why your hair may not feel clean after washing with conditioner:

- the conditioner you used isn't light enough. Moisturizing ones usually don't work.
- you didn't leave it on long enough
- you didn't rinse well enough
- you didn't use enough conditioner. You'll need lots and some more!

So conditioners DO lift off dirt and oils off hair? Great!

By the way, my hair feels clean after washing with conditioner... I just didn't know if it really IS clean. It actually feels cleaner than after using shampoo.

So now I know from what you posted that conditioners DO clean. Thanks!

 

[Healthb4Length]

I do a modified co-wash, I put loads of conditioner on my ends and shampoo only my scalp or NG...works out wonderfully.

 

[Peachtree]

I did a "modified" curly girl routine for 3 mths....
- I would add lemon juice or a pinch of baking soda to my conditioner. (I used Suave, Vo5, White Rain, Tresemme, & Pantene).

- Also, I didn't do a "wash" (meaning rinse the hair, add conditioner, rinse, then add conditioner again)... instead I did a "conditioner rinse" (I would add conditioner to my "dry" hair, work it in really good, then rinse & style)

I had absolutely wonderful results with this regimen. I stopped temporarily only because I didn't want to "over condition" my hair. I'm planning to go back to conditioner rinses prolly this summer

 

[HairQueen]

I think that if you wash with a shampoo once per week and make the rest of your week's washes co washes it should be fine. I do this and my hair smell fresh all week.

 

[Enchantmt]

I do conditioner washes normally without a problem but I tried the Suave Humectant for the first time this morning before work and I ended up having to shampoo it out. It didnt mix with whatever I had put in my hair and I had a build up that woudnt rinse clean to where I could feel my scalp and the individual strands. I did try a different moisturizer that was heavy but right now I dont know if it was the product or the conditioner being too heavy for a CW. I will try it again on my day off and see how it goes. I have used it diluted as a leave in before tho so it may just be the moisturizer I used. BTW I love Curly Girl!!

 

[controlFreak]

I only ever use shampoo when i touch up. I have been doing conditioner washes using tigi honey and oatmeal, and my hair seems to be doing fine. It is always clean, but then i don't work out or doing any strenuous physical activity.

I tried using keracare humecto, although a very good conditioner, it left me with build up.

 

[Poohbear]

I did a "modified" curly girl routine for 3 mths....
- I would add lemon juice or a pinch of baking soda to my conditioner. (I used Suave, Vo5, White Rain, Tresemme, & Pantene).

- Also, I didn't do a "wash" (meaning rinse the hair, add conditioner, rinse, then add conditioner again)... instead I did a "conditioner rinse" (I would add conditioner to my "dry" hair, work it in really good, then rinse & style)

I had absolutely wonderful results with this regimen. I stopped temporarily only because I didn't want to "over condition" my hair. I'm planning to go back to conditioner rinses prolly this summer

How often during the week would you use the conditioner with the lemon juice and baking soda in it??? Is that what you considered clarifying???

And how often did you do just the conditioner "rinse"???

Now I'm not sure if I do a conditioner wash or rinse. I rinse my hair with water, apply conditioner, massage it in my hair and scratch my scalp (sorry, I can't just use my fingertips). I let it sit on my hair while I shower my body, then I rinse it out. When I get out of the shower, I put the conditioner back in and detangle my hair. Which one am I doing and is that over-conditioning???

 

[Poohbear]

I think that if you wash with a shampoo once per week and make the rest of your week's washes co washes it should be fine. I do this and my hair smell fresh all week.

I don't do daily conditioner washes. I only wash my hair once a week ,and I don't want to wash my hair with shampoo anymore. So I'll be conditioner washing once a week. Did you mean shampoo once a month???

 

[Poohbear]

I do conditioner washes normally without a problem but I tried the Suave Humectant for the first time this morning before work and I ended up having to shampoo it out. It didnt mix with whatever I had put in my hair and I had a build up that woudnt rinse clean to where I could feel my scalp and the individual strands. I did try a different moisturizer that was heavy but right now I dont know if it was the product or the conditioner being too heavy for a CW. I will try it again on my day off and see how it goes. I have used it diluted as a leave in before tho so it may just be the moisturizer I used. BTW I love Curly Girl!!

Did you leave the conditioner in your hair long enough and rinse it out good enough??? I find Suave Humectant is not heavy for my hair (I have fine textured hair) and I don't have to dilute it with anything.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

I do a modified co-wash, I put loads of conditioner on my ends and shampoo only my scalp or NG...works out wonderfully.

This is what I do sometimes and I would recommend this over a true conditioner wash. Why? Because PB, the products that you are using, S-Curl, LeKair, etc, can lead to build up and need to be washed out. CWs did not work for me. They left my scalp itchy. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. I could almost scrape the buildup off my scalp.

 

[Poohbear]

This is what I do sometimes and I would recommend this over a true conditioner wash. Why? Because PB, the products that you are using, S-Curl, LeKair, etc, can lead to build up and need to be washed out. CWs did not work for me. They left my scalp itchy. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. I could almost scrape the buildup off my scalp.

So what are some mild shampoos that are not harsh for my hair??? Btw, I don't leave LeKair on my hair, I rinse it out after deep conditioning with it. Does it still leave build-up after washing it out???

 

[Enchantmt]

Did you leave the conditioner in your hair long enough and rinse it out good enough??? I find Suave Humectant is not heavy for my hair (I have fine textured hair) and I don't have to dilute it with anything.

I start out rinsing it well with warm water and rubbing my scalp before I put the conditoner in, and then I put conditoner in my hands and distribute it through out my hair, rubbing my scalp, and rinsing well. This time the conditioner caked up on my scalp. As I think about it I'm almost certain its the styling products I used. They were probably too heavy. I dont use grease or base my scalp but I tried a moisturizer with Shea in it and a new gel and thats probably what caused it. I tried shampooing it out with the neutogena triple moisture but that shampoo just made it worse because it doesnt strip the hair. I ended up using a different shampoo and it got it all out.

 

[Enchantmt]

So what are some mild shampoos that are not harsh for my hair???

Try neutrogena, also you can dilute your regular shampoo as long as its not drying. The curly girl author also has a low poo shampoo in her Deva Curl line tho I havent tried it.

 

[Poohbear]

I start out rinsing it well with warm water and rubbing my scalp before I put the conditoner in, and then I put conditoner in my hands and distribute it through out my hair, rubbing my scalp, and rinsing well. This time the conditioner caked up on my scalp. As I think about it I'm almost certain its the styling products I used. They were probably too heavy. I dont use grease or base my scalp but I tried a moisturizer with Shea in it and a new gel and thats probably what caused it. I tried shampooing it out with the neutogena triple moisture but that shampoo just made it worse because it doesnt strip the hair. I ended up using a different shampoo and it got it all out.

Yeah, it was probably the styling products you used.

 

[Poohbear]

Try neutrogena, also you can dilute your regular shampoo as long as its not drying. The curly girl author also has a low poo shampoo in her Deva Curl line tho I havent tried it.

Thanks! NTM shampoo a lil too pricey for me for the quantity they give. Maybe I'll check out the ingredients of the Deva Curl line or other shampoos.

 

[Poohbear]

I guess for right now, I'll just shampoo my scalp only and conditioner wash my hair. But the thing is, I apply S-Curl and Citre Shine gel to my hair, not my scalp...

*blowing breath* I don't know what to do.

 

[Amarech]

I love my suds too! But I love having healthy hair more. I just took my no poo regimen a step further this morning. I have a Vitale perm but my hair is still curly. When i wear it curly I do conditioner washes every day and wash with shampoo every 3 days. I usually wear it blown dry straight for a week. Usually after a week of wearing it straight I wash it with shampoo. However over this weekend I learned some very interesting facts about hair. I reallized that doing this, especially when my hair was already straghtened was harsh. I also felt like my hair wouldn't feel clean after a conditioner wash but I did it anyway and my scalp felt so clean after all! My hair was so soft and the curls were 100% more defined. I will never wash my straightened hair with shampoo ever again. Hair is like a delicate fiber. The information I read this weekend really brought that home to me. wow.

I think good rinsing is the key . I will wash with shampoo tonight or tomorrow but i will only use a little and I will mainly concentrate on the scalp!

conditioner washes are good! Dont give up on them! Don't believe the suds!

 

[Amarech]

Hey Poohbear, me again,

Now I'm not sure if I do a conditioner wash or rinse. I rinse my hair with water, apply conditioner, massage it in my hair and scratch my scalp (sorry, I can't just use my fingertips). I let it sit on my hair while I shower my body, then I rinse it out. When I get out of the shower, I put the conditioner back in and detangle my hair. Which one am I doing and is that over-conditioning???

Sounds like you've got it right. The best rule of thumb I've used when it comes to shampoo is this:

If the shampoo has a pearl-like consistency (white, opaque, with a sheen) then its a go. Most moisturizing, gentle shampoos have this consistency

If you can see through the shampoo, stay away! Even if it is not advertised to be a clarifying shampoo, it is still too harsh.

Also I believe the whole point to conditioner washes is that it is the water that actually does most of the cleaning. Because we have curly hair, washing with just water would be a disaster. Using the conditioner gives the curls or kinks slippage and helps with detangling. Also because of all the twists and turns and angles, the natural scalp oils can never fully get down the hair shaft so using conditioner helps with moisturizing also. This is why people with straight hair don't need to do conditioner washes.

hope this helps "clarify" things for ya!

 

[Dolapo]

When i used to do CO washes, i used VO5 kiwi and lime. It's a clarifying conditioner, it works

 

[balisi]

I'm pretty new to conditioner washing, and it seems to work for me. My method is to shampoo only 3-4 times per month and co-wash as needed, which may be every day or every three to four days. It all depends on my hair style and what products I have used. For the times I shampoo, I prefer to use one that moisturizes. For co-washes, I rinse my hair really well (1-2 minutes), apply about two handfuls of conditioner with liquid consistency, massage into my hair, rinse and repeat. If I plan on wearing a wash and go, I'll leave just a touch of conditioner in before styling. Using this method does get my hair and scalp clean, but next time I will try adding some baking soda to the conditioner for a little extra.

 

[tryn2growmyhair]

So what are some mild shampoos that are not harsh for my hair??? Btw, I don't leave LeKair on my hair, I rinse it out after deep conditioning with it. Does it still leave build-up after washing it out???

The mineral oil in LeKair dries out my hair. The gentle shampoos include Elucence, Kenra, Jason's -- Kenra and Jasons but use sodium myreth sulfate if I remember correctly.

 

[Poohbear]

Yes, that was helpful Taij.

Here's my question now...
Many have said conditioners can get rid of dirt and oil. I'm wondering can it get rid of moisturizers (S-Curl) and gel (Citre Shine) because some of you are saying co-washing won't work for me if I use products on my hair. I use those two products maybe 3 times a week. Will Suave conditioners (like Humectant) wash my hair clean with those products in my hair???