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What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular con?

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sparkle25

sparkle25

Well-Known Member
Lately I have been washing my hair with Darcy's Botanicals cleansing cream. My hair does feel clean but it feels just like a creamy conditioner when I wash my hair with it. I also ordered another cleansing cream from NaturelleGrow on etsy.

I use all natural hair products, but natural products can still coat your hair. Would cleansing conditioners also coat your hair a little? I know your hair needs to be cleaned regularly for it to thrive and for products to work correctly. Is it counter productive to use a cleansing cream? Because I usually ad a leave in after I use a cleansing cream and the other times I deep condition right after, just like I would if I used shampoo.

Sorry if this question seems stupid, I'm just trying to learn here.

Thanks :)
 
I think cleansing conditioners are more "cleaning" than regular conditioners.

However. I think build up depends on the ingredients.

I use both and love them but I have had build up from all types.

I regularly use conditioner and cleansing conditioners. I also regularly cleanse my hair with deep cleansing shampoo. (Once a month or so to remove build up)
 
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Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

Yea cleansing conditioners/cream have other ingredients that help them clean. Other things besides the typical SLS in shampoo. A lot of times they use coco betaine (sp?).

For me, they provide more cleansing than using conditioner. But I wash my hair every 1-2 weeks, so I need more than a co-wash. I rely on conditioners for moisturizing, not cleansing.

Pretty much any product can coat your hair, that's just a matter of the ingredient and if they rinse cleanly or not.

Cleansing conditioners run the gamut - some are more creamy like conditioner, some foam up, some lather more like shampoo. Just pick one based on your preference.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

Here is the article in the link:

Duplicating products: Cleansing conditioners

Before we get into trying to duplicate a few cleansing conditioners, we need to establish what it means for a product to be a cleansing conditioner versus a normal conditioner. (For a quick summary of the no-shampoo method or co-washing method, click here.)

How does a cleansing conditioner differ from a normal conditioner? It doesn't. For the most part, the cleansing conditioner contains the same ingredients as a normal conditioner, although I've seen a few with very low levels of foaming surfactants like cocamidopropyl betaine. I have noticed that most of the conditioners with the word "cleansing" in the title tend to stay away from silicones, but that might be because those I've seen also bill themselves as natural or organic. I've also noticed that a lot of them contain mint, perhaps for the tingly feeling it can leave behind?

Please note that I don't adhere to the no-poo method and I don't know much about it. I'm not here to debate the merits of the method and whether it works or not. I'm just sharing information I've learned about the concept.

If we take a look at something like the Wen Mint Sweet Almond Cleansing Conditioner (I've analyzed this product in more detail in this post), you'll notice very little difference between it and a product that isn't advertised as being cleansing. All conditioners will contain a cationic quaternary compound like behentrimonium methosulfate, behentrimonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, stearalkonium chloride, or stearamidopropyl dimethylamine as the primary conditioning agent. Most will contain a fatty alcohol - cetyl, cetearyl, stearyl, or behenyl - to boost the conditioning of the cationic quaternary compound. All will contain some water and preservatives, and some might contain oils or modified oils. Everything else is just icing on the proverbial cake (for instance, panthenol, protein, silicones, fragrance, and so on).

If you want to learn more about what makes a conditioner a conditioner, click here or check out the hair care section of this blog!

Why do they call it a cleansing conditioner? Because they can. This isn't to say that very dry or African hair types won't benefit from a cleansing conditioner, and this isn't to say a cleansing conditioner isn't a good conditioner, but you can get the same benefits co-washing or going no-'poo with just about any conditioner. (Although some will say to avoid conditioners with silicones because there could be some build up, I'd be more worried about the build up coming from things like polyquats and cationic guar. I wonder if not using heat styling or anti-frizz products is part of the no-poo concept, because those are chock full of silicones? Anyone using this method, can you advise?)

As a note, seriously? We're calling this no-poo? We can't come up with a better name for this process?

You can make a conditioner with behentrimonium methosulfate, cetyl alcohol, water, and preservative and call it a conditioner or a cleansing conditioner. You can make a conditioner with cetrimonium bromide, cetearyl alcohol, water, preservative, mint essential oil, a bunch of botanical extracts, and coconut oil and call it a conditioner or a cleansing conditioner. Or you could make a conditioner with only behentrimonium methosulfate, water, and preservative, and call it a conditioner or a cleansing conditioner. For the most part, the main difference is the description of the product.

So let's take a look at a few cleansing conditioners and how we can duplicate them! Join me tomorrow for a look at Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner!
Click to expand...
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

Thanks girls. Tis Darcy's cleansing cream is so thick. Like I said my hair does "feel" clean, but I'm wondering if it actually IS clean. It also states it can be used as a leave in. If that is so, how is it really a cleansing cream? These are the ingredients: Distilled Water, Cetearyl Alcohol,
Cetyl Alcohol, Rice Bran Oil, Organic Shea
Butter, BTMS, Grapeseed Oil, Vegetable
Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Pyrus Malus (Apple)
Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry)
Extract, Citrus Medica Limonium (Lemon)
Peel Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis
(Orange) Peel Extract, Carica Papaya
(Papaya) Leaf Extract, Cationic Guar Gum,
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, and fragrance.

Where is the cleansing agent? I don't get it.

I also ordered the coconut water hair cleansing conditioner from NaturelleGrow. These are the ingredients: Ingredients:100% pure Coconut Water, Blue Malva, Chamomile, Conditioning Emulsifier, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Panthenol, Polyquat 9, Honey, Vegetable Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid, Fragrance

Where is the cleaning agent in this one?
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

^^That's why I don't co-wash. There are no cleansing agents in either of those conditioners and I know it would cause horrible build-up and shedding for me.
 
First I believe polyquats can coat your hair (it's in that coconut water. Secondly have you tried acv rinse? I understand it is a natural clarifier. Just make sure that your water acv ratio is correct.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

Ladies, please read this blog about quats. All polyquats do not cause build up.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

KinkyRN so when would I do the acv rinse in my wash routine? And what is the correct ratio?
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

According to a professional cosmetics formulator, there's no difference except maybe the addition of low-level surfactants in some formulations.

ETA Ogoma just quoted the formulator I speak of.
 
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Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

I think what builds up and doesn't and how much depends on the individual somewhat.

I think any creamy conditioner/lotion has the potential to buildup. Conditioners are formed with an emulsifer, which binds the oil and water like a glue, forming the creamy texture. This glue builds up, at least on me. There are a few conditioners out there that emulsify with butters or something else, but these are rare. Some examples of emulsifiers are cetyl alcohol, ceteryl alcholol, and BTMS. BTMS is much lower buildup than the other two, ime. Some people may use any of these and only get light buildup; others might not have a buildup issue with them.

The only things I have found that don't create buildup on me are any natural ingredients, minus waxes (including jojoba oil, which is a wax). The vast majority of "natural conditioners" are not natural, imo, because they contain chemical emulsifiers. Doesn't make them bad, just not completely natural.

Some people have experienced buildup with shea butter. This may just be their hair, but I wonder if it is a result of not using enough oils. Oils help break down oil, so prepooing with oil (any oil, but especially a cleansing oil like EVOO) helps get rid of buildup.

The two cleansing creams that you posted the ingredients for- I can't find a cleansing agent in there. There are a few ingredients that my have a "degreasing effect, like the citrus EOs, chamomile, and black malva. Other than that, it looks like a normal conditioner, imo.

sparkle25 said:
Thanks girls. Tis Darcy's cleansing cream is so thick. Like I said my hair does "feel" clean, but I'm wondering if it actually IS clean. It also states it can be used as a leave in. If that is so, how is it really a cleansing cream? These are the ingredients: Distilled Water, Cetearyl Alcohol,
Cetyl Alcohol, Rice Bran Oil, Organic Shea
Butter, BTMS, Grapeseed Oil, Vegetable
Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Pyrus Malus (Apple)
Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry)
Extract, Citrus Medica Limonium (Lemon)
Peel Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis
(Orange) Peel Extract, Carica Papaya
(Papaya) Leaf Extract, Cationic Guar Gum,
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, and fragrance.

Where is the cleansing agent? I don't get it.

I also ordered the coconut water hair cleansing conditioner from NaturelleGrow. These are the ingredients: Ingredients:100% pure Coconut Water, Blue Malva, Chamomile, Conditioning Emulsifier, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Panthenol, Polyquat 9, Honey, Vegetable Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid, Fragrance

Where is the cleaning agent in this one?
Click to expand...
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

So basically to really keep my hair clean I'm going to have to use a shampoo...?
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

sparkle25 said:
So basically to really keep my hair clean I'm going to have to use a shampoo...?
Click to expand...

I think it depends on how your hair looks and feels with whatever you are using. Many people just cowash, shampooing only occasionally if ever (?). Not everything builds up on everyone in the same way. I say, if you are getting good results with what you are doing, keep it up!
 
I read centrimonium chloride can remove buildup and silicones. If that is true, you would not need shampoo.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

KittyMeowMeow said:
I think it depends on how your hair looks and feels with whatever you are using. Many people just cowash, shampooing only occasionally if ever (?). Not everything builds up on everyone in the same way. I say, if you are getting good results with what you are doing, keep it up!
Click to expand...

I'm just not happy with my hair at all right now. I've been natural forever, on a healthy hair journey for 5 years and nothing keeps my hair moisturized. Nothing. My hair only looks and feels nice when it is damp. Like close to dry damp. That's the only time I have a nice curl pattern as well. My hair also feels ok right after I add a leave in , but a few hours after it drys its back to the same. Dry. Even deep conditioners only feel good after I rinse them out and once my hair dries, it's back to the same. I really just feel as if I have impossible hair. There is nothing that can fix it so far that's why in the last few years I haven't been buying products etc because nothing works. I use the Darcy's leave in and the jessicurl weekly deep treatment, but other than that its all up in the air because nothing works.

I was in the Southern Hemisphere for almost this whole year and I wore my hair braided the entire time (corn rows) and wore wigs. My hair grew a ton and I wasn't even putting an products on it at all, just water. But growth is not my problem its the dryness and my ends breaking. I'm just like man, if only I could stop the breakage and keep my hair moisturized I could actually wear it out.

So this year I am on a mission and I asked this question because someone on another thread suggested I may have build up. So that made me curious about cleansing creams. I have been using them lately but I don't usually. However i am still curious because im trying to get this right.

Im not too sure i have build up because like i said i put nothing at all but water on my hair for almost a year and it grew well like it always does. Ive only returned back to the united states a month ago, so now im determined to get my hair right and ive bought some cleansing condtioners just to play around with. Usually I just wash my hair with shampoo. Not on a regular basis and I use low poo and all sorts of sulfate free shampoos. They all make my hair dry so at this point I don't care if its sulfate of not. So anyways not sure about the build up as 99% of the time I don't use oils of butters or an product at all other than a leave in. Still trying to look into things though. I'm just desperate to wear my hair.

Sorry for the long post lol.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

Do you think that Wen would build up on hair?
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

If anyone has a suggestion for a cleansing cream that actually has cleansing agents in it, or a natural moisturizing shampoo that truly moisturizes I'm open ..
 
sparkle25 said:
Thanks girls. Tis Darcy's cleansing cream is so thick. Like I said my hair does "feel" clean, but I'm wondering if it actually IS clean. It also states it can be used as a leave in. If that is so, how is it really a cleansing cream? These are the ingredients: Distilled Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Rice Bran Oil, Organic Shea Butter, BTMS, Grapeseed Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Extract, Citrus Medica Limonium (Lemon) Peel Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Leaf Extract, Cationic Guar Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, and fragrance. Where is the cleansing agent? I don't get it. I also ordered the coconut water hair cleansing conditioner from NaturelleGrow. These are the ingredients: Ingredients:100% pure Coconut Water, Blue Malva, Chamomile, Conditioning Emulsifier, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Panthenol, Polyquat 9, Honey, Vegetable Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Sorbic Acid, Fragrance Where is the cleaning agent in this one?
Click to expand...

That's exactly how WEN is. That knocked me for a loop. It's a cleansing conditioner but you can also leave it in as a leave in. I was like "wouldn't that dry your hair out?" But I guess its a very light cleanser
 
MileHighDiva said:
Ladies, please read this blog about quats. All polyquats do not cause build up.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, thank you, because I believe komaza aloe serum has polyquat 10 and people I have heard ladies on here say that it will cause build up, that's great news it doesn't, now I have full faith in komaza. Also I think people need to read more about alcohols, the bad and good ones. Because I recently heard someone say on a online review they didn't like a product because the first three ingredients are two alcohols and they were cetyl alcohol and the s one and they are all fat alcohol and not drying at all but claimed their hair was super dried out. Well some stuff just doesn't work for everyone but it has gotten me thinking a lot of people are just hypochondriacs !
 
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sparkle25 said:
I'm just not happy with my hair at all right now. I've been natural forever, on a healthy hair journey for 5 years and nothing keeps my hair moisturized. Nothing. My hair only looks and feels nice when it is damp. Like close to dry damp. That's the only time I have a nice curl pattern as well. My hair also feels ok right after I add a leave in , but a few hours after it drys its back to the same. Dry. Even deep conditioners only feel good after I rinse them out and once my hair dries, it's back to the same. I really just feel as if I have impossible hair. There is nothing that can fix it so far that's why in the last few years I haven't been buying products etc because nothing works. I use the Darcy's leave in and the jessicurl weekly deep treatment, but other than that its all up in the air because nothing works. I was in the Southern Hemisphere for almost this whole year and I wore my hair braided the entire time (corn rows) and wore wigs. My hair grew a ton and I wasn't even putting an products on it at all, just water. But growth is not my problem its the dryness and my ends breaking. I'm just like man, if only I could stop the breakage and keep my hair moisturized I could actually wear it out. So this year I am on a mission and I asked this question because someone on another thread suggested I may have build up. So that made me curious about cleansing creams. I have been using them lately but I don't usually. However i am still curious because im trying to get this right. Im not too sure i have build up because like i said i put nothing at all but water on my hair for almost a year and it grew well like it always does. Ive only returned back to the united states a month ago, so now im determined to get my hair right and ive bought some cleansing condtioners just to play around with. Usually I just wash my hair with shampoo. Not on a regular basis and I use low poo and all sorts of sulfate free shampoos. They all make my hair dry so at this point I don't care if its sulfate of not. So anyways not sure about the build up as 99% of the time I don't use oils of butters or an product at all other than a leave in. Still trying to look into things though. I'm just desperate to wear my hair. Sorry for the long post lol.
Click to expand...

Maybe you need to incorporate a light oil like grape seed oil and lightly seal the moisture in. Maybe the moisture is evaporating because it's not getting sealed in. I would moisturize and seal twice daily until my hair gets the right amount of moisture and healthy enough to just moisturize and seal once daily. Usually a leave in is very light. Maybe you can use a leave in, and a thicker moisturizer and lightly seal with and oil. That way you get double moisture and it's sealed in. Sounds like you need that.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

Lilmama1011 I will definitely take your advice and try moisturizing and sealing twice per day. My hair has never ever been mousitrized. The only time it did feel not dry and crispy was when I was overseas recently and had m hair cornrowed for two months straight. I know it's gross but I didn't wash it or use any products at all for two months. When I took the braids out my hair felt soft. It was dirty but it was not dry lol.

I just ordered some ungurahua oil to seal with. This is suppose to be lighter than grapeseed, jojoba and coconut oil, it penetrates the hair shaft supposedly and I've been told it doesn't leave a greasy feeling at all, so we shall see how it goes. It was expensive. Like $25 for 4oz but if it works ill repurchase.
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

I have been co-washing with regular conditioners for 10+ years. I shampoo with diluted shampoo as needed, no more than once every month or so.

I got on the bandwagon and tried the As I Am Cleansing Conditioner. It did less for my hair than the $.79 bottle of VO5 Strawberry and Milk Conditioner so I returned it asap.

As far as I am concerned, it is just marketing to get you to spend more and have one more product in your rotation.
 
sparkle25 said:
Lilmama1011 I will definitely take your advice and try moisturizing and sealing twice per day. My hair has never ever been mousitrized. The only time it did feel not dry and crispy was when I was overseas recently and had m hair cornrowed for two months straight. I know it's gross but I didn't wash it or use any products at all for two months. When I took the braids out my hair felt soft. It was dirty but it was not dry lol. I just ordered some ungurahua oil to seal with. This is suppose to be lighter than grapeseed, jojoba and coconut oil, it penetrates the hair shaft supposedly and I've been told it doesn't leave a greasy feeling at all, so we shall see how it goes. It was expensive. Like $25 for 4oz but if it works ill repurchase.
Click to expand...

sparkle25
Even though you're natural, your protein/moisture balance may be off. Protein helps the hair to accept moisture, especially if you're high porosity.

Like lilmama said, you might need to layer your products with a liquid, a cream and an oil. And bc its winter now, maybe even a butter on the ends to finish it off.

As far as build up, it can happen from the toxins and stuff in the environment too. An occasional sulfate poo can take care of that by clarifying the hair and scalp.

I LOVE this HHJ!!
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

mshoneyfly, I do use proteins, I use Komaza cares protein treatment as needed. My hair just doesn't like oils apparently not butters either. They do not sink into my hair at all. I'm going to try the new oil I mentioned above and we will see :)
 
Re: What is the difference between cleansing creams and just cowashing with regular c

I was just thinking about this because I am using an EO regular conditioner as my cowash and it "washes" my hair better than my cleansing cream.
 
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