Co-Washes--Am I the only 1 they don't work on???

pringe

pringe

New Member
I hear everyone saying co-washes are the truth. I keep wanting to do them, and I do and they never work out for me. I have tried the oil rinses adn they were worse than the rest! lol

It just seems that my hair feels great while im doing it and right after but as my hair dries, my hair becomes very hard and crunchy and just very dry. anyone have any suggestions or is anyone in the same position????

oh BTW, i'm natural for over 5 years
 
Have you tried sealing with castor oil or coconut oil. I cowash in the shower and leave conditioner on my hair. Then I seal with coconut oil or castor oil this makes my hair softer when drying.
 
hi,

I am new to cowash as well and now I am hooked!!!
the first time i did it, just used the conditioner and let it dry naturally, my hair was crunchy and horrible.
the second time, after rising, i did mix coconut oil with conditioner and left it to dry naturally ( i have relaxed short hair, Rihanna style), i was amazed, my hair was so soft and silky. hope you get more luck.

God bless
 
thanks guys. so i think i'll try co washing with coconut and then possibly sealing with castor or coconut oil


Thanks guys
 
You have to find the right conditioner when co washing. I also use a leave in after co washing and seal with jojoba oil.
 
IMO,Co-washing is not for everyone. I hate the way my hair feels coated and dries feeling really dry with co-washing. I feel like you're putting too much product on top of products because your hair is not clean. My hair is more moisturized when i shampoo and DC.
 
You are not alone! Conditioner washes don't work for me either. My hair does not feel clean and it makes my scalp flake.
 
rsmith said:
Have you tried sealing with castor oil or coconut oil. I cowash in the shower and leave conditioner on my hair. Then I seal with coconut oil or castor oil this makes my hair softer when drying.
Click to expand...

I'm new to this forum, so please forgive my ignorance. What does it mean to 'seal' your hair with oil? How do you do that? I'm coming across so many new terms on this forum, I can tell ya.
 
I get product build up if I don't wash with hair wash right after. so I don't do them. My hair does not feel clean either.
 
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I can't use the cheapies, I have to use a creamy condish to cowash with and if I don't DC, I don't get the best results.
 
I've tried co-washing. It only works for me if I deep condition after. I can never co-wash and go. My hair looks a mess. I just use conditioner in place of shampoo and continue with my regular routine of rollersetting.
 
Conditioner washes did not work for me as a relaxed head or as a natural. I tried many times and my hair always revolted. It was way too much manipulation for my hair. My hair prefers a once a week deep condition, then it wants to be left alone.
 
I seem to be able to cowash successfully only while in braids or cornrows. I think it may have something to do with my relaxed hair. I believe that naturals have a much better success at cowashing than relaxed heads, but that's just my opinion. For example, my 6.5 months of new growth hair responds a lot more favorably to cowashing than my relaxed hair. My relaxed hair tend to get all tangly for some reason, hence my reason for doing them while in big plaits, braids or cornrows. I still use a moisturizing leave-in afterwards.
 
When I first began my Journey, I pre-poo'd because I was of the Mind-Set you had to use Shampoo to thoroughly "clean" your Hair.:perplexed

I then Graduated to Co-Washing and it has been Great for Me as a Relaxed Head. I start off Rinsing my Hair with Clear Water for about 5-10 Minutes, then proceed applying Conditioner. I don't use "Cheapie" Conditioner either for my Co-Washes. I use a good product.:yep:

I have Dry Hair/Dry Scalp, so Co-Washing with a Good Product has allowed me to keep Moisture in my Hair and doesn't make my Scalp "dry" or itchy.

However, I only do my hair once, no more than twice a week. I don't think my Hair could "tolerate" daily Co-washing no matter how "good" the Product was I was using. Just too much Hair Handling Personally, For Me.:look:

I also always DC with a DC Treatment afterward Co-washing. So Now, I only use a Clarifying Shampoo to remove possible build-up and only when my Hair Dictates.
 
As a natural when I co-washed I used Wen and I had sooo muh buildup on my scalp after a day or two I had to shampoo or I would be itching like crazy! So I left that alone and just started using the shampoo bars which did the trick, not too stripping, but I still had a clean scalp.
 
thanks guys i thought it was just me that had issues with co washing but i see that again, co washing is just something that works for some and not for others
 
They only seem to work with VO5 or Suave, or another less expensive/watery product. Co-washing doesn't really leave my scalp feeling clean enough, but it works for when I'm in-between shampooing, and it leaves my hair feeling soft and moisturized.
 
Nope you are not alone here. Co-washing 2x or more times a week does not work for me as a standard regimen. I can just forget about that one. If I'm washing 2x a week it will have to be with a shampoo and DC. I can say though that co-washing 1x a week at about 16+ weeks post works well on my NG, makes it more manageable and thus makes the two textures easier to deal with. If I need to rinse my hair out quickly on any given week between my weekly washes then I'll co-wash but I don't go crazy over it.
 
I think overly co-washing is not for me. I was trying an experiment on co-washing 4 to 5x a week and using shampoo only once a month. That didn't work anymore after week 2. My hair was overly coated. It felt like someone was pouring candle wax on my hair. This is not good once your hair gets to this point. Moisture can't get in or out which means it's underly porous. So I realize I have to go back co-washing one week, and shampooing the next week.
 
I found out I need to use a shampoo or clarify at least once like every 7-10 days....
when I don't the product buildup makes me stretchy, and my hair holds gook very well lol
 
My hair was a horrible, crunchy, dull mess when I co-washed. I tried several different conditioners too. I love shampooing, and using a good DC. Co-washing is not for me either
 
For the ladies who say their hair was dry and crunchy after co-washing, I have a question.

Do you all apply a moisturizer and seal with oil after co-washing your hair? Are you co-washing with conditioners that you have used before with a shampoo or are the condish something you had never used before?

I can't see a condish alone making your hair dry and crunchy. When co-washing you still need to moisturize your hair afterwards and you should still follow whatever hair routine you do after you have washed your with shampoo. In other words, the same routine you have after washing with shampoo should still be followed after washing with conditioner.
 
As a relax head who stretches for months at a time, Co-washing helps my ng! But my relaxed ends get overly moisture and start to feel gummy. Its hard tending to two different textures, but I'm sure if I ever transition to natural I will be co-washing daily b/c its the only way I can detangle my hair.
 
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