Conditioner Washes

[CaramelDamsel]

Hello to all. I'm pretty sure that I have the dryest hair in NYC so i'm thinking...conditioner washes is not a bad idea. I do notice when i wash my hair with shampoo it has a dry feel to it. Although i do want my hair to be clean and smell good i find myself being more concerned with the moisture in it when i wash, i'm always thinking, "do i really need to shampoo i mean its not tht dirty all i need to do is get all the build up from products out and the water seems to do a good job" Have any of you ladies used this conditioner only method as a routine instead of shampoo?? What have been your experiences?? do you get the same clean feeling with the conditioner? THANXX

 

[Guest]

<font color="purple">i've never tried the no conditioner because of a scalp condition, caramel. however, if you think shampoo is drying to your hair, you could try several different things:

<ul type="square"> [*]skip shampooing at least every other time

[*]skip it altogether until you get to where you feel like you have buildup that needs a shampoo

[*]try a shampoo that doesn't have harsh detergents, like Mastey or Aubrey Organics [/list]
adrienne</font color>

 

[Madison]

i wont be trying the conditioner washes until december but i have tried them on my children hair. and bwoy what a difference especially on my big son's hair he had the dryest out of the bunch (his is also the longest, reaches past his shoulders) his hair was extremely soft i couldn't believe it.
s

 

[BlkMane]

Caramel-

I'm curious to know, what shampoo have you been using that leaves your hair feeling so dry?

BTW- I've tried the conditioner only washes (only when I wear my hair curly) and they just do not work for me. My curls are HARD if I try to style after doing a conditioner-only only wash. I think FOR MY HAIR, I need to get the buildup out with shampoo. I think the conditioner-only washes leave my hair coated.

I've never tried it to roller-set, though.

 

[Elyse]

<font color="brown">
BlkMane,

I do conditioner only washes, using JASON Sea Kelp to cleanse my hair. About once a month I rinse with ACV and distilled water.

My hair is so much softer and more conditioned since I stopped shampooing. Also I use much less product on my hair since it isn't so dry. </font color>

 

[LondonDiva]

I'd have to agree with Blkmane.

For me personally my hair was no better infact it was worse with CO washes than when I use shampoo. I used Elucence and TIGI conditioners for CO washes. My Creme of Nature shampoo has no sulfates and doesn't leave my hair feeling dry like other shampoos. But Like Blkmane said I think my hair is being coated with the conditioner, therefore leaving it dull and less shiny. Then on top of that when I put my carrot oil and olive oil mix on my hair it does nothing in terms of moisturising like it usually does. I guess that it doesn't work for me because I'm not getting any drying effects from the shampoo therefore I don't notice the need for more moisture with CO washes.

I shampooed this weekend with the Motions CPR shampoo as my hair was feeling brittle and was about 4 weeks since a protein conditioner (I followed up with the CPR conditioner) and my hair was back to it's usual self.

Plus for me conditioner only washes do not get rid if the oil on my hair and scalp from the WGO. It turns the Oil on my scalp white and leaves a nasty residue. Only the shampoo can get this out for me.

Hopefully the others will have better luck with the CO washes. I'l go back to the shampoos and 20 minute under the dryer conditoner treatments after every wash.
/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[hairfanatic]

The conditioner washes everyday for me really contributed to a lot of hairgrowth over the summer. I have had to have three major haircuts this year(one due to braids the others, I became scissor happy) and doing the conditioner washes saved my hair. I conditioned everyday and washed one a week, usually on Saturday. I will do this every summer. I just started back pressing my hair with a curling iron. The only thing I had to be careful with conditioning is the kind of conditioner I used. I loved Elucence conditioner, it made my hair seem really thick.

 

[Armyqt]

For the ladies using the "no poo" method, I think that I read on NC that you're not supposed to be using any oil on your hair. Maybe this is the reason why some people experienced buildup and hair not really getting that clean. Plus I think that you're supposed to used some type of lemonjuice or baking soda for cleansing. It may also be that this technique was intended more for people with natural and not chemically processed hair. I'm gonna try this method on my daughter's hair for a while and see how it works. Just my .02.

 

[Elyse]

<font color="brown"> Armyqt,

I do clarify my hair with ACV rinses about once a month. This is sufficient to remove any buildup from the conditioners.

For me the best thing about the no poo method is that my curls have better definition and no frizz.

I would urge you to try the no poo method on your daughters, especially if her hair is natural.

It works wonders on my children. My oldest has waist length 2B hair and my youngest has mid back length 3A hair. Their hair has never looked better!! </font color>

 

[Armyqt]

hey Elyse, I'm definitely gonna try this with my daughter starting today. she has very nice hair, but it seems to grow so slowly. I'm almost certain it has to do with moisture. I take very good care of her hair, but it still gets dry pretty quick. She is 5 (looks 7)and when her hair is wet the back is about 3 inches past her shoulders. But as soon as it dries, her ponytails barely graze her shoulders. I am open to any and all suggestions at this point. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Elyse]

<font color="green"> Hi Armyqt!!

My girls are 5 and 4 but look younger because they are very small for their age. I conditioner wash their hair weekly with JASON Sea Kelp and rinse it out. I use Mane and Tail conditioner as a leave in. I give them deep conditioning treatments with Elucense or mayonnaise once a month or as needed.

Hair Care and Styling
I braid their hair every night and apply coconut oil, castor oil or olive oil to their hair (especially the ends) as needed. I comb their hair with a HUGE wide-toothed comb that I bought at Sally's and they have very soft natural boar-bristle hair brushes too. I dust the ends as needed and never put rubber bands on them. I use scrunchie or clip on barrettes, nothing that will pull or break their hair.

They have very healthy looking hair and get compliments on their hair all the time. I'll post their new pics when I get them scanned.

Hope this helps!!
</font color>

 

[LondonDiva]

Elyse

Was it you that posted the pics of the two little beautiful girls in red a while back on the old board?
Whoever they belonged to they were so cute and beautiful.

 

[Armyqt]

Thanks Elyse, I was gonna ask u how often u washed your girls' hair. Thanks for the reply and maybe I'll post a pic of my daughter's hair and yall can tell what type it is and good products to use for her. Thanks a lot for the info.

 

[Elyse]

<font color="blue">
London Diva,

Yes, those were my two little girls in the red dresses on the old boards!! Those pictures were done back in 2000 and they've had a lot of growth since then. </font color>

<font color="green">
Armyqt,

I forgot to mention that I give my kids multivitamins daily and I think that this is very important for their health and hair.

Another thing to beware of is the so called "baby/kiddie" shampoos, detanglers, hair oils, etc. Many of these, especially the ones marketed to african-american children have harsh ingredients like sulfates, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, etc. I am very careful about what I use on them, and my poodle /images/graemlins/smile.gif!!!</font color>

 

[lamluvston]

Armyqt: Your daughter's hair seems so MUCH like my older daughter's who's 7. Her hair (3B)is mid back length when I wash it but, "OH, Watch OUT" when it dries /images/graemlins/tongue.gif She gets big time shrinkage back up to her shoulders. I've been trying out something lately that has helped alleviate some of that shrinkage.

After washing, I usually part her hair to wear 3 ponytails (usually one on each side, one in the back). I secure the ponytails with those ponytail twisters (the ones with different color balls on the end). Then I get those real small elastic ponytail holders that are covered with a terry cloth type material....I use the black ones. I take a secured ponytail and twist it until it is about to coil. Then I secure the length of that twist with the black, terry cloth holders. Usually it takes about 4-6 holders to go down the length of her hair. When her hair dries, I take off the terry holders and her hair is ALOT longer with slight waves instead of drawn up curls. I do this technique on myself when I want my 2B/3A hair to dry with less wave/curl. For myself, I just put my hair into one ponytail, twist and secure the hair all the way down the length. Who knows maybe this technique will work on your daughter's hair to help with some of her shrinkage.

Elyse: Thanks for the kiddie tips. /images/graemlins/smile.gif I think I'll try some Jason's Sea Kelp for my girls. I, too, give my daughters multivitamins and have noticed a positive difference. My baby (age 4) has waist length hair when wet(she's a 3c/4a) but I'm finding the frequent shampooing to be a bit drying for her hair. The 7 year old complains alot of itchy scalp. It doesn't flake and looks real clean but maybe the shampoo is too drying for her scalp. I think I'll try the Jason and Mane and Tail as a leave in, too for them. I hope to see positive results. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif ....Tonia

 

[BlkMane]

Armyqt-

In the Curly Girl book there is a tip about how to make curls dry "longer". Once you style them, while they are still wet, clip those plastic butterfly clips onto the ends of the hair. This adds weight. They should dry longer.

LondonDiva et. al: Well....I actually did a conditioner wash today, just because of this thread. I decide to give it one last go. This time however, I used my Dominican conditioner (Tropical Avocado Cream). I made sure to massage my scalp with it well, and made sure to squeeze it thru all my hair and massage it thru the length.

I then put some sodium PCA spray on for 5 minutes, rinse and applied the avocado conditioner again as a conditioner while I showered.

My hair wasn't as smooth and silky (and clean feeling) as if I had shampoo, but it didn't look bad either. My curls were pretty well defined.

When I got out the shower, I applied BnS Creamy Set. When my hair was dry, to my surprise, they looked fine. I didn't have frizz.

Hmmmm, maybe I had just used the wrong conditioners for the conditioner-only washes before. However, I will have to try this for a week or two straight to determine if it REALLY works. Starting today, I'm going to try to stick with it for at least a week to see how my hair reacts.

(Sorry, LondonDiva...maybe you should try it again too with a different conditioner? BTW-I don't have any oil on my hair either or anything on my scalp, so maybe that is why it worked.)

 

[BlkMane]

Hairfanatic:

Are you sure it was the conditioner-only washes that gave you the increased growth or just the fact that it was summer? Someone (I think it was Amethyst) posted something on the old board that said that hair simply grows faster in the summer (due to hormones, I think).

I know I've noticed that with my own hair and many others as well. Just wanted to point that little fact out.

 

[hairfanatic]

Yes, it was a combination of both, but doing the conditioner washes for my hair was just like having a Jerry Curl. My hair loved the moisture and it seemed as if I was retaining more length in little time with less breakage.

 

[Valerie]

I have to agree when I had the jeri curl, my hair grew very fast, because of the sprays, since I have been rinsing, it has grown a lot. I shall be continuing to see how for the next six months at lest.