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"Cowashing Is Overused" - Thoughts?

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katblack said:
Shampoo strips hair. Conditioners adds slip(for the most part). Squeeze out lather from shampoo and add slip before your hair gets the chance to feel stripped. Which happens when you rinse out the shampoo. I haven't tested out her method, but I will be sure to:grin:
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Yes, but if you still have shampoo on your hair when you add this "slip" wouldn't you just be stripping that right back off when you rinse. At the very least, I think it would result as the same thing you just did (pre pooed then shampooed). really don't see how the condish has the opportunity to do any conditioning if your hair is coated in shampoo.
 
Yes I think co-washing is overused, but everbody hair is different.

I shampoo and DC every Saturday. However, if I was going to DC midweek then I would not use shampoo, I would co-wash then DC, but I'm too lazy for that.
 
I like to cowash my hair, but I cannot do it everyday because it causes too many single strand knots. So I say do what is best for your hair, if it works great, if not try something else.
 
clever said:
More thoughts on cowashing.Interesting...

pt.1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y09wMocMB4I
pt.2 http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=QSmEQwDqa9o&feature=related
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Thanks for sharing that. Interesting indeed. :look: And that's why delivery is so important. Now if I had posted that vid, I could see how it could be construed as incendiary. :lol:

Although she brings up some very reasonable points :yep:, she comes off as condescending and self-righteous. Either she isn't familiar with the success that many have had with cowashing or she's insistent on refusing to acknowledge that success bc it challenges her own personal opinions/experience. Saying that cowashing is an inherently ineffective technique is different than saying that it's overused.

Theresamonet said:
To me it's just like shampooing and then conditioning (but less effective and sort of counterproductive, IMO)...I don't see what's so unique about what she did. I also don't see how it's better if you add condish while you rinse the shampoo vs. Conditioning after you shampoo. Wouldn't you just be washing off that conditioner too, when you rinse. Is this basically a double pre-poo? Someone explain this logic to me.
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Theresamonet said:
Yes, but if you still have shampoo on your hair when you add this "slip" wouldn't you just be stripping that right back off when you rinse. At the very least, I think it would result as the same thing you just did (pre pooed then shampooed). really don't see how the condish has the opportunity to do any conditioning if your hair is coated in shampoo.
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Good questions!

Did you watch the video, specifically from 4:00 - 5:30 (I'm not trying to be snarky, I just know that my transcription in the OP isn't as detailed as her explanation/demo in the video)?

She's saying that she:
-shampoos (working up a lather that allows the shampoo to do its job)
-squeezes the excess lather from hair (removing some dirt that has been encapsulated by shampoo)
-adds conditioner (adding oils back to hair)
-rinses; more dirt molecules are washed away (while avoiding the "stripped" feeling that is typically "activated" by rinsing)
- leaves a little conditioner in hair until final rinse

In the vid, there are a lot of text boxes giving further explanation. I think these ones might answer some of your questions (even though you might not necessarily agree):

shampoo typically "strips" the surface of the hair once it is rinsed. adding a little conditioner BEFORE water prevents/minimizes this.
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Just a recap: Soap has an oil-loving head and a water-loving tail. The lipoholic (oil loving) end of the soap molecule binds to the dirt & oil on the surface of your hair. Almost like a bubble. Think "greasy" pots and pans. Then the hydrophilic (water-loving) tail of the soap molecules causes it to be pulled away off when rinsed with water. I'm not concerned about how conditioner interacts because it is added AFTER the shampoo has done its real work of instantly binding to dirt and oil.
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As far as it being unique - I've never heard of this technique. Whether it seeming uncommon is a matter of fact or perception (the way that it's described), I don't know. I already acknowledged upthread that prepooing is predicated on a similar concept of buffering.

As far as why it's better to add condish b/w the shampoo and rinse steps instead of after shampooing and rinsing - from my own personal experience with various shampoos, my hair feels so stripped and even gets tangled from shampooing; I'd rather prevent that asap rather than enduring it and waiting to condish to "recuperate". This technique seems more preemptive. I'll have to draw my own conclusions by giving it a try.
 
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basically what she did was a pre poo if she likes it then i love it BUT i cant see not fully rinsing the poo out with all the build up before i put conditioner in IMO using a sufate free poo is almost like a co wash i only co wash when my hair feels like it needs moisture or if i work out alot to remove sweat (salt) and clean my scalp. only sulfate poos really strip the hair so i am a little confused when she says shampoo if she is referring to ALL or just the ones with sulfates? I also do not understand the reasoning for pre pooing before a sulfate free poo? I do when i clarify with sulfates twice a month.
 
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Theresamonet said:
To me it's just like shampooing and then conditioning (but less effective and sort of counterproductive, IMO)...I don't see what's so unique about what she did. I also don't see how it's better if you add condish while you rinse the shampoo vs. Conditioning after you shampoo. Wouldn't you just be washing off that conditioner too, when you rinse. Is this basically a double pre-poo? Someone explain this logic to me.
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I don't see as a matter of one technique being better than the other; I see it as simply another option.

I don't prepoo anymore because I detangle on dry hair & I use oils and moisturizer during that process. Doing a prepoo would only add more build-up before I shampoo. I clarify each time I wash my hair and, although the shampoo doesn't strip my hair, it doesn't exactly feel soft after I've clarified, either. Adding the conditioner while the shampoo is in my hair makes my hair feel softer than it normally does after I've shampooed, so this technique is a keeper for me.

Yes, you are rinsing off the conditioner that you apply over the shampoo, but I only need to use enough conditioner to cover two of my finger tips for each of the six sections.
 
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andromeda said:
Thanks for sharing your experience with the buffering technique. I'm still in the process of mastering my hair (which really is just that - an ongoing and non-finite process) and I've been trying to find a way to use shampoo sans tangling and stripping. I stopped using my staple Giovanni tea tree and have tried diluted castille soap, trader joe's nourish spa and also baking soda and acv as clarifiers. I don't want to shampoo for the sake of shampooing and I have been receptive to cowashing. However, I think this technique would still be useful for those times that I do shampoo - even if it remains as infrequent as monthly/only when needed basis.

Then again, I henna, so my hair does need to be clarified before application. :scratchch Something to mull over. At the very least, I'll be paying more attention to pH and how rinsing activates the stripped feeling.


I agree with the bolded. Thanks for weighing in, I always appreciate your insight and the red provides a good counterpoint to the molecular differences of most shampoos and conditioners.
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I've never used henna before, but I'd guess that clarifying would allow the color to "take" better.
 
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I watch, look and listen. I cannot ascribe to her belief because of the success I have seen on this site and others using the cowash method some more frequently than others including myself during some of the seasons of the year.

Here I will insert the old adage, what works for some may not work for others.
 
I appreciate the fact that she says in her personal opinion but I think that for her it maybe overused but telling me (and others) that something that makes my hair better than it was is overused is a mistake.
 
Andromeda, yes I watched the video when you posted it...and read all the little boxes too.:yep:

I'm not unsure of what she did, but it's effectiveness. I'm also not saying that it doesn't work (about the same as a pre-poo :look:). But in my mind...if shampoo is used solely to remove oil, dirt, and product...then the little bit of conditioner she added to her hair while it was soapy with shampoo shouldn't even be able to attach itself to her hair to condition.

To me this is like washing your dirty dishes in a sink full of Dawn grease fighting dish detergent...and then adding a bit of oil to the water and thinking your dishes are going to be oily. No. The Dawn will encapsulate that grease before it even reaches the dishes.
 
LaFemmeNaturelle said:
Ppl on youtube swear they are experts....I'm sorry but I rather go by something that works for me and works for other ppl with mbl and wl hair than....someone who has hair that looked like my classmates in middle school....idk maybe it's just me...did she even TRY it?
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Yeeeaahh... This crossed my mind too. Nicely stated opinion, but the proof wasn't in the pudding.
 
I don't think its overused, but I find my hair looks so much better after I shampoo(sulfate-free) it. Co washing used to work, but now it leaves my hair dull looking. Maybe my conditioner doesnt have enough detergent. :oh well:
 
camilla said:
basically what she did was a pre poo if she likes it then i love it BUT i cant see not fully rinsing the poo out with all the build up before i put conditioner in IMO using a sufate free poo is almost like a co wash i only co wash when my hair feels like it needs moisture or if i work out alot to remove sweat (salt) and clean my scalp. only sulfate poos really strip the hair so i am a little confused when she says shampoo if she is referring to ALL or just the ones with sulfates? I also do not understand the reasoning for pre pooing before a sulfate free poo? I do when i clarify with sulfates twice a month.
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I'm pretty sure she's referring to all shampoos when she says "i know that even the gentlest shampoos take something away from/strip the hair" (not verbatim).

And I agree with you about cowashing. That's what I was referring to in my last post about claiming that "it's an inherently ineffective technique". If you're using it as a solution for what your hair needs, it's completely effective.

I'm confused how it's a prepoo (maybe I've been prepooing wrong :blush:). Isn't prepooing adding oils before shampooing and rinsing, rather than using them as a buffer between the work of the lipoholic and hydrophillic molecules?

Also, isn't lipo = fat and oleo = oil? I have to look that up to see if it makes a difference.
Theresamonet said:
Andromeda, yes I watched the video when you posted it...and read all the little boxes too.:yep:

I'm not unsure of what she did, but it's effectiveness. I'm also not saying that it doesn't work (about the same as a pre-poo :look:). But in my mind...if shampoo is used solely to remove oil, dirt, and product...then the little bit of conditioner she added to her hair while it was soapy with shampoo shouldn't even be able to attach itself to her hair to condition.

To me this is like washing your dirty dishes in a sink full of Dawn grease fighting dish detergent...and then adding a bit of oil to the water and thinking your dishes are going to be oily. No. The Dawn will encapsulate that grease before it even reaches the dishes.
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Gotcha! Basically you're saying how can the conditioner act as a buffer by adding oils to the hair if the shampoo itself is acting as a buffer to the conditioner by automatically absorbing/negating those oils before they're even deposited.

That makes perfect sense.

I'm going to do it on my hair in the near future. I think that I'd be able to tell from the feel, n'est-ce pas? Maybe I'll do one section with the regular method and one section with her method.
 
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andromeda said:
Gotcha! Basically you're saying how can the conditioner act as a buffer by adding oils to the hair if the shampoo itself is acting as a buffer to the conditioner by automatically absorbing/negating those oils before they're even deposited.

That makes perfect sense.

I'm going to do it on my hair in the near future. I think that I'd be able to tell from the feel, n'est-ce pas? Maybe I'll do one section with the regular method and one section with her method.
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Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying...I like the way you stated it better though.:grin:

I'm actually going to try it too. Maybe it defies my logic and actually does work as suggested. You never know unless you try it for yourself.
 
Yep, what she said :)

ms.blue said:
I saw the video and I understood what she is coming from b/c I shampoo & dc either 1 or 2 weeks depending on the style but I plan on co-washing once a week along w/ poo & dc during the warmer months when I sweat more. I can't shampoo my hair more than once a week or it will dry outmy hair. I believe you should do what works for you & not others.
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