Made A Breakthrough In My Reggie: Cowashing!

overtherainbow

overtherainbow

Well-Known Member
I know I am very VERY late to the party but I have been attempting to cowash since 2012 and always had crispy, dry, and tired looking results after. See below pic for the crappy results:
View media item 125849My ends are clipped and healthy in this pic, but cowashing caused them to look crispy and just plain old sad. My mistake was not using a curly girl approved conditioner and working on super dirty hair that was dry and tired to begin with.
I have an oily scalp which means that I have to shampoo 2x week, which is becoming harder on my strands as my hair gets older. Finally this week, enough was enough and I cowashed with some VO5 Clarifying Conditioner for $1.89.
My hair and scalp is clean and my fluffy twist out really delivered this morning:
unnamed.jpg

I don't know why this cowash worked specifically, because I have experimented with other curly-girl friendly conditioners and failed each time such as Suave, Giovanni, ect. But whatever, I'm not going to question it. I didn't even follow up with a better conditioner because I ran out of time and yet my hair was still detangled, soft and happy. I'm going to add this to my midweek routine for now on!

Do you ladies cowash regularly?

(side note: I had a very hard time uploading pics from my phone and laptop and had to use an uploading site. anyone else have this problem?)
 
Your hair looks lovely! I love Vo5 clarifying conditioner as a cowash. Actually any Vo5 conditioner works great and gives me needed moisture and slip. I don't cowash often, because my oily scalp needs shampoo.

When I do cowash I use Vo5, Alter Ego or Kerastase conditioner. I'm thinking about adding a mid week cowash to my regimen since last week's results were so nice.
 
Hi, @overtherainbow. First, congrats for finding a conditioner under two bucks that works for you :clapping: I co-wash regularly because I work with an aggressive trainer 2 nights per week. I fell in love w/co-washing after watching a couple of Anthony Dickey videos. It works when I take my time, massage product throughout my hair, and apply a thin gel to wet hair. Otherwise, the results are not so good. I work Tresemme Naturals thru first to bring out my curl pattern (and it's $4 when on sale). I rinse most of it out, then apply a little DevaCurl OneCondition, DevaCurl's Styling Cream, and Light Defining Gel. I re-wet as needed with a mix of OneCondition and distilled water.
 
Prettymetty said:
Your hair looks lovely! I love Vo5 clarifying conditioner as a cowash. Actually any Vo5 conditioner works great and gives me needed moisture and slip. I don't cowash often, because my oily scalp needs shampoo.

When I do cowash I use Vo5, Alter Ego or Kerastase conditioner. I'm thinking about adding a mid week cowash to my regimen since last week's results were so nice.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Yes a midweek wash really changed my oily scalp. At first I had to wash every two days because my scalp was really oily and over time I was able to lesson it to twice a week. Every time I wait the full week, my scalp and hair rebel lol
 
nothidden said:
Hi, @overtherainbow. First, congrats for finding a conditioner under two bucks that works for you :clapping: I co-wash regularly because I work with an aggressive trainer 2 nights per week. I fell in love w/co-washing after watching a couple of Anthony Dickey videos. It works when I take my time, massage product throughout my hair, and apply a thin gel to wet hair. Otherwise, the results are not so good. I work Tresemme Naturals thru first to bring out my curl pattern (and it's $4 when on sale). I rinse most of it out, then apply a little DevaCurl OneCondition, DevaCurl's Styling Cream, and Light Defining Gel. I re-wet as needed with a mix of OneCondition and distilled water.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Come to think of it I think that its cheapness adds to it effectiveness because it doesn't have all the oils/butters that clog up my scalp. Antony Dickey inspired me too (almost bought the hair rules no poo shampoo but I can't justify the price) so I went with really massaging the VO5. I agree that the massage really helps with the effectiveness of the cowash!
 
overtherainbow said:
I know I am very VERY late to the party but I have been attempting to cowash since 2012 and always had crispy, dry, and tired looking results after. See below pic for the crappy results:
View media item 125849My ends are clipped and healthy in this pic, but cowashing caused them to look crispy and just plain old sad. My mistake was not using a curly girl approved conditioner and working on super dirty hair that was dry and tired to begin with.
I have an oily scalp which means that I have to shampoo 2x week, which is becoming harder on my strands as my hair gets older. Finally this week, enough was enough and I cowashed with some VO5 Clarifying Conditioner for $1.89.
My hair and scalp is clean and my fluffy twist out really delivered this morning:
unnamed.jpg

I don't know why this cowash worked specifically, because I have experimented with other curly-girl friendly conditioners and failed each time such as Suave, Giovanni, ect. But whatever, I'm not going to question it. I didn't even follow up with a better conditioner because I ran out of time and yet my hair was still detangled, soft and happy. I'm going to add this to my midweek routine for now on!

Do you ladies cowash regularly?

(side note: I had a very hard time uploading pics from my phone and laptop and had to use an uploading site. anyone else have this problem?)
Click to expand...

You sound like me about a year ago. I tried co-washing before and it didn't work out for me but I used the VO5 Kiwi Lime conditioner just because one day I didn't feel like having the crispy hair shampooing gave me... haven't looked back since.
 
CodeRed said:
You sound like me about a year ago. I tried co-washing before and it didn't work out for me but I used the VO5 Kiwi Lime conditioner just because one day I didn't feel like having the crispy hair shampooing gave me... haven't looked back since.
Click to expand...

Yes is was the Kiwi Lime Clarifying condish that was a game changer. The ingredients have no clairfiying properties whatsoever, but it has removed ALL traces of the shea butter I used a few days before without stripping any of the natural oils. I usually believe in technique>products, so the fact that this random product worked baffles me.
How often do you shampoo?
 
overtherainbow said:
Yes is was the Kiwi Lime Clarifying condish that was a game changer. The ingredients have no clairfiying properties whatsoever, but it has removed ALL traces of the shea butter I used a few days before without stripping any of the natural oils. I usually believe in technique>products, so the fact that this random product worked baffles me.
How often do you shampoo?
Click to expand...

I shampoo 1 - 2 times a month. Since I'm still trying out products from my wish list that have some silicone/quats that may stick to my hair, I may decide halfway through the month to shampoo depending on how my hair feels.

All of the VO5 conditioners have EDTA in them though so there are mild chelating properties... I didn't believe that the Kiwi/Lime could actually do anything but that conditioner is more cleansing than the others so maybe there's something to it... it baffles me too :lol:
 
I've also not got on with co-washing so far...might have to try this! Would be rude not to at that price (assuming it's available in the UK) :D Thanks for sharing!
 
Yes, I use some type of Cleansing Conditioner or usually a Handmade Natural for Co-Cleansing/Co-washing and for me, they work fine to remove products and possible build up.

I have very dry skin. As a regular at the Salon (before I stopped going in 2009) I would sometimes suffer with Contact Dermatitis and looking back now, it was probably from the Shampoo(s) and various products etc..

Because since I added Co-Cleansing/Co-Washing to my Regimen, I have not been to the Dermatologist for any scalp related issues.

So, it helped to alleviate my dry scalp issues and most of my itchies.

I have not used VO-5's Clarifying Conditioner (yet) but I have used Avalon Organics Clarifying Conditioner and it worked great.

Typically, I don't use things with a lot of 'cones' or other ingredients that may/could cause severe build up.

I feel my scalp gets 'clean' with an extended clear water rinse and a nice cleansing/cowash conditioner.

If I do need reinforcements, I probably have something in my stash to handle it.
 
Last edited:
IDareT'sHair said:
Yes, I use some type of Cleansing Conditioner or usually a Handmade Nature for Co-Cleansing/Co-washing and for me, they work fine to remove products and possible build up.

I have very dry skin. As a regular at the Salon (before I stopped going in 2009) I would sometimes suffer with Contact Dermatitis and looking back now, it was probably from the Shampoo(s) and various products etc..

Because since I added Co-Cleansing/Co-Washing to my Regimen, I have not been to the Dermatologist for any scalp related issues.

So, it helped to alleviate my dry scalp issues and most of my itchies.

I have not used VO-5's Clarifying Conditioner (yet) but I have used Avalon Organics Clarifying Conditioner and it worked great.

Typically, I don't use things with a lot of 'cones' or other ingredients that may/could cause severe build up.

I feel my scalp gets 'clean' with a extended clear water rinse and a nice cleansing/cowash conditioner.

If I do need reinforcements, I probably have something in my stash to handle it.
Click to expand...


I have been using cleansing conditioners (co-cleanse?) for years and they were the only ones that didn't leave too much buildup on my scalp, but I found that the ones that I tried cannot be used on their own. I'm happy now that I found something that can be used on its own every now and then! Saves me a few minutes in the shower
 
flyygirlll2 said:
The Vo5 Kiwi Calrifying Conditioner is the business. I'm back to using a shampoo once a week now but before that I was using this conditioner in place of a shampoo and it worked very well in gently cleansing my hair without stripping it. It's definetly a staple for me.
Click to expand...

@flyygirlll2 I love the scent. I was buying the Shampoo for my Wigs!

So, I can't wait to pick up some of the Conditioner
 
I cowash weekly and shampoo monthly or as needed. I follow a modified CG method since my BC in 2012. Works well for me hair and helps me maintain my curl definition and moisture. I personally like Tresemme Naturals. It cleans my scalp and conditions my strands.
 
Joigirl said:
I cowash weekly and shampoo monthly or as needed. I follow a modified CG method since my BC in 2012. Works well for me hair and helps me maintain my curl definition and moisture. I personally like Tresemme Naturals. It cleans my scalp and conditions my strands.
Click to expand...

I want to try tressume naturals, its a bit hard to find around here for some reason. And the curl definition is something that I forgot to mention. Lately I have been having a hard time coiling the ends of my twists and I assumed it was just the hard water. Now I know it was just the products I was using. After co washing, my ends coiled on their own:yep:
 
@overtherainbow

There are two. The Coconut Cowash and the Cleansing Pudding (now in a bottle).

The Cleansing Pudding is the one I pull out when I think I may have heavy build-up.

It lightly foams/lathers in a whippy sense, which is the closest I have to an actual 'Poo.

It's very, very slippy. Leaves hair super clean, soft and does not strip.

The Coconut Cowash is also very nice, but doesn't go as deep into cleansing as the Cleansing Pudding (hence the name)
 
overtherainbow said:
I want to try tressume naturals, its a bit hard to find around here for some reason. And the curl definition is something that I forgot to mention. Lately I have been having a hard time coiling the ends of my twists and I assumed it was just the hard water. Now I know it was just the products I was using. After co washing, my ends coiled on their own:yep:
Click to expand...
Tresemme Naturals conditioner is the best I've tried since focusing on moisture and curl definition. It is just awesome. I use both Nourishing Moisture and Radiant Volume. You can get it online at Walgreens, Drugstore, or Walmart.
 
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