Monday 18 November 2013

'Condtioner Only' Washing (CO) - An Introduction

Hello everybody!
First of all, I'd like to take a moment to apologise for the quality of the photographs on my blog. I'm currently without a camera, as I sold my DSLR over summer to make some much needed money, so I'm afraid phone-quality & artificial light is the best I can do at the moment!

Everybody with hair.. (especially those with dry/dyed hair).. listen up! Today I'm going to be talking about something which you may have heard of before - a method of washing your hair that uses just one product, really cheap conditioner. It's not as strange as you may think, and the results are astounding!

 The thought behind this process is that conditioner contains the ingredients necessary to clean your hair.. but without the damaging chemicals that strip away your hair's natural oils. The worst offenders for this are sulphates, but are L'Oreal's sulphate free products the answer?
I'd been using L'Oreal's 'Ever Riche' range for months, and I absolutely loved it. However, when I looked at the ingredients on the back, I noticed some which looked very similar to the sneaky SLSs found in usual shampoos and conditioners, as well as a couple of silicones. Yes, my hair felt great, but I didn't feel so great about relying on mystery chemicals to clean my hair, and silicones to make it soft, and the price tag.. at almost £11 for a set of shampoo and conditioner.. well, read on and you'll see the competition!
 However, if you aren't keen on going CO, then this range is the next best thing, and I'd definitely recommend it. 

 I decided that it was time I tried the CO  method I'd heard so much about. I found a list of CO-recommended conditioners which can be viewed HERE, and decided to try out ASDA's Essential Jojoba Conditioner. Okay, so the bottle doesn't look as good in your bathroom, but don't let that put you off. The list of 10 ingredients on the back didn't worry me at all, as I knew what each one was for. With no silicones to weigh my hair down, or sulphates to dry it out, a pleasant fragrance and a price of only 80p for 500ml... well, if you're going to give this method a go, then this is the conditioner I'd recommend!

Technique
After much researching and googling for the recommended technique, it became apparent that most people found the best results by massaging a handful (or two) of the stuff onto their dry scalp and roots, emulsifying with a little water, then rinsing it off at the end of their shower/bath. I've tried using it on wet and dry hair, and haven't noticed much of a difference, so I'd recommend either method. You have to rinse your hair a little more than usual, and use your fingers to massage your scalp as you rinse. The lack of bubbles is a little strange, but it's replaced with a silky feeling, which isn't too bad! Once you're sure it's all rinsed out, dry and style as usual. (..and admire your strong, shiny locks!)
I'd also highly recommend that you use a clarifying shampoo before beginning this method, to remove any build up of silicones, etc used in the past.

Results
I found that my hair took a little longer to dry than before, but I'm guessing that's just because it's retaining more moisture and natural oils. My curls are more pronounced (although I still straighten them away), and I can't see a single split end, which is absolutely unheard of for me! My hair feels so much stronger, and doesn't snap and break off when I brush it. Honestly, you wouldn't believe I'd bleached it twice this year!
 I have nothing but positive things to say about this method, and really would urge you to give it a go!
What have you got to lose? You can save yourself a LOT of money, shorten your showers, and treat your scalp with a little more love at the same time :)

I'm now almost on my third week of using this method, and I don't think I'm going to be stopping any time soon! I've also managed to get my boyfriend and another friend on board with it, and they're also experiencing fantastic results.

I'd just like to also point out that surprisingly my hair hasn't been more oily than usual at all (which was my main concern before I began), and I can go 2-3 days without washing it, which is fantastic!

Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you think down below, let me know if you decide to give it a try! :)


Follow on Bloglovin

16 comments:

  1. This sounds really interesting! I may have to give it a go, my hair could do with some softening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I'd love to hear how you get on with it! :) x

      Delete
  2. I was using the same range, and I have also been wary about the ingredients too. Really helpful post, thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting post :) I've tried the L'Oreal offerings and their ingredients are still bad - it seems as though a big company are trying to jump on the SLS free hype and producing sub par products. If you ever fancy go back to using shampoo, ever tried Naked's range? Their shampoos are lovely and SLS free x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, and yes - absolutely! I'll have a little look at them, I was planning to look at the Burt's Bees range as well, as they are also SLS free, and 99%+ natural.
      Thanks for the recommendation!! :) x

      Delete
  4. This is such a good idea. I have terribly damaged hair and might just try this, if you don't mind. :) Though I have to say I gave the L'Oreal Ever Riche range a bad review, it simply didn't work for me! x

    Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really hope it works out well for you, and that's a shame about the L'Oreal range, I did like, but it wasn't 'quite right'. :) x

      Delete
  5. Oh I so need to do this, my hair is pretty dry at the moment, too much hair dye, definitely gonna give this a go, I always use the cheap ASDA/Tesco own shampoo's and conditioners, I don't find them any different to the more expensive ones

    Please come check out my latest post if you have time :)

    Fragile Bird | www.fragile-bird.blogspot.co.uk

    Helen

    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, if anything, the cheaper brands are better because of the smaller ingredient lists! They may not make your hair so silky, but that's down to the lack of silicones.
      And ooh I will, thank you! :) x

      Delete
  6. such a great review ! xx
    www.ambifashion.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great review, I did not this about L'oreal!
    I think I may try the Asda conditioner and see what wonders it can do for my hair :)

    girlycopyrightxo.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know how well you get on with it - I went back to L'Oreal for about a week.. but the ends of my hair instantly looked drier! x

      Delete
  8. Right, as soon as I've visited the shops I'm giving this a go! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You won't regret it, I swear! You'd think it would make your hair look all greasy, but it's actually far from it. My hair is so soft and smooth! :) Let me know how you get on! :) x

      Delete

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments, I try to reply to each one individually!