Illegal fireworks asks…I have really dry curly hair. Will it damage my hair if I condition it everyday?
The answer depends on HOW you condition your hair. Rinse out conditioners are the worst – not because the conditioner itself does any damage but because of the processes of washing, rinsing and drying.
Three ways conditioning is bad:
First, if you used any shampoo prior to conditioning you may be stripping your hair of moisturizing oils.
Second, just wetting and drying your hair (even without shampoo) causes the cuticle to expand and contract which can be weakening because it creates radial cracks in the outer cuticle layers.
Third, towel drying your hair always involves some degree of frictional abrasion that can crack and scrape off even more cuticle.
Leave in conditioners can be less damaging
If you’re not washing and wetting your hair, leave in conditioners are just fine. At most they require just a little combing to smooth them through your hair.
If you’re washing your hair anyway (or at least getting it wet for some reason) it’s better to go ahead and condition. But if you can skip a shampoo-wet-dry cycle and use a leave in conditioner instead, you’ll avoid opportunities for damage.
Ladies, have you experienced damage from daily co-washing? How did you prevent against it?
My hair used to be very dry from frequently cowash. this acricle is not supposed directly to anyone, because everyone is different. My hair only got damaged because when i was natural in abt 1st week I didn’t know how to handle cowash or how to do it properly. But later as I got tutored abt it better, my hair is so moisturzed by it . Comparing to shampoo- I don’t use shampoo alone because sometimes it can be drying or tangle your hair up , no matter if it don’t have bad ingredients. It is just at natural to have drying ingredients with high ph. So I always add condition and honey if I remember then olive oil. Conditioner is a must to add everytime for me. small shampoo then more conditioner and dilute with water. But after that i did spirtz with aloe juice to just balance ph. Because I used to have black tea 3x a week but my hair sheds badly, somebody said it can be great to stop shed but you don’t have to use that too much. It has caffine , remember? So I do it only once a week. Since I already did black tea, I replace it with aloe juice . My hair is not shedding that much like before. I remember after add shampoo with condition..of course it tangle up , I am not surprised. But Spirtz with aloe right away..It soften down! I mean in a sec! then I added conditioner more to soften down extra. and wait for 5 or 15 min before rinse out and seal with oil.
Next time I will be use conditioner on my rest hair and add shampoo to conditioner that way , it will not tangle up.
I just recently (about 2 weeks ago) started co-washing and I really love the way it makes my hair feel! I think it definitely makes a difference in the texture and overall feel of my hair… But there’s ONE problem: I have a feeling my scalp HATES it! I don’t know if I am going through the “adjustment” period, or if my scalp is just being a diva? Or maybe I am not doing something properly… If anyone could please give me some tips or maybe share a similar experience so I know that this is completely normal, that would be great! I use the TRESemmé Naturals conditioner and I co wash mid-week and then shampoo on weekends. I am not sure why my scalp is being so sensitive. Or maybe co-washing isn’t for me? (I HOPE NOT). I hope someone will be able to enlighten me! Thank you
I am sure it is just “adjustment” stuff. it is same with me when I got first bc in few weeks , somebody told me to do co-wash like abt 3x a week then my hair got too dry. I did a researching that co-washing can dry out natural oil for some ppl that can’t handle it.
Later on I can handle frequent co-wash (just because I was abt a year older bc) Needless saying it is really adjust thing…because when we first got bc, bc will be dry and in shocking. But we co-washing frequently too soon that take out natural oil.
If it ain’t your case, might you got wrong conditioner because I want purchase it but I spotted it has Isproply Achohol …If I am spelling right? means it has acohol that we should stay away, it is as danger as sls . REALLY drying ingredient. So when you use it along with shampoo, it gets tangle horribly or damage as if you are using bleaching with perm.
It is just adjustment like learning your error/trail. Hair is only warning that is not product they wanna use , they hope you pay attention. It need more moisturezer. Pick something extra natural like GIVONNA conditioner. It beat Tresseme natural cond.
Very detailed answer! Thank you very much… I guess i’ll just keep monitoring this itch and if it persists i’ll switch conditionner?!
I didnot know you are experiencing itchy scalp..yes it is defiently from using a lot of diff. products. Not just co-wash.
That is what I said adjustment period, it happened the same to me I would not say I was hair junkie but I was using abt 5 or 6 products in my hair. When you used that much , scalp would not know how to get used to the cycle such as ph, and start to build up as well dranruff.
Nobody can go on without co-wash , it is a way of retain moisture. Hair can’t be disliking co-wash. It must be particular products you are using. Because one time when I was using Mane N Tane Conditioner and Shampoo (you see their ingredients) it aint so good …so when I used it , it was acting CRAZY! BREAKING and DRYNESS. I stopped and start to use conditioner (it has natural ingredients) “Nate’s Gate” Shampoo/Conditioner…It loves it. You see the difference? I was just learning my errors that my hair dislikes chemicals such as sls, cones,parabean, etc. I cant sugarcoat it by buying something cheap. I had to get $7 .00 organic and hair loves it. They stay moistured all week.
My itchy scalp used to come from a lot of products I used and it used to come from Givonna shampoo because of changing ingredients too. Then one girl taught me to be sure you wash out REALLY good ..it can be another reason for itchy. Right now, it is okay with Givonnai shampoo it has frequently changing ingredients. It defiently love shea moisture line.
I don’t know what work for you. A lot ppl come to me with same problems , in yahoo answers! They thought Head and Shoulder shampoo would stop itchy or draduff. It never did. I said to simply change your diet, shampoo, conditioner, and everything you did to see where it goes wrong. Just drink more water. If you know who Kimmaytube is? She is on youtube with long natural hair, she experiencing the same issue as me using Givonnia shampoo. Because it changes ingredients, she stops and her itchy went away. That was how she knew it was the particuar product.
By way use Apple Vingear Cider when you co-wash once a week (weekly) AVC is common for itchy scalp to relieve. It has ingredient that is antifungual. I like use Braggs or Organic
Response to Mel re: your scalp hates cowashing.
My question is what are you experiencing? Extra dryness, breakage or does hair feel dirty after a cowash. It’s hard to say with out that extra information but I can tell u of my experience and what I think it might be.
1. The conditioner that your using may not be right for your hair type. Your hair may be responding to the cowashing by a) drying out or b) becoming really limp and hard to style b/c you could not wash all the products out by cowashing alone, therefore you have product build up in your hair. Whatever the case may be its all about finding the right conditioner that suits your hair.
2) you said you just big chopped not long ago??? Well there is always that initial time it takes to get used to how your natural hair feels. When I first b/c my hair always felt so dry! I would load it down with oils b/c I thought that’s what it needed until I met a woman with very long natural hair, she had been natural for 7 years and she told me her stylist said you hair is not dry unless its dry when wet. I immediately went home and did the test. It was not dry when wet, she also said its importan to use minimal products on your hair. She suggested olive oil or cocoanut oil, I use them both and I have seen tremendous growth.
The key to natural hair sometimes is to just relax and not worry about it soo much b/c natural hair is something you have to learn to take care of. It’s really trial and error but you will get it, just be patient. If you still don’t like cowashing I suggest you just cut it out of your routine for now and see how that works for you.
Hi Elizabeth!
Thank you for your response! I actually big chopped in July of 2012 :)! Im sorry I didn’t make that very clear… But I added co-washing in my regimen about two weeks ago.
As for what I am experiencing, there’s no dandruff or flaking, it’s just a really itchy scalp! My scalp has always been sensitive, even when I was relaxing(especially). But maybe it is the conditioner I am using, like you said? I probably need something extra natural?!
You’re right, it is very “trail and error”. I love how co-washing makes my hair feel. Cutting shampoo out (or using it less often) has really made a difference. I’ll keep track of the progress and on how my scalp feels.
I am also a recovering product junkie :D! I have had a few relapses but I’m doing better now (HAHAHA). I think my itchy scalp could also be coming from and overuse of different products and a mix of different things… Its really frustrating not knowing, but I just noticed that it has gotten worst since co-washing.
Thanks again for your tips Elizabeth :)