Facebook fans: You spoke and I listened! Here is the first in our series of crunchy (read: natural or low-effort) beauty tips. It may sound crazy to recommend Conditioner Only Washing (No Shampoo) and I don’t pretend to be a beauty expert, but I know what makes me feel good. And if it makes ME feel good, maybe it’ll make some of you feel good, too! If you don’t like this series you should probably become a Facebook fan so you can shout me down when I float these hair-brained (HAIR BRAINED, GET IT?) schemes of mine.
What’s blogging without a giant confession, right? I have one. But first, I have to say, I can’t even believe I’m doing a Beauty Tips post.
I’m no Audrey Hepburn or Audrey Tatou or any other Audrey for that matter. I’m a stay-at-home mom of five boys. BOYS. I ask them to brush their hair and they run screaming from me like I’m brandishing a hot poker at them instead of a hairbrush.
I grab for a warm washcloth to fix a pudding smeared face and the screams might make you think I’m wiping them down with acid. I suggest that perhaps they might want to change the shirt they’ve been wearing for a week solid and it’s greeted with a befuddled look, shrugged shoulders and a “NothankyoumomI’mcomfy.”
In short? I’m pretty much on my own here. I don’t even have a frame of reference for what is trendy or hip or even socially acceptable any more, so honestly, I don’t know how many people are going to get squeamish over what I’m about to say.
…Which is this…
I haven’t used shampoo in two and a half years. Yes. That is my beauty tip. No shampoo. (I can hear you now, “…And you’re surprised your boys are gross?”) Obviously there’s a bit more to it or everybody would be doin’ it, right?
Here’s a little history. After I had my youngest son a little over nine years ago, I felt perpetually rumpled. I had just given birth to my fifth child in eight years.
Translation: I was lumpy and hormonal. Translation of the translation: out of shape, shedding hair like mad and had spotty skin. The hair that remained attached to my head was scarcely behaving better than the stuff that fell out in handfuls in the shower/on my pillow/standing still. It was cottony looking, dry and my scalp itched like mad. (Boy, do I sound like I was a looker or WHAT?!?)
I embarked on a path that seemed like a good idea to clear up my lumpybumpy body, skin and hair problems. I started buying expensive creams and shampoos from the salon. And that?
Well, it didn’t work and it left me with bottles and pots and jars and squeeze tubes of things that were disgustingly expensive and useless. Then I tried all-natural shampoos/conditioners/beauty products. That didn’t work at all either. And the blue aloe mud bug organic herbal tinctures and shampoos and salves and whatnot were even more expensive than the professional products.
About five and a half years ago, my bathroom closet was overflowing with what amounted to more than a car payment’s worth of things I’d never use again. As a last ditch effort, I turned to the internet and googled a string of keywords that sounded like the punchline in a fairy tale:
“Straw, Hair, Pimples, Balding, Magic Shampoo, Smooth, HELP”
Rumpelstiltskin didn’t show up, but I got a list of websites that said, “No Poo”.
“But I’m not constipated, my hair just looks like cotton balls!” thought I, until I read a little further. These blogs were all talking about giving up shampoo and solving their hair problems. “Er, okay. Whatever.”
But I was desperate enough at that point to keep reading.
Over the next couple of weeks, I tried the baking soda/vinegar solution that many no-poo-ers recommended. That worked for a while, but left my hair feeling sticky. My husband had sniffed my hair when I got out of the shower and told me I smelled like a pickle. (From him, that’s a compliment. Hubby loves pickles.) I, on the other hand, missed the pretty smells of shampoo.
I tried Wen by Chaz Dean because I saw the commercial on television and any guy who can toss his hair like the Breck girl seems like a pretty solid authority on silky hair. The problem there was that it was insanely expensive and I had long hair.
I knew it wasn’t a tenable long term solution and I was only feeling so-so about the results so it was tough to justify the cost.
I turned back to the omniscient interwebs for help and discovered yet another no-shampoo group who was less intestinally know as the co-only (short for conditioner only) crowd.
The long and short of co-only is that you only wash your hair with conditioner. Again, there’s a little more to it. You can’t just pick any old conditioner; it must be a silicone-free conditioner to keep from weighing your hair down.
There’s good news, though. ANYTHING in the Suave Naturals line is silicone free. In other words, one of the cheapest conditioners out there is perfect for the job, and it’s a good thing, too, because co-only washing consists of massaging palms-ful of conditioner in your hair and scalp and letting it stay there (preferably under a shower cap) while you complete the rest of your shower then rinsing it out.
In October of 2010, I tried it. I didn’t really have any great expectations. I figured I’d get out of the shower and find my hair lank and greasy and my scalp itchy. “This is it,” I told myself, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll just cut my hair short and go back to using shampoo.”
I was shocked to find it was the opposite. My hair felt as smooth as silk and not weighed down in the least bit. For the first time in almost a decade, my scalp didn’t itch to the point where I felt like clawing it off. And ladies?
When I tell you my hair looked good, I mean it looked goooooooooooood. As in it behaved and did what I wanted it to when I wanted it to do it with little effort and almost no product and smelled pretty to boot.
The next time I went to my hairdresser, I screwed my courage to the sticking point and confessed what I was doing. She said, “Wow! Are you kidding? Your hair looks great. I’ll have to tell some of my other clients about this.” I haven’t looked back from that point on and I’ve been conditioner only washing for four and a half years now.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: My hairdresser has gone on to recommend this to many of her clients and they have reported back with great results.
I wouldn’t yank your leg on this, folks. It truly has been the holy grail for me. When I gave up shampoo, it didn’t just clear up my hair problems, it eliminated my skin problems completely.
The pimples and acne that I had been blaming on my poor choice in beauty products and/or hormones went away almost overnight.
What I learned AFTER finding what worked for me was that shampoo was stripping the natural, protective oils from my hair and scalp and face (by virtue of its proximity to my hair- thank heavens). In order to make my skin and hair behave after doing that, I had to replace what I could with conditioner in my hair and lotions on my face.
For whatever reasons, my fish-belly pale skin was too sensitive for this routine. Eliminating the shampoo/conditioner cycle did the job for me.
Is this a solution for everyone? Maybe, maybe not. Some people have reported an adjustment period where their hair and skin acted like a petulant, oily child for a week or a month or so before becoming bouncin’ and behavin’.
I had zero funky down time with my hair when I switched to conditioner only. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never in life been a wash-my-hair-every-day kind of girl. The only time I’ve washed my hair two days in a row is after exceptionally sweaty gardening excursions or after a child threw up in it or used my hair as a napkin or -worse- a hanky.
Oh, come on… you KNOW it’s bound to happen with five kids, right?
Here’s my point. It’s worth a try if you’re frustrated with how your hair is treating you or horrified by the amount of money you have to spend to make your hair do what you want it to do. Let me break down the specifics on how I conditioner only wash my hair.
How to Conditioner-Only Wash Hair:
- Wet your hair thoroughly in the shower, massaging your scalp.
- Squirt a palmful of silicone-free conditioner into your hand and massage it into your scalp and the hair near it.
- Squirt another palmful of silicone-free conditioner into your hand and massage it into the rest of your hair. Repeat this until all of your hair is saturated with the conditioner. If your hair is thick and lower-mid back length like mine, you’ll need about 4 palms-ful to coat your hair and scalp.
- Pile your hair on your head to keep it out of the shower stream. If you have one, put a cheap-o shower cap on to keep the conditioner from rinsing away.
- Complete whatever else you need to in the shower; wash your bod, shave, whatever.
- Add a splash of water to your hair and scrub your scalp again, then rinse your hair fully.
- Dry/Style/Whatever your hair as usual. For me, most often this means blow-drying my bangs so they don’t lay funny and letting the rest of my hair do whatever it wants. This is what works best for me!
- Do this two to three times a week. Unless you’re working out HARD daily or having someone wipe boogers in your hair, this should be sufficient.
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Use this for Conditioner Only Washing (No Shampoo):
- Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner (This 6 pack is a “Subscribe and Save” option on Amazon, meaning they automatically ship to you every month, two months, three months, or however often you specify!)
I’m feeling a little sheepish about even bringing this up here, so help a gal out. What do you think? Am I nuts? Would you ever try it? Do you want to sniff my hair to verify I don’t smell like a fryolator before giving it a shot or is this just completely off the table for you? Talk to me!
Update: This post was originally published February 15th, 2013. Because it has been more than two years since publication and because I am still going co-washing strong, I wanted to bring it back to the front for the benefit of those who may not have seen it yet. The number of people for whom this has made a huge difference -as evidenced by the comments below- is pretty awesome.
Reader's Thoughts...
Colleen says
Two days in to “washing” my hair with conditioner only…I love it! My hair is easier to blow dry, do NOT have to use a flat iron to smooth out the kinks of my somewhat wavy hair, and I do believe it dries faster…or maybe that’s just my imagination, but the last two mornings I have been ready and out the door at least 10 minutes sooner!! The best part, though, is that it has more body and no longer feels a bit like straw…very soft!! I am a believer!
I love your website by the way…makes me laugh, teaches me a few things, and my husband has enjoyed all of the recipes I’ve pulled from this site. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Rebecca says
That’s fantastic, Colleen! I’m so pleased it’s working well for you!! And thanks for all the nice things you said. You made my day.
Brooke says
I stumbled across this post in May and decided to try going conditioner-only, even though I have extremely oily hair. As of today, I have YET to put shampoo on my hair. So after roughly five months of conditioner-only every day, my hair has suddenly begun to grow, it’s not nearly as frizzy as it was, it feels thicker and stronger, and it’s SO shiny. I can’t recommend this enough! I’ve used Suave Naturals the whole five months. I have noticed, however, that when I travel and go somewhere with harder or softer water, my hair gets “confused” and frizzes a little more. But it’s temporary and always goes back to normal. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this post!!
Rebeccah says
first off we have the same name witch is wicked awesome [=
so about two weeks ago i started the no shampoo only water wash. I have had dandruff severly since the begining of high school up until two weeks ago. my dandruff is GONE! i would show u pics if i could. the hair near my scalp isnt greasy but its a little heavy? or thick? i know its a build up of sebum. my hair used to come out of the shower after shampoo and conditioing super light and frizzy and then the next day it would be greasy as all hell. well now when i get out of the shower its wet a little longer and then it magicaly is perfect! and the longer i go without washing the less heavy it feels. i got a boar bristle brush to distribute the oils and sebum my scalp naturaly makes. my hair feels healtier and looks longer somehow. i noticed the best way to do my routine is before showering seperate my hair like 10 times across my scalp in rows and each time brush from root to tip with the boar bristle brush. using a reglar brush inbetween to get the tangles. and then shower with it burshed back so theres not knots and clumps. then like they say scritch or scratch and massage that scalp. i do hot water cold water normal shower temp water then a cold rinse. ive been taking pics every day of my scalp and hair and im telling you the results are unbelieveable. i think i will try some conditioner in it just to see if it makes it a little less tangley. love your hair and your blog Rebecca!!
Twinkie King says
Your hair looks nice. Thanks for the information.
Nikki says
I’ve been using only Suave Naturals conditioner for a couple months now and my scalp still gets dry. Do you have any tips for combating the dry scalp issue without completely undoing all the time I’ve put into going without shampoo?
tanya says
I started not using shampoo just as a fluke and was surprised that my hair was just as clean as if I’d done shampoo n conditioned… So that’s what I started doing consistently for about a month n a half now. I like it, my hair is not fly awaybdryand feels softer and kinda heavier,.. . like more solid. Anyway, I saw the Wen commercial thingy and felt a bit more justified since it seems like the same process. So I googled it and aaw your story. Thank you. Thank u, I was beginning to feel like I had a bad hygiene secret, but my hair really seems healthier already. I will try the suave or another silicone conditioner. Thanks again. I will check back soon, and maybe think about telling my friends…..
carol mayton says
I love you! I will try this , Wen is highway robbery, I must say your hair is fabulous!
Andrea says
I’ve been doing a lot of research on no poo or co-only, trying to fins what works best for my thick, waist length hair. I stumbled onto your blog quite some time ago but never got to read this post. Absolutely love it and appreciate that you posted pictures of how great your hair looks. Going co-only is my next goal now that my current hair products are nearly gone. Thank you again for the post. It’s been super helpful.
tia says
I’m a 16 year old girl. I have black, shoulder-length hair and no matter how hard I try, I can NEVER find anything that helps my ball of fluff stop being–well–a ball of fluff….
I am native American so I have been trying to grow my hair out like many of my reletives, but im afraid to do so because my hair is so hard to take care of!! I can always brush through it but it’s always so frizzy. I have naturally straight hair, and I don’t use any heat (I.E. blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons) or chemicals like hairspray in my hair, but my hair is always dry and crunchy. echhhhh. I hate it. I forgot my original point now, but here’s a different question: if I start this co washing thing, and the tips of my hair is still frizzy like always, should I get them cut, and then continue to co-wash, or should I keep co-washing and it will fix my split ends? help please!!! thanks.
Rebecca says
Hi Tia- I’m not a hair dresser, just a lady who tried things out until she found what worked! I’d absolutely suggest you try this out and see what it does for you! Have you tried rubbing Argan Oil into the ends of your hair when you get out of the shower? That might be worth trying, too. You can get it inexpensively on Amazon.com (you can use the search box in the sidebar here to help look for it if you’d like! If you do buy through that link, I get a small commission.) I rub about 8 drops into the ends of my hair after conditioner washing it. I have waist length hair, so it takes a good bit to help me! Co-wash for a while, and maybe try the argan oil for a bit, too, if you’d like to avoid trimming it. A trim isn’t the end of the world, though! Hair always grows back!!!
Rebeccah says
this sounds counter active but try to brush your hair as little as you can especialy as soon as it dries out of the shower. if you do itll frizz up faster. also shea butter. if you find a recipie where you can whip it with some vitamin e and coconut oil. i have some i use on my face and hair all the time and it dosnt leave it sticky or greasy. your hair will soak it right up and hold together more and be less frizzness
Jen says
I’m so happy to see that I’m not the only one who gave up hair-washing all together! I have very thick and curly hair, and had nothing but issues with it, so about a year and a half ago I chopped it all off, and at the same time I stopped using both shampoo and conditioner. I didn’t even pick up any baking soda regimen or anything, and now my hair is absolutely great!
However recently, I’ve been thinking about trying to grow my hair out again, and I’m afraid that it’ll go back to being it’s gross, frizzy, messy mess again. I’ve been considering picking up a conditioning regimen to try to keep it from drying out too much (alongside regular trimming), but I was afraid that it’d mess up my hair again. It makes me feel more confident to give this a go after reading your experience with conditioning only. (:
My coworker recommended Tresemme Naturals, which is dye-free and silicone-free. It’s a pretty good deal in my opinion; it was $5-$6 at Walmart for a decent sized bottle, so it can be added to the list of reasonably-priced conditioner brands people can try out.
Amanda says
could i use suave or does it need to be a certain brand of suave?
Rebecca says
I hate to be vague, but you’ll have to experiment a bit, probably. I’ve had GREAT luck with Suave Naturals Coconut, but haven’t tried many others.
erica says
I wash my hair everyday. I know that’s supposed to be bad. I started using the Shielo Hydrate Shampoo, my hair looks and feels so healthy. I barely need to use any shampoo, a quarter-size only, and I have a ton of hair. Typically I’ve had to rinse and repeat , but with Shielo – I use just the quarter-size and its perfect. Feels soooo good and its super hydrating.
I would recommend this to any gal with thick hair prone to getting dry.
annie says
has anyone tried organix conditioners? It is sulfate free and also cruelty free!
I have only been shampoo free for one week and so far I am happy happy happy…. I spend less time in the shower, my hair is soft and shiny and having long hair down to the middle of my back can usually take a very long time to wash in the shower… now I am out in no time. Im 53 so im probably a lot older than most of the posters here. My kids think I am crazy but cant wait to see their reaction to my hair in a few weeks when its noticeable how my hair has changed!
Mare says
I’ve been co washing for 3 weeks now and at first I loved the results. But now my scalp is dry, itchy and flaky. I read somewhere that caucasian women are suppose to wash their hair once a week with a sulfate free shampoo. But as soon as I did my hair went back to being a dry Frizzy poofy mess. So what can I do to stop the itching? Also my hair falls out a lot and it’s a little greasy in certain areas. Help please.
Rebecca says
I’m sorry, Mare, I really don’t know! Maybe you should try another kind of conditioner?
Jenna says
Maybe a Head and Shoulders Conditioner
Beta says
Hi,
Great website and post. Just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences. I am a Guy in my late 20’s and I have always had short hair for most of my life. I started surfing and snowboarding a couple of years ago and I have always liked that long surfer hair look of some guys.
I eventually came to the idea and conclusion that I would save my hair long to see what I would look like with a long surfer style hair before I get too old and eventually not doing it at all and regretting it. Its been 2 years and my hair is the longest its ever been in my whole life. Up until a few months ago…I knew that if I want to maintain and keep this long hair style…I would eventually have to find ways of maintaining it and taking care of it. Because…like everyone else on here…I too have many of the same problems. Dry, itchy, flaky scalp with dry crunchy poofy hair that I could never seem to style or manage the way I want. I would also lose a lot of hair in the shower and while combing/styling.
These are some of the tips/tricks/advice I have come across on the internet in my search to keep my hair looking as healthy as possible:
1. Use conditioner ONLY. I too gave up shampoo about 3 months ago and I have noticed my hair is WAY more healthy looking and feeling. Never going back to shampoo.
2. Wash with cold water. Warm/hot water is bad for your hair.
3. Air dry. Do not blow dry. Heat is the number 1 problem/issue for most peoples hair.
4. Wash your hair every 2-3 days. You don’t need to wash your hair everyday. If you do…your just stripping the hair of its natural oils which is best for healthy hair. I used to wash my hair everyday as I shower everyday but have since gone to washing my hair about 2 times a week. This worked wonders for my hair as it does not feel so dry, crunchy and lifeless.
5. Don’t touch/play/fix your hair if it doesn’t need it. The more you play/touch your hair…the more stress you are putting on it.
6. Try and keep hair products to a minimum. I used to use so many types of gels/pastes/creams and it did nothing to make my hair healthy. Now…I only use a paste that I know works for me, is very clean and can be washed out with water plus lotion if I just need a little more hold or touch up.
7. Don’t comb your hair when its wet. If you need to comb it when wet…use a wide toothed comb or brush. Your hair is very vulnerable/weakest when its wet.
8. Take a daily multivitamin. Your hair needs vitamins to be at its optimal health.
I started doing all of the above for about 4-5 months now and my hair feels healthier than its ever been in my entire life. Hope this helps out some people. Thanks.
Monique says
Wow I always thought that you needed shampoo but now that I see you don’t I’m throwing out all the 20 bottles of shampoo I have in replacing them with Condtioner… Thanks a lot
Tina says
I am a junior in college and I haven’t used shampoo (well I have used it every now and then but that is only when I visit my parents and use their shower. Mom doesn’t use conditioner) since before my senior year of high school. When I tell people that I don’t use shampoo, the look of disgust on their face is hilarious and sometimes frustrating. People just jealous of my beautiful curls.
Susan says
Has anyone tried Purely Perfect?
ginger says
Hello. I have been co-washing since 2/2013. I have a lot of fine wavy hair that is down to the middle of my back. I have oily hair and pretty bad scalp psoriasis that does not respond to topical steroids or medicated shampoos. I have only co washed with the occasional washing of my hair line with Cetaphil facial soap when psoriasis is really bad. I have used mainly inexpensive brands-sauve, vo5, walmart knockoffs.
I am noticing that my hair feels heavy and oily at times. I have also noticed that my hair smells dirty at times. I was wondering if anyone else had found this with co-washing? My hair itself feels great compared to past. Has not made a change in my psoriasis though. Thanks in advance.
Chrissy says
Oh and as if I didn’t add enough the SHEA MOISTURE LINE would be great for those who have thick or coarse hair and even those who don’t have either the “Retention Line” is great for us gals who color are hair.