Indi-Curl wonders…I have just started a No-Poo hair care routine for my ultra-curly hair and I have a question about leave-in products that are compatible with the system. I know to avoid silicone, and I do, but I was wondering about products with Mineral oil in them. My favorite leave-in treatment contains Mineral oil. Is a conditioner like VO5 strong enough to cleanse hair when this type product is used? I couldn’t find any real information online about it. Everyone just says not to use Mineral oil at all, but it works great on my hair! My hair has never looked better, but I want to make sure I don’t have any buildup problems down the road. Thanks!
Left Brain explains
For the people who don’t know it, the No-Poo hair care routine is basically washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. People also call it Co-washing as in Conditioner Washing. Some say it originated with a stylist in Australia but it’s tough to know where these things actually start. The reason people do it is because they want to avoid the harsh effects of shampoo surfactants on their hair. Another strategy is to use Dry Shampoo but we’ll save that for another post.
How can conditioner wash hair?
There is some science and logic behind this hair care regime. Shampoos are typically composed of about 10-15% detergent. They use anionic surfactants like Sodium Laureth Sulfate of Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate which do an excellent job of cleaning and removing oil from hair.
Conditioners also have detergents in them but a different kind. They use cationic surfactants (or quats) which have the tendency to stick to the hair where they provide conditioning. Common ingredients are Cetrimonium Chloride or Distearyldimonium Chloride and are used at 1-5%. Although they do stick to the hair, these ingredients also have the ability to cleanse the hair. This is why the No-Poo washing system can work.
Avoid Mineral Oil?
The reason people say to avoid silicones and mineral oil is because the amount of detergent used in conditioners may not be enough. This may or may not be true. It really depends on your hair and the way it is left feeling to you. The VO5 conditioner should be enough to remove mineral oil, but you have to try it to know for sure. It may even be good enough to remove silicone!
If you are unsatisfied with the way your hair feels after trying the No-Poo method, you should consider occasionally washing your hair or trying a VO5 Hot Oil treatment. I know this might sound odd, but the Hot Oil treatment does not actually have oil in it! It is composed of a quat (like the VO5 conditioner) called Cocotrimonium Chloride. You can use this product and it will give your hair a good cleaning without using the harsh surfactants of shampoo. It even foams.
Beauty Brains bottom line
There is no scientific reason to avoid using Mineral Oil or Silicone if you are using the No-poo method of cleansing. It just depends on whether you like the way your hair feels or not.
No-poo or Co-washing is not for everyone, but some people like the way it makes their hair feel. It will be less damaging, less exposure to chemicals, and may even do a better job of protecting your hair color & shape. However, I doubt the shampoo companies are too worried about everyone switching. While it may be less damaging, it also leaves your hair feeling a bit “dirty”…and it is.
Have you tried the No-poo washing method or even the dry shampoo option? Leave a comment below and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know what you thought.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
“For the people who don’t know it, the No-Poo hair care routine is basically washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo.”
Really? That’s news to me and I’m looked into the no-poo method quite a bit. All the no-poo info I recall seeing was about washing your hair with baking soda in water and occasionally using apple cider vinegar as a conditioning rinse.
I don’t see why there couldn’t be multiple no-poo methods, but I certainly wouldn’t characterize it as “basically washing your hair with conditioner”.
Be careful when trying the no poo method, baking soda turnes the hair lighter, isnt that causing damage? besides vinegar is drying.
My hair is wavy and dry and used to be without washing it for a week without problems (i travel for work to places where theres no water). I started no pooing with baking soda once a week and the rest with conditioner (free of silicons and oils).
The first two weeks it was ok and then started to get smelly, i followed the usual instruction that it will take two months for the hair to “get used to” but after that time it turned worst, besides the odor i felt my scalp had higher temperature, was itchy and with a weird dandruff, my brother kissed my head and told me it was smelly, what a shame!!.
I started washing with shampoo everyday and after five months of horrible stinky hair nothing was working, not even anti dandruff shampoo (with clobetazol or zinc pyrithione).
I went to the derm, she told me that my scalp suffered some kind of unbalance that left the bacteria reproducing without control, besides a medicated shampoo (with ketoconazole) – it didnt really help- there was no more answers.
After a year my hair is not the same, i wash it every other day and even is less smelly i can notice it. Now i prefer to protect the tips with conditioner and use shampoo only for the scalp…
I was wondering what The Beauty Brains has to say about all this.
@ Alejandra, OMG that sounds horrible, poor you! Did you read the Natural Haven? She is a curly scientist on blogspot. She just tested the baking soda method the other day, and if I’m correct, her conclusion was that all baking soda did was change the ph dramatically. Maybe that’s why your scalp went out of balance? Anyway, I hope you get well again soon!
I’m in the early stages of using the no-poo method. I’ve been co-washing for a week and have seen a good response in my hairs’ condition.
I have dry, wavy to curly hair and with the co-washing, my hair has become softer and more wavy than curly.
However, since it’s only been a week, I’m not sure how permanent this will be.
As someone who’s scalp is so greasy within 24 hours that I absolutely HAVE to wash every single day, I can’t imagine giving up shampoo. (Not to mention my mom was a professional hairdresser for YEARS and says that conditioner cannot clean completely. I trust her more then some stranger on the internet.) I’ll never understand why anyone would do this. To me there’s absolutely nothing wrong and if your hair is dry you’re just using the wrong products for your hair.
I think shampoo is the only way to really get your hair clean.
I have done several different products for “no poo” — one of which was the Morrocco Method, Wen, Sally’s Nature One, and others. They all work if I do them right. The trick has been to use a lot — and I mean a lot — of water. Lots of rinsing, starting with just wetting my hair down — that’s almost 5 minutes right there…. My hair tended to be a LITTLE greasy, but not that much. Frankly, just shampooing with a good organic shampoo is much faster and easier for me!
I sometimes condition-only wash. It suits my hair at times. As for why anyone would do this, well, hair is different all over the world and just because the norm is one way in one place, doesn’t mean everyone has to or should practice the same norm elsewhere. Some people don’t even use shampoo or conditioner. Oh my!
Different types of hair have different needs. Why anyone would get obnoxious over that is beyond me.
I really like Creme of Nature’s Conditioning and Detangling Shampoo. It is sulfate-free, so is it like a co-wash then anyway?
I have heard people raving about co-washing with the herbal essences conditioners, and I guess I will try that too. I use all these extra mild shampoos, and still I need a ton of conditioner afterwards (except with Creme of Nature). My scalp is not oily, I don’t use any styling products, and I protect my hair from weather and kitchen steam, so I guess all dirt that gets in my hair during the week might be some dust anyway.
Thanks Kamikatze, i read Natural Haven but not this about pH changes, i agree that could be the reason for bacterias to proliferate, no poo is really not for everybody…..
I dont think a sulfate free shampoo can be considered as co washing since it should have another kind of cleansing agent, milder i guess. About the shampoo ive read many people use Suave (and was recommended here in the last post about no poo) cause its not too “heavy” and silicon free.
I’m Black and have let my hair go back to being natural over the last couple of years because it forces me to take better care of my hair.
Anywho, once I really made the decision to “go natural” (versus just kinda letting it happen) I really started paying attention to what my hair was and wasn’t doing. It was clean, but it was getting dry and stick like and just…awful. The exact opposite of why I’d stopped perming my hair in the first place! So I looked up natural-hair care and came across co-washing, along with alternate leave-in hair products to use. It took me a while to wrap my head around co-washing, but I’ve doing it for a few months now, and it’s amazing how much better my hair is!
I switched my hair products first then moved to co-washing, and certainly the combo has been made of win. My hair is softer and *much* more manageable. Every now and then, maybe once a month, I feel the need to do a regular shampoo b/c I tend to use a lot of product during the week, but then I use a mild shampoo. Otherwise the only products I use are a cheap conditioner (like White Mist) and coconut oil.
Do you mean that these conditioning agents like cetrimonium chloride dries out the hair especially when used as a leave-in because it is a surfactant?
No, cetrimonium chloride does not dry out hair. The problem with it in a leave-in product is that it can be irritating to the scalp. Many surfactants are irritating if left in contact with the skin for an extended period of time.
Hi LB. I have thick, wavy/curly out of control hair that gad a life and mind of it’s own. After reading this entry the other day I bought some VO5 and tried 2 of them on my hair. Awesome. I’ve tried for years to control my hair, straighten it and get it to do what it won’t! So I’m going down the natural road from here and going to give ‘no poo’ a go with sulphate free, organic conditioner. The salesgirl at my local health food market said that it might be the salon bought products that are drying out my hair. Already there’s an improvement, but I sweat a lot when I exercise so it should be interesting!! Thankyou
Meg wrote:”
“… I certainly wouldn’t characterize it as “basically washing your hair with conditioner.”
Actually, cleansing with conditioner is exactly my understanding of the “No Poo” method.
I love no-poo
I’ve been using this method for many months now, I occasionally wash my hair with nothing but water.
Baking soda washes dried out my hair, but it could be used rarely to remove build up. Some conditioners may cause build up.
I also agree that the No-Poo method is conditioner washing. I’ve been doing it successfully for the past 5 1/2 years and I have no plans of shampooing again. My hair is in very good condition. I’ll do a baking soda rinse every three months when I do a protein treatment, but I’ve never added it to my washing conditioner.
I’ve been co-washing for about year. It’s great! My scalp feels just as clean as when I used shampoo, but my curly hair is in much better condition. There is a short time of adjustment at first when your scalp is still overproducing oil. For me that was about a week, but I am sure everyone is different. I do have to use some protein treatments, though I wonder if there is a conditioner that I could use (in other words, without silicones) that already has protein in it.
People should educate themselves about the different methods before posting things like this article. Mineral oil has the tendency of coating the hair, and clogging pores. The mineral oil may make the hair seem shiny but makes it hard for moisture to get into the hair…which is why a lot of people with curly hair(which tends to be dry) try to avoid it.
Not everyone uses baking soda to clean their hair. There are some shampoos(believe it or not) that do not contain harsh ingredients such as sulfates ,or mineral oil.
I have not used shampoo for almost three years and my hair has never looked, felt or smelt better. My hair does not feel oily or dirty at all and all the moisture allows it to remain soft and bouncy.
This method is not for everyone because it may take some time to find the right products that that work for you. Just because something has worked for one person, does not mean the same product will work for you. It is a trial and error process, but once you understand the science of your own hair…this method can become a life saver.
I speak for myself:
As far as co-washing goes for me, it’s left my hair much softer and more manageable. My hair is very dry; so dry that even after co-washing, I need a leave-in conditioner afterward to keep my hair soft and manageable. I also don’t dirty it very often, so I use shampoo when necessary. I also use shampoo when my hair feels dirty/greasy/too much build-up from the conditioner.
On another note…
People should exercise more restraint before posting rude comments on someone’s website/blog.
I would agree that the No-Poo method is more than just washing with conditioner, but I would think most people would use the co-washing method, because the conditioners by big corporations are usually subject to rigorous inspections and would be backed by more scientific evidence, than “organic” products which (as far as I’ve seen) aren’t even approved by the FDA.
(And before people start jumping to conclusions, I use Dr. Bronner’s leave-in conditioner, which is a GREAT leave-in conditioner, I’m just weary of any company using “organic” as a gimmick, especially when there is little or no standards for organic as far as beauty products are concerned.)
Now, I might be blowing smoke, but I give credit where credit is due. The left brain posted a helpful and educated article about co-washing and mineral oil, as well as a couple of other alternatives on just shampooing. If anyone has an issue, kindly post a concern or don’t post anything at all.
I am laughing at the posts by people who believe that you “need” shampoo to get your hair clean. Certainly SOME people need shampoo — those who have naturally oily scalps. However, many of us have exceptionally dry scalps, hair and skin. I have extremely thick, extremely curly hair. Even when I get it blown out (rarely) I can easily go a full week without washing it and it does not get oily, dirty or smelly. My scalp simply does not produce oils that coat my hair. In combination with the dry nature of my hair and the physical shape and thickness of the hairs, this means my hair is extremely dry. For this reason, the NoPoo method works for me (I use the DevaCurl line which includes a product named NoPoo). I’ve been doing it for about 4 years now and this system has pretty much rescued my hair. My hair used to be so dry that it took several minutes just for water to penetrate it in the shower. It was literally repelling the water which would run off it in streams. Today it is healthy, soft and MUCH more manageable. I am so glad every day that I stopped using harsh shampoos on my fragile hair!
I do wash it VERY occasionally with a regular shampoo for dry/damaged hair. Probably once a month or so, whenever I start to feel that product has built up slightly on my hair.
To me, the “No-Poo” methods means conditioner washing. I sometimes wash my hair with conditioner alone, but other times I use a cleansing cream made by Hair Rules, or No Poo by Devacurl, another kind of cleanser. About once a month I use a shampoo by Hair Rules that’s supposed to really clean the hair.
I also like Wen fig conditioner.
It is the first time i come here.I have been reading your information about Scalp during my lunch break.Now I can not believe that I can get rid of Smelly Scalp.I will follow your instruction and hope get a good result.Very thanks to post an important topics which will be helped all.
On the “No-Poo” circuit, no poo is generally considered either straight water rinsing, or using some form of baking soda/water wash (base) followed by a rinse of ACV/water Apple Cider Vinegar (acidic rinse). Some people use Lemon juice in place of ACV, or white vinegar. Conditioner washing is called “Co-Poo.” In either case, one should never do a BASE wash without a follow up ACIDIC rinse. The rinse can be done safely and more often without the wash however.
To Alejandra,
It’s VERY important to follow your Baking Soda Washes with an acidic rinse. The body is more acidic in nature, so when you followed your washes with conditioner, you were not getting the necessary balance to your hair and scalp (thus causing the PH issues and other problems). Vinegar may sound drying but when mixed in water it really leaves hair very soft. Some people prefer Lemon juice instead.
To Jami,
The oils in your hair, (sebum) are necessary to keep it soft and shiny. The concept of washing one’s hair everyday only came out in the late 60′s and early 70′s when Johnson and Johnson promoted their baby shampoo “Gentle enough to use everyday.” The fact is, most mass marketed shampoos are anything but gentle, and use extremely harsh detergents which strip your hair of it’s necessary oils (that protect it, and make it strong and soft). The reason your hair gets really greasy is because your hair is begging for the oils that you just stripped out of it. Your head is therefore producing more oil to go “save” your hair! It’s basically a vicious cycle. Conditioners were eventually marketed on a mass basis because people (who were washing their hair all of the time) were complaining that it was so dry. Again, a vicious cycle of mass marketing.
Once people get through the icky stages, and the head stops over-producing oils (which it never should have been overproducing in the first place…but the shampoo forced it to) one’s hair balances out and is no longer greasy or oily. It’s bouncy, and soft, and can go days and weeks on water washing or rinses (for added scent). Most of us like to be clean, so no-one is saying “don’t shower or don’t wash,” it’s simply “washing without shampoo.”
CO-washing is another alternative, and involves gentle cleansing, not harsh detergents. Be sure to follow up every once in awhile (or even more) with an acidic rinse, to clear off “soap” build up on the hair.
@Carterpoo: How did people clean their hair before the 60s?
Oooo… Here’s an interesting article on the history of hair cleansing:
http://m.randomhistory.com/2008/07/19_shampoo.html
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