Co-washing update and Silicones!

Well Co-washing is amazing but, and there is a but a big BUT! you have to get the correct conditioner if you are going to use it instead of shampoo. So what I discovered is to avoid all conditioners (and shampoos) with Cones in (silicones that is). The problem with silicones is that they form a seal round your hair shaft. This prevents anything being absorbed into the hair shaft leading to dry brittle hair. The silicone coating on your hair will make it feel very soft and silky but can also make your hair limp and greasy depending on your hair type. Using these products daily means that any deep conditioning treatments or hair oils you apply will not be able to penetrate the hair because of the silicones present.

So when I used a conditioner with silicone in it made my hair limp, waxy, heavy and greasy. I have now switched to a silicone free one and my hair is much more bouncy and less limp. I will continue Co-washing and maybe wash my hair once a week with a gentle clarifying shampoo just to keep residue at build up at bay. I don't want waxy hair ever again!

There are two types of silicones, water soluble and non water soluble ones. The water soluble one will cause the least amount of build up for your hair. For non water soluble silicones you will need a good clarifying shampoo to remove them. Here is a list of what to look out for when shopping for products;

Water based silicones are called;                             
dimethicone copolyol 
lauryl methicone copolyol 
amodimethicone
Hydrolized wheat protein 
hydroxypropyl polysiloxane

Non water based silicones are called;
trimethylsiloxysilicates 
trimethylsilylamodimethic 
amodimethicone
phenyl trimethicone 
dimethicone/ol
cyclomethicone 
cyclopentasiloxane 

IMPORTANT UPDATE

 Some people have have experienced excess shedding from co- washing I cannot find any evidence on this, just what some people have claimed. My conclusion would be that depending on what conditioners you use , the type of hair you have and any other medical issues. Other factors to consider is that the conditioner coats the hair weighting it down (possibly silicone based conditioners)  or the conditioner blocks the hair follicles at the roots.