Starting the CG Method...

amnili

So I am new to this, but have decided to no longer fight with straightening my hair. I want to start CG ASAP, but I found that the HE shampoo & conditioner I've been using both have silicone in them. Can anyone recommend a shampoo that is silicone free so I can get them out of my hair for good? I'm excited to see the results when I do get started with CG. Thanks!

Just to add - I read somewhere that all HE shampoos and conditioners have silicone in them. I'm currently using Tousle me Softly, does anyone know if this is silicone free?

Morgan_Adcock

I used a Burt's Bees shampoo for my pre-CG cleanse. I know it's technically a low-poo, but it's just about as harsh as a sulfate poo. I think I've used it all of three times since I went CG over two years ago. The last time I saw it, I noticed that the bottle looked full. (I kept it in case I ever needed a strong low-poo again.)

Another option, though, is to do a baking soda cleanse followed by an apple cider vinegar or lemon juice rinse. I prefer mixing the BS (1 tsp) with my silicone free conditioner, then giving myself a very good scalp massage to dissolving the BS in water. Likewise, I prefer mixing 1 tsp of lemon juice with my rinse out conditioner (usually the same one) to doing a rinse with a splash of ACV in a cup or two of water. (It's important to follow the alkaline BS with the acidic rinse/conditioner in order to restore your hair to a normal or near normal pH.) Some people do these fairly frequently, but I find the BS/ACV harsh. (Please note that BS/ACV does not mean either BS or ACV, but BS followed by ACV.) OTOH, if I've got something in my hair that isn't water soluble, it doesn't seem as harsh as the Burt's Bees poo. It also has the advantage of not leaving you with a large bottle of harsh poo to dispose of or store.

HTH

per_simmon

Hi Morgan,

I just tried a baking soda/apple cider vinegar rinse and am really pleased with the results. Do you know how often it's advisable to do that kind of rinse? For example, could I co-wash during the week and do a baking soda scrub once a week? Does baking soda do any damage to the hair or scalp that I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

Morgan_Adcock

Short answer is that I personally feel that a BS/ACV is only indicated when my hair needs clarification because of a specific problem.

Some people like to do a BS/ACV every couple of weeks, others less often but on a regular basis. I've had really good results from going CG. I think I've done the BS/ACV two times. The first time was when I was having either an allergic reaction to a product ingredient, or a buildup problem with a non-silicone ingredient that most other people don't seem to get; and I found it less damaging than a clarifying poo. The other time was when I wondered if maybe I should do it because I hadn't in quite a while and other people seemed to think it was totally benign.

For me it's definitely a lot harsher than co-washing or water washing. I really could tell that my hair was not in as good condition after the second time.

Bear in mind, I'm one of those lucky people who could see a real improvement from the very start with CG. For some people it can take weeks; and if there were hidden cones, it requires a restart. I figured that it was worth whatever it cost me to dispose of my product grave yard to get my hair back to good condition, especially since it helped it to look so much better. And since following the CG method is cheaper, it wasn't really as expensive as it would have been to replace all those products with the same things. As a result, I was rigorous about eliminating all the sulfates and cones, and I think that helped, a lot; and I don't want to jeopardize that.

per_simmon

Yeah, now that it's the next day I can say that I find the rinse to be really drying- even after a cowash my curls haven't really come back to themselves. So maybe it'll be a once-in-a-long-while thing for me.

I think my main problem is going to be quitting hair creme with silicone in it. My hair loves it! But I'm going to give it a go- I would love to get to the point where my hair without product *doesn't* feel like I stapled a haystack to my head.