Mixing shampoo into conditioner for gentle cleansing?

Has anyone here tried to mix a bit of shampoo into a conditioner to make a sort of DIY cleansing CO-wash mixture?
I have this problem that I simply cannot find a conditioner that is cleansing enough and suitable for my needs and would also be affordable. Since it takes soooo muuuch conditioner to do the whole CO-wash routine I'm looking into alternatives. I live in a country where there are almost no curly hair products and shipping from online stores cost so much to this farthest trench of Ultima Thule.
I usually use Nature's Gate conditioners because they are so cheap and suit my hair, but they are way too heavy and waxy to function alone as CO-washers. I have tried mixing a bit of sulfate-free shampoo into Nature's Gate Pomegranate conditioner in the palm of my hand before I apply it in the shower. The results have been fairly encouraging. The shampoo seems to cut some of the waxiness, but doesn't have the harshness of straight shampoo, the mixture doesn't foam almost at all. I bet there are people with better understanding of formulations here on this board to tell if it's a really bad idea in the long term. Any experiences?
I have this problem that I simply cannot find a conditioner that is cleansing enough and suitable for my needs and would also be affordable. Since it takes soooo muuuch conditioner to do the whole CO-wash routine I'm looking into alternatives. I live in a country where there are almost no curly hair products and shipping from online stores cost so much to this farthest trench of Ultima Thule.
I usually use Nature's Gate conditioners because they are so cheap and suit my hair, but they are way too heavy and waxy to function alone as CO-washers. I have tried mixing a bit of sulfate-free shampoo into Nature's Gate Pomegranate conditioner in the palm of my hand before I apply it in the shower. The results have been fairly encouraging. The shampoo seems to cut some of the waxiness, but doesn't have the harshness of straight shampoo, the mixture doesn't foam almost at all. I bet there are people with better understanding of formulations here on this board to tell if it's a really bad idea in the long term. Any experiences?
2A fine wavy hair. Hates silicones, polyquats and too much oil, loves protein and glycerine.
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LP: Shea Moisture (currently JBCO)
Conditioner/CW: Jason Aloe Vera
LI: Aunt Jackie's Curls & Coils Quench
Refreshing: TRESemmé Naturals Aloe Vera & Avocado
Gel: DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel
DC: Aunt Jackie's Soft & Sassy Super Duper Softening Conditioner
Treatments: Coconut oil/Coconut milk
UK curly. CG since Oct 2013.
Growing my hair to WL when dry :thumright:
[Properties for mobile users]
Boticelli 2c/3A,M+C/ii, high porosity, medium elasticity, growing out color and heat damage. APL wet.
M/C, Low/Medium/High Por, Normal Elast. Medium Density
LP: INSIGHT DAMAGED HAIR Restructurizing Shampoo
CO: Generic protein conditioner, Hair Academy Deep Cleansing CO
DET/RO/LI: GNC Avocado And Shea Butter Conditioner +/mask,
Styler: Schwarzkopf Taft Fixing GelWellaflex Instant Volume Boost Mousse
DT: EVOO, C.O
HG
Goal: WL when curly
CG since Feb 2014
She said she uses sulfate free shampoo. I guess she wants the middle point between sulfate-free shampoo and co-wash.
Current Products:
- AG Plastique
+ Plopping OvernightSkim-read that last part and didn't see the 'sulfate-free' bit.
If you're using a sulfate-free shampoo though, I don't see a reason to mix it with conditioner. It should be gentle enough. Have you tried using the sulfate-free shampoo on its own, without mixing it with conditioner?
LP: Shea Moisture (currently JBCO)
Conditioner/CW: Jason Aloe Vera
LI: Aunt Jackie's Curls & Coils Quench
Refreshing: TRESemmé Naturals Aloe Vera & Avocado
Gel: DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel
DC: Aunt Jackie's Soft & Sassy Super Duper Softening Conditioner
Treatments: Coconut oil/Coconut milk
UK curly. CG since Oct 2013.
Growing my hair to WL when dry :thumright:
Yeah,the root of the problem is that I haven't been able to find affordable low-poo that is gentle enough, also I haven't found conditioner suitable for CO-washing that wouldn't make my wallet cry :confused4: I have gone through so many different brands of low-poo but none of them suited my hair and frizz prevails. I'm getting more and more confused about this whole low-poo thing, since some low-poos have felt even harsher that just regular old SLS stuff...
Depending on where you're from, I'm sure the ladies here can rec a bunch of affordable and gentle low-poos for you, if you'd like to go down that root
What low-poos have you been using that you've found harsh / haven't worked? Maybe there's something in the ingredients we can look at and pin down!
LP: Shea Moisture (currently JBCO)
Conditioner/CW: Jason Aloe Vera
LI: Aunt Jackie's Curls & Coils Quench
Refreshing: TRESemmé Naturals Aloe Vera & Avocado
Gel: DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel
DC: Aunt Jackie's Soft & Sassy Super Duper Softening Conditioner
Treatments: Coconut oil/Coconut milk
UK curly. CG since Oct 2013.
Growing my hair to WL when dry :thumright:
:bunny:
NP/LP: CJ Daily Fix, KMF Whenever / Giovanni TTTT
RO/LI: Aussie Moist, CJ Argan & Olive Oil, Hask Keratin Protein
DC/PROTEIN: KC Stellar Strands / CNPF
STYLER: CJ Curl Queen
COLOR: henna, amla & indigo
:thumbdown:: glycerin in high/low dews, polyquat-10 & 11, parabens
Sent from my HTC One using CurlTalk App
I agree that some low-poos can be harsher than regular shampoo. I think the manufacturers don't "get" that we're trying to prevent overwashing our hair (or think they know better than we do what our hair needs), and compensate for removing the sulfate detergents by throwing as much non-sulfate detergent into the mix as possible.
I'm also curious which of the Nature's Gate Organics Conditioners you used. I have superfine hair which gets weighed down extremely easily, and I've found the Lavender and Aloe worked well for me for both co-washing and conditioning/detangling.
Morgan
Baby Fine 3B, low porosity, normal density and elasticity
CGing since July 2008