Alright, it's been long enough. I have to know:
Did you try Reverse Washing? If so, what did you think?
You know what I think of it, but I'm dying to know how many of you tried it after my blog post and, more importantly, did it work for you? Did you follow my tips, or did you forge your own path and find a better technique? Tell me, tell me!
I did try it, even though I have very different hair than you (very thin, very fine, and I have dry skin). I've settled on a slightly modified version - I use conditioner, wash my roots with the conditioner still in place, then re-condition the ends with a heavier conditioner. I like it because it's less drying than the normal shampoo and then conditioner method.
ReplyDeleteI tried it! I recently quit Wen after years of loyal use; just too pricey. Plus, my hair is naturally straight and silky textured (fine but abundant). So I don't really need deep conditioning. Heck, a few times a week I wash only and skip conditioner altogether!
DeleteI liked it. But I can't say it left my hair looking like "a million bucks," even after air-drying. Same results as regular washing.
Projectswatch, I love that method! A long hair message board that I visit calls it the CWC method: Condition/Wash/Condition.
DeleteI tried it, and the first time it worked out FANTASTIC! However either I couldn't get the measurements right like I did the first time or my hair just didn't react well after that one session. Because after every try I did with the reverse washing, my hair just wasn't as silky and shiny and was drying out.
ReplyDeleteI've gone back to the normal shampoo then conditioner method.
This *exactly* what happened to me
DeleteI tried it, and it made my hair a little too clean! It was very dry and static-y! :( Maybe I need to play with it a little.
ReplyDeleteTried it, love it, it's my main method now 😊
ReplyDeleteI tried it. Works pretty good for me but I like the cleansing conditioners anyways. Gets the same results.
ReplyDeleteI have not. I love the routine that I have done for awhile and don't plan to change. For extra conditioning I stick to coconut oil overnight
ReplyDeleteI did, but I think I need to try it with some other brand. Shea moisture just didn't work, it left my hair very dry at the ends. I just bought some Palmer's coconut conditioner, I'm going to try it with this next.
ReplyDeleteDid not try it. The concept doesn't interest me.
ReplyDeleteIt works so great on my hair I have curly and color treated hair so definitely softens my hair so much better. I highly recommend everyone try it out it really works! Thanks G for the wonderful tip!
ReplyDeleteI tried it on my hair, (thick, long, and straight) and it didn't really get out all my product buildup. On my 2 year old daughter, though, it works great! She has thick, super curly hair and hates the rinse cycle. Reverse washing made her curls softer and less frizzy, plus it's easier to wash her hair now that we only have to rinse one time! Thanks!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI have tried it a few times. I like to wash my hair every other day, and I've noticed that reverse washing it seems to make it less "itchy" as I get to the end of the second day. I have naturally wavy/curly color treated hair, and I like the way reverse washing makes my curls more wavy and less curly.
ReplyDeleteMy hair is double processed (roots get bleached every 2 mos.) fine, but lots of it (like you, G.) A few inches past my jaw, and is wavy. I remember hearing about this wayyy back in the day (late 80's) and tried it then w Dep shampoo + cond. (Anyone remember that...think they were clarifying) needless to say that was a time when heavy hairspray, gel etc. was part of the daily routine and so it did not work. I tried it again recently and it works very nicely, just best for when hair is not full of dry shampoo, oils etc. if we are talking one day hair it works very nicely, so on occasion I will use this method. I find it works better w a pearly based (not clear or translucent) shampoo. A few times I did notice some static, but this can be corrected by using a little leave in cond. or some oil/serum type product.
ReplyDeleteI tried it a few times because I have very fine and oily limp hair but I found that it left my hair so dry and brittle when I got out of the shower. I'm not sure if I was doing things wrong but my hair was un-brushable when I would get out of the shower.
ReplyDeleteYes I tried it and continue doing it. I have fine hair that is wavy but I style it straight most of the time. Also, I have tons of gray hair (family cursed) which I color every 4-6 weeks, so I am always using conditioner in all kind of forms: leave-in, deep conditioner/ masks, cleansing conditioner (Evercreme Cleansing Conditioner is my HG). I was already using conditioner as shampoo, but when I read about your reverse washing technique it was the final tweak for my hair routine. Using conditioner first, then using the shampoo ( OGX Hydrating Teatrea and Mint shampoo) to take all away has helped me to control my dry scalp issues, cut build-up and make my hair easier to style. Once more, thanks G!
ReplyDeletestill playing around with it! currently it seems like my hair stays slightly cleaner for about half a day longer. thanks for introducing me to the technique!
ReplyDeleteI tried it on my daughters hair. Didn't work very well. Too tangly.
ReplyDeleteAfter a month of using your method I went back to your original blog post...
ReplyDeleteThis method has changed my hair for the better, life altering.
For nearly 2 years I've been using tresemme volumizing dry shampoo on clean hair as a kind of flocking powder. A little back combing and my hair was terrific. NOW MY HAIR IS GORGEOUS, Thanks to G & the reverse shampoo routine she told us about. For over a month now I have followed it to the letter when I shampoo daily. My hair is thicker, I swear. It is amazingly soft and way more fuller than it has ever been. I will never go BACKFLIP, not ever.
If I skip a day of hair washing I shampoo, rinse, Condition, shampoo, rinse. Otherwise I do it exactly as G recommended.
Thank you G for changing my life! Yeah!
Back... not backflip. Thanks Autocorrect.
DeleteGo to G's original blog post to see my addtional comments.
I always thought the ends of my hair needed more conditioner, but it turns out it needed way less.
I did and I reverse-wash every day now! It gives my hair more body and even makes it dry faster. I do it just like you do. Condition and then use shampoo to wash it all out.
ReplyDeleteI have oily, fine hair. Reverse washing has been pretty awesome for me. I told my hairdresser about it and she had never heard of it, but thought that for my hair type it made a lot of sense. She was excited about it and was going to try to learn more.
I have the same hair type, and I agree it makes sense. I've been doing it with the volumizing shampoos/conditioners I have in the shower, but will keep doing it with other brands to see if it gets any better...I may not do it each and every time, but pretty often!! If I'd tried before I probably rinsed conditioner out and then shampooed, which tangled up my hair...so this version of using shampoo in roots and rinsing it out with conditioner already on the ends works much better!
DeleteI loved your original post and found it quite interesting, so I tried it, and have been doing it pretty often for the last 3 weeks. I wash my hair every other day, blow-dry it and lightly style it (it's a lob cut) and like Jamie I have found that my hair is less frizzy and less itchy. It feels slightly softer and smoother at the ends, but other than that there's not a huge difference. I do enjoy it though. I feel like it balances my oily roots and dry ends nicely. Thanks for thinking of us G!
ReplyDeleteI love reverse washing now! When I first read your post about it, I thought "there's no way that can actually work...right?" so I tried it with the Dove Oxygen shampoo and conditioner (thank you WalMart beauty box!) and it made my hair so incredibly soft but not too oily! And it gave all my hair the moisturizing benefit of conditioner without weighing it down. Tried it with my regular shampoo/conditioner (Aussie) and the results were less dramatic, but still there. So I'll be switching to the Dove Oxygen and doing reverse washing a couple of times a week - thanks, G!
ReplyDeleteI also loved that first post. It was very informative. And I would have never guessed how to do it properly. As for me though, I co-wash. So, as it is, it doesn't make a huge difference for me. When I deep cleanse, I do it though. I don't notice a difference because it's very similar to Co - washing. My hair is usually less conditioned and moisturized. But that's would be the obvious outcome comparatively :)
ReplyDeleteI tried it a few times, but sadly didn't notice much of a difference. However, I only tried it with one formula of shampoo/conditioner, so it could just be that that set works particularly well for me the traditional way, and I could find another formula that would make a difference should I try this again. Next time I get a new shampoo/conditioner, this will definitely be part of my experimenting:)
ReplyDeleteI tried it and love it! I've been doing it this way ever since. I am going to try Wen though. I got the travel size to try.
ReplyDeleteI tried it and LOVED IT. I have similar hair to yours, it is long, wavy-to-curly, and very fine. I tried it with the Herbal Essences coconut shampoo and it's just fantastic. I've been doing it once or twice a week and I love how soft it makes my hair.
ReplyDeleteI did for a long time, by mistake!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a lot of Garnier hair masks in France (they have a whole range of awesome hair masks there for all different hair types) and somehow I was convinced that they were a pre-shampoo treatment. After several years of trying them all out, I actually read the instructions on the pot, and it said that they're supposed to be used as a conditioner and left in for just a few minutes, lol!
I didn't change the way I used them because they made my hair really soft and I didn't have damaged or split ends at all.
I do reverse washing all the time except I've changed it up a little to suit my hair. I color treat my hair so I tend to have some damage and split ends which need to be conditioned a lot, so to accomodate for that I do the following:
ReplyDeleteI wet my hair and do a conditioner application on my hair from my ears down and then I wait for about 2-3 minutes and wash it out, making sure that the ends are nice and smooth. I apply shampoo all over after rinsing, focusing mainly on the top of my head to remove all the oils. I find that this method gives me the most body and volume at the crown of my head while leaving my ends silky, smooth and tangle-free!
I do this, too! Amazing!
DeleteI do it! My hair is used to San Diego's weather but now I'm until Germany & the cold & humidity leave it awful. Reverse washing has helped it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI did actually try this after seeing it on the blog but for me it just didn't stick. Since then I have actually switched, somewhat begrudgingly, to WEN. it's not cheap and you use a lot of it but I have honestly never come across something that works better for me.
ReplyDeleteI have used the co-wash method for years. This works extremely well for naturally curly girls since it puts moisture into the hair, keeps frizz in control & doesn't strip the hair. Although I do use the traditional wash & condition once a week to completely remove product buildup. In my opinion results vary depending on hair texture. As a naturally curly girl this is all I've ever done with extremely wonderful results, it's not for everyone though. Thanks G🙋
ReplyDeleteI tried it and like it! I only do it a couple of times a week and I don't wash my hair everyday. I wonder if the people that say it left their hair dry are leaving the conditioner on their hair when they apply the shampoo?? If not it would feel dry. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteI finally did try it. I didn't feel like doing it with something that I was happy with, but I'd bought the L'Oreal Oleo Therapy a few months back (because it smells like heaven) but it actually left my hair feeling dry so it was collecting dust. Finally I used that while following your directions -- but I used about half the shampoo I would normally use -- and love the results. Thank you for the reminder, G. I'm going to add this to the old routine.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't get it to work for my wavy, waist length hair. I feel like leaving the conditioner in while shampooing completely eliminated the properties of the conditioner. I like to keep some of the conditioner on my hair when I rinse/towel dry. The shampoo just stripped it all off when rinsing.
ReplyDeleteTry it and it just didn't work for me.
ReplyDeleteI didn't try it, but I have an "alternative" method of washing anyway... my hair is extremely fine, naturally curly 3A, very prone to drying out and frizz, color treated. I use a heavy conditioner on my ends dry, wet and shampoo the roots with 50/50 sulfate and non sulfate shampoo, rinse completely, condition all over with my regular conditioner, detangle, clip it up while I finish my shower, rinse completely, wring out as much water as possible and add back more conditioner as leave in, wrap and plop, comb it straight, then air dry. I don't use any other product in my hair except for oil on my ends if it needs it and/or Joico protect and shine serum if I flat iron. Combing it straight wet makes it look more like 2B dry. I only wash about every 4-5 days. I use shea moisture (either coconut and hibiscus or shea butter they are both about the same for me) pre-poo, shea moisture and aussie moist shampoo, and aussie moist conditioner. Took me forever to find the right balance of products.
ReplyDeleteI tried it a couple of times, each time playing with the ratio of shampoo and conditioner but the results just weren't anything to rave about. My hair is not oily at the roots and my ends are dry and from heat styling. By doing the reverse wash method my ends just didn't feel moisturized enough.
ReplyDeleteOn another topic,I do enjoy WEN and have discovered that you really don't need as much as the directions say you do. Try using less and see what happens. As always, it's totally dependent upon your hair type.
Thanks for your post; it was very informative and I am glad I tried it even though it's not the best method for me.
Now that the heat is on in the house and office my ends are getting dry, so I started applying a Fructis leave in conditioner. Not sure if I will do it each time.
ReplyDeleteMy hair has been growing faster and is thicker than ever before. Amazing, my once fine straight limp hair is now full of body.
I always wash my hair twice because it's oily, so I have been trying out putting the conditioner in between the first and second wash - and I have to say it's worked quite well so far! Because my hair has plenty of oil on its own I only usually need very light conditioning anyway.
ReplyDelete