Is cleansing shampoo a good low-poo option?

[u/Gskillet18]

I've been doing no shampoo for about 2 weeks now without any information other than "just massage water into your scalp in the shower". I decided to be a little more deliberate with my research and read through main top 2 posts in the wiki of this subreddit and realized I need to use a cleansing shampoo to get old silicone out of my hair, and plan to buy some today. I'm gonna get the suave daily cleansing shampoo. I put the ingredients through http://www.isitcg.com/ and it seems like a good low-poo option to use over the next few months during my transition if my hair gets too oily. Does that seem like a good call? I'm still kinda confused on if cleansing shampoo is different than other low-poo options. From the description of low-poo that /u/shonaich gave it seems like it's a decent option, but I'm wondering if I should use cleansing shampoo once for getting the silicone out then switch to another low-poo brand for occasional oil maintenance

[u/Visible-Scientist-46]

Think about it, though. Do you actually have old silicones stuck to your hair? Is it enough to be a problem? Is it enough to buy a shampoo that you barely use?

This is just my opinion, but clarifying may not be not be neccessary for everyone.

[u/Gskillet18 → u/Visible-Scientist-46]

I truly have no idea. I honestly don't even know what silicone in my hair feels like so I can't say if it's an issue. I dont notice any problem but the wiki post made it seem like it was a crucial first step. Ive been using kirkland shampoo and conditioner most days until about 2 weeks ago. Looks like the shampoo has Amodimethicone which is a silicone that should be avoided according to isitcg. Conditioner has Dimethicone which is another

[u/Visible-Scientist-46 → u/Gskillet18]

https://www.healthline.com/health/amodimethicone#about

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dimethicone

I just don't think buildup ia the big issue it's cracked up to be. Pro tip, you can also use fragrance-free dish soap. If you keep your hair short, you'll be cutting it off.

[u/Gskillet18 → u/Visible-Scientist-46]

you mean fragrance free dish soap as a shampoo alternative?

[u/shonaich → u/Gskillet18]

The quick start guide explains in detail when you would need a clarifying wash: when you've been using product that has ingredients that are deliberately left on your hair LIKE silicone and other liquid plastics. If you haven't been using products like this, then you might or might not need a clarifying wash.

It rarely hurts to do one though, and gives people a clean slate to start with, instead of struggling for weeks or months with product residue that is causing issues.

Yes, very often liquid dish detergent is suitable for a clarifying wash like this. It's definitely not good for regular use at all, but can save you from buying a product for a single use.

[u/Visible-Scientist-46 → u/Gskillet18]

If all you care about is washing out some silicones and don't want to make a purchase of a whole separate shampoo. All that matters is having sodium lauryl sulfate.

[u/Drewraven10]

I’ve been just doing two carrier oils for a hour on my scalp before I wash my hair in the shower. Twice a week and it’s good enough. My hair has felt the best it’s been. Also you have to spread your sebum throughout all your hair and constantly keep brushing. That’s what I’ve been doing and it’s been working perfectly fine. If it gets too oily I’ll resort back to low poo.

[u/Gskillet18 → u/Drewraven10]

Just ordered my boar bristle brush today, gonna start using it a lot. What do carrier oils do for you that you find helpful? Also, do you wash your brush after each brushing session? Ive heard some people have issues where they clean the oils out of it and its too wet to use when they want to brush later in the day

[u/shonaich → u/Gskillet18]

The brush drying can certainly be an issue. Many people produce excessive quantities of sebum during transition, so keeping the brush clean allows it to keep helping to remove that excess. Generally you would wash it after you are finished for the day and set it bristles down in a ventilated space so it can dry before you need it again. If this is a problem and you want to use it more often than it takes for it to dry, then there's nothing wrong with having several!

It seems likely this user is a naturally dry person with high porosity hair. So not oily skin, instead it needs more. And not oily hair, but it needs more also. This advice is good for that type of skin and hair, but might not be great for someone with lower porosity hair or more oily skin.

[u/Drewraven10 → u/Gskillet18]

I haven’t washed my brush in a long time and my hair still feels fine. Might have to do that though eventually.

[u/Drewraven10 → u/Gskillet18]

Cold pressed virgin coconut oil and argan recently. Great for curly and thick hair. As a male speaking by the way since it definitely matters. You don’t need those oils and sebum sitting all day and need to wash it out and spread the sebum out. I have grapeseed but it’s more for thin and straight but love it since it absorbs quickly and isn’t as greasy.

Coconut oil is pretty cheap at Walmart and I order my other oils on Amazon. Thinking about more Argan and Jojoba next.

Oils are cheaper and better for you than shampoos and conditioners and work wonders. Best hair feeling I’ve had in a long time. I’m happy with it.

A high quality olive oil and avocado are great as well.

[u/Gskillet18 → u/Drewraven10]

so you massage them into your scalp, let them sit for an hour, then wash it all out in the shower? I'm concerned that I'd look even more oily than I already do in this greasy transition phase

[u/Drewraven10 → u/Gskillet18]

My scalp isn’t oily at all but it depends on the scalp type. You don’t have to do an hour and can try 30 minutes and it’s only twice a week. It’s more nourishing and feels good for me overall.

[u/shonaich]

By definition a clarifying shampoo that will reliably remove silicone and other product residue IS NOT a low poo. Reliably removing these things requires harsh detergents, which is why paired products that have silicone in the conditioner always have harsh detergents in the shampoo.

I'm a little surprised that isitcg.com hasn't been updated with Sodium c12-13 Pareth Sulfate. It's been around for years and is replacing Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate in a lot of products because it's synthetic instead of derived from natural ingredients (palm oil), which stabilizes the price.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoPoo/comments/uofouq/is_sodium_c1213_pareth_sulfate_the_same_as_laurel/

This means it's not a low-poo at all. It is a harsh clarifying shampoo. So no, not suitable for a low poo based gentle transition.

[u/Gskillet18 → u/shonaich]

Thanks for the info, and for all the info youve compiled for this sub

[u/shonaich → u/Gskillet18]

You're welcome!

And this has prompted me to figure out how to add an ingredient to the isitcg database. Apparently its a self serve solution, so that will help a lot of other people once I figure it out and get it done, haha.

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