The Reverse Hair Wash

Over the last few weeks I’ve been trailing the “reverse hair wash” after seeing this feature on Glamour’s beauty news page and seeing numerous tweets on how awesome it makes your hair. The process is simple, wet hair, leave for 5 minutes, rinse out. Shampoo hair, rinse out. Then dry your hair, adding no extra product. The results should be that of a bouncy blow dry as the residue often left by conditioners has been thoroughly rinsed away by the shampoo.

For the past six washes I’ve been trailing this method, and after attempting to style my hair every morning I’ve been resorting to halo/milk braids. No, not just because I’m obsessed with them, but because it’s become so wild, dry and easily knotted I can’t do anything else. Total thumbs down over here.

I’ve tried different conditioners and shampoos to make sure and overall I’m still not sold. However, my hair is naturally on the dryer side so if you have hair that is heavier and gets greasy easily this might be worth giving a go. But unfortunately for me I turned into knot-zilla – someone get me a tangle teezer and hair mask stat!

63 Comments

  1. Carly Jade
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:13 pm

    I've been wondering about this too, but haven't dared try it! I might give it a go this week; my hair does get greasy quite quickly, so maybe this will be beneficial to me! It just seems so wrong!

    www.ceejayell.blogspot.co.uk

  2. Denisse Espino
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:13 pm

    I've tried this before too, and I get the same result as you. Though my scalp can get oily, my ends (I have wavy/curly hair) can get pretty dry and finishing wish shampoo makes it feel like straw!

    I will say, I kind of like those L'Oreal shampoo and conditioners.

  3. Amber Hunter
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:16 pm

    I have a feeling my hair would unfortunately do the same thing as yours; as a swimmer, the chlorine strips my hair awfully and I have to use so much conditioner and repair products just to keep it semi-healthy. I definitely think I'll be skipping this method.
    Amber
    Lovely Notions

  4. Anonymous
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:36 pm

    trialing, not trailing.

  5. Charlotte Paling
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:38 pm

    I've also given it a go previously (before reading about it via Glamour). I found that whilst it did get rid of the grease in my hair, it was just a waste of conditioner as it didn't get to to it's job at the right time! Thumbs down from me sadly.

  6. Kelly G
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:40 pm

    I alternate between the reverse and regular washing. Works for me, and I like the volume it gives so try and plan it when I want bigger hair. πŸ™‚

  7. Elizabeth Riddle
    14 Apr 2014 / 12:56 pm

    I still need to try this! I keep forgetting !! But I cant imagine it working for me!
    Little Beauty Blog
    Elizabeth x

  8. Judith Duncan
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:03 pm

    I tried it out and it almost killed my hair with how dry it became! Not fun!
    Jude x

    www.theweeblondie.com

  9. Tine
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:06 pm

    Can't imagine this working for me. Thank god that I've got an arabic market near where I live. The got the most amazing shampoo and conditioner that I use. They make the hair feel amazing and it makes the hair grow faster (and stronger)!

  10. Lucy Dering
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:13 pm

    For me, this works much better when I put in the conditioner, leave it and don't wash out before I shampoo at the roots and then wash them both out together πŸ™‚

    Lucy
    xxx

  11. Rebekah Fenwick
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:24 pm

    I have never even heard of this but I may actually give it a try. Fingers crossed my hair does not turn into a matted mess!
    Becka | This Is My World

  12. Rachel
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:26 pm

    i was going to try this as it sounded interesting but now i may think twice, thanks for your honest review!

    Rachel x
    Style Soup

  13. Heather McKnight
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:44 pm

    thanks for sharing – my hair is quite dry too due to being bleached and so i'll probably give these a miss, thanks for your honest review, very helpful indeed!

    Heather | porcelainbeautyx

  14. Casetti
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:50 pm

    I was going to try this out too… however, my hair gets knotted so easily I might have second thoughts…
    Casetti.blogspot.co.uk

  15. Hannah Melvin
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:50 pm

    I don't like the idea of this. I'm all about conditioning because I have really dry hair, sometimes I even leave a tiny bit in the ends of my hair. Surely doing it the other way round would make it drier? You remind me of Lily collins in this photo!
    Hannah | twoforjoy | xo

  16. Jenny
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:54 pm

    I can barely brush my hair as it is – I reckon that this method would make my hair very dry too x

  17. Marlous
    14 Apr 2014 / 1:55 pm

    I've considered trying this in the past but I'm glad I haven't done it reading this. My hair is already dry enough!

  18. Claire
    14 Apr 2014 / 2:23 pm

    I have quite an oily scalp so I might try this, if not just to say I've tried it. Blogging is all about experimenting πŸ™‚
    xxx Claire
    http://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/

  19. Lys ModestMix
    14 Apr 2014 / 2:25 pm

    I've tried this too and my hair feels so soft at first, but then it gets really dry and gross after 1-2 days.. :/

  20. Elsa
    14 Apr 2014 / 2:39 pm

    You shouldn't do the reverse hair wash because when you wash your hair with shampoo it opens up all of your hair follicles so your conditioner can penetrate the hair. it then closes the follicles locking in the moisture. Conditioner goes on last so your hair follicles are closed and so not as suitable to damage! Its literally like toning moisturizing before cleansing, you just wash all the good stuff away. Whoever came up with the reverse wash clearly doesn't know very much about hair!

  21. Jessicalaar
    14 Apr 2014 / 2:42 pm

    I've heard alot about this, I love experimenting with my hair, to see what makes it leaving lovely and soft, so I may just give this a go.

    Jess x

    www.jessicalaar.blogspot.co.uk

  22. Sara Chergui
    14 Apr 2014 / 3:01 pm

    Nice blog post !
    Sara,
    http://thecrimeofashion.blogspot.fr

  23. Ana Leote
    14 Apr 2014 / 3:11 pm

    Not sure if I'm ever going to try this, I really like the way my hair feels after conditioner and this seems to do more damage than good πŸ™‚

    xx
    https://www.analeote.blogspot.com

  24. Maris
    14 Apr 2014 / 3:23 pm

    This is total hype I think. You should cleanse your hair with shampoo first, like it is meant for, because it opens up your hair cuticle and allows your conditioner to penetrate your hair deeper and seal it perfectly afterwards. With this method you are left with opened hair cuticles, no wonder why it felt dry!

    Beauty Bubble Blog

  25. Sarah McCay
    14 Apr 2014 / 3:41 pm

    I've always done something similar to this, I will wet my hair & then put on the condition & leave it for 5mins before shampooing my roots & washing it all out together, it works for me & my hair is a dry mess most of the time! Xx

  26. Maddy
    14 Apr 2014 / 4:43 pm

    It's a shame that this doesn't work for you! I did think it sounded a little bit weird! x

    Maddy from UNSTITCHEDD | YSL Lipstick Giveaway | The Little Deer Sunglasses and Β£20 Voucher Giveaway

  27. Taslima Rahman
    14 Apr 2014 / 5:33 pm

    Need to give this a go! x

    Taslima | The little things in life

  28. sofia grigoriadou
    14 Apr 2014 / 6:44 pm

    perfect
    http://sofikasthoughts.blogspot.gr/

  29. CatrinTeleri
    14 Apr 2014 / 6:53 pm

    I might give this a try my hair airs on the wrong side of greasy and I guess I could always put a load of oil through my ends if it all goes wrong. Have you tried co-washing?
    CatrinTeleri

  30. N.
    14 Apr 2014 / 7:02 pm

    Actually, the conditioner-part seems redundant, because of the conditioner being "thoroughly rinsed away by the shampoo". Might as well just shampoo your hair, full stop, lol.

    I had never heard of this method before, I thought you were going to mention co-washing, but alas no. πŸ˜›

  31. Kelly Clark
    14 Apr 2014 / 7:19 pm

    My advice would be to ditch the shampoo completely. Try the L'Oreal Evercreme cleansing conditioner and the treatment mask. They're all I've been using for the past few months and my thin, typically dry hair has never been happier! I was even able to go blonde without my hair becoming super dry like it used to.

  32. alexidilorenzo
    14 Apr 2014 / 7:44 pm

    I've been washing my hair like this for ages and never realized it had a name!
    Instead of conditioner, rinse, shampoo, rinse; I like putting conditioner on my ends (base of my neck down) then shampoo the top half of hair, comb through it all with a pick, and then rinse out the two together. My hair has never felt so clean or soft after a wash.

    Alex
    http://alexidilorenzo.blogspot.com

  33. Madeleine S-B
    14 Apr 2014 / 8:20 pm

    I've read a lot about this too and think it sounds a little strange… my hair gets tangled so easily and the last thing I'd want to do is make it worse, so think I'm going to give this a miss! x

    www.madeleineslittleblog.blogspot.co.uk

  34. Chelsea Leigh
    14 Apr 2014 / 8:23 pm

    Definitely an interesting concept! I'll give it a try!

    http://www.chelsealeigh.ca/

  35. Lisa Bryony
    14 Apr 2014 / 8:53 pm

    My hair wouldn't cope with this either. Reckon you're right and it'd only work for those with heavier locks. I can see the appeal though. I always want to try out these beauty fads.

    Lisa xo | lisaandfox.blogspot.co.uk

  36. Kat R
    14 Apr 2014 / 9:33 pm

    I can't get on board with this method either, it doesn't leave my hair feeling clean and it feels like the conditioner has not worked… xx

    Kat from Blushing Rose Beauty

  37. Daniella C
    14 Apr 2014 / 10:01 pm

    love!!!
    xx
    daniella
    simplybeautifulelegant.blogspot.com

  38. Helen Boswell
    14 Apr 2014 / 10:44 pm

    I agree…after reading about the reverse hair wash, this did not work for me as left me with a tangly mess! Eeek

    www.pinkpolkadotandpopcorn.com

  39. Melanie McSwain
    14 Apr 2014 / 11:09 pm

    "Shampoo is better. I go on first and clean the hair." – Billy Madison

  40. Brittany Messner
    15 Apr 2014 / 12:42 am

    I have very dry hair as well, but have found that my hair LOVES the Pureology Hydrate shampoo and conditioner…if you haven't tried it yet, you really should πŸ˜‰

  41. Celina
    15 Apr 2014 / 12:46 am

    I don't have very dry hair so I definitely want to give this a go to see how it works for me. xx
    Celina | The Celution | Bloglovin’

  42. Siham Hamdan
    15 Apr 2014 / 3:30 am

    Oh wow, that's something new for me. I was just about to get a shower (to lazy to do it actually) so I think I'll try this out right now.Β‘, we'll see how it goes, my hair is on the dry side too, specially the ends!

  43. LRB
    15 Apr 2014 / 4:39 am

    Good review, will take this into consideration.

    www.littleredbook-thatshaute.blogspot.com

  44. Zazie Bibi
    15 Apr 2014 / 8:18 am

    Really want to try this πŸ™‚ xx

    A Little Treat | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

  45. Aerin Downs
    15 Apr 2014 / 11:22 am

    Want to try this! Not sure xx

    BerrieBlogs| {beauty blog}

  46. Rinica Warner
    15 Apr 2014 / 12:43 pm

    I think this method of washing works best for people with naturally curly hair (like super curly) who also wish to wear there hair curly. Don't think this would be for me though as I quite like silconey hair products that make my hit soft πŸ˜€ x

    http://rinicawrites.blogspot.co.uk/

  47. City Mermaid
    16 Apr 2014 / 2:56 am

    I think this method would be absolutely horrible for my naturally curly hair. But I'm intrigued.

    Franchesca | City Mermaid

  48. Sam D.
    20 Apr 2014 / 7:28 am

    I wasn't brave enough to try this method after hearing about it. I've got bleached hair and the idea of shampooing last terrifies me! LOL.

  49. Glam Puss
    01 Nov 2014 / 3:20 am

    Found this on Nouveau Cheap…

    Condition hair from root to ends for 5 minutes with a conditioner with a good slip to it. Comb yourand hair. DO NOT RINSE! Wet your hair a little, then put your shampoo right on top of the conditioner, the rinse. Air dry or blow dry, then style.

    Personally, after doing the above, I use Tresemme volumizing dry shampoo, backcomb, large barrel curling iron to flatten and curl my ends under and my hair looks so great. I've been doing this for 1 month and my fine hair is so much thicker than it has ever been. This is truly life changing.

  50. Glam Puss
    01 Nov 2014 / 3:30 am

    Simple steps… condition for 5 minutes, comb, wet hair a little, shampoo directly on top conditioner, then rinse your hair. Your hair will feel hard and stiff when it is wet, don't even try combing it, just dry it. Don't use a brush while drying. Just dry it. Don't use any extra conditioner.

    If you do it the above way you will be amazed. I am overjoyed and will never go back to washing my fine hair any other way… ever.

  51. Anamika
    14 Sep 2015 / 7:42 pm

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  52. Baby Akter
    20 Nov 2015 / 11:27 pm

    There have various problem of oily hair. It is not always good for us. If our hair is oily, the glands blocked the scalp hole with dust, therefore causing scalp problem like dandruff, scalp psoriasis and the oily hair. Sometime it creates an uneasy situation for us. The other problem of oily hair is that sometime smell bed which is embarrassing for us.

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