Welcome back to the cleansing series. So this is the second instalment and we will be discussing co-washing! If you haven’t already, check out the 1st post in this series on shampoo >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-za so let’s get started!
Co washing, simply put is cleansing your hair with conditioner. Most naturals prefer this over shampooing because it is perceived as more moisturising and gentler. In fact most natural adopt this technique when trying to shy away from shampooing all together. The process is no different than if you used shampoo: just apply the conditioner as you would to cleanse the scalp. I’m not sure where it originated from but there are a number of products that some naturals swear by to get the job done. I will give you a list at the end
DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
So would you do it? I mean is it like washing your dirty clothes with fabric conditioner? Would shower with lotion only? But what if it was a cleansing conditioner or lotion? I was very sceptical of this technique for the same reason as most: is it effective? Will it remove product build up? Trust me there is nothing worse than spending minutes washing your hair and letting it air dry only to find your scalp is not clean!
CO-WASHING CONDITIONERS
Is every conditioner meant to for co-washing? Yes and No. Yes because you can use some regular rinse out conditioners which may or may not contain the same ingredients as ones specifically for co-washing. No because using deep conditioners as a co-wash is a big NO, NO. They will coat/stick to the hair and could potentially lead to product build up
I started out using regular conditioners as a co-wash and it turned out ok. Remember to co-wash only if you have light/minimal build up because it is not likely it will remove heavy build up! It is perfect for when your hair is feeling a bit dry and there isn’t too much build up. You can simultaneously detangle, co-wash and condition your hair!
Examples of Co-Wash conditioners
Cantu Complete conditioning co-wash- I have used this once and it did a good job of cleansing my hair and scalp but I didn’t really see a major difference in softness. But it’s worth a try. Its £3.69
As I am coconut co-wash cleansing conditioner- I have heard a lot about this product and apparently it’s really good. I am not sure if you can get it here in the UK though (2 secs, let me check, Amazon for £8.99)
Shea Moisture Coconut&Hibiscus Cowash, £12.99
Palmer’s olive formula co-wash cleansing conditioner, £4.99
Pantene Pro-V truly natural hair co-wash cleansing conditioner, £9.99
3 sisters of nature cleansing cowash, £5.99
All the above can be got from beautybyzara> http://www.beautybyzara.com/search.php?search_query=co+wash&Search
My DNA hydrating co-wash, £6.95
Keracare naturals honey shea co-wash, £8.99
Those two can be bought from BritishCurlies > http://shop.britishcurlies.co.uk/search.php?search_query=co%20wash
DIY LOVERS- for a while, I used a mix of conditioner, a bit of shampoo and argan oil and it worked like a charm. Maybe you could try that and let me know how it goes! Remember all my tags are under the social tab!
Do you co-wash? What’s your fav product? Let me know below
That’s all folks! The next part in this series will be on cleansing clays so stay tuned! Thank you for the feedback I’m getting, I will keep these posts coming.
Until next time
Love Sarah
sarah fynn 
You must be logged in to post a comment.