Is Co-Washing For You?

Co-washing is the new go-to hair care method as more and more people recognize the benefits it has for your hair. Co-washing is when you only wash your hair with conditioner.

If your hair is curly co-washing will definitely work for you because curly hair tends to dry out more easily than straight hair. Shampoo tends to strip your hair of its oils, leaving it dry. Curly hair already has a hard time staying hydrated; co-washing helps retain moisture in your hair.

Some conditioners to try for co-washing include, WEN Cucumber Aloe Cleansing Conditioner, Devacurl No-Poo Conditioning Cleanser, EDEN BodyWorks All Natural Coconut Shea CoWash and Ouidad Curl Co-Was Lo-Foam Cleansing Conditioner.

If your hair is straight and/or tends to be oily then you should definitely use shampoo to remove excess oil. Although, that doesn’t mean these conditioners won’t give you great results after shampooing.

It’s important to note that co-washing may not work for everyone and that you shouldn’t always be co-washing your hair. You should use shampoo to clarify your hair and wash your scalp, but most shampoos do contain silicones and sulfates.

Silicones should be avoided because they coat your hair and are hard to remove. In hair products any thing that ends with a “-cone” means they’ve been chemically altered and should be avoided. Sulfates completely strip your hair of its natural oils, drying it out.

There are shampoos that are sulfate and silicone free that can be used by wavy, curly and kinky-haired individuals: Tresemme Naturals, Garnier Frucits- Pure Clean, L’Oreal- Eversleek, Everpure, Everstrong (No Sulfates) and Suave- Naturals Line (No Sillicones).

If you’re a curly haired individual, co-washing will do wonders for your hair, and if you have straight hair these conditioners are great for getting moisture back into your hair after shampooing.