How to Co-wash natural hair
Hey Curl Friends!
Today were discussing Hair Co-wash and all there is to know about it.
The term co washstands for "conditioner only" which basically means that you're washing your hair with conditioner only and skipping shampoo all together. This popular hair wash method doesn't strip your hair off its natural oils and helps retain its moisture.Therefore co-washing is ideal for dry hair, like curly or color processed hair.
The Science behind it
Hair conditioners contain cationic surfactants, or “quats” for short which when mixed with water, it picks up tiny amounts of dirt, leaving unshampooed hair feeling clean but not squeakily.
The method
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Similar to your regular hair wash routine, but you only start with using your conditioner, making sure your hair coated from stands to the tip. Remember, you're not only conditioning your hair, you're washing it too.
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Massage your scalp and work the product through your hair, this step breaks down oils and the residue from the styling products you've used.
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Allow conditioner to stay for 3 - 5 mins (maybe longer if your hair is super dry).
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Rinse your hair and style as desired. You'll notice that your hair will need less products, since the hair is less parched and more responsive.
There definitely was a significant difference in my hair texture when I first tried tried co-washing while back. Felt like I just splashed water on my hair with all of its styling products in it. However, I've come to realize that using conditioner alone wasn't giving that satisfying feeling I get from washing my hair (weird, I know). So i stuck to using Paraben-free and Sulfate -free moisturizing shampoos, which don't strip my hair off its oils and still gave me that clean scalp satisfaction I needed .
Below are the some of the shampoos I'm currently using, which you can also find at the Beauty by Promise store:
I hope that you've found this blog post useful, you can always message me with your questions or suggestions on the various hair care topics we'll be covering at Beauty by Promise blog.
Love an light,
Promise x