Why you should co-wash your hair

Co-Washing is a hair cleansing technique that has been used by members of the natural hair community for decades now, as a gentler alternative to shampooing hair. As we mentioned earlier, co-washing is short for conditioner-only washing. To put it simply, when you co-wash, you’re using a conditioner in place of shampoo. Co-washing is a method that allows your hair’s natural oils to cleanse and condition your hair and scalp since we now know that shampooing is linked to dryness and strips your scalp of its natural oils. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

While co-washing is fast gaining popularity as an alternative to shampooing, especially among those with curly, frizzy or naturally dry hair. Be warned: co-washing can take some amount of time, effort and experimentation to master. Factors like hair type, texture, colour treatment, washing frequency and heat treatment can all impact your ability to co-wash your hair. Finding the right product for you can prove to be a highly individualized journey. On that note, let’s take a look at why you should co-wash in depth.

Co-washing for curly hair

In our experience, the number one reason why people turn to co-washing is that they have curly hair. Natural oils like sebum as especially crucial to those who have curly hair. Co-washing can give curly hair a new lease of life by ensuring that the hair’s natural oils are not stripped away by only cleansing, moisturizing and nourishing.

Co-washing for rough hair

Rough hair and dry hair are unfortunately two sides of the same coin. Some people have a genetic predisposition to rough hair, while others have their hair turn dry over the years because of years of excessive shampooing and chemical treatments. Co-washing can provide a safe rehabilitative solution for excessively dry hair. Co-washing can also help prevent future breaking since dry hair is more prone to damage. The added moisture from both the conditioner and scalp oils can serve as a preventive counter against breakage.

Co-washing for softer hair

If you deal with excessive oiliness in your hair and scalp, then co-washing might not be for you. In these situations, we suggest that you stick to your regular hair cleansing routine and only co-wash when you need a little extra moisture in your hair for those special occasions. Your intuition has a big role to play in deciding when the right time to co-wash would be. While people with straight, fine hair might benefit from the extra moisture provided by co-washing, an excessive build-up of oil may have an adverse effect on these hair types.

Co-washing to replace shampooing(or cleansing)

To put it simply, we don’t suggest replacing cleansing your hair with co-washing. Along with the numerous benefits associated with co-washing, the world is full of pollutants and dust that inevitably find their way into our hair. For the best combination of results, we suggest that you use our Co-Wash as an alternative to our hair cleanser on days when you need a quick wash in a short amount of time.


Explore more