How to Co-Wash Your Natural Hair, According to Stylists

Table Of Content

• Applying a Co-Wash as You Would a Regular Conditioner
• Say Goodbye to Dry Scalp: 9 Effective Fixes for a Healthy Scalp
• How to Co-Wash Your Natural Hair, According to Stylists
• Live Clean Apple Cider Ultra Light Conditioner
• L’oréal Professionnel Vitamino Color Mask
• Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Quinoa Co-Wash, $32

Read up on the benefits of using this herbal shampoo and see how it can make a difference for your strands. BS-ACV is one of the more surprising concoctions, most notably because no one would expect apple cider vinegar to be a good conditioner for hair, but it is! Baking soda is the cleansing element, and vinegar is the moisturizing conditioner.

Applying a Co-Wash as You Would a Regular Conditioner

The cleansing conditioner gently removes dirt and buildup from the hair while providing moisture and nourishment to keep the hair healthy and hydrated. Co-washing is particularly popular among individuals with curly, coily, or kinky hair. Co-washing can be especially great for curls and coils, says Wilson. "Very coarse hair can be much more fragile and much drier than other hair types," she explains.

Say Goodbye to Dry Scalp: 9 Effective Fixes for a Healthy Scalp

"Traditional shampoos contain detergents, a kind of surfactant, that do their job of cleaning very well — meaning, they can also wash off the protective oils on the hair," she says. The good news is that conditioners also contain surfactants, but not detergents, so they offer mild cleansing and extra hydration without stripping your hair of its natural protective oils, she says. Santiago, for instance, looks for formulas that avoid sulfates and don’t have silicones that can create build-up on strands over time. Both of these are ingredients that may be drying on hair (and are most often found in traditional shampoos).

How to Co-Wash Your Natural Hair, According to Stylists

Hairdresser shares 'mind-blowing' way to wash your hair properly and people love it - Express

Hairdresser shares 'mind-blowing' way to wash your hair properly and people love it.

Posted: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

(Of course, it’s always best to read the directions for your specific product before using it.) By consulting the guide below, you will be able to hydrate your hair and keep it feeling fresh. Of course, I am not saying this to scare you from using a co-wash! There is definitely a good purpose for co-washing if used in between shampoos. It's important to apply it like a shampoo and focus on the scalp area, rather than the ends of your hair.

Live Clean Apple Cider Ultra Light Conditioner

Truth be told, you may have oily roots before your natural oils even have a chance to reach the ends of your hair. Similarly, those with dry, coarse, or frizzy hair can benefit from co-washing. These hair types tend to be more prone to breakage and frizz and can benefit from the added moisture that co-washing provides. In addition, co-washes can help nourish and strengthen the hair, making it more resilient and less prone to breakage. Co-washing, or conditioner washing, is a method of washing your hair using only conditioner instead of shampoo.

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What features of your current shampoo work well for you and what doesn’t? Ask yourself these questions and see what works best for you and adjust your washing method to address your hair issues and your washing process. Oil washing has benefits of making detangling much easier and giving hair a healthy boost of shine. For those who choose olive oil for example, this oil has antimicrobial and antibacterial benefits as well – it really all depends on which oil you choose and why. Because hair washing leads to expectations of foam and suds and commercial style swirling of your fingertips over your scalp, it can feel as though you aren’t cleaning as well as normal.

Co-wash products, on the other hand, are formulated to condition and moisturize the hair while cleansing it gently. They typically contain gentle surfactants, humectants, and moisturizing ingredients like avocado oil and aloe vera. While co-washing can be great for those with curly, dry or damaged hair, there might be better options for those with oily or fine hair.

Whether or not you should be co-washing your hair depends on your hair type, texture, how frequently you heat style, color-treat, and wash your hair. There are also a wide range of ways to co-wash and finding the right product for you is highly individualized. Here, experts answer every question you have about how to co-wash your hair, starting right at the beginning.

Regardless of which one you choose, though, give co-washing at least six weeks before deciding whether it’s right for your hair. You may just need to add in a clarifying shampoo once a week or switch your cleansing conditioner to a more lightweight formula. Either way, it can’t hurt to give the co-wash a try—your selfie life may just thank you for it. If there's anything I've learned on my own haircare journey, it's that there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all hair routine. In fact, co-washing can be a gentler and more nourishing alternative to traditional shampooing, which can strip the hair of its natural oils and lead to dryness and breakage. Pay attention to how your hair and scalp respond to co-washing and adjust your routine as needed to maintain healthy, balanced hair.

The hair will keep breaking until you reach the healthy part of the hair. As long as your ends are breaking, your hair will not seem like it's growing," she explain. Saviano tells us that it’s less about the amount of conditioner used and more about the ingredients and integrity of the conditioner that you’re using. Upon trying out this leave-in conditioner, I was thrilled with how quickly I could run a brush through my pretty tangled, post-shower hair. I appreciate that the mist is fine instead of thick (no one wants globs of conditioner shooting out at them).

After massaging it into your scalp, you'll rinse to reveal rejuvenated, shiny hair that's been infused with moisture. When you realize what co-washes do, they start to sound a lot like… shampoo. But, according to Odesho, a major differentiator is how much a co-wash lathers.