Co-washing is short for conditioner only washing. It involves ditching your shampoo and relying only on your conditioner for your daily or weekly wash. This method is said to make your hair softer, smoother and shinier. Shampoo and conditioner seem inseparable right? But many women across the globe are skipping their poo and adopting this quicker and money saving technique. Here’s everything you need to know about co-washing...
Does it really work?
If you have dry and curly hair the chances of benefiting from this method are higher. According to experts most conditioners contain traces of detergents known as cationic surfactants. When mixed with water these surfactants pick up tiny amounts of dirt from your hair making it clean but not squeaky clean. Co-washing may not work for those with fine and limp hair as the conditioner can weigh hair down and make it look thinner.
What are the benefits?
This method wouldn’t be so popular if there were no benefits involved. Other than cutting your hair wash time to half the reason why it is beneficial is because it is much gentler than traditional shampoos. The mid length and ends of curly hair do not receive the natural oil produced by the sebaceous glands due its structure. Shampoos can make them drier and further strip oils from the strands. A co-wash will restore the lost moisture and reduce frizz to a great extent.
How to do it?
Start by choosing a conditioner, one that will gently cleanse and condition your hair. The Toni&Guy Nourish: Conditioner For Damaged Hair locks moisture into your hair and makes it look smooth. Gently massage it on wet hair the way you do with traditional shampoo, working your way towards the ends and let it sit for few minutes before washing it off. If you are boarding the co-washing bandwagon we suggest you take a break from time to time and include a shampoo once in a while to deep cleanse.
Written by Sanya Hamdani on Feb 26, 2019