Co- Washing: Should I or Shoundn't I?




Sometimes craeting a routine can be frustrating, and as you your journey progresses you change your routine depending on what works for you.

Last Year at an event I attended a Natural Hair Event and someone in the audience asked an 'expert' hair dresser what was the best way to co-wash. The hair dresser at first didnt know what co-washing was and when the audience member went on to explain he said that conditioners were not formulated to cleanse the hair so this was a bad idea and she really shouldn't be doing it. It was just plain wrong.

What is Co-Washing?
Co washing is washing your hair only with a conditioner rather than with a shampoo and conditioner. This can be useful if you have an active lifestyle. Going to the gym and shampooing everyday is a definite No, No for dry, curly hair. This freshens up the hair enough for a few days until you are able to vleanse properly with your shampoo or regular cleanser.

I have been cowashing from the start of my hair journey, back when I first discovered the blogs 'Rantings of a Creole Princess' and 'Hairlicious' which were my go tos for hair advice. There wasnt really anything else. I had only just started relaxing and had burnt of quite a bit of my hair as I have detailed in 'A Little Bit of Vanity' and '10 Weeks Post Relaxer' Back then the idea of going completely natural hadn't appealed to me and I had just left behind the curly perm which had been unfashionable for some 15 years, so I wasn't really a slave to trends. 

I found that co-washing really did work for my hair. I cowashed once a week and shampoo'd and deep conditioned once a week too. That regime worked for me. I feel that since it worked for my hair and stopped the dryness and breakage I experinced when I washed my hair two and three times a week if I excercised and got majorly sweaty. So I kept at it and my hair thrived. 



Some brands like Carols Daughter and Curls Unleashed have formulated co-washing products. So these are conditioners formulated so that you can us them inbetween shampoo days.
Generally main stream shampoos can dry out our hair. It is getting better and there are a couple of shampoos you can buy of the shelf that arent as drying. However for me it just wasnt enough and my hair needed washing more often and my hair was dry and brittle.

Also as I said this is a journey and I have changed my routine a bit since then. i still keep it simple but now I use clays to cleanse, which also give my hair body and bounce. I do not co wash as often as I used.

I wanted to post about this as I do really think cowasing can be beneficial, you can moisturise your hair and at least rinse it through particularly when you are all sweaty after a gym session and then later on in the week, cleanse your scalp properly, rather than leaving it a whole week (or two) before actually washing your hair, or alternatively shampooing delicate afro hair three/four times a week.

If you are interested in claensing with clays check out the Joliette products. Joliette has just released their White Chocolate Hair Mud Mask, bentonite clay cleansing keratin treatment. It is great for stretching relaxed hair and loosing the curl on natural hair making, giving more manageability.

Embrace Your Inner AfroDeity
Leilu

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