Do you still co-wash?

Cowashing? are you do you still do it?

When I started on my hair journey back in 2008. Cowashing was all the rage. Everyone was doing it. A few years later  and 'experts' were saying we shouldn't be doing it. Then even years later on other 'experts' were developing formulas for products that co-wash your hair. More recently I've seen it in main stream magazines like Company and Cosmopolitan, saying cowash is the newest haircare trend.

The main stream media had now Columbused 'the co-wash' and were now telling us why we should be doing it. But do naturals still co-wash?

What is Co-Washing?

Co washing is a term used for washing your hair with a conditioner rather than shampoo first and then conditioner. This can be useful if you have an active lifestyle. Going to the gym and shampooing everyday with a harsh shampoo, could eventually cause some problems. (Remember Shampoo Roots, Condition Ends) So if you jog or workout daily, just conditioning the hair, freshens it up enough for a day or two, until you are able to cleanse properly with your shampoo or regular cleanser.

Why did we start co-washing in the first place?

The main reason women of colour started co-washing was the realisation that the suphates such sodium lareth sulphate which are found in many off the self supermarket shampoos were washing away the oils in our very dry and 'not oily' hair. Essentially most of these shampoos were not developed with dry curly hair in mind. As such, people opted to stop shampooing all together or to alternate a full wash with co-washing.

As more and more products have flooded the market however which are SLS free or mild cleaners, this has become less of a problem. A few ladies even swear by cleansing with clays.

Some brands like Carols Daughter and Curls Unleashed have formulated co-washing products. These are conditioners formulated so that you can use them inbetween shampoo days.

I would say that it is still important to cleanse your hair and scalp properly with a shampoo or cleanser formulated for removing dirt and oil at least once per week if you are planning on adding a co-wash to your regime.

Here are a few cleansing conditioners and co washes you can pick up online or on your local High Street.

For my UK peeps

 

For those of you in the United States

 

Are you still cowashing?

Embrace Your Inner AfroDeity
Leilu