Co washing is all the rage in hair care right now, but what does it even mean? The name makes it sound like you’re, well, showering with a friend, but it goes without saying that its actual meaning is much, much different . Lest you embarrass yourself with cluelessness as the craze gets even crazier, we’re here to demystify co-washing once and for all.
What is co-washing?
“Co-washing” is the abbreviated term for “conditioner washing,” which is exactly what it sounds like it’s a method of cleansing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. Originally intended for use by those with naturally curly or textured hair, the co-washing community has since broadened to include many different hair types, though it’s still particularly favored by the curly-haired. Shampoo uses surfactants to create that squeaky-clean lather, and while conditioner also contains surfactants, it’s formulated with significantly less.
What are the benefits?
The purpose of co-washing is to preserve the natural oils of the hair while still gently cleansing, allowing for better hydration for super-dry and frizzy hair types and less color stripping for colored hair. The goal is to make hair healthier overall, with less of the stripping-replenishing cycle that washing then conditioning creates. People who co-wash often attest to a few days or weeks of greasiness before the hair and scalp balances itself and regains a clean look.
Who should be doing it?
Dry, dehydrated and damaged hair types find great success with co-washing, as do those with textured natural hair. Somewhat more important than who should be doing it is who shouldn’t be doing it: Anyone with naturally fine or oily hair and anyone who lives in a highly polluted environment or is often exposed to a lot of dust or dirt. Shampoo and conditioner both contain surfactants, but while those found in shampoo are meant to wash oil and dirt from the surface, those found in conditioner are intended to cling to the hair, so co-washing has the potential to draw more environmental dirt into the hair. For the fine-haired, unless your hair is extremely dry or damaged, co-washing will simply weigh the hair down.
How do I start co-washing?
Many people say that the trick to co-washing is to shampoo your hair every once in a while. Straight-up co-washing sans any shampoo whatsoever is beneficial mainly to the extremely dry-haired, while the rest of us can get away with shampooing once a week and sticking to co-washing the rest of the time.
With that said, the best way to start is with an inexpensive, lightweight drugstore conditioner: Co-washing requires a lot of product, so you’re not going to want to use the fancy stuff as your co-wash. Use a generous amount of something like VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Conditioner rubbing it into your scalp as you would shampoo, then rinse and repeat. If you really want to invest in co-washing, then try a cleansing conditioner that’s formulated for that purpose, like the WEN by Chaz Dean line or the new Blend Moisture Rich Cleansing Conditioner . These products are made to cleanse while they condition, so they’re less likely to cause buildup and more likely to be suitable for everyday use.
Assess Your Hair Type:
Thick vs. Fine:
Those with finer hair tend to showcase oil more dramatically, and the lighter your hair, the more obvious it is. fine-haired girls can go two days without washing, three at most. Fugate shares this trick: "Alternate your shampoo with a volumizing conditioner, so you can still wash without stripping out your natural oils." One to take for a spin is Big Hair Color Safe Volumizing Conditioner. If your hair is thick, Fugate advises trying some of the new dry conditioners on the market to spiff up your style. We adore Oribe Dry Conditioner, which is ideal for riding out that haircut a few extra weeks.
Get Your Beauty Sleep:
When you hit the sheets, to sleep with your hair tied in silk scarf or in a loose bun bound by a fabric-covered scrunchie. "The less tension on the hair, the better. advises sleeping with your hair in a top-knot. "Use hair pins to secure this will also help you save time in the morning, as it will keep your hair secured under your shower cap to ensure that no humidity will revert your hair to its natural texture."
Shower Power:When you finally reacquaint yourself with H2O, avoid water that's too hot, as it "can dry out the skin and scalp, therefore producing more oil. "Use lighter products in the shower, such as the Herbal Essences Naked Volume Shampoo and Conditioner. Apply conditioner at the midshaft and work through the ends to avoid the scalp area." Fugate suggests flipping and reversing your regular routine. "You don't always have to shampoo then condition. For volume, condition your ends before you shampoo, which will leave you with squeaky-clean roots for lift, yet still maintain the shine."
A New Take on 'Dry' Shampoo:
Patterson shares this unorthodox tip to help eradicate oil: "Before getting your hair wet, use your shampoo on the scalp. "Once applied to your dry hair, massage it into the oil and residue." This helps bind the cleansers to the oil much better without it getting diluted with water. "Remember how oil and water do not mix? Same theory. "Once massaged through, wet your hair, rinse, lather, and repeat this process now on wet hair. Follow with conditioner, focusing it on the mid-length and ends."
How Often Do You Really Need to Shampoo?
You may be washing your hair more often than you need to.
"I hear so many people obsess about shampooing their hair every day, What Not to Wear? "They get freaked out because they think anything less will result in dirty, smelly hair. But shampooing three or four times a week is plenty.
Ultimately, how often you shampoo is a matter of personal preference. "It really depends on the scalp and hair type and what you do to the hair.
Chances are you can stand to lather up a little less.
Shampoo Daily?
Dermatologists and stylists agree that there's little reason to shampoo every day.
"Hair is a fiber," Mirmirani says. "Think of a wool fiber: The more you wash it, the worse it's going to look. There's no need to wash your hair every day either."
The longer, thicker, curlier, and more processed your hair, the longer it can go between washes.
"This is because the oils from the scalp do not travel down the hair shaft as quickly, so the hair tends to be dry and requires less frequent shampooing.
Even most unprocessed, short, thin, straight hair can skip a day.
Daily shampooing is only necessary if oil production on the scalp is high.
the only reason to shampoo daily would be for the fragrance. And if you must, he says, you should use a lightweight shampoo.
Lightweight shampoos, also labeled "everyday shampoos," contain milder detergents than others.
Every Few Days?
Laura Saunders, a stay-at-home mom in Raleigh, N.C., has straight hair. "It gets oily fast. "I only wash it every other day, and I put some baby powder on it if I need to absorb some of the oil on the other days,"
powders and dry shampoos do work for absorbing oils between washes. "One trick is to use talcum powder in the hair in lieu of shampoos.
The powders shouldn't replace shampoo all together.
Many women shampoo their hair less often than Saunders. "If I shampoo more than that, my hair dries out, it loses its natural curl, and it gets frizzy and unmanageable."
Capasso relies on daily conditioning and scalp massage to break up oils, loosen dirt, and keep her hair manageable between shampoos.
"Some people with curly hair actually only shampoo monthly and use just conditioner in between to maintain moisture and healthy curls.
As hair types and textures vary by ethnicity, so does the need to shampoo. "As an African-American, I grew up being told that shampooing any more than once a week would cause my hair to dry and break off," says Lori Pindar, a university administrator in Clemson, S.C. Like Capasso, Pindar's daily routine includes conditioner, not shampoo.
Shampoo's bubbles, which people often associate with cleanness, are actually created by the harshest ingredients, sulfates, and are not necessary for cleansing the scalp. Experts say these foaming agents, which dehydrate the hair, are only in cleansing products because people expect bubbles. "That's what we've gotten used to because we see the commercials with big white foam.
Excessive shampooing can require excessive styling. "Hair washed every day with shampoo tends to need more styling product. Because it's so clean, it's also soft, loose, and floppy and therefore harder to style. All these products lead to more shampooing as they build up and make hair look dull, Mirmirani says.
"Shampoo removes oil and excess skin cells from the scalp. It's not doing any favors for the hair, unless you have a lot of product in it that is making your hair look dull. But in general, shampoo is not good for fiber.
Simply switching to nonfoaming, sulfate-free cleansers will also go a long way.
"Natural ingredients produce less suds, but they still have plenty of cleaning power with the added benefit of less residue,
quit shampooing her long, straight hair. She says her hair always looked best when it was a little dirty and she wished it could look that way when it was clean.
Six weeks after giving up shampoo, she said, "I love my hair now. I just didn't know there was any alternative to shampoo. I thought you just had to be a dirty hippie. I didn't know you could clean your hair any other way.
a baking soda and water mixture once a week on her scalp, and she's learned about other shampoo alternatives including lemon juice and even beer.
"It has really opened my eyes.
Shower Power:When you finally reacquaint yourself with H2O, avoid water that's too hot, as it "can dry out the skin and scalp, therefore producing more oil. "Use lighter products in the shower, such as the Herbal Essences Naked Volume Shampoo and Conditioner. Apply conditioner at the midshaft and work through the ends to avoid the scalp area." Fugate suggests flipping and reversing your regular routine. "You don't always have to shampoo then condition. For volume, condition your ends before you shampoo, which will leave you with squeaky-clean roots for lift, yet still maintain the shine."
A New Take on 'Dry' Shampoo:
Patterson shares this unorthodox tip to help eradicate oil: "Before getting your hair wet, use your shampoo on the scalp. "Once applied to your dry hair, massage it into the oil and residue." This helps bind the cleansers to the oil much better without it getting diluted with water. "Remember how oil and water do not mix? Same theory. "Once massaged through, wet your hair, rinse, lather, and repeat this process now on wet hair. Follow with conditioner, focusing it on the mid-length and ends."
How Often Do You Really Need to Shampoo?
"I hear so many people obsess about shampooing their hair every day, What Not to Wear? "They get freaked out because they think anything less will result in dirty, smelly hair. But shampooing three or four times a week is plenty.
Ultimately, how often you shampoo is a matter of personal preference. "It really depends on the scalp and hair type and what you do to the hair.
Chances are you can stand to lather up a little less.
Shampoo Daily?
Dermatologists and stylists agree that there's little reason to shampoo every day.
"Hair is a fiber," Mirmirani says. "Think of a wool fiber: The more you wash it, the worse it's going to look. There's no need to wash your hair every day either."
The longer, thicker, curlier, and more processed your hair, the longer it can go between washes.
"This is because the oils from the scalp do not travel down the hair shaft as quickly, so the hair tends to be dry and requires less frequent shampooing.
Even most unprocessed, short, thin, straight hair can skip a day.
Daily shampooing is only necessary if oil production on the scalp is high.
the only reason to shampoo daily would be for the fragrance. And if you must, he says, you should use a lightweight shampoo.
Lightweight shampoos, also labeled "everyday shampoos," contain milder detergents than others.
Every Few Days?
Laura Saunders, a stay-at-home mom in Raleigh, N.C., has straight hair. "It gets oily fast. "I only wash it every other day, and I put some baby powder on it if I need to absorb some of the oil on the other days,"
powders and dry shampoos do work for absorbing oils between washes. "One trick is to use talcum powder in the hair in lieu of shampoos.
The powders shouldn't replace shampoo all together.
Many women shampoo their hair less often than Saunders. "If I shampoo more than that, my hair dries out, it loses its natural curl, and it gets frizzy and unmanageable."
Capasso relies on daily conditioning and scalp massage to break up oils, loosen dirt, and keep her hair manageable between shampoos.
"Some people with curly hair actually only shampoo monthly and use just conditioner in between to maintain moisture and healthy curls.
As hair types and textures vary by ethnicity, so does the need to shampoo. "As an African-American, I grew up being told that shampooing any more than once a week would cause my hair to dry and break off," says Lori Pindar, a university administrator in Clemson, S.C. Like Capasso, Pindar's daily routine includes conditioner, not shampoo.
Shampoo's bubbles, which people often associate with cleanness, are actually created by the harshest ingredients, sulfates, and are not necessary for cleansing the scalp. Experts say these foaming agents, which dehydrate the hair, are only in cleansing products because people expect bubbles. "That's what we've gotten used to because we see the commercials with big white foam.
Excessive shampooing can require excessive styling. "Hair washed every day with shampoo tends to need more styling product. Because it's so clean, it's also soft, loose, and floppy and therefore harder to style. All these products lead to more shampooing as they build up and make hair look dull, Mirmirani says.
Simply switching to nonfoaming, sulfate-free cleansers will also go a long way.
"Natural ingredients produce less suds, but they still have plenty of cleaning power with the added benefit of less residue,
quit shampooing her long, straight hair. She says her hair always looked best when it was a little dirty and she wished it could look that way when it was clean.
Six weeks after giving up shampoo, she said, "I love my hair now. I just didn't know there was any alternative to shampoo. I thought you just had to be a dirty hippie. I didn't know you could clean your hair any other way.
a baking soda and water mixture once a week on her scalp, and she's learned about other shampoo alternatives including lemon juice and even beer.
"It has really opened my eyes.
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