Conditioners and Co-washing

Conditioners and Co-washing

During my new natural hair journey, I discovered along the way the concepts of co-washing. Co-washing is simply washing the hair with conditioner. The reasoning behind co-washing is using conditioner to cleanse the hair instead of using shampoo. Shampoo tend to be harsh and drying to the hair. Thus causing our natural hair to be dry, frizzy and unmanageable. Conditioner, preferably a rinse out conditioner, can keep our hair more moisturized. Also, if you're going to be co-washing choose water based conditioners. Water based conditioners won't lead to conditioning overload. Even too much conditioning of the hair can be harmful to the hair. Conditioner overload can lead to slick hair or too soft hair that may need a protein treatment to restore the hair. Furthermore, like moisture overload from conditioners you can also get protein overload. So choose conditioners low in protein. Too much protein can lead to very dry, dull or brittle hair.

 Now that you know about Co-washing it's time to choose conditioners. What type of conditioners to use?  I recommend a conditioner that caters to your hair type, needs, and your pockets. A common issue with co-washing is product build-up. Conditioner that contain silicones-a agent that gives the hair slip and shine-can build-up on the hair. Only sulfates in shampoo can remove the build-up. So if you're fine with using silicones make sure to use a shampoo every 4-6 weeks to remove silicones. To avoid silicone build-up choose conditioners with no -cones in them.    

Hair type:
Choosing the right conditioner for your hair type is critical to your hair's health. All conditioners are not created equally. For your hair to look healthy and feel healthy it's important to choose the right conditioner suited for your hair type. If your hair is curly, course, oily, color treated or chemically treated there are conditioners for those hair types. For example, color treated hair is prone to dryness and certain products can cause the hair to fade. So it's important to choose a color safe conditioner. Color safe conditioners add moisture to the hair while prolonging the color.

Hair needs:
When choosing a conditioner look to the needs of your hair. Some hair needs more moisture than others or some hair is more damaged than others. There are specific conditioners formulated to cater to the specific needs of the hair. If your hair is dry, damaged, dull or brittle look for conditioners for those hair needs.  If you have trouble deciding your hair needs let your hair be the guide. For example, dry hair needs a moisturizing conditioner.

Cheap Conditioners:
If you chose to co-wash there are a variety of "cheapie" conditioners on the market. Some of my favorite cheap conditioners are VO5, Suave and White Rain. If you prefer no silicones in your conditioner use Suave Naturals or VO5. Some naturals, such as those on the Curly Girl Method don't use silicones. This is because heavy silicone based products can lead to product build-up. When it comes to conditioners, keep it simple when it comes to ingredients.

If you are confused about conditioners and co-washing there are products today that are specifically for co-washing. As I Am, Pantene, Shea Moisture, and Eden Bodyworks all have a Co-wash conditioner.

 

Now that you know your hair type, needs and about cheap conditioners it's time to co-wash. Stay tuned to my next article about how to co-wash sistas.