Co-Washing Natural Hair And The Curly Girl Method

It’s almost summer time; at least it feels like it on some days and that generally means an increase in wash and go regimens. One way to establish a great wash and go is through co-washing.

Co washing means using only conditioner to ‘wash’ or ‘cleanse’ your hair. Conditioners generally however are not made to cleanse the scalp but rather add moisture to the hair. Many naturals may opt to co wash daily with great results and great growth, others often complain that a consistent co-wash regimen leaves the hair feeling dry and brittle, which is entirely opposite to what the desired results should be.

How to avoid the dry feeling after a co-wash

The key is in the conditioner! To avoid the dry brittle feeling the conditioner of choice should be moisturizing and silicone free. Silicones tend to cause buildup and often are what causes the feeling of dryness. Some examples of silicone free conditioners include:

• Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner

• Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Conditioner

• Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner

• DevaCare One Condition

Sample Co-wash Routine:

1. Apply your favorite oil to dry hair and take the opportunity to section the hair for easy handling

2. Apply conditioner to each section finger detangling as you apply the product.

3. Briefly detangle your hair under the shower stream or loaded with conditioner to protect your hair from breaking

4. Wash out the conditioner out leaving a little in each section

5. Apply your favorite leave in conditioner*

6. Seal with and oil – (coconut oil* or a heavy oil like castor oil*)

7. Apply your favorite styler to each section (gel)

Repeat this regimen every 2 to 3 days or as necessary.

The Curly Girl Method:

The curly girl method is a method used to care for hair without the use of shampoo. Shampoos that contain sulfates are often very drying to the hair and strip it of the natural oils* that are produced by the scalp.

There are a few steps that are key to the ‘Curly girl Method’

• Shampoo the hair with sulfates for the very last time to remove all silicones ie clarify your hair

• Trim the hair – start off with healthy strands

• Replace brushes with a wide tooth comb*

• Ditch the shampoo

• Wash the scalp with conditioner and detangle

• Rinse hair with cold water

• Apply leave ins and stylers and other product choices

Do you co-wash often and would you try the curly girl method?