5 Naturals Who Can Admit That Co-washing Is Not For Them

If you email me about having dry hair, one of my recommendations will most definitly be to co wash more often. Do you know why? Well, the most obvious reason is that most conditioners are water based and water is exactly what your hair needs when it is dry.

In addition to water, the conditioner might have other additives that can keep your hair healthy throughout the week and can help your hair maintain it’s moisture levels.

In addition to just getting a great dose of moisture, there are some women who strictly cowash because for them cleansing with shampoo is much too harsh for their strands. Additionally if you practice the Curly Girl Method for your regimen then you know that having a co washing regimen is a must.

The method dictates that you either use conditioner or a cowash cleanser to cleanse your hair so that you can always maintain moisture in your curly kinky* hair.

Now believe it or not even though co washing might be an easy and effective means of keeping your hair moisturized, it isn’t for everyone. By extension, the Curly girl method isn’t for everyone either, here are 5 types of naturals who know for a fact co-washing is not for them.

Naturals with scalp conditions

Washing your hair is not just about giving it moisture, cleaning your scalp is just as important if not more important than how much moisture your hair has.

Many scalp conditions such as dandruff, psoriasis and eczema cannot be alleviated if your scalp isn’t clean so cleansing regularly and efficiently is a must.

Your dermatologist might suggest a medicated shampoo or you may find that keeping your scalp free of buildup with the use of regular shampoo is your only saving grace. Co washing would only be a waste of time and quite frankly might only exacerbate your scalp issues.

Naturals who swim

If you swim and swim often, chlorine might be more of an issue for you and co washing as a means of cleansing your strands will be as far fetched as getting a relaxer again.

Most of us who swim for exercise or even just for recreation will find that we have to invest in swimming shampoos that not only cleanses the hair but gives your hair a deeper cleanse removing chlorine and other chemicals.

These shampoos have sulfates and when your use them we definitly recommend following up with a deep conditioner* that is moisture based.

A swimmers regimen might be a bit more involved in comparison to a non swimmer but if you want to keep your hair and scalp healthy you just have to do what you have to do. Co washing as the sole means of cleansing your hair might not be an option for you.

Naturals who live in areas with hard water

Hard water is such a nuisance because you will find that your hair will have the worse build up from chemicals you can imagine. Like the swimmer you will need a special type of shampoo to remove the harsh chemicals found in your water.

These shampoos are called chelating shampoos and they are a life saver next to installing a water filter* on all your showers.

If you are able to fix the water issue then you can certainly co wash more often but if not you will need to use shampoo and add moisture during your deep conditioning* session and weekly maintenance.

Naturals who just like shampoo

There are some women who just like to shampoo their hair. They prefer to get their hair squeaky clean at least once a week without fail and if you know how your hair works you can certainly do that and still have healthy happy hair.

If you like to use shampoo, we advise not to shampoo too often, once a week at the most, and you must deep condition with something moisture based on wash day.

Another thing we must add is that if you pre poo, that is add oil or some sort of barrier to your hair before you shampoo you might alleviate some of the effects of the harsh sulfates.

Naturals who don’t like harsh shampoos but do not like co-washing either

In this day and age we have options for cleansing our hair that do not involve either shampoo or conditioner co washes.

If you practice Ayurveda or you have heard about using bentonite clay* as a cleanser then you can absolutely still cleanse your hair using a clay mask. They are healthy for your hair but again you will still need to deep condition your hair afterwards.

In addition to clays companies are more aware of our needs now more than they have been in the past. There are shampoos out there that are so gentle on your hair, you can actually detangle with them.

They are not made with sulfates, have a ton of healthy ingredients and actually clean your hair and scalp very effectively.

This post isn’t meant to deter you from co-washing, co washing is still a very great and viable thing to have in any regimen. However if you are just not into it then that is just fine too!