**Co-Washing**

I am sure you have heard of and know the meaning of "co-washing".  If you haven't heard of it before, well let me enlighten you.  Co-Washing - is short for Conditioner washing; washing hair with conditioner instead of shampoo.

In case you were wondering, Yes, I do co-wash my hair. I have been co-washing my hair for the past 2 years.  I do it at least once a week, sometimes more depending upon how my hair is styled. 

I want to share with you some of the benefits of co-washing and some tips to keep in mind.

Benefits of Co-washing:

• Cleanses your hair
• Does not strip your hair of its natural oils
• Helps keep your hair Moisturized

Tips when Co-washing: 

• Switch between co-washing and shampooing; Although co-washing does a great job of cleansing your hair it doesn't rid your scalp of all of the dirt and particles that build up on it. Shampoo is made up of special ingredients that grab a hold of those particles and washes those away, where as conditioner can get rid of some, but it could also coat them and can lock them in. So, make sure you cleanse your hair at least once a month with a sulfate free shampoo.  Some people chose to even do ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) rinses on their hair as well to cleanse the scalp.
• Do Not Co-Wash with a Deep Conditioner; do not use a deep conditioner or a hair mask to co-wash your hair. Those types of conditioners contain higher amounts of ingredients that tend to stick to the scalp and hair, so would not cleanse your hair/scalp effectively.
• Co-Wash as often as needed; unlike shampoo, conditioner does not strip your hair leaving it dry. So if you work out often and tend to sweat in your scalp, then go ahead and do a co-wash instead of having a shampoo session.
• Use a Co-Wash Cleanser; within the last few years, many companies have seen the demand for conditioner increase and the sales of shampoo decrease, so they have come out with Co-Wash Cleansers.  They are intended to cleanse your scalp as a shampoo would without stripping your hair leaving it moisturized like a conditioner.  So, you can definitely try one of those.

Below is a link to an article on NaturallyCurly.com about 9 Coily Cleansing Conditioners under $20.
http://www.naturallycurly.com/topics/view/co-washing

Here are my favorite conditioners I use when to co-wash:

 

I hope you found this helpful! 
Do you co-wash? If so, what product do you use and how often do you do it?