If you have curly or natural hair, you may have heard of co-washing, but what exactly is it? Co-washing is simply washing your hair with a conditioning cleanser instead of a harsher cleansing shampoo. This method can be beneficial for curly and natural hair types as it helps to preserve moisture and keep the scalp healthy. A healthy co-washing regimen is one where you switch between a shampoo and a co-wash every other wash day, ensuring that your scalp is removing necessary buildup without being over stripped. Scroll to the bottom of this article to see our top-rated co-washes.

So, when exactly should you co-wash?

A great time to co-wash your hair is when you find that your hair or scalp has become increasingly dry. Co-washing allows the natural oils of your scalp to be preserved, helping the hair stay more moisturized after wash-day. Another sign that it could be time to introduce co-washing is if you need to wash or rinse your hair more often than you would like to use shampoo. For example, if you exercise quite frequently and find that you need a light cleanse of your hair throughout the week, rather than using a stronger shampoo twice within one week, you can use a co-wash to still receive a cleanse without over-stripping your hair of its moisture.

Now that you know a little more about co-washing and when it can be beneficial, let’s get into how to actually do it.

How do you co-wash?

Just like shampooing your hair, you’ll want to start by wetting down your entire head with warm water to open up your cuticle. Lather the co-wash over your hair and then rinse once it is completely lathered. Focus on massaging the co-wash at the scalp of your hair to ensure all buildup at the scalp has been removed. Once the co-wash is rinsed out, you can either follow up with a conditioner or go right into your styling regimen. Whether you condition after you use your co-wash is completely up to you! We always recommend conditioning as infusing moisture and ingredients into your hair when wet is always a great thing, however you may find that your co-wash is conditioning enough that your hair does not need it. Pay attention to how your hair feels after you rinse the co-wash out and apply your stylers. If your hair stays moisturized for a considerable period of time throughout the week, you may be fine to deep condition only on your full wash-days. If not, it may be beneficial to condition after you co-wash as well as on your full wash-day.

What co-washes should you use?

As we mentioned before, you’ll want to make sure that you are still shampooing your hair every other wash day to prevent any buildup on your scalp. Here are some great co-wash and shampoo combos that we highly recommend!

As I Am Dry and Itchy Scalp Care Shampoo & As I As I Am Dry and Itchy Scalp Care Co-Wash

Taliah Waajid Clean 'n Curly Shampoo + Taliah Waajid Creamy Curly Co-Wash

TGIN Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo + TGIN Quench 3-in-1 Conditioning Co-Wash

If you still have more questions about co-washing, feel free to reach out to a curly hair help team member by filling out our product suggestion forms, asking your question in the chat or giving us a call at 519-624-4568!