Naturals does co-washes work for you?

kally

kally

New Member
I am thinking about co-washing in my serach for a

very effective and K.I.S.S. hair routine.

If you are natural and have 4a/b hair, has co-washing worked for you?

Does it get your hair and scalp clean enough? Do you have problems with shrinkage, breakage or build up? Do it keep your hair moist enough?

What are your likes and dislikes about it.

I was talking to a male dread the other day and he said that all he does is shampoo his hair once a week and applys a moisture and that's it and he has those pretty, long dreads that we would call bra strap length. He said he had been growing them for 3 years.

I want something that simple, but I know shampoo alone can dry out the hair. So I thought maybe co-wash may work.

TIA
 
With using oils and growth aides more often, I shampoo more than co washing. I love my shampoo.
 
I like how my hair and scalp feels after I cowash. I haven't noticed any build up......probably because I shampoo at least once a week. Well shrinkage is a given IMO with natural hair so.... as for breakage....as long as I comb my hair when it's wet, it's fine.
 
Oh ok, so you do both?

I was thinking that co-washing meant to leave shampoo alone altogether.

My hair is to difficult to wash, co wash etc daily or bi weekly .

I was hoping I could get away with co-washing once a week, deep conditioning then applying a leave in and not shampoo at all.

Now I must say my hair needs heat. It is very soft and curly and I get those balls no matter how times I pick it out. The hot comb is the answer for my hair. This weekly process takes a long time. I refuse to go through it any more then I have to. Sorry to say, I hate they way I would look if I just let it be.

My hair does not grow length wise, only out if that makes sense.

I see most peoples hair at least hangs down to some degree, with out heat or chemicals. Mines does not.
 
kally said:
Oh ok, so you do both?

I was thinking that co-washing meant to leave shampoo alone altogether.

My hair is to difficult to wash, co wash etc daily or bi weekly .

I was hoping I could get away with co-washing once a week, deep conditioning then applying a leave in and not shampoo at all.

Now I must say my hair needs heat. It is very soft and curly and I get those balls no matter how times I pick it out. The hot comb is the answer for my hair. This weekly process takes a long time. I refuse to go through it any more then I have to. Sorry to say, I hate they way I would look if I just let it be.

My hair does not grow length wise, only out if that makes sense.

I see most peoples hair at least hangs down to some degree, with out heat or chemicals. Mines does not.
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yea I do both.....I can't give up shampoo. Once my hair is loose (not in braids) I cowash at least 3 times a week then I shampoo and DC.
 
Val said:
yea I do both.....I can't give up shampoo. Once my hair is loose (not in braids) I cowash at least 3 times a week then I shampoo and DC.
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Oh ok. I guess the only thing for me to do it try it to see it I like it.
 
kally said:
If you are natural and have 4a/b hair, has co-washing worked for you? I just recently started cw and so far it seems to be working for me. I work out 6-7 days a week and sweat like 2 men(head first of course) and so far the cw have been doing me right. I have been thinking about shampooing every day or every other day but have a fear that it will dry my hair out too bad.

Does it get your hair and scalp clean enough? I think so. I noticed that if I use curly girl friendly conditioners for my cw then my hair & scalp feel clean when I cw. However, when I cw last year I used the wrong type of conditioners and I can tell the difference. Do you have problems with shrinkage :yep::wallbash::yep:, breakage :nono::look: or build up:nono::look:? Do it keep your hair moist enough?

What are your likes and dislikes about it.

TIA
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see answers above.
 
i dont do quicky condition washes.

my hair laughs at those.

i use a mixture of cheap conditioners and kenra mc along with oils

and do "deep condition washing" on dry hair

i cant just run conditioner through my hair, leave it for a minute and rinse...that's nothing for my hair lol

and i use non-sulfate/diluted shampoo (or just baking soda/water...depending on my mood) usually on fridays
 
Not anymore. I used to, but it no longer makes my hair happy. I just use Suave or v05 shampoo and leave my conditioner in as a leave in. My hair is now soft to touch and well moisturized.
 
I have co washed every day with no problem.

You should use conditioners that won't cause build up. I have even watered down v05 and suave conditioners so that they'll be lighter.

Your hair should be in good condition. You still need regular weekly or bi weekly deep conditioners. You hair shouldn't already have build up on it.

A conditioner wash is not a very conditioning thing to do. It's gentle cleansing that doesn't strip moisture out of your hair combined with a small amount of conditioning. If your hair is dry before the conditioner wash, it's going to be dry after.

It's not going to cleanse your hair the same way a shampoo does. It will get a reasonable amount surface dirt, oils and sweat off... but it will not clean very deeply.

It's a great technique to use imo. It's too bad that it doesn't seem to work for everyone.
 
I do condition washes but I do them in between shampoo washes. In other words, I do CWs when my scalp is clean. I never apply conditioner to my scalp. I usually avoid about 1 inch at the base of my hair as a precaution so condish doesn't get on my scalp. So for me CWs are not for "cleaning" the hair but for moisturizing. And yes, they do moisturize my hair.

When I use shampoo, I usually apply it to my scalp and massage it in to loosen dirt and sweat. My hair gets shampooed while I'm rinsing off the shampoo...which is when I squeeze the diluted shampoo through my hair watching the suds for dirt. I repeat if they suds aren't clean white...but with my regular washes and the fact that I don't use any products after I leave the bathroom, means my hair is usually not dirty enough for a second shampoo. Then I condition or DC and then ACV rinse.

Two or 3 days later, I may do a CW, no shampoo...but my scalp is kept out of it. And I always follow that with an ACV rinse.
 
kally said:
I am thinking about co-washing in my serach for a

very effective and K.I.S.S. hair routine.

If you are natural and have 4a/b hair, has co-washing worked for you? Yep!

Does it get your hair and scalp clean enough? Do you have problems with shrinkage, breakage or build up? Do it keep your hair moist enough? Yes, it gets my hair and scalp clean but sometimes I also follow up with acv rinse so that I won't have build up. No breakage so far. Definitely makes my hair more moisturized and soft. Shrinkage ain't going nowhere.:grin:

What are your likes and dislikes about it. All conditioners don't work on my hair for cowashes but I've found some I really like. Trial and error.


TIA
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My answers are in blue above.
 
I shampoo and DC once a week and cowash daily the rest of the week. It keeps my hair soft, supple and well moisturized. I can't go completely shampoo-free because after about a week I find that the conditioner doesn't penetrate as well unless I shampoo. However, I do use SLS/ALS-free shampoo like JASON's sea kelp shampoo.

ETA: I also avoid putting conditioner on my scalp. There's no need for that. Shampoo is for the scalp, conditioner is strictly for the hair over this way.
 
CO-Washing has been a staple in regimen since 2005, it’s one of the things that turned my hair around for the better. I love co-washing because it cleanses my hair as well as my scalp, plus it leaves my hair moisturized and extra soft. Kudos to whoever came up with this method, it’s great! :up:
 
I feel that I 'have' to shampoo at least once a week but not more. I cowash in between shampoos because I workout and sweat A LOT. Sometimes I'll add baking soda to my cowash to clarify my hair and scalp. I haven't had any adverse effects from cowashing yet and I've been doing it for the entire time I've been natural (almost 4 years).
 
I acv rinse then cowash with Suave cheapie conditioner. I have been doing this for at least six months now and my ends are much more moist than they were when I used shampoo each wash time. I will probably still use Aubrey shampoo every once in a while but I haven't lately.
 
I co-wash everyday now that I have big chopped, and I love it. :yep: No problems so far...
 
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