Is Co-Washing Overrated?
Written by Samara on August 2, 2010Is co-washing (conditioner washing) the hair overrated? It is to a certain degree. Co-washing can add moisture to dry natural and/or relaxed hair, but so can a good deep conditioning treatment. Let’s looks at the pro’s and con’s of co-washing the hair:
Pro’s of co-washing:
- Can add moisture to dry hair
- Can help the hair detangle more easily
Con’s of co-washing:
- Will not cleanse the hair
- Will not cleanse the scalp
- Can cause buildup in the hair and scalp
In order to grow healthy hair, your scalp needs to free of excess oils, debris, and dirt to nuture healthy growing hair. You can’t grow healthy hair if your scalp is dirty and unable to breath. If you co-wash often without cleansing you will begin to experience buildup (yes, even silicone free conditioners can cause buildup), causing the hair to become dull and limp. I rarely co-wash my hair unless I have previously cleansed and detangled my hair, then tried a new product that I didn’t like and to remove it from my hair I rinse my hair thoroughly and co-wash it to replace the loss moisture.
My recommendation is to cleanse and detangle your hair weekly with a sulfate free shampoo. Use your regular co-wash conditioner to detangle the hair prior to cleansing it. Follow up with a deep conditioning treatment of your choice and use a daily leave-in conditoner/moisturizer to add moisture. This is what I’ve been doing for months and my hair has grown and is more healthy than every before. Also remember to wear protective styles as well!
In conclusion, co-washing the hair is overrated because even though it may be good for hair to a certain degree, it is certainly not a mandatory practice in maintaining healthy, growing hair.
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5 Responses to Is Co-Washing Overrated?
Thanks for that. I have only recently started co-washing my hair. While I have seen some results, I find that it is time consuming (not to mention I am going through a lot of product. Who says’s maintaing natural hair is low maintenance?)At this stage, I just want to do whats best for my hair.
how long is your hair now? The pictures that you took was that after you cut your hair? Can I just grow my hair out and then cut it when I get it to the desired length and then cut the relaxed hair ? Do you recommend carols daughter and mixed chicks?
I do not recommend Carols Daughter. I have an article about their products on this site, just do a search. I’ve never used Mixed Chicks so I can’t comment on their products right now. You can wait and cut your hair if you want. My hair is now collar bone length.
I recently decided to forego relaxing my hair and have since been reading up on how to care for natural hair by viewing YouTube videos and blogs about the topic.
I have read about co-washing and watched a few tutorial videos at YouTube. There seems to be a lot of well-meaning individuals out here and I appreciate the time and effort they put into their blogs and videos.
However, in some instances many of these women are sending mixed messages about the damage silicones in conditioners can cause but claim to co-wash every other day, which is at least 4 times in a week! I think that is rather excessive.
I personally feel that more natural options should be considered as a daily hairdress and to deep condition the hair. I would rather co-wash occassionally. I personally think a leave-in conditioner is a better option than co-washing so often.
I agree. That is why I use a leave-in everytime I cleanse, even when I deep condition.