So if you co-wash, are you actually cleaning the hair, or just layering conditioning ingredients ? Conditioners contain no detergents, so how can they clean ?
Emuslifiers clean too:
The emulsifiers in the conditioner help the water connect with oil-based dirt. The scalp massage helps with the process. So you can compare co-washing to washing with an extra gentle shampoo. Or to cleansing the skin with cosmetic milk instead of a gel.
Do you need detergents ?
If you are not using hair products with sticky silicones you might not need detergents. If you have a dry scalp, it doesn´t produce much sebum, so a very gentle cleanser is enough. If you have an oily scalp or if you have dandruff, your scalp might actually calm down if you remove detergents from your hair-care routine. Sulphate based detergents (SLES, SLS etc) are often so aggressive that the skin responds by over-producing sebum.
Product build-up:
Back to the silicones: if you co-wash, you need to avoid the more "sticky" silicons in your styling products, as well as oils, proteins and petroleum; since these will cause product build-up if not cleansed with strong detergents. These products form a nasty circle together with the harsh detergents.
Before starting CO-washing you need to clarify your hair of old product build-up. More on that in the next post !
Read also:
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Silvia · 634 weeks ago
I've read your posts on conditioner-only hair washing and decided to give it a try. I have dreamt of having curly hair literally for all of my life, but never wanted to try perms or other aggressive methods because my hair is very thin by nature, and I didn't wanna harm it. I know it will take time before I get noticeable changes, but the pics of your hair impressed me pretty much. I'm really glad I found your blog, it is full of interesting info and great tips!
Have a nice day,
Silvia