Co-Washing

What?
Co-washing is conditioner washing; washing your hair with conditioner.

Who?
Co washing has been tauted to help some naturals/curly/dry haired people to keep their hair constantly moisturized.

When?
How often it is done depends on the person, with some people doing it every day to others doing it only once a week or as needed (when their hair needs a boost of moisture or they require more curl definition/less frizz).

Why?
The reasons why people do it vary. Some of the common reasons include:
To get clean hair without the stripping, damaging effects of shampoo
To keep the hair soft and moisturized
To minimize frizz
To encourage the natural curl pattern
To be able to wash hair kinky hair daily

How do you do it? The steps for cowashing are pretty simple, though they may very slightly depending on the person. You simply rinse, apply a rinse out conditioner to your hair , let it sit for a couple of minutes,finger comb through and then rinse again. Wala! You've just cowashed. I personally can't do a wash and go at my current length, as my hair will tangle at the site of any shrinkage. So, I always keep my hair in a few chunky braids or twists (this is just in general when I'm washing my hair) to minimize this problem.

How does it work? Some people think the idea of only washing your hair with conditioner won't get your hair clean. Actually, there are many conditioners that are formulated with mild cleansing ingredients in addition to the typical moisturizing agents. That is why there are some people who use the No-Poo method and still have clean, moisturized hair since. This is because they are cleansing and moisturizing their hair with conditioner. Of course, to be on the No-poo regimen, one must not be using any products that require stronger cleaners to removed (ie: silicones, some quats, etc). But you don't have to be on the no-poo regimen to cowash.

What do I look for?

From thebeautybrains.com, here is a list of the cleansing agents that you should look for when looking for a good co-wash conditioner.
* Behentrimonium Methosulfate
* Dicetyldimonium Chloride
* Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
* Cetrimonium Chloride
* Stearyalkonium Chloride

What to use:Don't spend an arm and a leg on expensive conditioners for this purpose. You may have success with using cheaper brands like V05 (ie: moisture milks line) & Suave(humectant, tropical coconut, etc), to slightly more expensive brands like Pantene, Herbal Essences (Hello Hydration, Long term Relationship, etc), Tresemme, Aussie Moist, etc. For the no cone person,the V05 and Suave formulations usually have minimal cones, while the more expensive Giovanni Direct 50:50 & Smooth as Silk are two products that have no cones & come to mind.

So give cowashing a try! Find a nice moisturizing conditioner that you like (I love the ones with nice scents; people love to comment on how good your hair smells). Try different variations (once a week between weekly DCs, daily for a couple of days, as a pre-treatment on dry hair before rinsing it out; whatever! Have fun with it. It just may be the moisture boost that your hair needs.