Already adopted by many women, find out what the co-washing technique is and what its benefits are for your hair.
Co-wash is nothing less than washing your hair with just conditioner. Using shampoo helps clean your hair, but due to its chemical components, it also dries it out. Therefore, using only the conditioner allows the hair to remain clean, hydrated and fragrant.
It is a means of revitalizing hair, and it has won over more and more women. Its action has relatively quick and visible results, and when done correctly, it changes the health of the hair. Therefore, it is possible to see that the new techniques come with the purpose of providing guaranteed hair nutrition, as well as showing that the fashion of paying a lot to have beautiful hair has passed.
It’s a homemade way to restore your hair’s vitality, health and shine, without needing hydration and other treatments that are usually only done in a salon. The hair is very hydrated and frizz-free.
How to co-wash
To co-wash, it is important to choose the right conditioner, as using the wrong conditioner can result in dermatitis and seborrhea, causing scalp problems. It must not contain paraffin, insoluble silicones, petroleum elements and other components, which, like shampoo, leave residues on the hair and do not allow water and other nutrients to enter the scalp. Elements such as “isoparaffin”, “isododecane”, “dimethicone”, among others, are prohibited.
After choosing the conditioner, just apply the product to your hair, leave it for a few minutes, and wash it off by removing it. Therefore, when applying the product, it is necessary to move from the root to the end of the hair, covering the entire length of the hair. In short, for a better effect, massaging the hair after application is valuable. It is also important that there is no excess product residue left in the hair, to avoid excessive oiliness.
You can adapt the co-wash to your hair’s needs. Thus, it is possible to add scented essential oils to make your hair smell good, as well as establish a hair schedule and alternate co-washing with other existing techniques.
What hair types are recommended for co-washing?
Co-wash gains strength on wavy, curly and frizzy hair. The reason is simple: the open cuticles that make the hair frizzy close, leaving the hair more hydrated.
Likewise, for the same reason, highly dry, highlighted or dyed hair will get the same effect with co-wash. Chemically treated strands tend to be drier than natural strands, so using the technique helps. However, for dyed hair, to make the dye last longer, it is best to alternate it with normal washing.
Therefore, it is contraindicated for people with very oily hair, and for people who have scalp problems, such as seborrhea. In these cases, there is a risk of contamination of the leather and the development of fungi and bacteria.
How many washes should be done?
There is no ideal amount of co-washing. At first, everything will depend on how your hair reacts to the treatment. If your scalp has been used to using traditional products for a long time, it may take some time to get used to the new treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to have an assessment of its condition and how dry it is.
Then, after observation, it will define how many times to be washed. From every day to even once a week, what will indicate this is your own hair and its oiliness. However, it is recommended that your hair does not go more than a week without being washed with shampoo in between.
In addition, the amount of conditioner in the co-wash will also depend on the condition of your hair, how long it is and what the product label indicates.
Other techniques
In addition to co-washing, low poo and no poo hair techniques are also known. A hair schedule that combines the techniques is also welcome.
No poo and low poo are techniques that help maintain the natural oils, lipids and nutrients of the hair strands and the scalp as well. Routinely, washing with normal shampoo can harm the hair, as seen previously, due to the substances in its composition.
Thus, in low poo only sulfate-free shampoos are used and, even so, it seeks to reduce the amount of shampoo used. In the no poo technique, no type of shampoo is used, getting along quite well with the co-wash technique, which uses only conditioner.
Product suggestions for co-washing
Products can be easily purchased online, in pharmacies, supermarkets and beauty stores. However, always remember that the best conditioner for you is the one that best suits your hair. Therefore, it is extremely important that a test is carried out.
Furthermore, if there are doubts about the product, whether or not it is advisable, the label and packaging always contain its substances.
Want to learn more about how to care for your hair? Check out this article: Hair Nutrition – What it is, what it’s for and how to do it at home
Sources: Cacheia Women’s tips Beauty and health
Featured image source: Universa
