CO-Washing....get your mind out of the gutter!

Ever heard of "co-washing?"  No, I'm not talking about those risque showers involving you and your honey!  I'm talking about "Conditioner Only (CO)"  hair washing.  It's all the craze with the curly haired community and with the introduction of the Wen hair product line by Chaz Dean. Fortunately, I was given a bottle of Wen cleansing conditioner by a friend a couple years ago.  I was skeptical, but insanely curious, as well.  Well, I tried it, loved it, wanted it, and then....."Whoa Betsy, it's expensive!"  After I went through my complimentary bottle from my friend, I discontinued using it due to Wen's price and my current state of excess funds at the time.

Being the research dork I am, and having the "if I can buy it, I should be able to make it" mind set, I got to researching and came across the "CO Washing" community and their critiques of the Wen hair system.  Basically, they were claiming the Wen system to be not thaaaat much different than co-washing with select very inexpensive OTC conditioners.  And, doubly bad ass, being the poor person I am, I was already using one of the top cheap brands recommended for co-washing...SCORE!

CO-washing seems to be heavily marketed in the Black female community due to their hair texture type.  On the other hand, Wen advertises their product as being acceptable for ALL hair types.  Use your own judgement; if you like it, do it!  Also, if you want to be more "legit" with choosing a co-washing product, there are actual products advertised as being "cleansing conditioners," but you will also pay for a "cleansing conditioner."

So, I have officially been co-washing with Suave's cheap ass Coconut conditioner and Suave's almost-as-cheap Rosemary Mint conditioner for a full week, and the verdict is...I love it!  Having used Wen in the past, I knew what to expect and how to properly co-wash hair, so I was not in full freak-out mode upon trying it out for the first time.  My hair is totally clean!  I will admit, I think co-washing long hair could be frustrating.  I can foresee a bunch of tangling in the longer tresses and and an insane amount of product use with long hair, but I wouldn't know for sure as I have a super short pixie cut.

Essentially, you're primarily cleaning the hair closest to the scalp.  For me, that's all my hair!  The process:  First, completely wet your hair.  Then apply a very liberal amount of conditioner to your scalp and vigorously massage into the scalp and hair.  Let sit while you bathe the rest of your body.  Then, add a splash of water to your conditioner-drenched hair, and begin working up a slight lather.  Finally, rinse clean!

Give it a shot!  Google them shits!  See what you think.  Let me know how it goes!

Here's a snippet on how to choose a co-washing conditioner.  Google "conditioner only washing" or "co-washing" for more info.