The backstory: History behind Cowashing

Whilst many believe Lorraine Massey coined the term “cowashing” as part of the Curly Girl Method, it has in actual fact been carried out for hundreds of years, particularly in Asian cultures, use of healing Ayurvedic based oils (conditioning agents) as a pre shampoo treatment  rinsed with water as a first cleanse is extremely common. 

Cowashing Myths

Another myth we must bust in the curly hair community is the notion that you don’t need a specific cowash product for cleansing your curls, you can simply use a regular rinse out conditioner and it performs the same way on the hair and scalp. This is completely false! On this blog post we explain the truth and the idea behind cowashing. 

While a lot of marketing gimmicks exist in the beauty and haircare space more broadly - this is not one of them. A product labelled cowash will primarily contain conditioning agents along with at least one cleansing agent.

What cowashing means and what it doesn’t mean

Put simply, conditioner washing more commonly dubbed as “cowashing” is a gentle cleanser that has higher conditioning power than a standard shampoo which cleanses the hair and scalp yet on the other hand strips essential moisture in the process. Given curly hair’s natural craving for continuous moisture, standard shampoos particularly shampoos containing sulfates are highly discouraged as frequent and continuous use of sulfate based shampoos will only result in chronically dry and damaged curls.

Cowashing offers numerous benefits to curly hair textures, the primary benefit being its ability to mildly and gently cleanse whilst imparting moisture that penetrates while the hair cuticle is slightly lifted from cleansing. Cowashing doesn’t mean you grab your conditioner and lather it over your scalp and hair and rinse it out. Firstly, it’s important to highlight a regular conditioner is not meant to be applied to the scalp. Secondly, a conditioner doesn’t contain cleansing agents.

If you recall in our earlier posts, the first five ingredients listed make up the bulk of the product. A good natural, clean sulfate free cleanser for example, Ecoslay Peppermint Schnapps Hair Wash, this shampoo contains ingredients such as Plantain Peel Ash and Caprylhydroxamic acid as top ingredients, to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and contain antimicrobial properties which promote a healthy scalp environment.

Compare this with our top rated Co wash As I Am Coconut CoWash you will find top ingredients include Cetyl Alcohol known as a wonder worker for curly hair textures, it helps hydrate, improve texture and manageability whilst taming the feature many dislike - frizz. Another ingredient which tops this list, noted as the third ingredient is Cetrimonium Chloride a superb conditioning agent that makes detangling a breeze and smooths the hair cuticle to reduce static. When compared with a shampoo, a surfactant appears lower down the list which suggests lighter cleansing more conditioning. How this differs from a regular conditioner, conditioners do not contain cleansing agents

Shampoo and CoWash Usage Recommendations

The term cleanser is an overarching term that includes all cleansing products that can be used as part of your curly hair care routine from detoxes, co washes, gentle sulfate free shampoos to clarifying and chelating shampoos. Focusing primarily on gentle sulfate free shampoos and co washes we recommend the following:

Cleansing Curly Hair – Expert Tips

As the saying goes, too much of anything is not good. This is most especially true for curly hair, balance is everything from moisture-protein balancing to balancing the scalp’s ph for an optimal scalp environment to cleansing. As curly hair is naturally more prone to dryness shampooing too frequently may further strip the moisture curly hair so desperately craves.

However, the good news is there are always options which include choosing whether to use a shampoo for curly hair or a cowash, this decision in the first instance should be based on an initial assessment of your hair’s condition and your lifestyle. If you find that your hair becomes dry more frequently due to swimming or regularly exercise, we highly recommend you alternate between a cowash and a shampoo, ensuring you cleanse at least twice a week.

It’s common to find that due to the hair moisture content in a co wash vs shampoo, there isn’t a need to follow up with a conditioner, you can co wash and proceed to priming your hair for styling. With a gentle sulfate free shampoo, whilst gentler than a regular shampoo, which is important for curly hair, it doesn’t contain a high moisture content as such conditioning should be the next step in your curly hair routine.

For fine or low porosity curls using a co wash regularly may lead to build up, as such this must be balanced with regular use of a detox or clarifying shampoo to allow moisture in and allow better product performance for curl enhancing stylers.