Focus On: Co Washing

I've had a flirtation with co washing for about a year now. I say flirtation because I'm not exclusive with the co washing. I still use shampoo on occasion, especially if I'm going to straighten my hair.

Co washing is the process of using only conditioner when you wash your hair, no shampoo. Almost all women look at me like I'm insane when I tell them I co wash. Here some reasons why I can co wash, and get away with it:

1. My hair is not oily (ever).

2. My hair is coarse, dry, damaged, frizzy, etc.

3. My hair is naturally curly.

Co washing is definitely a commitment. It is the belief that your hair will become healthier, and your curls will have better definition the longer you don't use shampoo. Can this be true, you ask? My hair is healthier. My hair is softer. My curls do have better shape. My hair is not frizzy and fuzzy with oddly-shaped waves when I let it air-dry now.

You might be thinking "But my hair will be dirty if I don't shampoo!". I don't buy into this. I really work my scalp with just water before I use conditioner, for a good minute or two. Really stimulate the scalp. I leave the conditioner on for a couple of minutes while I finish up, and then really work my scalp again while I'm rinsing it out. I never feel like I have dirty hair. My hair never looks greasy or oily. My curls have a great shape, and they are soft. So soft. I never thought I would be able to have hair that soft without a crapload copious amount of leave-in conditioner and a good blow-out. Now I scrunch in some shine serum, spritz all over with some salt-spray, and let my hair air-dry. Most days I leave it as is. If I'm going out for the evening, I use my 1/2" curling iron to touch up any curls that are badly formed.

I'm loving it. I've been fighting my natural texture for years, and while straightening is fun once in awhile, man alive does it do a number on your hair! Blowdrying it straight can take 30 minutes, and then running a straightening iron through it can take another 15-20 minutes. Imagine the heat damage. And I had been followed that routine since I was 16. You can see why my hair is dry, damaged, frizzy, fuzzy, etc. Obviously, I'm saving a ton of time too. And that's more time I can spend baking...er, blogging.

My conditioner of choice at the moment is Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle. That could be because that's just what I'm using right now, but I really do think it's making my hair even softer. It's also extremely affordable.

And so my curly-haired friends, if you are flirting with the idea of co washing, or researching co washing, or in general just have hair the same texture as a horse (I do! Beauticians have told me that!), I recommend giving this a shot. You just might find what you've been looking for 30 years. Well, 30 years in my case :)