What is co-washing, the stages of the procedure, who can wash their hair with balm and how to choose the right product for this. Co-washing is a special procedure for washing hair without the use of shampoo or soap, only with the help of a balm or conditioner. It is from this phrase "washing with conditioner" or "conditioner washing" that the abbreviated name appeared.
Description and composition of co-waxing balm
A woman of African descent came up with the idea of washing hair with balm. As you know, girls from Africa have a different hair structure from European ones. Their small curls are prone to dryness and stiffness. Therefore, washing curls with any shampoo makes them even tougher and drier. Any, even the most mild and neutral hair cleanser contains surfactants and various ingredients that contribute to this. Co-waxing means that a balm or conditioner will do the job just fine without unpleasant consequences. For people with dry and coarse hair, this procedure is suitable. Therefore, the practice of co-waxing is successfully used all over the world by women with different skin colors and types of curls.
If washing the head with shampoo involves cleansing the hairs by exposing them to cleansers, then when using a balm or conditioner, the curls are mechanically cleaned by friction and massage. The use of a high-quality and correctly selected conditioner or balm during this procedure will allow the hair to become light and manageable, give it shine and silkiness, volume and a pleasant smell, improve the hair structure, and facilitate combing and styling.
The main ingredients of a balm or conditioner for co-waxing are various restorative products, such as vegetable oils (coconut, wheat germ, jojoba oil), which care for and nourish hair.
Extracts of fruits, flowers, or their essential oils can also be part of co-waxing products. Most often, citrus fruits are present as the main fruit: lemon, tangerine or lime. They are rich in vitamins and have a positive effect on the scalp and hair.
Vitamin complexes can often be found in such products: vitamins of group B, C, A and E nourish curls and make them healthier. Conditioners contain cationic active substances, they make hair manageable and easy to comb. Alcohol and other auxiliary elements may also be present.
But products that contain silicones, parabens or sulfates should be avoided. You cannot wash your hair with such a balm, it makes the curls heavier and does not clean them well. In addition, sulfates are very harmful to the environment.
Benefits of co-washing or washing your hair with balm
Undoubtedly, washing your hair with conditioner can bring many benefits. What kind of advantages can be found in the co-washing procedure, we will consider below.
Benefits of co-waxing for the scalp
The condition of the scalp greatly affects the appearance of the hairstyle and hair. Co-waxing definitely has a beneficial effect on the epidermis:
- It allows you to preserve the natural oils found in the scalp, which leads to better resistance to various inflammations and diseases.
- It does not dry out the skin, and after all, with the constant use of aggressive shampoos, it becomes dry, it can crack, which leads to inflammation and the appearance of dandruff.
- When using the right products, this procedure can relieve the scalp from the damage that has already appeared and heal it.
Benefits of co-waxing for hair
Curls need careful care, because a beautiful hairstyle is impossible without healthy-breathing hair. Co-waxing can do this very well, as it has a positive effect on hairs:
- Does not dry hair.
- Makes them docile for styling. Remember, it happens that it is very difficult to style hair after washing, especially curly hair, but when we wash our hair with balm, it greatly facilitates the task.
- Has a light cleansing effect. When co-washing without the help of shampoo, dirt and dust accumulated on the hair can be washed off, but with less loss.
- When we wash our hair with conditioner, the charge of the hair changes to positive, which makes the hair structure flat. This helps to retain moisture inside it, increases durability and shine.
- Gives curls softness and silkiness due to the mild effect.
- Significantly reduces hair breakage by keeping moisture in the middle.
- Helps preserve color and shine to colored curls longer, while each shampoo wash off the paint.
- You can do co-waxing daily or as needed without fear of damaging the hairs.
- Makes curls more elastic and voluminous.
Contraindications for the co-washing procedure
Despite the advantages, there is still a category of people for whom such a procedure will not be sufficient for cleansing hair or will not work for other reasons.
Before washing your hair with balm, make sure not to fall into the following categories:
- People with oily or mixed hair types, prone to frequent and heavy pollution. With co-washing, it is quite difficult to completely remove dirt, therefore, with oily curls that need almost daily washing, you cannot do without shampoo.
- People who want to grow hair faster. When we wash our hair with balm, the hair follicles are not completely cleansed and this can slow down hair growth. Therefore, those who want to quickly grow long curls should alternate co-waxing with regular shampooing or completely abandon the first for the period of growing.
Here are some of the disadvantages of washing your hair with conditioner:
- Excessive build-up of balm during co-washing can weigh down fine, straight hairs, making them look unsightly.
- Continuous use of this method can cause itching, especially in people with oily scalp.
- Washing your hair with balm is quite tedious and long, because one such procedure takes from 12-15 minutes.
- May not completely cleanse heavily soiled hair.
How to choose a balm for shampooing
The first step to co-washing is choosing the means by which it will be carried out. If you already have a favorite and proven conditioner, then feel free to use it. If not, try to find the right product for your hair type.
This tool does not have to be expensive, on the contrary. According to numerous reviews, it becomes clear that each hair is individual, and what is ideal for one girl may not like another. The selection of funds must be treated carefully and try to follow a few simple rules:
- Don't buy deep conditioners or conditioners. They usually contain many cationic substances that can negatively affect hair cleansing. Too many of them will lead to the fact that the curls after the procedure will become dirty faster and stronger.
- Give preference to balms with a light effect and not a thick texture.
- Try to avoid products containing silicone and sulfates. Silicone significantly makes hair heavier and clogs pores, while sulfates aggressively affect the hair structure and scalp, drying them out. In addition, they are very difficult to wash off completely. Study the ingredients and do not use those products that have something ending in "-cone" on their labels.
- Pay attention to healing supplements, it can be herbal or fruit complexes that will have a positive effect on the health and beauty of the curls.
There are a great many brands of balms, but among the most popular are the following products: Garnier “Strength and Recovery” balm, Planeta organica series of balms without silicone, Planeta organica balm for hair restoration, “Granny Agafia” balm series, cream-masks based on vegetable ingredients "Home Recipes", balms and conditioners without silicone from Shauma and L'Oreal.
In addition to standard products, there are also specialized products specifically for co-washing - products of the As I am co-wash series, which are ideal for this procedure, but are still not widely used in our country.
How can you wash your hair with hair balm
In order to get the most out of co-waxing, you need to properly wash your hair with a balm or conditioner, following all the steps and taking into account your hair structure and type.
The whole co-washing procedure is divided into several stages:
- Comb gently along the entire length of hair before the procedure.
- Moisten all curls completely with water from roots to ends, making sure there are no dry spots.
- If your hair is too thick, use clips or bobby pins to separate it into multiple sections.
- Apply a conditioner or balm thoroughly, you will need a decent amount, and this is another argument in favor of an inexpensive product.
- Use your fingers to rub it into the hairs, spreading along the entire length along the way.
- Use a wide, sparse-toothed comb to work through your hair from roots to ends.
- Massage your scalp thoroughly and massage into your hair again.
- Rinse off the balm, be sure to rinse the curls in clean water several times. Indeed, due to the cationic substances in the conditioner, if it remains on the hair, it will simply attract dirt and dust.
- Dry your head, preferably without using electrical appliances.
- Comb after co-washing.
If you have curls with a thick structure, then co-washing will be just a salvation, because it is for them that it is most suitable. Many girls say that they completely abandoned shampoo and only use conditioner.
Curly curls most often suffer from a lack of moisture, because because of the wavy structure, it is difficult for her to get to the ends. Washing your hair with balm will correct this situation. Such people should apply this method after 3-5 days or more, depending on the contamination.
Light, straight and thin hair is also sometimes naughty when styling and is dry, so co-waxing is shown to them, but less often than the first two groups. Therefore, I wash my head with conditioner once a week or two, alternating with shampoo.
The results of washing your hair with conditioner
The results can please you immediately after the first procedure: unruly hair that was difficult to style will become more pliable to styling and combing. In order to consolidate and improve the effect, carry out co-waxing as many times a week as you like. This can only be established experimentally.
You are doing everything right if:
- The hair is clean enough and looks good.
- They give off a pleasant light scent of a perfume composition, which is present in almost any product.
- It has become much easier to style them, they have become more obedient.
- The curls began to retain more moisture, became less rigid and more pleasant to the touch.
- You do not experience any discomfort such as inflammation or itching of the scalp after the procedure.
But it also happens that after washing the curls, the results do not satisfy you: you feel that the hair is not completely cleaned, it hangs like "icicles" after combing and drying, it may seem too "heavy", there is an itching of the scalp some time after waxing.
In such cases, try the following options to improve the result:
- Rinse the hairs more thoroughly, you may not completely rinse off the product.
- Change the balm or conditioner that you used, maybe the right product will radically change the result to a positive one.
- Try alternating co-washing with regular shampoo use.
- Shampooing with balm may not work for your hair type, but try all of the previous options before giving it up.
How to wash your hair with balm - watch the video:
Correctly performed co-washing procedure and selection of the right product for your hair type will allow you to forget about harmful shampoo forever.
