Conditioner washing, co-washing for short, is another way to get your hair clean with out using harsh stripping shampoos. This method of cleansing hair was made popular by the book Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey.

She found that here curly hair reacted best when she skipped shampooing all together and went straight to conditioning. Many other “curly girls” of all races have come to agree.

How Your Hair Gets Clean

In her book, Ms. Massey makes the point that gentle friction is usually all that is needed to remove most dirt that gets in our hair and water rinses it away. And sweat and sebum are both sterile. It is leaving it in your hair too long that attracts bacteria.

How to Wash Your Hair with Conditioner

What you will need:

A conditioner that is rich in emollients and humectants (see note)

Directions

Step 1: In the shower wet your hair thoroughly. Stand with your head back and let the water pressure push the water through your hair. Resist the urge to start scrubbing your hair, just let it get completely soaked with water.

Step 2: Put a little bit of conditioner in your hand. Starting at your temples and working toward the center of your head,  use your finger tips to gently massage your scalp. Do this all around your head. Remember not to muss your hair unnecessarily.

Step 3: Now how you do this step will depend on what your hair does when it gets wet. Your basic goal is to smooth the conditioner through your hair with out tangling it up.

Ms. Massey recommends smoothing conditioner onto the “canopy” or the top part that would show if your hair were straight or hung straight down. This is the part that is usually exposed to the sun and elements the most. Consequently that part of your hair would be the most damaged. Then smooth conditioner down (or up) the sides to the ends.

Step 4: The final step in this process is to rinse out some of the conditioner. After doing this some times you will know how much to leave in your hair.

Notes:

If you leave too much conditioner in your hair it may look dull but it will not hurt your hair.

If your hair is feeling itchy you can use a little conditioner to “spot clean” an area. Or you can coat your hair with conditioner to protect it and then spot clean the itchy area with a little bit of shampoo.

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