Does Co Wash / No Poo replace Shampoo?
Co Wash significa:
CO of conditioner
Wash WASH - wash your scalp with conditioner.
The author of the Curly Girl Method exclusively defends this, because she says that any type of shampoo is very aggressive / drying for the hair ...
WORKS?
It will undoubtedly make your hair refresh.
The co wash can be interesting for those who wash their hair EVERYDAY, swim, beach daily, gym, etc.
But it will NOT remove creams and dirt residues.
(And I'll explain why it can damage your hair even if you don't use shampoo).
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS?
Well, conditioners contain surfactants (although they are different from those used in shampoos), but they are used in much less quantity and for that reason they will not clean as well. The conditioner also has more oils and nutrients, which can take time to make your hair feel dirty.
If used every day, the day will come when it will start to accumulate on the scalp, hair and become "heavy" without natural curls. It may also attract more dirt from the air.
THE CONDITIONER
Most shampoos are anionic while conditioners are highly cationic and will therefore be attracted to the most damaged parts of the hair (which are more negatively charged by losing disulfide bonds).
For this reason, conditioners are not good at grabbing dirt, dead cells and oil from the scalp and hair.
The conditioner was made to stay on the hair, it is not easily removed, even if a good massage is done on the scalp: it ALWAYS leaves residues.
PRESENT TO YOU:
Global Malassezia - a cause of dandruff
Usually dandruff can be caused by several factors, including illness, poor diet, stress, etc.
This can cause the amount or quality of sebum secreted by the sebaceous glands in the scalp, change.
Tallow is high in fatty acids and other nutrients that are good for a fungus that lives in all of our scalps.
When there is an increase in “food” (sebum) the fungus multiplies and the body's reaction is to increase the rate at which the cells in the scalp form, passing through the skin, joining and causing accumulation in the scalp, leaving a trail of dandruff. The bacterium produces oleic acid which causes the skin to begin to peel.
CO WASH
There are some products called “CO WASH” that may have some type of anionic / amphoteric surfactant, but if that is the case, then they are no longer considered “co wash”.
I see many Co Wash products with Cetyl Alcohol and Steary Alcohol as primary surfactants.
These types of ingredients do not clean the hair: they are non-ionic, meaning that they have no charge when they are in contact with water, that is, they cannot bind to the dirt in the hair and remove it.
The conditioner is formulated to work after a shampoo. The conditioner will permeabilize the hair to be smoother and shiny. It won't clean your hair.
It is necessary to have shampoo washes in order to remove sebum.
If left untreated, it can cause inflammation on the scalp and lead to severe hair loss, decreased hair diameter, hair breakage, etc.
Hair that grows on an unhealthy scalp is born with a rough cuticle, with less shine and may lead to hair loss. The hair strand is also affected at the protein and lipid levels by oxidation.
There are data that can lead to premature hair loss by Malassezia.
THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL THESE DISEASES? SHAMPOO!
Therefore, in these cases, the conditioner will harm / originate dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis, which worsen with oiliness on the scalp.
If your dandruff improves then your scalp did not have real dandruff, but dry skin.
Good afternoon. First of all, thank you very much for all your science-based work and articles.
I've been struggling a little with dandruff. I've been following the method for almost 6 months. In the first few months I only did cowash. Now I am inserting low poo. Dandruff was a problem before.
So I would like to try to use a sulfate shampoo wash from time to time. I had to see in the curlsbot the ingredients of some that I still had here that are not compatible with the method, and says “harsh sulfates” right away so I was a little reticent.
Could you help me and indicate what type of shampoos with what ingredients can I look for to try to solve the dandruff problem?
Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.
Kisses
Hi Ana, thanks for your comment. 😊
I have an article on the website (in the reviews section) that talks about how I chose a shampoo for the last wash and I give the example of the Pantene that I used.
If you feel the need to wash with sulphates every now and then there is no problem! 😊
A huge kiss,
Martha.
Thank you very much, Marta, for all your work. It must not be easy to reconcile everything. So thank you.
Beijinhos and stay safe 😉
Very enlightening, you are the first blogger I see talking about curly hair with science-based information. Congratulations on the work, I’ve become a fan 😁
Thank you so much Camila! A big kiss! ❤️❤️❤️
Hello Marta, I would like to clarify a doubt that I had when rereading this text. I am immensely interested in this subject because I am taking a hairdressing course focused on natural hair, and I admire your knowledge regarding hair health.
And I notice that there is a certain confusion in the technique when we compare what they say here in Portugal, and what they say in Brazil.
My question is this: when you say that co wash is not a substitute for shampoo, since Co wash “product” is actually a sanitizer without foam (in the poo), which normally contains 1 active tension and is made for cleaning of the scalp. Do you consider that even this sanitizer in the well is insufficient for cleaning the scalp?
Or do you mean exclusively the co wash technique?
Considering that co wash was originally a technique to revitalize the hair between washes-with a “common” conditioner released, and not a real hygiene, as that is not the goal). Thanks in advance ❤️
Hello Marta, I would like to clarify a doubt that I had when rereading this text. I am immensely interested in this subject because I am taking a hairdressing course focused on natural hair, and I admire your knowledge regarding hair health.
And I notice that there is a certain confusion in everything that refers to the no and low poo techniques when we compare what they say here in Portugal, and what they say in Brazil.
My question is this: when you say that co wash is not a substitute for shampoo, since Co wash “product” is actually a sanitizer without foam (in the poo), which normally contains 1 active tension and is made for cleaning of the scalp. Do you consider that even this sanitizer in the well is insufficient for cleaning the scalp?
Or do you mean exclusively the co wash technique?
Considering that co wash was originally a technique to revitalize the hair between washes-with a “common” conditioner released, and not a real hygiene, as that is not the goal). Thanks in advance ❤️
Hello Marta, I would like to clarify a doubt that I had when rereading this text. I am immensely interested in this subject because I am taking a hairdressing course focused on natural hair, and I admire your knowledge regarding hair health.
And I notice that there is a certain confusion in the technique when we compare what they say here in Portugal, and what they say in Brazil.
My question is this: when you say that co wash is not a substitute for shampoo, since Co wash “product” is actually a sanitizer without foam (in the poo), which normally contains 1 active tension and is made for cleaning of the scalp. Do you consider that even this sanitizer in the well is insufficient for cleaning the scalp?
Or do you mean exclusively the co wash technique?
Considering that co wash was originally a technique to revitalize the hair between washes-with a “common” conditioner released, and not a real hygiene, as that is not the goal). Thanks in advance ❤️
Hello Marta, I would like to clarify a doubt that I had when rereading this text. I am immensely interested in this subject because I am taking a hairdressing course focused on natural hair, and I admire your knowledge regarding hair health.
And I notice that there is a certain confusion in the technique when we compare what they say here in Portugal, and what they say in Brazil.
My question is this: when you say that co wash is not a substitute for shampoo, since Co wash “product” is actually a sanitizer without foam (in the poo), which normally contains 1 active tension and is made for cleaning of the scalp. Do you consider that even this sanitizer in the well is insufficient for cleaning the scalp?
Or do you mean exclusively the co wash technique?
Considering that co wash was originally a technique to revitalize the hair between washes-with a “common” conditioner released, and not a real hygiene, as that is not the goal). Thanks in advance ❤️