You might have heard the term “co-washing” floating around some beauty websites. It has to do with the hair, and no, it doesn’t mean having two people wash your hair at the same time (though that might be a nice idea). Co-washing is an abbreviation for “conditioner washing”, and yes, that means washing your hair with conditioner and skipping out completely on the shampoo.
Don’t freak out just yet – your hair is not going to become a weighed-down, greasy mess should you decide to try out co-washing. In the past year, a whole bunch of cleansing conditioners have hit the market, and these are mostly formulated with cleansing properties, on top of all the moisturising and nourishing abilities that conditioners are supposed to have.
So what’s the case for co-washing? It’s actually a trend that started in the West, as a practice popular among those with curly or textured hair. Cleansing conditioners strip the scalp of less oil than shampoo, so this helps the hair stay more moisturised since there’s more of the skin’s natural oils remaining after each wash.
But that’s not to say you should throw out all your shampoo bottles. Even if you adopt co-washing into your regular routine, you’ll still need to shampoo at least once in a while, as the cleansing powers of a shampoo is still required now and then to properly cleanse the scalp. Especially if you live in Singapore, where the humidity leads to oilier scalps in general.
If you’re game to try out co-washing, you can start with these:
Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Cleanse & Nourish
The key ingredient in Percy & Reed’s first-ever hair cleanser is aloe vera, which is what helps soothe the scalp (makes sense – you use aloe vera to soothe skin irritation, right?). There are no sulphates or detergents in this, and the formula is 97% natural – we were told the remaining 3% is from preservatives that help keep the natural ingredients – and rose geranium, lavender, peppermint essential oils and avocado and jojoba oils are what help nourish and strengthen the hair.
$44, available at Sephora from 31 March. percyandreed.com
Kevin Murphy RE.STORE Repairing Cleansing Treatment
Australian brand Kevin Murphy makes hair products that mimic skincare, with smaller molecules that penetrate the skin on the scalp better. Enzymes from papaya and pineapple and protein from the green pea are what help repair damaged hair; this also contains arginine and lysine, which are amino acids that can rebuild hair strands.
Available from February at The Parlour at 33 Lowland Road, The Big Blow at #02-21 Cluny Court, and Duo Hair Salon at #03-19 Mandarin Gallery. kevinmurphy.com.au
Living Proof Curl Conditioning Wash
For the curly-haired, this has Living Proof’s Extended Curl Memory technology that helps keep humidity from getting to your hair (very much needed here), smoothen out your cuticles without leaving a residue, and hold your curls in place.
$36, available at Sephora. livingproof.com
Main image: Latinista Spring/Summer 2016, courtesy Aveda.
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