Farida Abdel Malek 
Three women from our Fustany team started the Curly Girl Method, which relies heavily on Co-washing. So, I gathered all the information I can get to make sure your life is a lot easier if you're interested and want to know more about Co-wash.
If you're wondering what Co-wash even is, well, you're in for a surprise. It stands for Conditioner Only Wash. Yes, you can wash your hair with only conditioner! Some conditioners actually include a percentage of cleansers that are more gentle than the ones in shampoos. This shower method is loved by curly haired girls wanting to bring back their loopy curls. It consists of cutting out all harmful chemicals that are usually present in our everyday shampoos like sulfates and harsh alcohol.
Cutting out these harsh chemicals will help the hair gradually go back to a much healthier state regardless of its nature. All types of hair would benefit from Co-wash because of its focus on straying away from anything that could disturb it's natural oils. Cutting out sulfates means that you will have to cut out ingredients that don't wash away except with sulfates, like silicons and wax, to avoid build up.
When the hair is curly and has a lot of texture it could be drier than normal, so the curls don't get enough oil to them, and they lose their twist. According to our Fustany girls, co-wash gave their hair strength, softness, decreased hair fall, prevented split ends and even got rid of dandruff. A good tip to help with not disturbing the hair's texture is using micro-fiber towels and satin pillows which help reduce friction and therefore reduce frizz.
This all sounds great, but here's the tough part. When your hair is transitioning from what you're used to, sometimes all hell breaks loose, and your hair doesn't look good at all. These Tips could help you power through the transition phase of itchiness and irritation. So don’t relapse! Stay strong and stay away from the Shampoo! Remember, this doesn't happen with everyone and the transition period differs from one person to another. For now, this is how to lessen the effects:
1. For starters, you need to get rid of all the silicone in your hair from previous products. Use a shampoo with a lot of sulfates and no silicon at all. Example: baby shampoos, most of them are a good option.
2. To actually start Co-washing, you have to make sure that your conditioner has no sulfates or silicon. Use the conditioner twice, once to wash by scrubbing it into your scalp for at least 4 minutes, and another time to actually condition by saturating your hair really well and leaving it on for 15 min.
3. To deal with the first signs of irritation, try putting a few drops of peppermint oil or tea tree oil in your conditioner to give you a fresh feeling.
4. To relieve any scalp itchiness, apply apple cider vinegar on your hair. Use 1/2 cup of the vinegar over 1 bottle of water and rub your scalp.
5. If tip 3 and 4 are not giving you enough of a clean feel to your scalp, use brown sugar as a scalp scrub with the conditioner.
6. For less bad hair days, you want to do a deep conditioning hair mask every week to keep your hair moisturized and happy.
7. The last thing to remember is that it gets easier and better with time. Whenever you find yourself reaching for the shampoo bottle, look for hair inspiration online, and remind yourself it'll be worth the wait.
Main Image Credits: Instagram @yarashahidi
