Co-washing

Did You Know? Conditioners and Co-washing

Conditioner washing, or washing the hair only with a conditioning product, is an excellent way to get moisture to your strands during the week. However, buildup from the conditioners used is often a concern for many conditioner washers.

One pretty interesting thing about conditioners is that they ALSO contain surfactants, the substances in shampoos that bind to and help remove dirt from the hair. These surfactants in conditioners are called "secondary surfactants" and they extremely gentle.

Surfactants are the reason why conditioner washing is still able to get the hair clean! Surfactants are needed in conditioners to help them spread, “lather,” and rinse away
cleanly. Common secondary surfactants are cocamidopropyl betaine, sulfosuccinate,
hydroxysultaine, and lauryl polyglucose.

Also, to increase the chance that your conditioner will work well as a conditioner washing conditioner, in addition to the inclusion of secondary surfactants, look for conditioners that contain very few silicones and heavy oils. You also want to be sure to clarify the hair regularly.

Happy conditioner washing!
(original post by sistaslick)