say no to co-washing? say what?

There seems to be a movement in the natural hair community against co-washing, and its coming mainly from natural stylists who are 4c who once co-washed. I am starting to believe that in the rhetoric, they are pandering to 4c hair patrons.

Why?

My theory is that getting a non 4c head into the stylist seat is a task. Naturalists with less than 4c have looser curls, experience greater manageability, and overall spend less time styling. They also tend to manipulate their hair less and wear fewer ‘protective styles’ to maintain their hair growth. Natural stylists need patrons who cannot or do not want to attempt to style their hair.

I can say this because I do have a 4c section of hair and that is this hair type can be tedious to work with. It requires a very well researched hair skillset. Very few bloggers have 4c. They are mostly the growing population of texlaxers, who tried the natural way but found a kismet through texturizing their hair in order to loosen the curl pattern.

We all know looser hair is more easily to work with. I know this to be true because I have a lower than 4c section that is extremely different than some of the denser sections.

Again, I feel that this is a marking ploy by stylists to stump the 4c community and engage them to come to salons and pay for services. It’s a coup and I wouldn’t fall for it. I will not ever say that co-washing can replace shampoo, but unless you go cone/sulfate/paraben free in all of your products, you will find yourself using sulfate shampoo from time to time. That detergent tends to leave your hair dry.

Overall, on your hair journey, discover what works for your hair. Remember that what works for some will not garner the same results for you. Be patient. If you never knew your hair or you’re trying to adapt to a change in your hair, be especially patient. You may lose before you win. It’s a journey…and the road will wind but the goal is always that to know better allows you to do better.

Learn from the experiences of others, but never allow yourself to be trapped into giving up something that works for you. Research. Test. Learn.