Cowashing & Nopooing 101

Since going natural, there are a couple of things I swear by. One of them is cowashing or nopooing.

What's it mean?

• Cowash: To cowash is to cleanse the hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. 
• Thus conditioner (co) + washing (wash) = cowash

• Nopoo: To nopoo is to cleanse the hair with something other than a sulfate-based shampoo. It may be conditioner (= cowashing) or it may be something else. Examples of non-sulfate cleansers include saponified oil bars, glycerin bars, African black soap, etc.
• Thus cleansing - shampoo = nopooing

Why cowash/nopoo?
The cleansing ability of most shampoos comes from sulfates. Sulfates are salts that bind to dirt, oil, product, etc. Water then rinses this bound debris from the hair. In addition to dirt, product, and oil, sulfates remove sebum, the hair's natural moisturizer.

While excess sebum causes the hair to be oily, your hair is meant to have some level of sebum at all times. In the right balance, sebum keeps the hair moist, pliable (resistant to breaking), and protected from the sun. When used in excess, sulfates remove ALL the sebum from the hair. Removing all the sebum from your hair leaves it dry, limp, and fragile.

The benefit of cowashing/nopooing is that these techniques limit (cowashing*) or eliminate (nopooing) the use of sulfates. By limiting or eliminating the use of sulfates, you limit or eliminate the potential for drying, stripping, and damage.

Q: Don't most conditioners also include sulfates?
A: YES! While most conditioners also include sulfates, they include them in MUCH lower concentration than shampoo. Thus cleansing with conditioner leaves the hair clean yet not damaged.

How do I know if my product contains sulfates?
When reading an ingredient list, sulfates are easy to find because they usually end in the letters "ate".

The most common sulfates used in cosmetic products include:

• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), 
• Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), 
• Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS), and 
• Behentrimonium methosulfate (BMS) 

Sodium lauryl sulfate is the harshest of these sulfates and should be avoided whenever possible. It's usually found in cheap and low-quality cleansers. Behentrimonium methosulfate and its cousin Behentrimonium Chloride (BC) are much gentler cleansers. They are often used in infant and sensitive skin products. You'll also find them in the higher quality cosmetic products. When picking a shampoo or conditioner, look for products that include these instead!

Learn more about sulfates here>>>

Exceptions:
While sulfates can be drying/damaging to the hair, there is a time when they should most definitely be used. Sulfate-based shampoos should be used anytime you've used a product with significant levels of mineral oil (or its cousins petrolatum, petroleum, paraffin, and paraffin wax).

Mineral oil, petrolatum, petroleum, paraffin, and paraffin wax are low-quality, non-water-soluble humectants that bind tightly to the hair. This means they sit on top of the hair and are not removed by water alone. Rather, these ingredients must be removed by a strong cleanser such as a sulfate-based shampoo. So after using products with mineral oil, be sure to cleanse the hair with a sulfate-based shampoo. Just be sure to pick a product with one of the more gentle sulfates.

Learn more about mineral oil, petrolatum, petroleum, paraffin, and paraffin wax here>>>

Try it!

Cowash: Some of my favorite cowashers include Tresemme (Naturals, Flawless Curls, or Remoisturize) Conditioner and Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner. Get either at your local WalMart, Target, drugstore or grocer.

Nopoo: Some of my favorite liquid nopoos include Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Shea Butter Shampoo or SheaMoisture Moisture Retention Shampoo. You can get the JBCO Shampoo online at Oils from Jamaica (http://www.oilsfromjamaica.com). Use promo code JTMR for a small discount!!! You can get the SheaMoisture shampoo at your local WalMart, Target, or Walgreens.

Some of my favorite solid/bar nopoo cleansers include the all natural bars made by Hekalu Naturals (http://hekalunaturals.com) and those made by Lia Naturals (formerly Jarmelia's DIY Hair and Skin Care Products (http://www.diyhaircareproducts.com). 

Learn even more about cowashing and nopooing (and see me do it) in my video tutorial. Haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel? Please do so and please "like" the video>>>

Share your thoughts! 

Do you cowash/nopoo? What are your favorite products? 

Share your feedback in the comments section below or better yet, join us in the Journey to My Roots Chat Room/Group on Facebook. 

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