Co Wash and Reduced Suds – Suds Don’t Equal Clean!

Bet you were wondering “What exactly are suds?!?”

Suds are the formation of froth or lather on water. They help spread out soap molecules so more of them can cover a greater area to work at cleaning out dirt. Due to the formation of lather, foam and bubbles, the presence of suds in detergents, soaps and shampoos has led to the misconception that the more suds there are the cleaner a surface will be.

The formation of bubbles are just air pockets being trapped by soap molecules creating spherical shapes. Nothing more. Think about it, most basic household over-the-counter disinfectants keep surfaces perfectly clean and kill 99.9% of germs yet produce no suds!

A generic, all-in-one shampoo can contain a many as 10 to 20 chemical components, and astonishingly, STILL not clean your hair well. There are often foaming agents added for the appearance of suds and to produce the illusion of a working product.

So, for your education and understanding, we will discuss and debunk the “suds don’t equal clean” myth that for proper cleansing there must be lather.

Co Wash and Reduced Suds.

Conditioner washing has become a must have for every Natural because of how gentle the conditioner is in comparison to a shampoo. Conditioners have more slip than lather, thus leading people to believe them to be a smoothing or detangling agent more than a cleansing agent.

Although most conditioners can also be used as cleansers, it’s better to opt for a co wash (instead of a conditioner) as it has more cleansing agents throughout. The fact of the matter is, natural co washes contain naturally occurring cleansing agents like ACV (apple cider vinegar), Aloe Vera and lesser surfactants so they both condition AND cleanse hair.

The truth is, un-shampooed hair tends to retain more moisture and reveal curl patterns better than hair that is constantly shampooed. A co wash helps with all the above while letting hair remain healthy and versatile for styling without stripping or drying.

Do suds equal clean?

People have been conditioned to believe if they don’t see foam then their hair will not be clean. In truth, clean hair does not require foam nor bubbles. The main goal of co wash or shampoos is to leave your hair smelling good and silky smooth even though no foam may be present.

What determines the ideal co wash product is what it leaves behind on your hair. Some products strip away everything (good and bad) but the idea is to leave some essential oils behind, as they help lubricate and prevent hair damage. Too much product on your hair doesn’t allow for an optimal cleansing performance, even if suds are present. Products are often loaded with these foaming chemicals like; DEA (Diethanolamine), TEA (Triethanolamine) and MEA (Momo Ethanolamine) which also are hormone disruptors and are well known to form cancer causing nitrates and nitrosamines.

To put it briefly, leaving sufficient oils in the hair is necessary but depends on the type of shampoo and co wash used, despite the presence of suds or not. It also depends on the particular hair-style you’re interested in attaining.

Should you ditch your shampoo then?

Completely ditching your shampoo isn’t the answer. As much as shampoos can cause harm, it’s still not advisable to neglect shampooing your hair altogether simply because of the surfactants you’ll tend to have accumulated. Co washes give a great cleanse and you can get by as long as a whole month on co wash alone, BUT, co washing lacks the stripping power to make hair squeaky clean and, after a while, adds it’s own build up.

This is where shampoos come in. Shampoos are meant to scrub out stubborn oils, petroleum-based styling product build-up and build-up from your co wash . Hang on to your shampoo so you can get rid of the types of build-up that a co wash cannot. EBAN has got you covered with a great all-natural shampoo made specifically for Natural hair.

The EBAN takeaway

So, the practical verdict is to have BOTH shampoo and co wash in you wash day arsenal. Each play special and important roles in your natural hair regimen. Washing your hair with an all natural sulphate-free shampoo once every two weeks and a co wash 3-5 times a week is a good place to start a healthy hair routine, and based on your specific hair type and level of physical activity, adjust accordingly.

Good luck in your hair journey!