How to Co-Wash Your Hair + Hairstory New Wash Review

Last updated on March 6th, 2019

This post is done in collaboration with Hairstory. As usual, this does not affect my review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post is not edited for content by any outside entity. No affiliate links are included in this post. To learn more, hop over to our Disclosure page.

This is something I almost never talk about. My hair and I aren’t friends.

We’ve never been particularly close, but about five years ago, we had a serious falling-out. I used a shampoo that apparently offended my hair deeply, and she’s rebelled ever since.

More on that later on in this post. But before we talk about that, I want to introduce you to a new product I’ve been trying out for the past month. It’s called Hairstory New Wash, and it’s a new co-wash product by the original creators of the brand, Bumble & Bumble.

After using the product or a month, and doing some research of my own, I’ve got lots to say on the matter.

So let’s get started!

So what is co-washing anyway?

“Co-washing” is short for “conditioner washing,” which proves quite the mouthful and ain’t nobody got time for that.

All jokes aside, co-washing is the practice of washing your hair with conditioner, rather than the traditional shampoo & conditioner combo.

That’s basically it. No magic involved. Except for maybe the terrific time-saving fact that you now only have one step to accomplish instead of two.

Why it’s SO different from regular hair washing

Typical hair washing goes something like this. You lather up your hair with a foamy, likely sulfate-filled shampoo which cleans your hair so it’s “close to godliness,” as my dear friend Remi from Ratatouille would say.

Your hair is definitely clean, but it’s now pretty dry too, having been stripped of all its natural oils. You’re going to have to fix that. So you move on to step 2, conditioner.

Conditioner adds back all the natural moisture and nutrients that your hair had in the first place that your shampoo mercilessly sucked out of your hair and chased down the shower drain.

Conditioner is such a loyal friend

Think of typical conditioner like that friend who always cleans your disastrous kitchen mess after you whip up an eight course feast. Sure, you did something great- you prepared an amazing meal. But the aftermath isn’t pretty, and somebody has to take care of it.

With co-washing, it’s like you’re accomplishing two steps in one. You get a thorough cleansing, (i.e. the cooking,) but you’re also “tidying up the kitchen” at the same time so your friend doesn’t have to do it.

It’s a win-win.

So why aren’t more people jumping (for joy) on the bandwagon?

Why I decided to give co-wash a try

Let’s talk about my hair for a minute. My Dad has thick, course, straight hair. My Mom has thin, fine, wavy and frizzy hair. I ended up with the worst traits from both my parents’ hair types. My hair is thick and course thanks to my Dad, but it is also wavy and frizzy thanks to my Mom. Imagine that.

The hair itself is dry and wild and difficult to manage, but my scalp gets super oily very quickly. (Seriously, my scalp and forehead should have afternoon tea because they have so much in common, they’d be besties.)

Should YOU co-wash your hair?

Does this sound like you?

Your hair is constantly frizzy and dry, regardless of how long you marinate your hair in conditioner in the shower. And regardless of how many hair masques, leave-in conditioners, moisturizing and smoothing products you pile on.

And thanks to all those products, your hair feels weighed down and greasy at the roots, causing you to wash more often only to exacerbate the problem. Oh, the vicious cycle!

For me, the answer is HECK YES!

I basically just described myself there. The old shampoo and conditioner combo was feeling dated, to be honest, and I was itching (literally) to try something completely different.

Next up, we’re talking about the lucky co-wash given the opportunity to turn me off from regular ‘ol shampoo forever!

Introducing Hairstory New Wash

In the midst of my search for a suitable co-wash product, I was conveniently offered the opportunity to test out an all-new product called New Wash, from Hairstory.

With the slim pickings for co-washes in my area, I jumped at the opportunity.

And the best part? It’s free of sulfates and harsh ingredients that do more harm than good. Sounds promising, right?

Check out Hairstory’s official website for more info on the company.

Purchase Hairstory New Wash >> Hairstory.com (*Not an affiliate link.)

I tried New Wash for 30 Days & here’s what happened

Now before you get too excited, my rebellious hair didn’t have a sudden change of heart and decidedly want to become friends again. The differences are definitely subtle, but noticeable nonetheless.

I co-washed on my normal schedule of 2-3 washings per week. Surpsisingly, I actually have some product left over after my grand experiment.

Let’s talk about the pro’s first.

As I expected, plenty of things went well.

The one-step wonder makes washing super easy

No more fiddling with look-alike bottles, and knocking over members of your bottle-colony onto your toes. Just grab your one bottle, wash, rinse, and you’re done.

After you’ve set down your one and only bottle, you can forget about deciphering which comes next.

My scalp seems more balanced overall

TMI alert- but ever since about 2012 when I inadvertently used a shampoo my scalp didn’t agree with, managing dandruff became a near daily struggle. My scalp was constantly flaky, even after washing, yet still super oily all the time.

After using the co-wash, my scalp seemed less flaky and remained non-greasy for a more reasonable amount of time. Even by the time it came time to wash again (48-72 hours later,) my hair and scalp remained in pretty good shape.

I think this has to do with the fact that co-wash includes moisturizing properties that gave my scalp the moisture it needed to “reset” itself.

Co-wash rinses cleaner & more easily than regular conditioner

Co-wash isn’t as slimy as regular conditioner, and so it rinses just as easily as shampoo without leaving behind any slimy residue. I used to spend quite a lot of time rinsing. With co-wash, not so much.

The scent doesn’t linger

There’s nothing really noteworthy about the New Wash scent. If you imagine what “average” conditioner smells like, then you’ve smelled New Wash. It’s not a particularly amazing scent meant to leave your hair smelling of vanilla, flowers, or fruit, but it is clean and refreshing.

My shower looks less cluttered

With co-washing, you’ve got one product to deal with. One. In times of ultimate consumerism and being constantly buried in stuff, having just one bottle to handle is about as refreshing as the cleaning you’re about to experience.

Likewise, there are a few aspects of this whole co-washing situation that aren’t quite as, ahem, refreshing.

I use A LOT of product

In order to get your hair and scalp truly clean, you must use enough products to fully coat your scalp and all your hair, and create some “slip.” If you apply the product and it feels like it simply disintegrates into nothing, then you haven’t use enough.

The photo above shows what five (5) pumps of product looks like. In total, my medium length, albeit very thick hair required 35-40 pumps of product for each washing. Just dispensing the product took several minutes of shower time.

In my case, co-washing doesn’t actually save time

Once the co-wash is dispensed, the process of working it into my hair and scalp takes more time than regular shampoo. The lack of lather makes spreading the product more tedious. Plus, I feel like I have to scrub for longer in each area to make sure I’m getting a good cleaning.

While I only need to perform step one in the regular shampooing process, that one step takes 2-3 times longer than usual.

My hair situation remains largely the same

My scalp is in better condition- I’ll give it that. However, the body of my hair hasn’t seen any benefits. In fact, it may actually be worse off.

See, I was already using so much product just to clean my scalp, I felt like I couldn’t use any more to fully saturate my hair lest I run out before the 30-day trial was up. (I was also instructed not to use any additional shampooing or conditioning products during this time, so I didn’t.)

I typically slather my dry ends in conditioner, but I couldn’t in this case, and it definitely shows.

Will I continue co-washing on the regular?

While I love the idea of co-washing, the reality is that it’s just not practical for my hair and lifestyle.

Hairstory New Wash proves itself as a worthy contender if you plan on giving co-washing a try. I definitely enjoy how it makes my scalp feel; I haven’t felt this clean and balanced in quite some time!

Honestly, I believe I could get better results if I use more product. But co-wash in general is more expensive than normal shampoo and conditioner, and so using even more product for each wash could be cost prohibitive for many people, myself included.

In case you are wondering, a bottle of Hairstory New Wash costs $40.00 USD. It’s up to you to decide if that is in your budget.

That’s all for today!

Like this post? You’ll definitely love this one too >> Argan oil benefits + clever uses for when you’re on the go

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Till next time. ♥︎

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FTC- This post is done in collaboration with Hairstory. Product was sent for review purposes, however this does not affect my review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Links are not affiliated.