Shampoo Bar Vs Co-Washing: What’s the Difference?

Shampoo Bars and Co-Washing have been creating a buzz within the natural hair community. The naturalistas love both but don’t really understand the need for having both within their routine.

Shampoo bars and Co-Washing are being replaced by the liquid shampoos that we have all grown up on. On a daily basis, our hair comes into contact with different products, excess oil, and particles from the environment, and so much more. Therefore, we recommend cleansing your scalp on a weekly or biweekly basis especially if you are prone to scalp issues. If you don’t have any scalp issues then you can likely stretch your wash days much longer.

Cleansing your hair with a co-wash or a shampoo bar aids in removing all of the build up from our scalp and hair. Once our hair is cleansed, it creates a new space for moisture to enter into our hair strands in order to be fortified for the coming days ahead until our next wash day.

Strands of Faith make both of these forms of cleanser for your hair. Both serve different purposes to aid you in your healthy hair journey. Both are free of the number one enemy in some products, which are sulfates. Sulfates are elements used within the manufacturing process that usually creates the “sud”. The sud is the extra layer of soap that gives us the feeling that we are effectively cleansing our hair. But, it’s a cheap element that helps manufacturers to create more of the product while keeping their bottom line low. Also, sulfates are bad for our hair, especially for the health of our scalp. They remove the natural oils also called sebum that is produced by our scalp. This sebum is needed to nourish our new growth with moisture and strength needed for it to have a long-lasting life.

Now let’s get into each cleanser:

Non-Stripping Shampoo Bar:

Strands of Faith created this Shampoo Bar specifically for dry hair types. It will thoroughly cleanse your scalp and hair without leaving your hair feeling dry, stiff or stripped of everything. Also, it ensures that your scalp retains the natural sebum needed to keep your new growth hydrated. Luckily for you, the bar has longevity of up to 60 washes, therefore it can be used for the entire family: mom, dad, and the kids. No need to buy a large bottle of shampoo when you can use the bar and share it up. It is also a great option to travel with. At a price of $17.00, it is a good bang for your buck.

The bar contains Kaolin Clay. The minerals within the clay will attach to the hair strands and scalp to remove the product build-up, “excess sebum” and oil that you have accumulated since your last wash day. And, it prevents the hair from being stripped because it only removes what is needed. Thus, it allows your strands to be cleansed and hydrated. The bar contains avocado oil, baobab seed oil, olive oil, palm oil, castor oil, and olive oil. All of these oils play their significant part in retaining moisture into our hair strands. In addition, castor oil is known to strengthen and promote hair growth. And, the olive oil will impart the needed shine for our tresses.

The baobab oil has antimicrobial properties, which aid in maintaining the health of our scalp. Thus, preventing and reducing free radicals that cause many of our scalp issues today such as dandruff, psoriasis and so much more. Lastly, the bar is free of coconut oil, which is great for all of our naturalistas who are allergic to coconut oil.

How To Use:
The bar is very easy to use and can be used by everyone.

1 – You would cut off a small piece of the bar to be used.

2 – Next, thoroughly wet your scalp with water.

3 – Then, massage the piece of the bar into the scalp to get the area soapy.

4 – Next, massage your scalp in order to remove product build-up and promote scalp circulation for growth.

5 – Then, rinse thoroughly.

Cleansing Co-Wash:

Cleansing your hair with a conditioner has been dubbed “co-washing” within the natural hair community. Sometimes our hair doesn’t need to be fully cleansed with a shampoo, it just needs a quick cleanse that still retains moisture. Strands of Faith Cleansing Co-Wash is not similar to regular conditioners. It is specially formulated to be a gentle cleanser without the harsh sulfates and drying agents used in regular shampoos. It is great for the naturalistas who dislike using shampoo more than one time within the week or if they swim or workout often. This Co-Wash should not be used if your hair is weighed down with a lot of products; it is better to use the shampoo bar.

The Co-Wash is infused and formulated with natural ingredients with a balanced PH, which will not affect the health of our scalp. It is free of sulfates, silicones and mineral oils, which take away moisture from the hair leaving it dry. It contains aloe vera juice and glycerin, which provides our hair with moisture and the shine that it needs. In addition, the Co-Wash contains cetearyl alcohol and slippery elm, which provides the slip to the conditioner. The slip is what makes detangling your hair a breeze. The key oils within the Co-Wash are the Babassu, Kukui, and Baobab oil. The Babassu oil is anti-inflammatory which improves the health of your scalp to prevent scalp issues and encourage hair growth. The Kukui oil restores moisture into your parched strands while imparting gloss to your curls. Finally, the Baobab oil softens the hair to make it easier to detangle. Lastly, it contains hydrolyzed silk protein specifically amino acids, which repair the broken hair strands to keep them fortified to improve the length retention.

How To Use:
Product application for cleansing your scalp and hair is easy.

1 – Saturate your hair in the shower.

2 – Next, apply the co-wash along the length of your hair in sections or using the praying hands' method.

3 – Then, gently massage the scalp to remove any excess oil, sebum, or product.

4 – Next, gently detangle if needs be.

5 – Finally, rinse hair thoroughly.

The last ingredients made in all of our products are faith. Faith is key in you achieving your healthy hair goals. We believe that the products that we make will be the ultimate best for you because we have declared it early on from the thought of creation with the products. And once you start believing that these products will work for you, then you will see the health of your hair transform.

As you can tell, each cleanser serves different purposes for our hair. In addition, they both have different ingredients that offer the hair different benefits. Our end goals are helping you to achieve healthy, long, and luscious hair that God has bestowed upon you.