What is a co-wash?

What exactly is a co-wash? I've seen many posters say that they did a co-wash before they used certain products, but I'm uncertain exactly what a co-wash really is and what a co-wash consists of.

Can anyone please explain?

Co-washing is when you wash your hair with conditioner only (I'm about to co-wash my hair now) Mae and other forums recommend this instead of using shampoo weekly to keep your hair moisturized. You can also use baking soda and apple cider vinegar as a rinse if you have a lot of build-up in your hair, but right now I'm going to stick to conditioner. Hope this helps!

Thanks JerseyGirl!

I always wondered what EXACTLY co-washing consisted of... and now I know!
I have been washing (or should I say "co-washing") my hair for years and didn't know it was called a co-wash.
I have recently been using Ms. Jessies Creme-De-La-Curl Cleansing Creme as my ONLY wash because it works so well for detangling my curls, waves & "springs"!! It doesn't foam and it softens my hair so wonderfully.

Once again, JerseyGirl... THANKS!

How often should one shampoo their hair? I have heard different things. Is once or twice a month effective? I'm slightly confused about the whole cowashing part. Also, when during the transition is it best to start cowashing vs shampooing & conditioning?

Msangie here from London UK

What are the best conditioners to use to co-wash while transitioning? I'm currently using the Joico Silk Result shampoo and conditioner but may just use the conditioner going forward if it helps with softness.

Also how often do you co-wash. I have been doing mine once per week, is this too often?

I use VO5 to co-wash my hair and normally do it once or twice a week max. I maybe actually wash with shampoo every two weeks or whenever my hair feels really dirty. You will get a lot of suggestions on which conditioners to use but truth be told the cheap ones or just as good or even better than the more expensive ones. (in my opinion) I always follow up with a good thick deep conditioner though.