Style

The 9 Best Cleansing Conditioners

by Jessica Thomas

Feb. 3, 2017

Courtesy of Matrix

When I first heard about the world of cleansing conditioners, I had to admit I was skeptical. Skipping your regular shampoo and just conditioning your hair instead? Including your roots? It seemed like a shortcut to getting greasy, limp hair. But people swear by using cleansing conditioner (also called co-washing), claiming it made their once frizzy, unmanageable hair silky and smooth.

Cleansing conditioner is ideal for people whose hair is naturally drier, especially those who have coarse or curly textured hair. Using a cleansing conditioner quenches your dry hair's thirst, unlike a shampoo that can strip it of moisture. And the cleansing agents in the conditioner still help your hair feel clean — it's just softer and more manageable.

I've read enough success stories about people who had transformed their hair with the product that I trust cleansing conditioner actually works. And let's be real, I'm already pretty curious about cleansing conditioner after learning all about it during those ubiquitous WEN infomercials from late-night TV in the early-'00s. Although my fine hair isn't the ideal texture for using this system, people with my hair texture have had success using a co-washing system before.

So no matter your hair texture, if you're interested in trying cleansing conditioner, here are nine to try.