The Co-Wash Chronicles: Joico Color Co+Wash Whipped Cleansing Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair, and Kristin Ess Frizz Management Cleansing Conditioner

…because I’m on a mission to try all the conditioner washes!

DUUUUUDE. I’ve been co-washing since before it went mainstream, since I unraveled its secrets in a now-long-forgotten hair forum in a dusty corner on the Interwebz more than 10 ago.

Finding out about it was one of the best things to ever happen to my hair. Now I do it a few times a week between regular shampoo and conditioner sessions, and my hair’s the healthiest it’s ever been.

Needless to say, I’m a co-wash evangelist, and I love trying new ones and options.

Here are two I tried in June…

Joico Color Co+Wash Whipped Cleansing Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair ($23.99, 8.5 oz.)

Joico has three foaming Co+Washes in their line — one for dry hair, one for curly hair, and this one for color-treated hair, which I like. My hair and scalp feel clean after rinsing it out, and just like with R+Co Analog and Drybar Double Standard, my hair is full and lush and shiny the next day, not heavy.

If this were just a little more moisturizing, it would go from pretty good to totally great. Unfortunately, my ends do feel a little crun-chaaay afterwards if I don’t also use a leave-in conditioner. Also…it kinda smells like Downy fabric softener?

So, depending on your feelings about Downy, that could be a good, or a bad thing (I don’t mind it).

Overall, I like this co-wash enough to finish the bottle, and when I’m done, I want to try the dry hair version.

❤️❤️❤️ 3 1/2 out of 5 hearts. (Side note: why is there no half a heart emoji?)

Ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Isobutane, Ceteareth-20, Argania Spinosa Kernal Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernal Oil, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Psidium Guava Fruit Extract, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Pentapeptide-30 Cysteinamide, Pentapeptide-29 Cysteinamide, Tetrapeptide-29 Argininamide, Tetrapeptide-28 Argininamide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolized Keratin, Keratin, Hydrolized Keratin PG-Propyl Methylsilanediol, Cocodimonium Hydroxyproply Hydrolized Keratin, Hydrolized Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Bis-Cetearyl Amodimethicone,Linoleamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate Dimethicone, Amodimethicone, Argenine, Citric Acid, Bis-Diisopropanolamino-PG-Propyl Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl Peg-14 Copolymer, Quaternium-91, Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hyaluronic Acid, Glycolipids, Allantoin, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Thioctic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Myristyl Myristate, Ceteareth-7, Ceteareth-25, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Butyloctanol, Polyquaternium-55,Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium Nitrate, DMDM Hydantoin, Isopropyl Alcohol,Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Fragrance/Perfume.

Kristin Ess Frizz Management Cleansing Conditioner ($14, 8.45 oz.)

Kristin Ess Frizz Management Cleansing Conditioner is a thick, rich cream designed for curly girls, frizzy hair, and peeps seeking help with humidity control and/or a damaged mane — basically, anyone lacking natural moisture.

The good: great price, cute packaging, and you can find it at Target, so you don’t have to hunt to find it at a salon. I think it smells good, too, like luscious peaches and jasmine.

The not-so-good: dang, this stuff is weighty. My hair feels like it’s been coated in a thick layer of product, and I need to use a clarifying shampoo afterward to feel “clean” again. The mid-shaft and ends also look completely flat, and my scalp flaked after I used it a few times… Consequently, it’s been sitting on my shelf, untouched for a couple weeks.

❤️❤️ 2 out of 5 hearts.

Ingredients
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Behentrimonium Chloride, Fragrance, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Algin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Balanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carrageenan, Cetearamidoethyldiethonium Succinoyl Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Cetrimonium Chloride, Chitosan, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Gelidiella Acerosa Extract, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Hypnea Musciformis Extract, Keratin, Laureth-4, Litchi Chinensis Pericarp Extract, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-7, Propylene Glycol, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Sargassum Filipendula Extract, Sorbitol, Xanthan Gum, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen