Review: co-washing with garnier fructis pure clean

 Co-washing: cleansing with a lightweight conditioner as opposed to using traditional shampoo or sulfate and silicone-free shampoo. 

Lots of curlies swear by this, since many of us (including myself) have notoriously dry hair and need all the conditioning we can get. There are lots of dedicated co-washes on the market, but many prefer to buy silicone-free conditioners like Suave Naturals or V05 (cheap and widely available in most drugstores). I haven't tried the Suave or V05 conditioners myself yet, but I have been trying out Garnier Fructis's Pure Clean conditioner as a co-wash for the last month.

I found it on a 2-for-$5 sale at my local grocery store recently, so I bought one to try out because why not? I'm all about trying inexpensive stuff (hence my blog). I paid $2.50 for a 13 oz. bottle which is approximately 20 cents per ounce (sa-weet!). It normall sells for about $4, which is 30 cents an ounce and still cheap.

The Pure Clean line from Garnier Fructis is supposed to be 92% biodegradeable and free of silicones, parabens, and dyes. The shampoo does have sulfates, however, so only use this as a clarifier. The line also has gel and a finishing paste, which are both curly girl friendly (I haven't tried these yet either...in good time).

I have a few rules for my cleansing products:

--must clean and moisturize

--no build-up

--I cannot have an itchy scalp after only a day or two (I am prone to this)

--Must allow me to maintain curls up to 2-3 days with my other products

I decided to try the Garnier Pure Clean out as a co-wash. My normal hair-wash routine is co-wash (or curly girl friendly shampoo, I haven't decided which I prefer yet), rinse-out conditioner, and deep conditioner. 

To test how moisturizing the Garnier Pure Clean was, I first used it and then my rinse-out conditioner (I am not brave enough to use co-wash and co-wash alone yet). It wasn't especially moisturizing this way--I had to use a lot more leave-in and my Curl Keeper than I normally would before I could style. Normally, when I do my wash/rinse out conditioner/deep conditioner routine in addition to my styling products (leave-in conditioner, cream, gel, etc.), I can get about 2-3 days out of my curls. Doing the co-wash and rinse-out conditioner without deep conditioning...I only got 1-2 days. 

So the next wash day, I used the Pure Clean with my other shower and styling products. I had good hair days....except for one thing.

My scalp started itching and flaking. Build up. Maybe I wasn't massaging it in vigorously enough?

So, the next time, I tried massaging it in more vigorously, and still, my scalp started itching and flaking.

Maybe I had some leftover previous product in my hair? Let's clarify! So, I clarified with Eden Bodyworks Peppermint and Tea Tree shampoo, which is AMAZING stuff. Bingo...or so it seemed. I had no itching or flaking whatsoever. So, I decided to try co-washing with the Pure Clean one more time to see if clarifying did the trick.

Alas, it did not. 

My scalp started itching on day 2 and hasn't stopped since, and I'm going to clarify again and try a different co-wash I have in the wings. 

But one really big pro though: the SLIP! I was able to detangle a good bit with my fingers while co-washing. Maybe I'll try this out as a rinse-out conditioner (focusing on mid-shaft to ends).

So, I will give this product 3 out of 5 stars. Good price, great slip, but not so great at cleansing. Plus, I wasn't a big fan of the smell (some people might not mind it, and it doesn't linger).