Co-wash, low-poo, or clarifying? Picking a cleanser for curly hair

Cleansers sit on a spectrum, from very gentle to very thorough. The right one depends on your porosity, your scalp, and what's on your hair.

Co-wash

A cleansing conditioner. It doesn't lather and leaves the most moisture behind. It suits high porosity, coarse, tightly coiled, and damaged hair. It's usually not enough for fine or low porosity hair, oily scalps, or hair with heavy product build-up.

Low-poo (sulfate-free shampoo)

Gentle cleansers that lather a little. A middle ground that cleans more than co-wash while staying kind to curls. A good everyday choice for fine, low porosity, and oily-scalp hair, and for anyone co-washing who notices limpness or an itchy scalp.

Clarifying shampoo

Usually sulfate-based and the strongest everyday cleanser. Use it to reset: when you start a new routine, after protein overload, or when silicones and gels build up. For most people that's once or twice a month, and low porosity hair may need it more often. Follow with a deep conditioner.

Chelating shampoo

A clarifying shampoo with ingredients that grab minerals from hard water, such as EDTA or pentasodium pentetate. If your hair feels stiff, dull, and tangly no matter what you use, hard water could be why.

A simple way to choose

• Hair feels dry and rough: lean toward co-wash.
• Hair feels limp, coated, or your scalp is oily: use a low-poo.
• Products suddenly stop working: clarify once and start fresh.
• Hard water at home: add a chelating wash.