Product Review: As I Am Coconut CoWash


I had been looking forward to doing this review long before I even got my hands on this product. I had to discipline myself to wait until I had tried it at least three times, before casting my final verdict. And I must say, I am glad I waited. But at any rate, actually picking up As I Am Coconut CoWash had me excited, for three reasons:

1. It was on sale for $5.99 at Sally's.
2. Everybody and their mama was raving about it.
3. It was on sale for $5.99 at Sally's.

Hey, I'm a sucker for a sale item. But moving right along -- I won't bore you with all the details of how I acquired the product and all that jazz, let's get down to business.

Ingredient List:

Key Ingredients (listed on front of container): Tangerine, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Saw Palmetto and Phytosterols

Actual Ingredients:
Aqueous (Water, Aqua Purificada, Purified) Extracts: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) and Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine)¹, Cetyl Alcohol², Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol², PEG-40 Castor Oil, Stearlkonium chloride, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil², Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil¹, Phytosterols¹, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract¹, Quaternium-18, Potassium Sorbate, Fragrance/Parfum, Limonene, Methylisothiazolinone

Ingredient Analysis:
  • Water
  • Cocos Nucifera (Coconut): Extract of the meat of the coconut. Not the same as coconut oil -- although it contains nutrients nourishing to hair.
  • Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Extract: Natural antibacterial that helps cleanse hair and regulate scalp issues.
  • Cetyl Alcohol: Fatty alcohol that acts as an emulsifier and thickening agent.
  • Centrimonium Chloride: Quaternary ammonium salt designed to stop the buildup of static electricity in hair, making it smoother and easier to manage. The positive charge in centrimonium chloride is attracted to the slightly negative charge of hair proteins, making them smooth to the touch.
  • Cetaryl Alcohol: a blend composed mainly of Cetyl and Stearyl Alcohols -- waxy/creamy fatty alcohols that act as emulsifiers and thickeners.
Hmmm... I'm honestly wondering why only one of the key ingredients made it into the top 5 (after water).... Note: there is a difference between Coconut Extract and Coconut Oil.

Availability: Available at Sally Beauty, and other retailers nationwide.

Affordability: I couldn't resist the $5.99 sale price. At $7.99 regularly, I'd probably pass on a one trick pony product that can't be used for any other purpose but cowashing.

Product Claim/Description:
  • A creamy, gentle no-suds moisturizing cleanser
  • Helps maintain moisture, add more moisture, and retain moisture - vital to the health and happiness of your coils and curls.
  • Plus! Contains organic ingredients that help promote healthy hair growth.
Enjoy a fresh new start
Remove product residue - preserve moisture
You already know it and your hair can feel it! Cowashing is the way to cleanse your hair most of the time. It gently removes residue including all of the things you've used to style and maintain your coils and curls. Now it's time for a new beginning. This light creamy conditioning lotion spreads easily throughout to cleanse your hair and scalp. Detangling is wonderfully easy and rinsing is too. And there's much more! This cowash is different from any other because it contains a special blend of natural ingredients including saw palmetto and phytosterols that help promote healthy hair growth from the follicular level. Very economical. Use it whenever you choose. Gentle enough for daily use.

Performance/Delivery: I must admit, my hair felt clean. Cleaner than I thought possible with a conditioner. My hair and scalp felt thoroughly cleansed, almost as if done with a sulfated shampoo...minus the squeaky clean//dry feeling. My disappointment came in around detangling time. My transitioning tresses didn't take too kindly to the product's ability (or lack thereof) to glide through kinks and shed hair. The "wonderfully easy" part missed me. In fact, my hair seemed to get more matted and tangled than it normally does without product. I tried this stuff three times just to make sure. Same result every time.

Drawbacks: This jar is a one trick pony. I don't know how you roll, but I like for my products to be able to do more than one thing. The Coconut CoWash is for just that...cowashing. Also, I don't like to make a big stink about containers, but the fact that it's in a jar is a bit odd. A pump or squeeze bottle would make for better handling and use.

Bonuses: It does a great job at gently cleansing hair, that's for darn sure. And of the cleansing conditioners out there, this one is definitely on the affordable end of the spectrum.

Bottom Line: If you're in the market for something a little more clarifying than your average conditioner, this is for you. But don't expect to be able to use it as a leave in, or detangler -- you may be sorely disappointed. Make no mistakes, As I am Coconut CoWash is by no means a bad product. I wanted to like it, but it just didn't do it for me. This product will likely work for those that want to switch from shampoo to co-washing, but are a little apprehensive about making the leap from the squeaky clean stuff.

Have you tried As I Am Coconut CoWash? How did it work for you?

5 Comments

  1. I've tried it a few times. I actually like the cleansing properties and I can easily detangle my hair. I have recently started using the cowash from Shea moisture to see how I like that.

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    Replies
    1. What I've learned is that it's hit and miss for some folks. A lot of ladies I know RAVE about the stuff. It just didn't work for me. I'm sad, because I wanted it to!

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  2. I have very thin, frizzy, low-porosity hair. This product seemed to tangle my hair and make it even more frizzy. I wanted to like it but it looks like I'm going back to Shea Moisture.

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  3. I have very thin, frizzy, low-porosity hair. This product seemed to tangle my hair and make it even more frizzy. I wanted to like it but it looks like I'm going back to Shea Moisture.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I use it for my daughter’s big, puffy tresses and it totally tames her large mane. It cuts down on detangling and allows me to cleans her hair and scalp as often as I need to as she’s an athlete who plays hard.

    ReplyDelete