Curly girl: do I have to co-wash and condition separately?

[monsterowl]

Hi, I'm a curly girl novice, been doing it just over a week. Do I really need to co wash, rinse, then condition? Can't I just leave the co wash conditioner in for longer and not bother with the conditioner step? Can I expect worse results if I do this?

I cowash my scalp with a lot of rubbing to get it clean. Then when I condition it's more running it gently through the ends specifically and teasing out any tugs (as I never comb or brush). I often use the same conditioner for both though I don't think that's advised.

Thanks mumseumum! Ended up buying some pure shea butter online the other night so I am going to experiment with home-made stuff ...