Basically the title do I need to have int gear to hp wash my Corsair? if not will it make that much of a difference?
It really depends on your HP goal. Having base int is enough in my opinion, but My HP goal is only 9-10k. Int gear helps quite a bit either way.
Int gear will allow you to reuse for other characters you might make and wash. You could go the alternative route and only add base int, but that will be quite expensive, and in the end you won't be able to cheaply (well, slightly cheaper) wash the new characters you might make without adding pure base int. I'd say getting int gear is a better option in the long run. If you don't really plan on making a new character later (that you'd want to wash) , then you should be fine just adding base int. Just make sure to get a zhelm and deputy star as soon as you can, just to add a bit of int (and they are very good starting equips).
