Wash day - Shampoo

Off to stage 2 of our wash day which is the shampooing. A shampoo is meant to clean your hair and scalp of all the oils and products we have put in it since our last wash day, but us naturals not only want clean but we want clean without the stripping right?

In order for this to be possible we need to be really specific with the kind of chemicals that are in the shampoos we buy. But which chemicals should we avoid and why.

Sulfates (most common types are sodium laureth sulfate and ammonium laureth sulfate) are chemicals in shampoos that act as cleansing and foaming agents, but they strip the hair and scalp of it's moisture and natural oils. So if you have very dry hair or scalp, it would be best to avoid using sulfate shampoos.

Dimethicone is a type of water insoluble silicone that coats your hair and prevents moisture and nutrients from penetrating your hair shaft. It instead collects dirt and leads to product build-up.

I personally use a shampoo which contains a sulfate but it does not leave my hair feeling stripped because it has some really nice oils in it that combat the sulfate. So if you are unable to get a sulfate-free shampoo just get a sulfate shampoo that has oils in it, cos to be honest some sulfate-free shampoos are a bit on the pricey side of life.

To effectively shampoo, start off by thoroughly wetting your hair with warm water, then apply your shampoo making sure to get it on your scalp as well as on your hair to make sure they are properly cleaned. Please do not use your nails to scrub you scalp but rather use the base of your fingers or a shampoo brush in order to avoid irritating your scalp. After you are done, thoroughly rinse the shampoo out of your hair and scalp with warm water and repeat if necessary. Some naturals shampoo their hair in sections as to avoid tangling it, while others like myself just shampoo the hair as a whole, so do what works for you.

When you are done, I recommend you don't dry your hair with a t-shirt or micro-fiber towel, but rather just wring the excess water out of your hair with your hands. This helps a lot when you get to the deep conditioning stage. But if that would not work for you then it's not a train smash.

PS: If you want your sulfate shampoo to not strip your hair, just add a bit of your favorite oils into the shampoo and mix well.

https://nutrafol.com/blog/15-shampoo-ingredients-to-avoid/

https://www.healthline.com/health/shampoo-ingredients-for-different-hair-needs#natural-ingredients

By Misimiswa Magoro