Caring for natural hair takes patience and requires some kind of routine to maintain kinks and curls. Women who wear their hair naturally curly have also become more aware of what type of products are being applied to their hair and scalp because of the delicate nature of our hair. The tight coils may look strong and durable from appearance but it’s truly fragile, yet, strong at the same time. Now that the entire world wants to cater to the natural hair community by creating products for textured hair it seems to be a gift and a curse at the same time. Yes, our hair needs moisture all the time, way more than other textures, because of how quickly it leaves the hair and requires gentle detangling or manipulation, but there are also products out there to help us keep these minor issues in check. Sometimes there are to many products to choose from and naturalitstas can often become ‘product junkies’ trying to find that one miracle product in a jar that really may not exist. One of the major perceptions hair care brands, marketers, and industry influencers (bloggers, YouTubers, etc.) have made women in our community paranoid over would be the use of shampoos. You may think I sound absurd if your someone who only sticks to co-washing but here is why you should not fear shampoos:
Hurray for Shampoos with Less Chemicals!
I know, I know our society is more health centric then ever before so organic living and lifestyle changes are at its all time high and I can’t be mad at that. I mean its a good start to a healthier environment for the world and for our individual well being. A few years ago you would not find a vegan or gluten free friendly product but they come in all forms from hair care down to skin care. Today’s shampoos aren’t nearly as harsh as they once were and include essential oils and other organic ingredients to replenish and restore the hair. It’s OK, you can come out of your shampoo hiatus now!
It Removes All Build Up
Cleansing conditioners are all the rave because they’re not harsh on the hair due to the absence of surfactants, detergents, and many other ingredients. Not to mention how smooth and hydrated it leaves course or textured hair! But a cleansing conditioner can only remove but so much product build up on the hair, and sometimes that translates to not much. To replenish moisture in the hair its a perfect idea but only a shampoo can truly cleanse the hair from bacteria and build up. Think of it like this. Imagine applying lotion to your body every day but never using soap to cleanse your skin each night you hop in the show. That doesn’t sound to sanitary right? Exactly! Just like the skin on your body needs to be cleansed regularly, so does the skin beneath you hair known as the scalp. Now don’t go ditching the cleansing conditioner all together because you can achieve more effective results by alternating from a cleansing conditioner to an actual shampoo. Go ahead and give it a try!
Shampoos Balance A Healthy Scalp
There are plenty of shampoos out there to try and choose from. There are gentle shampoos which help to keep the scalp at a balanced level because of its neutral pH like Sebmed (this would be really good for children with troubled scalps), or moisturizing and clarifying shampoos. What ever your hair needs it will tell you but having a combination of products being used effectively will give you the best results, hands down!
Do you like to only co-wash you hair or alternate between shampoos and cleansing conditioner?
