Many are perplexed to learn that not only do I only wash once, maybe twice a week, but I no longer use shampoo either. And that's even with working out and sweating hard 6 days a week. So how do I wash without shampoo? How do I keep my fire-engine red color from fading? And how do I hold onto healthy, split-end free ends that have been tortured with bleach?
1. prenatal vitamins
2. drinking lots of water
3. clean diet
4. Wash only 1-2 times per week
5. Refrain from blow-drying
6. Refrain from iron (I only straighten/curl my hair if I can make the style last several days, and only the morning after washing and air-drying the day before.)
7. Use a t-shirt or pillowcase to blot dry, NOT A TOWEL. Towels have tiny little hooks that grab onto the follicle and tear it up, even worse if you rub your hair instead of blot.
8. Heat protection spray
9. No ratting or back-combing
10. Leave-in conditioner
11. Embrace natural texture
Here's my wash routine.
1. Gently brush out tangles with a paddle brush. Do not rake roughly or force the brush through.
2. Wet hair in lukewarm water, not cold, not hot.
3. Apply conditioner, add a little water and massage your scalp with fingertips, NOT nails. Then gently comb through to detangle and distribute with a wide tooth comb.
4. Allow the hair to sit with conditioner in while you finish your shower.
5. At the end of the shower, rinse your hair with cool water. This seals the follicle, reducing frizz and promoting shine.
6. Gently squeeze out excess water with hands, apply a tiny amount of conditioner from mid-shaft to ends only, and wrap gently in a pillowcase or t-shirt.
I will keep my hair wrapped up like this while I get dressed, eat, brush teeth and put on makeup. Once all that is done, I take the pillowcase off, blot or squeeze out any water, and then shake my hair down. If I'm planning on straightening it the next day, I apply heat protection spray. When it's colored, I apply a color protection glaze. Then comb through it very gently with the same wide tooth comb and shake/arrange how I want it to hang with my fingers. If I want it curly, I apply a curl cream and scrunch by hand until it forms itself into spirals, then air dry.
These were both straightened the day after air drying.
These were both air dried with conditioner and curl cream, and hand scrunched. In the top one I did not straighten my bangs; in the bottom one I straightened my bangs only.
If you decide to ditch your shampoo (and I hope you do because its so worth it!) keep In mind that it will take approximately 1-2 weeks for your scalp to adjust. It is used to over-compensating its oil production because shampoo strips natural moisture. If you can't stand the grease, put your hair in a ponytail, wear a hat, or slowly reduce your shampoo use one day at a time until you're totally shampoo-free.
Good luck!
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