Hair Journey Chronicles: Washing your hair!

Hair Journey Chronicles: Washing your hair!

What to use:

1. Shampoo:For black hair, shampoos can be very drying! Dryness leads to splitting ends and breakage. To avoid this, a moisturising shampoo can be tried: examples include Creme Of Nature's Detangling shampoo and VO5's range like moisture soak and deep nourishing Shampoos. However, it's a good idea to rotate the shampoo you use on a 2-3monthly basis, as the hair can build up a resistance to things that it's in contact with frequently and then your hair may not get the same feel it used to when you first used the product.
2. Diluted shampoo: Another way to limit the exposure to the drying effects of shampoo (one I employ whenever I shampoo) is to DILUTE IT. The shampoo still very effectively cleans the hair.
3. Conditioner: Yes, conditioner! It has the same ingredient in shampoos that helps it to cling to dirt but has the added benefit of infusing moisture to tresses. An added bonus is that you can do it more often. This is particularly nice for women who are regularly active (sweat is another culprit for clogged pores). Also known as CO-WASHING (conditioner-only washing), you must remember to use a clarifying shampoo once a month to help remove any build-up that can occur after weeks of using some conditioners. This then improves the hairs ability to absorb deep conditioning treatments.
   
4. Other cleansing agents include Apple Cider Vinegar rinses and Baking soda.

After Shampooing:
You MUST condition the hair. WHY? Shampoos open up the cuticle (the outermost layer of the hair) in order to cleanse it. This makes the hair very adherent to other hairs (hence, the tangled mess that would result with the WRONG washing technique). A conditioner closes up the cuticle effectively and also moisturises or strengthen the hair (depending on whether it is a moisturizing or protein conditioner *to be explained later*).
The simplest way to add to the conditioning effect is to leave on the conditioner for a bit longer (15 mins, 30 mins, 1 hr).

Hope this helps!