Shampoo baby shampoo....or not

Hello there my lovelies,

So, I've had a couple of questions about my rationale for not shampooing my hair more often than I do. I first stopped shampooing my hair every week because of everything that I was reading about how drying shampoo is for hair, especially curly hair. I understand now that the more drying shampoos that we are warned against using are those containing sulfates. However, I have found that my hair really doesn't need to be shampooed every week. We shampoo our hair for two reasons: 1. out of habit, and 2. to clean the scalp and hair. Well, I've never been much for doing things simply out of habit, and I've found that my scalp and hair don't seem to be getting dirty enough to warrant a once a week shampoo. I would highly recommend seeing how long you can go without shampooing your hair. Trust me, when your hair is dirty and needs a good scrub you will feel it and be able to tell. I do shampoo if I have been regularly using a product that I can tell has left build up on my hair; in this case I usually use a sulfate-containing shampoo and follow it with a more gentle sulfate-free shampoo. I think that using a shampoo with sulfate once or twice/ month is probably not enough to completely dry up your beautiful hair. However, if I get the urge to shampoo my hair every week I do so and I use a sulfate free shampoo. So, that is my main reason for shampooing 1-2xs per month (give or take 1-2xs ;-). My more minor reason is that not shampooing saves time. I know, I should love my hair enough to spend all the time in the world on it that it needs, but sometimes I just get lazy.

The no-poo idea was coined by Lorraine Massey, author of the book Curly Girl. In the book, Lorraine-you like how we're on a first name basis don't you-states that she like many others used to wash her hair twice a week because that was the way it was "supposed to be." However, she noticed that her hair always looked better when it was "time" to shampoo it, so she stopped shampooing. At first she just waited a day, and then another, and then another until she realized that she didn't need to shampoo anymore. The sebum (oil) and sweat produced by our scalp is sterile, the only concern from these two things is clogged pores. Our scalp can get dirty from dirt, pollution, bacteria and other yuckiness in the air, and that is why we need to clean it. However, according to my homey Lorraine, you can clean your scalp using conditioner and friction created by you massaging the scalp with your fingers.

So, I would highly recommend experimenting with how often you shampoo. See how your hair responds to not shampooing and how long you can go before you can tell that you need a good cleaning. Some of you may find that you toss out the shampoo and never buy another bottle again, some may find that your hair thrives when you shampoo once/week (or more or less), and some of you may find that your hair responds well to sulfate-containing and sulfate-free shampoos. Like most things concerning natural hair, it will take knowing your hair, a little experimenting, a lot of patience, and a wonking chunk of being brave and ready to think outside of the box.

For anyone who does not want to shampoo, but still feels like you just must have something to cleanse and clarify you can try a homemade rinse. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a good rinse-2 cups of ACV to 1 cup of water (this makes a good bit, you can keep it for like a week, but I cut it in half). On wet hair (you can condition first or not) saturate the hair in the mixture. You can rinse this out or you can leave it in. Warnings: #1-ACV burns, keep it out of your eyes, yeah, definitely speaking from experience here, #2-your hair will smell like vinegar until it dries. When I use this mix I put it in a spray bottle and spray on my hair, put my normal products in and let it dry. The ACV rinse makes my hair really shiny. I add a few drops of essential oils-I add Sage, Rosemary and Peppermint, because those are the only essential oils I own, you can add whatever you want. You can also do a baking soda rinse: 1/2 cup baking soda to 3 cups of water. I have never used this before so I don't know how it works.

That's all I have about that.

Tootles for now,

Lady Shay