It took years to get to this point. As I got older, I started shampooing less because it was becoming more obvious that shampooing less was better for you and your hair. After that, I went from shampooing every day to every other day. After that, going from less shampoo to even less was a tough transition. I used dry shampoo to dry the oil out of my hair so it didn't appear oily and I wouldn't be tempted to shampoo my hair. Now I shampoo less and I have problems because my hair absorbs oils a little too well.
A typical week:
Monday: Nothing but shea butter. I might wet it down so I can style it easier
Tuesday: just condition my hair
Wednesday: use shea butter on hair
Thursday: just condition my hair
Friday: use shea butter on hair
Saturday: just condition my hair
Sunday: wash day. If I have time, I'll do a hair mask before.
The method of just conditioning your hair is called co-washing. It's when you use conditioner and not use shampoo. The result is hair that is easier to manage, smoother, softer, but is still clean. This creates a problem of course but at least your hair looks good. This is the reason I have about four bottles of shampoo and one bottle of conditioner.
Why? My hair is naturally on the drier side because it absorbs oils really well. I can't dry it out even more using shampoo. My hair needs natural oils so it doesn't look an afro.
How often you should shampoo your hair depends on your hair type and the climate you live in. When I was in New Orleans for vacation, it was so humid I had an afro for the first day. I had to condition every day and not shampoo at all. And even then my hair still had some frizz. But at least you could see my curls. If I actually lived in New Orleans, I would consider using conditioner twice a day. I needed this emoji over my vacation.
Here is a more detailed outline of what happens on my wash day.
I picked Sunday to be my wash day because I'm not really doing anything on that day anyways. Plus I have school the next day and my hair looks best on second and third day. Starting with dry hair, I put a hair mask on and leave it in for at least a few hours. My favorite hair mask is egg, olive oil, and mayonnaise. When I'm done with the hair mask I rinse it out and I shampoo my hair. With the shampoo still in my hair, I massage my scalp and let it stay in for a minute or two minutes. I don't want it drying my hair out too much. After that I condition my hair and leave it in for another five minutes.
After I finish with my shower, I use a special microfiber towel to dry my hair. You can also use a t-shirt for this. After about two-three hours, my hair will be damp but I can work with it. The only time I brush my hair is when I've straightened it and I rarely straighten my hair. I use my fingers to gently get tangles out of my wet hair. You see why in the picture above. I use shea butter and leave in conditioner and I scrunch my hair as I put it in. After I'm done putting stuff in it, I use a blow dryer on the coldest setting and diffuse my hair until it's at least sort of dry. After that I let it air dry. This takes all day that's why I pick a day that I generally stay at home. I want my hair to stay curly overnight so, I always tie it back with a hair tie and scarf using the pineapple method. In the morning I untie the hairtie and scarf then freshen it up by scrunching my hair with leave in conditioner and shea butter. This is also the routine I use on the days I co-wash my hair.
There are circumstances that change things and cause me to shampoo more or less. But this is the general routine I use. Over the years, my hair has become less work to maintain and the thought of shampooing it four times a week makes me cringe. Especially since I used to shampoo it four times a week. Faster growth, less split ends, and its easy even though it takes me all day. What routine do you swear by? Go ahead and share below.
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