CurlyNuGrowth | it begins hair.: Shampooing

Showing posts with label Shampooing. Show all posts

Saturday, July 27, 2013

It's Wash Day!

It's about time to cleanse and retwist my 7-month old locs and I wanted to share the experience with you! I'm trying some new shampoo this go around (and I LOVED IT btw) and you'll also see my routine after my locs are clean (moisturizing, sealing, massaging, etc.).

How to Shampoo Starter Locs

Maintaining Traditional Locs at home is fairly easy, if you know what you're doing and practice good hair care. One area the many people fear or aren't very knowledgeable on when it comes to starting locs is the "shampoo process". Admittedly, I was a novice myself when I first started my new set of Traditional Locs and before I took specific "Loc Care" training classes.

The most common questions people have about the shampoo process are "how often should I shampoo my new locs?" and "what products should I use?"; which are two very good questions. Before I answer, let me preface and say that I take a holistic approach to Loc Maintenance and firmly believe less is more and my recommendations are based on experience and formal training. Ok, so let's dive in...

How Often Should I Shampoo / Co-Wash My Hair?

This is a question newly naturals have and even people that have been natural for months still ponder. First, let me say that washing your hair is good for hair growth. If your goal is to grow long hair, then doing frequent shampoos will help stimulate your scalp and increase blood flow to your hair follicles, which will result in hair growth. However, if you are using products with unfavorable ingredients you could be doing more harm than good with an increased frequency. Using shampoos with sulfates, cones, or any other drying ingredients can stunt hair growth, cause breakage or split ends, and/or dry out your hair.

During my hair journey, these are my regimens for each stage:

TWA

During the TWA stage, you have the most freedom to shampoo your hair. Most naturals at this stage do "Wash-N-Go"s all the time because they're quick and easy. Basically a Wash-N-Go, is when you shampoo and/or co-wash you hair, put in a Leave-In conditioner and a sealant and go on about your day. Because of the frequency of Wash-N-Gos you're typically washing your hair 3-5 days a week. This is entirely okay, as long as your shampoo and/or conditioner are moisturizing. My favorite shampoo was the OyinHandmade Honey Wash!

Chai Tea Shampoo Bar Review

A few weeks ago, at the Baltimore Natural Hair Expo [HERE], I picked up a few shampoo bars from the Pure Shea Store. Up until this point, I had never used a shampoo bar on my Sisterlocks, although I have tried the OyinHandmade Poo Bar on my Loose Natural Hair [HERE] and loved the results, so I was anxious to try it on my Sisterlocks.