The Skinty

Curly Washing 101

I came across a website called urbanbella.com, a beauty supply store and salon located in Atlanta Georgia. I appreciated the articles I saw on the site and therefore contacted urbanbella to get permission to post one article in particular from their site for the readers of The Skinty. The article as it suggest focuses on washing curly hair and that’s all curly hair from loose curl to kinky curl, great information to have especially for those who are interested in going from straight to kinky and not quite sure of things to take into consideration while transitioning.

I would like to mention that there are some specific products recommended in this article as it is coming from a site that sells these products. This isn’t my goal of posting the article however they do offer the products at the urbanbella.com site if you’d like to check out what they have to offer. And now on to the article!

Did you know that shampoo should only be applied to the scalp? Are you aware that most shampoos contain ingredients that are particularly harsh on hair?

We are so accustomed to shampoos that give us a nice foamy lather, which is an indication that it’s working, right?…Wrong. Shampoo contains detergents and chemicals that create lather, which is unfortunately bad for the hair...especially curly hair. These foamy detergents naturally strip away both the oil and water molecules from hair, leaving it dry with frizz and fly-aways. Dried and stripped is fine for cleaning your house or your clothes but not your naturally beautiful hair!

When washing your textured tresses it is important to focus on applying the shampoo directly to the scalp, while paying careful attention not to scrub and rub the hair with shampoo.

Also, choose a shampoo that is designed to be gentle on the hair while cleansing your scalp. Look for low-lather and no-lather shampoos or cleansing conditioners such as DevaCurl No-Poo, Curls Curliscious Cleansing Cream, and Blended Beauty Soy Cream Shampoo. These particular products leave the hair and scalp feeling clean without stripping the hair of necessary oils.

For curly locks with oily scalp and fine hair textures, it is suggested that you use shampoos that provide necessary hydration while not weighing it down, such as Curls Truly Hydrating Shampoo and Jane Carter Solution Moisture Nourishing Shampoo. When using a shampoo that has no moisturizing elements be sure to limit the use to less than 4-6 times a year and keep in mind they serve as more purifying agents, completely stripping the hair of all natural oils and product build-up.

Basic rules and steps to cleansing your textured tresses:

1. Minimize the number of shampoo washes to less than 3 a week for oily hair and once a week for normal to dry hair. Feel free to water wash as often as you like.

2. Select a shampoo appropriate for your hair’s moisture needs. Remembering that kinkier and tightly coiled hair tends to be drier and requires more moisture. If you choose to alternate your shampoos and use a purifying shampoo, minimize this to 4-6 times a year to remove waxy build-up.

3. Remember: Conditioner is a good friend to curly hair! Detergent is the devil!

4. Begin your actual washing process with a water wash. Feel free to water wash your hair as often as you like. This will pre-cleanse the scalp and remove product from your hair. This will also allow the needed luxury of washing with shampoo only once.

While in the shower or with your head in the sink (if you choose) start by parting your hair in small sections beginning at the nape and allowing the water to stream over your scalp in the parted section.

Massage the scalp lightly with the pads of your fingers to break-up and remove any debris and continue this process over your entire head while also rinsing and removing any products in your hair.

Follow with a moisturizing/low-detergent shampoo (applied to the scalp!). You can also follow this same process with conditioner (vs. shampoo) to recondition your tresses. This is possible because you have already cleansed your head and scalp with water.

5. When washing the scalp with shampoo squeeze the needed amount into your hands and rub it between your palms and fingers. Then massage the shampoo onto your scalp and continue to gently massage with the pads of your fingers to remove any debris.

Pre-treatment Note: If you have excessively dry hair and do not have a shampoo especially formulated for your particular hair type, you can pre-treat the hair with olive-oil, conditioner or essential oils mixed specifically for application to the hair such as, Jane Carter Solution Hair Nourishing Serum and Jane Carter Solution Scalp Renew. Applying this prior to washing the hair will reduce the drying effects of shampoo and help to eliminate frizz.

Happy Washing!