Let's Talk Shampoo

Hi Beauties,

You may be wondering shampoo? Hmm...that is fairly simple! Wet hair, squeeze shampoo into hands, lather, rinse, repeat, voila! NOT!

In reality, there are a few things to consider including the kind of shampoo, shampoo techniques, and frequency. Let's break this down shall we?

To Shampoo or not to Shampoo? 

This is an ongoing debate in the hair community. Some shampoo from once a week to once a month even twice a year while doing condition washes (co wash) in between.  Others have migrated to cleansing conditioners and have completely done away with shampoos altogether.  My answer, it depends.

Choosing how often you shampoo should depend on the product use. Do you use heavy silicones and slab on the moisturizer and oils several times a week? If yes, you may consider using shampoo at least once per week especially if you use use heavy silicones. These can weigh the hair down and cause a significant amount of product build up over time. If you are light on products  then you may be able to get away with shampoo washes every 2 weeks or once a month with regular co-washes.

Shampoo Types

All shampoos are not created equally and vary in their cleansing capabilities. For instance, there are sulfate free shampoos that do mild cleansing and are good for weekly use (my favorites). There are also clarifying shampoos that are good for bi weekly uses and even monthly uses for removing excessive product build up and chlorine after a day at the pool. These are usually stripping and be used with caution. For even deeper cleaning there are chelating shampoos that remove mineral deposits along with product build up. These are particularly helpful for those who cleanse with hard water and use kit relaxers. Finally, there are neutralizing shampoos that lowers the pH of the hair and bring it to a neutral ph7, essentially stopping the relaxer process in its tracks.

The burning question  is which one should I use? The answer, it all depends on the intended outcome. In general beware of sulfate shampoos, these are the most damaging to our hair types because of its stripping tendencies. These shampoos leaves the hair and scalp dry and should not be used too often.

Shampoo Techniques

The most common mistake we make is to  apply shampoo all over the hair, bundle the hair on top of heads and wash vigorously. Rinse, repeat until squeaky clean. Essentially, this is the hair's version of overkill. A quarter size amount of shampoo applied to the scalp and a gentle massage used only by the pads of our fingertips, done at least twice is enough. Do not be overly concerned with shampoo getting to the ends of your hair. The rinsing process will take care of this for you. The ends of the hair are inevitably the oldest part of the hair and the driest. Adding another potentially drying element increases the chance of breakage. The focus should be removing build up towards the base of the hair and not the ends.
Also try not to bundle the hair into a ball, keep the hair as straight as possible, flowing in one general direction. This reduces the likelihood of knots and will save you time when detangling.


The shampoo process is one I look forward to weekly. I do use a sulfate free shampoo quite often and a chelating shampoo once a month. Be sure to follow with a deep conditioner and your favorite oils to add moisture to the hair. What your thoughts? How often do you shampoo and what kind... feel free to share below.

Until next time! HHJ

Air Drying

So today I decided to take a break from rollersetting...partly because I'm lazy, partly because its hot and I was not feeling too excited about sitting under my bonnet for 45 to an hour today. So here I am nice flowy bouncy air dried hair. Yes ladies! It is possible to have frizz free air dried hair. Considering it is like the primary dogma of the hair care world I think it is essential that at the very least we all know how to have air dried hair so we can exercise our options. At most turn it into practice and incorporate it regularly into your regimen. Here are a few tid bits and tricks that have made me successful.

• Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner- its always best to keep the moisture in check to achieve and maintain good air dried hair I've found in my experience. This is of course with the idea in mind that the protein balance is also taken care of. However, I have to place much emphasis on moisture. 
• Deep condition- you had to see this one coming. Most definitely do not skip on weekly deep conditioning. It should be a primary in your hair regimen anyways. It is one the main foundation to keeping well moisturized hair throughout the week.
• Leave In Conditioner- A good leave-in is also very essential to maintaining  air dried hair.
• ph Balance/ Medium Porosity- Many of you might like saying huh? wuh? Yes. I'm serious ladies and gents. This is something that many of us overlook or don't even know about. If our cuticles are not closed we are more likely to lose the moisture we added through deep conditioning and all other previous steps. The end result dry, frizzy hair. Maintaining good pH is essential for maintaining moisture and we have the added bonus of soft shiny hair. If you think your hair may be too porous may I recommend one of or the combination of the following : ACV rinses bi- weekly, aloe vera juice spritz, Roux Porosity control line of products, or a good ol' cold final rinse.
• A satin scarf to lay down your edges (de-tangle and run your fingers through your hair throughout the drying process)
• Remember to moisturize and seal at the end

 My hair is just washed and about 95% dry...it has not yet been moisturized and sealed.

Join me next time where I'll go further in depth about pH levels and hair porosity. Till next time! Happy Hair Growing!