Over the course of the last three and a half years, I’ve cut down on using shampoo. Sometimes I’ll even opt for a no-poo, which doesn’t include sulfates and other chemical additives normally found in conventional shampoos. Other times I’ll just use a co-wash instead. But I never thought about eliminating it from our hair care routine completely.
I recently read a post on KidsSpot about Danielle, who is a mom of three. She claims that her children all have silky and smooth hair because she doesn’t use shampoo or conditioner. After researching hair and skin, Danielle discovered that hair really doesn’t need much more than a rinse with water.
“Washing our hair and body too often strips it of its natural oils and the microbiome is affected. Our bodies are designed to protect themselves, so why do we use a bunch of products on us that are unnecessary?” she says.
In addition to rinsing with water, Danielle also brushes her kids’ hair twice a day. To some that may sound pretty gross. In fact, if I were to have read about Danielle a few years ago, I would probably think this woman is neglecting her kids.
The thought of someone not washing their hair with shampoo and conditioner may seem down right nasty. Let’s face it; hair smells after awhile. You can’t get rid of odor with just water. But after further thought, I realized that this woman may be on to something.
The natural oil she refers to is called sebum. It’s believed that if you consistently shampoo your hair, your scalp will produce a lot more sebum, which can lead to greasy hair. A gradual reduction in shampoo use will cause the sebaceous glands to produce at a slower rate, resulting in less oil on the scalp and hair.
My husband shampoos his hair one to two times a day because his hair gets too oily, he says. I’ve never had that problem because I shampoo my hair about once a week.
So I’m all for no-poo. I don’t use shampoo as much as I used to prior to becoming a natural. However, I often wet my hair during the week and cleanse my tresses with conditioner. This gets rid of all the dirt and product build up. Plus, it leaves my hair smelling fresh.
From time to time, I’ll even make up my own concoction. Just the other day I combined mayo, eggs, and honey for a protein enriched deep conditioner to strengthen and moisturize my 4c natural hair.
When it comes to caring my daughter’s curly biracial hair, I normally use a gentle sulfate free shampoo. During summer months I’ll swap the shampoo for a co-wash during the week because I don’t want to strip her hair of moisture. I may shampoo biweekly and co-wash weekly during winter months.
O, on the other hand, doesn’t have a set curly hair care routine yet. But once his hair grows in some more, we’ll continue with the same regimen as his big sis.
Overall, I can’t say that I would totally eliminate shampoo from our hair care routine, but we’ll continue to focus more on co-washing.
At the day of the day, you just have to do what works best for you and your kiddos.
How do you cleanse your hair? Would you totally eliminate shampoo from your hair care routine?
I only shampoo once or twice a week, depending on activity. Most other days, I just rinse and use conditioner. I’ve never had a problem with stinky or dirty hair…lol. I think people just get so used to the beauty industry telling them how to care for their bodies, that they don’t even think twice. Obviously, shampoo companies make more money if you’re washing daily.
I often co-wash my hair and my toddler’s hair. I use shampoo on her hair every other week. Not because it is oily but because she often gets “stuff” from playground visits in her hair.
My hair I shampoo maybe once a month and co-wash every week. I don’t use a ton of product on my natural hair so it isn’t always dirty but if it does get dirty, I often would do a clay treatment.
So far, that’s been working for us and our hair is thriving.
Not to endorse any specific brand but I always believed that a “certain” baby shampoo was really the best way to go — I guess I was wrong about that 🙂 Thanks for the post, very informative.
Thanks JJ. Now that my son’s hair is getting full, I plan on just co-washing too. I notice that his hair is drying out when we wash it too often. I should have included that in my original post. I also don’t use a ton of product on my natural hair because I have extremely sensitive skin. I know that a product doesn’t work well when I’m itchy over and I break out. lol Which clay treatment do you use?
That’s so true. The beauty industry brainwashes us to a certain degree. I love co-washing! Back in the day the shampoo would be the first to go, now it’s the conditioner. lol. I use way more of that.