Shampoo, yes?

I mostly stray from the tenants proposed by the curly girl method but it makes sense, just soooo much sense, not to use harsh shampoos on our delicate coils.  I heard this waaaay back in 2003 and tried it then but instantly noticed that my curls were more prone to frizz without the shampoo.  I went back to shampoo.  Then newfangled "shampoos" came out, with better ingredients, less sudsy.  I went for those wholeheartedly and stuck to co-washing as much as possible.  Except for the rare occurrence, such as a 3 week long protective style or a particularly horrible product experience that warranted shampoo, I've been mostly off it for the past 3 years.

I always keep on hand a bottle of Trader Joes Tea tree tingle, or Giovanni's %50/50 balancing shampoo (or similar) for the aforementioned reasons. Most recently I shampooed my hair after wearing it pressed for a little over a week, and contrary to what would be expected after a press, my curls returned yet TIGHTER than they had been.  I thought it may have been the shampoo, but shrugged it off.

So like last week, I again shampooed my hair because I had mixed my flaxseed gel with some horrible product and got a head FULL of flakes.  This time my hair was light and fluffy and blowing in the wind when it dried. I felt it had been similarly light before that, but I blamed the products.  It was curly but light, floofy.

So then yesterday, lol, I decided to shampoo again, because I had not wet my hair in more days than I care to mention, and I was not feeling put off by the shampoo bottle (now sitting comfy IN the shower). Afterward it felt really nice! I diffused, pineappled and went to bed. The product I used will be another post- light hold- I like it and it's not my flaxseed gel- I forgot to refrigerate the rest of the last batch :-(
This morning, my hair is again super tightly coiled, even in the front. It's light and blows in the wind and shiny.

Humph.... Now I feel again like I did way back in 2003! WHY do I keep getting lured back into the co-wash low-poo/no-poo movement when my hair so clearly tells me it's FINE with regular shampooing?!  Mind you it's a milder shampoo than your traditional off the shelf types. But its real shampoo. Not a cream, not a low sudsing stuff. 

Bentonite clay would probably yield a very similar result and adhere to the curly girl way of life, but sometimes.... SOME times you just want to get in the shower and grab something off the shelf.  Shampoo is cheap.  and just there. and non-messy.

I do admit, my hair is squarely on the fine side of the spectrum so the coating/residue I experience may manifest quite differently on courser hair. So NO, I don't condone shampooing as a general rule lol.  BUT my hair is telling me something, and I am going to try harder to listen. And remember.

Shine!

 My bang/front hair, which is normally MUCH looser than the rest. 

Slightly looser, but resolutely coiled today.

So Funkdafied

Nia and I were chatting the other day and I mentioned that I’ve been getting 7-day hair [insert various expressions of shock and awe here]. My explanation for how I’ve been doing this will come in the form of another blog post, although it’s really pretty simple. Basically, I’ve been leaving my hair alone. However, there are a few things that have provided background support in helping my hair doowhatitlikes. One of these items is TRESemmé’s Fresh Start Moisturizing Waterless Foam Shampoo. It’s basically a dry shampoo for dry/curly hair.

As per usual, I gave this product a hard side-eye when walking past it on many a drugstore/Tar-jay trip. Then one day I caught a whiff of what Nia calls “scalp air” and what I like to call “head funk” emanating from my own dome. Not cute. I had recently washed my hair, but frequent workouts and wearing a lot of hats in the cold weather caused my scalp to get a little funkdafied even though my hair and scalp were, for the most part, clean and healthy. In the past, I have remedied such a situation with some swipes of witch hazel on my scalp, and/or with the use of essential oils, but in a sudden Aha moment, I realized that this is the exact purpose for which dry shampoo was created. I snatched up some of the TRESemmé foam (it costs about $3-5) and tried it the moment I got home (following the instructions on the package). I expected it to immediately suck the life out of my hair, rendering it the texture of straw on a hot summer day. I was wrong. My curls perked back up, product buildup was removed and most importantly, I was funk free. I’ve been using it for a couple of months now and I still love it. The scent isn’t my favorite, but it smells fresh and clean, and let’s face it, that’s the exact point of the product. Although it’s not something I have to use frequently, it’s great to have in the arsenal for when the need arises.

While I’m talking about products I’ve been trying out, let me mention Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Jumbo Lash Mascara. Eyelashes are hair too, so I can talk about this here, right? ;) When it comes to cosmetics, I’ve found it difficult to obtain products that don’t contain scary ingredients. With something that regularly goes directly on the skin, or really close to the eyes as in the case of mascara, I think it’s important to keep things non-toxic whenever possible. So, I’ve been playing around with mascara options. The least expensive choice I’ve found is drugstore brand, Physicians Formula. 

This mascara does a great job lengthening, separating and thickening lashes, but needs improvement in its staying power. Encounter a little humidity and the result is raccoon eyes. Not a good look. But, for a normal day at the office, or running errands when there’s no precipitation and/or low humidity, it’s an excellent option. Somebody holla at me when they come out with a waterproof version though.