Here's the second part of the series on hair and scalp cleansing
How to shampoo
Shampoo
should be applied to the scalp and not hair! There is always the general
misconception that it needs to be applied to the hair strands in order to
cleanse but this not the case.
The
actual cleansing action is initiated by the massaging movement of the pads of
the fingers. After much trial the method I have found to work for me is to rinse
first with water while gently massage my scalp with the pads of my fingers
before proceeding to apply shampoo to the scalp and repeating the massaging
action.
Shampoo
does not have to be applied to hair strands; the run off of the shampoo is
enough to cleanse the hair strands.
No Shampoo Cleansing Methods
There
are several other cleansing methods that do not involve the use of shampoo and
we look at a few below;
Water-Only
Method: this involves the use of only water to cleanse; basically the movement
of the pads of the fingers agitates and dislodges the dirt which is then rinsed
off. This method would only work with a regimen that does not involve the use
of non-water soluble silicones, heavy creams and oils.
Baking
Soda Cleansing: there are several available recipes for the use of baking soda
as a cleansing again. Typically a few tablespoons of baking soda are diluted
with water and applied to the hair and used in the same way conventional
shampoo would be used.
Conditioner
Washing: this is commonly referred to as co-washing; it involves the use of
conditioner (most often a light runny rinse-out conditioner) to cleanse the
hair. The idea behind this is that conditioners contain cleansing agents and
this in addition to the action of using the fingers to dislodge the dirt would
serve to effectively cleanse the hair. With the growing prevalence of
co-washing, there are now conditioners available that are labelled as cleansing
conditioners.
Mud
Washing: There are several formulations that involve the use of clays, most
common is Bentonite Clay to detoxify and cleanse the hair.
Points
to remember
- Which ever cleansing methods being used, ensure to use the pads of the fingers in a massaging action on the scalp.
- Longer hair is best washed in sections to prevent tangling.
- It is important to examine the ingredients of your shampoo to check for the presence of sulfates (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Lauthreth Sulfate)
- Sulfate shampoos are drying to the hair and it is not advised to use these weekly.
