Hair Care Basics: Cleansing (Part II)

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.

Hair Care Basics: Cleansing

You have decided to take better care of your hair and commence a healthy hair journey but do not know where to start; this series is designed to breakdown the components of a healthy hair care regimen. First we will look into hair and scalp cleansing.

Cleansing in hair terms is the process of removing product build up and cleaning the scalp to create a healthy growth environment for hair. It is recommended to do this once every 7-10 days, cleansing can be done more often but you have to take care not use shampoo if washing for example every 3 days. Frequent washes are common when sporting shorter hair lengths like the low fade or Teeny Weeny Afro (TWA), while ladies with longer hair may choose to stretch/space out wash days. The right routine or frequency however is a personal preference and you have to find what works for you.

Types of Shampoo

Generally when researching for your healthy hair care you will find that sulfate and non-sulfate shampoos being discussed. Basically for curly/coily/kinky hair which is dry naturally; a sulfate shampoo can be very drying if used regularly. It is preferable to use a sulfate-free shampoo which is gentler and does not strip the hair and scalp of all natural oils.

Based on the function of shampoos they can be classified into; clarifying, chelating and neutralizing.

Clarifying shampoos: as the name implies they clarify the hair and strip the strands of all build up from the use of creams, moisturizers, gels, oils etc. It can be said that all sulfate shampoos are clarifiers, as they strip the hair and scalp of build up and oils.

Chelating Shampoos: these are shampoos that in addition to the clarifying action remove mineral deposits. According to Audrey Davis-Sivasothy in her book The Science of Black Hair, The bonds that minerals make with the hair, however, are stronger than those made by products, dirt and oils, Mineral bonds with the hair fiber are chemical bonds that cannot be removed with the simple surfactants found in moisturizing and clarifying shampoos. A specially formulated chelating shampoo is required to remove mineral deposits from the hair. The ingredients in chelating shampoos chemically bind to hard-water minerals and help lift them away.

Neutralizing shampoos: these are shampoos that are used at the end of a chemical relaxer process to wash out the relaxer from the hair and effectively stop the chemical action. 

Next we will examine How to Shampoo/Cleanse hair and No-Shampoo hair cleansing methods.

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Happy Hair Growing!