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.
Your feedback is much appreciated, please leave a comments and questions below.
Happy Hair Growing!
