| Wash Your Hair The Conditioner Way |
| Karen Marie Shelton - Copyright 2002 - All
Rights Reserved |
| Revised Date: 3/08/08 - Original Publication Date: 7/14/2002 |
Introduction
 |
|
Image Courtesy
of Biosilk |
|
Farouk
All Rights Reserved |
I recently wrote an article about how to
Dry Clean
your hair using a variety of dry shampoo formulas. The article
has been generating a lot of feedback including email about how to
wash your hair with water but not shampoo. Huh? Is that even possible? Yes of course it is.
It's a well known fact that shampoo, even the super moisturizing
kind, can be drying when used too frequently on hair that is already
dry or damaged. Although I have very pampered hair,
it still defies me by being naturally dry.
I have learned over the years that I can only shampoo with the
most moisturizing shampoos (Phytojoba
Phytocitrus,
and
Phytonectar to name a few of my favs).
I can only shampoo once or twice a week at the maximum and never
ever with hot water (which I love but is horrible for my skin and
hair). Last week I had a shampoo accident. I tend to only sleep a few hours a night so I am definitely not a morning person.
There I was, slumped in my shower sudsing my dry crunchy locks with the delicious
Phytocitrus shampoo. I love the aroma of citrus which helps me wake up after a long night pounding on
my computer. I rinsed well and my hair felt nice but still a little dry.
I decided to do a super conditioning treatment but alas was out of Phytocitrus Mask. So I reached for my
ARTec Smoothing conditioner in the stark white bottle with black lettering. I poured a big
blob on my palms and then glopped it on my hair.
Note: ARTec was bought by L'Oreal but the product is
still available in select locations.
It started to foam up. OH NO! In my morning
grogginess I had confused the shampoo with the conditioner, which is somewhat easy to do. Both bottles of the Smoothing are white with black lettering. They look alike except for the name on the bottom. Oops.
Trust me, I used a lot more of the ARTec shampoo than I would ever use even on a super dirty hair day. It took me two full rinses to get the suds out. My hair felt like total hell.
I lathered on a lot of
Phyto 9
which is very moisturizing and I finished with Phytodefrisant (thank goodness for that miracle product) and lightly braided my waist-length+ hair so it could air dry. My hair felt OK with all the
Phyto 9 and
Phytodefrisant to the rescue. However, I knew that I had overdone it with the shampoo. Life has a way of offering me new opportunities. So I decided to grab this new opportunity to test out the "wash your hair sans shampoo" option. I waited for two days to let the natural oils catch up with all that shampooing I did.
Then I took my normal morning shower, got my hair totally wet and then ONLY applied conditioner. This time I got the bottles right and slathered on a good amount of PhytoSesame. I rinsed well. I was amazed that my hair felt like it normally does after a shampoo.
I used my normal Phyto 7 and
Phytodefrisant
and viola, my hair felt like it normally did. I let it air dry in a bun with a big fat barrette holding it up. Within a few hours my hair was no longer even damp. It felt and looked great. I had beautiful shiny waves and my hair felt clean. What a wonderful experience. Yes, I have read on the
HairBoutique and other hair message boards about washing your hair with water and no shampoo but I never was willing to try it. I had a hard time comprehending that washing your hair without shampoo could be a good experience. Who could have known?
Summary Why not give this method of conditioning
only shampoo a try if your hair is feeling super dry or you have damaged hair.
Experiment by wetting your hair and then apply your normal favorite conditioner?
Remember to apply the conditioner only from your ear lobes down to prevent the conditioner from saturating your scalp. Rinse well, towel blot your hair dry and then apply your favorite leave-in conditioner. Give your hair an extra rest by letting it dry in the air.
What a great way to keep your scalp and hair clean without shampoo that can be drying. |