Another option is to use a sulphate-free shampoo to cleanse the hair once a month, but I highly recommend the Aztec Bentonite Clay* Wash due to its ability to clump unruly hair strands into beautiful curls.
If you live in an area where hard water is the only available source within your home, I would recommend using distilled water to wash your hair.
The minerals in hard water can actually act to dry out your hair further and can cause damage. Now, the key to water-only washing is to follow up with a great conditioner.
For years I under-conditioned my hair, believing that deep conditioning* was something I needed to do once a month, or even twice a month if I was really feeling generous. This used to be what I thought was the “natural” state of my hair:
It wasn’t until I began to deep condition my hair two to three times a week that I began to see that I had a defined curl pattern. I, like most naturals, assumed that the natural state of black hair was a frizzy, lifeless helmet, unless you were mixed.
Now that I know I have springy, 4a curls, my ignorance seems like it was a stubborn self-imposed blindness. Once I began to listen to my hair’s cries for moisture, rather than neglect it by settling for the state it was in, I saw the results of ample care and attention.
I am actually a fan of using deep conditioners as leave-ins, and I make my own natural deep conditioning* recipe which hydrates, defines, and reduces shrinkage. Depending on my plans for the day I might leave the conditioner in overnight and then rinse it out the next day, or only for a few hours.
The trick however, is not to rinse it out completely. I have found that if I let the water run over my hair until it is completely soaked and then lightly squeeze out the excess—rather than rake through and disturb the curls— , my hair actually absorbs a great deal of moisture and I’m able to maintain a defined, flowing wash and go for up to a week.
This of course is paired with adequate maintenance at night, which includes banding to prevent shrinkage and sleeping with a silk cap. The key to defined curls is moisture, nothing more, nothing less. Figuring out what keeps moisture in your dry, frizzy hair is the biggest obstacle we naturals face, but once conquered, the rewards are worth every bit of the battle.
I never understood why water only washing got so much hate. The theory is sound, encourage the correct balance of sebum for adequate sealing, use less product, apply water frequently to keep the hair moisturized. When I wet my hair regularly (without co-washing, just water) my coarse, dense, high porosity 4c hair is so much more manageable and retains moisture much better. I use jojoba oil to offset my sebum until I reach full coverage. I still co-wash when I feel I need to and incorporate a gentle shampoo also when needed and my hair is thriving.
Awesome!!!
Great info. I am super hardcore with my hair. Meaning, I agressively address health of my hair regardless of how crazy the style has me looking. I began water only washing 15 months ago and my hair is amazing. I use no product period. I used the cowashing and clay to cleanse monthly for the 1st year. Past 3 months – only water. I looked TERRIBLE 1st 6 weeks. My hair now partially is looking like it does when it’s wet even when it’s completely dry. So it paid off.
I use shoestrings. I wet my hair, loosely flat twist the edges then put 2 very loose twists in each of 4 sections of my hair. I use a smooth shoestring to stretch (threading method. Thread damaged my hair so I use shoestrings or cut the long tie from du-rags) each section out. The 2 at the top I pin back and let the 2 in the back hang loose (red and purple laces on top black laces on bottom gives nice flair to style!). I leave the strings until it’s time to green house again. When my hair was shorter I did Bantu knots.
I use the excessive sebum as a deep conditioner 2x per week. I put warm water on my head then green house method overnight. Massage, scritch/preen in the morning then rinse and stretch again. The idea is to allow the sebum to soak in enough to hydrate hair without washing, cowashing, clay… Just an experiment I started but it’s working.
The most important thing about why I feel my routine is working… I use warm water to melt and distribute sebum, then cold water to seal it in. I did the 1st 6 weeks without the cold water – disaster. The next 6 weeks with and my hair is responding masterfully. I do my hair in the sink, but best results when I do full body hot cold shower. 45 seconds hot then 15 seconds cold is one cycle. It works with one cycle but best after 3 cycles – meaning repeat cycle 3x in one shower or sink session. I try to do at least 1 cycle (I use to do daily but after 15 months of water only, my hair only needs a couple per week) 2x per week. Look up benefits of hot cold showers. Hair grows from within. Healthy body = healthy hair. Cold water rinsing is an adjustment, but for my hair to have grown and flourish this way was more than worth it. I have 4ç hair. Although still dry in most areas after completely dry, some parts are completely curled, clumped, and moist when fully dry. So I feel eventually my whole head will get there. I believe stretching to keep from tangling was big.
My hair was white from the excessive sebum. That’s when I decided to use the white sebum as a conditioner. It works! Whenever it looks to be getting white, instead of clay to cleanse, I deep condition using sebum as a conditioner in the green house method.
This sound more complex than it takes. I spend 30min to an hour 2 or 3x per week in my hair. Although in the beginning it was longer every day because my hair was much shorter, dryer, and I was doing it wrong. Proper tools and detangling methods are imperative. Let hair fill with water then slowly separate under running water with fingers. After easily separable under water, use denman brush weekly (denman made huge difference for me) to detangle in sections. The air dry and shoestrings help to maintain moisture. Also cleansing, eating and proper nutrition with herbs is key. Hydrating inside will definitely show in your curls. Smooches
Can you use twist and lock gel for perm hair