Hair Update: No Shampoo Routine and Co-Washing

Hey Guys,

So, as I promised in the earlier book review, here’s my update on my new hair routine – going without shampoo, or as it is known in the curly world, the “no-poo routine”.

So I’ve been on this routine for a little more than 2 months now and I’ll tell you right off that my hair is definitely healthier BUT I’m not entirely sure if it’s due to the new routine. So I’ll let you guy know everything I’ve been doing since and you guys can decide for yourselves if it’s the routine or not.

First off, you guys should now that about a week after I decided to start the routine, I had an appointment with a hairdresser to highlight my hair.  Long story short, she TOTALLY RUINED my hair!!! Not kidding and I’m certainly not exaggerating! She did all the things you don’t do to curly hair and I walked out of there with lightened but severely damaged hair, which became more obvious when I got home. Strands were literally breaking off and my hair was so dry, it felt like straw! I had never, in my life, seen or felt my hair like that.

So anyway, the no-poo routine started that very week. I planned on doing everything I could think of to help my hair recover, so definitely the no-poo routine, and I gave my hair 2 weeks. If there was no sign of improvement, I was going to have to cut it off and I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that!

I started co-washing, which is basically washing my hair with conditioner only and I tried out a couple of no-silicone ones with as little “harsh” ingredients as possible (and subsequently found my new favourite).
I used home-made deep treatments every week, and applied my favourite hair butter and oils every single night.

Thankfully, 2 weeks later and my hair had started to feel normal again so I was able to avoid the big chop. But it took about 3 weeks more for me to get my curls back as the chemicals had somehow stretched them out and not in a good way. I was so happy to have them back!

So I continued the no-poo routine and I didn’t have time for the deep treatments so I just left in the conditioner longer. And I continued with the butter and oils.

Today, over 2 months later, my hair is back to its healthy state and possibly, healthier than it was before the whole catastrophe. On that note I must add that I’m pretty certain that had my hair not been healthy when I went to the hairdresser, my hair would have broken off as she was doing whatever it was she was doing to violate my hair!

So quick advice to anyone planning any major alteration for their hair, make sure to treat your hair days or weeks leading up to the event. It can make a whole lot of difference like it did for mine.

So my routine has been to first use a bit of conditioner on my fingertips which I apply to my scalp and massage it in to loosen any dirt and residue. After I feel I have thoroughly massaged my scalp, then I rinse out the conditioner with warm water. Then I squeeze out excess water from my hair and apply conditioner generously all over my hair, making sure it’s soaked right through and then, using my favourite wide-tooth comb, I detangle. After detangling, I put a shower cap on while I finish showering. The shower cap along with the steam in the bathroom from the warm water helps the conditioner penetrate my hair.
I finish showering and then, just before I’m ready to style my hair, I wash the conditioner out using cold water (the cold water is supposed to seal the cuticles so the hair retains the moisture from the conditioner and the water and this also helps to reduce frizz).

After rinsing, I squeeze out some of the excess water then I section my hair and apply the styling products. I air dry as much as possible and when I simply don’t have time, I use a hair dryer with a diffuser.

Ok, so my hair now feels really healthy and it looks healthy too. I’ve noticed its natural shine coming back and the curls are back to their normal selves, curling whichever way they want! My hair feels soft again and it’s not breaking at the slightest tug! Overall, I’m really happy with the  condi tion my hair is in now.

So I can’t tell you guys if the routine is responsible for my now healthy hair since the damage forced me to use a lot of deep treatments and deep treatments contribute immensely to hair health.
I was also daily applying hair butter and my favourite hair oils, especially at night before sleeping.

Most likely, the combination of everything contributed so I know for sure that I’m going to continue with the butter and oils and this new routine.

What I can tell you for sure is that I don’t miss shampoo. I felt no difference whatsoever to my hair in terms of cleanliness since I stopped using shampoos so that tells me that I don’t need it and probably never did. It’s definitely no-poo and co-wash for me from now on.

This is what my hair looks like now. It hasn't fully recovered but it's almost there! No more trips to the hairdressers for me, not for a long time anyway!

If you guys have any questions about anything at all regarding the routines or how I got my hair back into recovery mode, then don't hesitate to ask! I know how tricky hair can be, and especially curly hair with a mind of its own! :)