cookiesnkream wrote: washing evryday is a HUGE NO NO and theres no doubt about it in my mind,, if u have curly or frizzy or kinky and or dry hair,,, such hair NEEDS weight and all the natural oil and moisture it can get,,

Sorry cookie, I have to humbly disagree on that one.   Tons of us have seen our hair flourish from frequent washing.  I used to believe the "don't wash your hair too much"  hype and my hair suffered GREATLY from that line of thinking.  There is no basis for it.  None.  My scalp is free of product clutter and it can actually breathe now.  That is our main problem... we suffocate our scalps with stuff and call it moisturizing or think its good.  

I think curly and kinky hair types thrive from frequent washing.  I wouldn't recommend daily or even weekly washing with an SLS type shampoo-- but washing during the week with a gentle shampoo or a "conditioner wash" is VERY beneficial to our hair types.  Washing and conditioning does moisturize the hair.  As far as needing "weight" I don't know exactly what you mean about that- but I can see maybe needing something to seal and smooth the cuticle.  There are steps you need to take during and after washing to assure the best results.  As long as you follow up a wash with a thick,creamy conditioner, moisturizer, and light oil-- you should be fine.  Your hair won't dry out at all.  Now if you wash your hair everyday with a harsh shampoo  . . .and then fire up the heat . . . and never moisturize with a REAL water based moisturizer-- expect washing and everything else to backfire on you.

cookiesnkream wrote: even washing twice a week i notice that my dry curly hair gets dry to the point where it looks like a haystack afte its been straightened out

To me, its all in the products and techniques. . . you said you notice your hair feels dry once its straigtened-- are you using heat to straighten?  Are you moisturizing? What are you using to seal the moisture in your cuticle? That may be the cause of your dryness.  The only time my hair feels dry after a wash is when I blow dry w/ little product or haven't deep conditioned enough.

Taggi, I don't know who started that myth but I wish it  and all the little ones like it would die.  It is things like that, that keep us from reaching our hair goals and it makes me so mad.  I believed this crap like it was written in the bible or something and I paid every day for it and never knew why.  I'm sorry for going ranting and raving (and cookie you know I love you girl) but I just get frustrated hearing things that are far from true and have the potential to set us back.   I'm not saying we should all wash everyday b/c that could be too much manipulation wise for some, myself included- but at least once or twice a week if possible.

Sorry y'all for the rantings.

I def cant wash my hair every day.it would leave my hair dry and brittle.  And about the myths, alot of myths are kept up by black people! Weve given into many myths and some still believe them

The "no washing" thing must've stemmed from kinky hair being so dry and breaking off... and shampooing would've been harsh in the past.  So it's a totally OLD school way of thinking, because no we have very gentle shampoos with the right pH balance.  Shampoos of the past were Basic (pH was higher than 6) and not very conditioning.  In the victorian era, it was common for women not to wash their hair for a month... regardless of race.

Conditioner washes are a great way to keep hair moisturized.  They don't strip the hair, but they rinse some dirt off and give the hair more moisture.  Some people with kinky hair can do them even daily with great results.

Sometimes too much washing can give people increased breakage because of the amount of handling the hair goes through.  However, one can't say that daily washing (with conditioner and even very gentle shampoos like cream of nature) will automatically not work for someone with kinky hair.  Everyone's hair is different.

The point is, increased washing can and does work for "black" hair.  In any case, the hair should be washed at least once a week imo.  We aren't in the past anymore.  There is too much information out here to continue to listen to outdated information.

:)

wow sistaslick that was gooooood! i do think washing at least every 3 days would be beneficial like you said. i mean your hair is gorgeous! what cookiesncream said about white women and the bleached hair,that is because of too much hair dye and blow drying they do. i know plenty of ppl (white,hispanic,asian,mixed) that wash their hair daily and have gorgeous hair. i understand your point about leaving it dry and brittle,but it is all in how you follow up the wash. when you straighten your hair, do you moisturize first and use a heat protectant like beyond the zone? if you did i bet it would come out a lot better. as far as weighing down the hair,all i can say is YUCK! i hate when my hair feels weighed down and heavy,thats why i dont use too much moisturizer. myths like this one may have been passed down,but from who and when? they may have been passed the wrong way to black ppl and still stand today as absolute truth. i wish there was a study done to clarify all of this so wondering minds like my own would have an answer.until then i guess i'll just wash when it gets itchy,sweaty,or dirty at my own discretion. my older sister also has a fro like my brother and she washes every other day, her hair is soft and grows really fast.she decided to cut off her relaxed hair and start over natural. since then her hair is growing and is healthy. although i dont think i could every cut all my hair off (scary) i do want a solution to spending so much on so called "hair growers".

P.S. Sistaslick,what is your regimen?

Coconutshy wrote-  The point is, increased washing can and does work for "black" hair.  In any case, the hair should be washed at least once a week imo.  We aren't in the past anymore.  There is too much information out here to continue to listen to outdated information.

amen sista! what are the best shampoos to use for multiple washes? some that arent too harsh?

There's lots of gentle shampoos out there.

Kenra moisturizing shampoo, Elasta Qp shampoos, Neutrogeta triple moisture shampoo, Cream of nature shampoo, Jason and Aubrey organics shampoos... those are just off the top of my head.

I currently use Elasta Qp shampoo for relaxed hair once a week.  I conditioner wash my hair and do a light acv rinse another time during the week.   

taggi, my regimen is in the about me and welcome sections of my fotki album

ITA w/ coconutshy on the gentle shampoos.  I do remember back before my hair care days I did try to wash my hair daily but I used Suave shampoo all by itself with NO conditioner and then slapped some grease on it for "shine"  Needless to say, by day 3, I had hair EVERYWHERE but on my head where it belonged.  I remember then thinking, they must be right- we aren't meant to wash often at all.    Little did I know that I had broken just about every hair washing rule imaginable doing my lil experiment. 

 So when I landed on my first hair board a few years later, I was hesitant to follow the frequent washing advice.  I gave it another chance (with an actual plan and regimen this time) and my hair turned around quickly.  Water is the best moisturizer on the market.  Now, I can't live without it.  My scalp is on fiya by day 3 after a wash.

When I was growing up it was every 2 weeks to shampoo your hair. Not because of some myth, but because there was five girls in my family and my mother couldn't do everyones hair on Saturdays. That would cut into my watching Soul Train and miss the Soul Train line

I never knew where that myth came from and I am thinking it was an old wives tale or something like that. Now that I am older, I shampoo my hair twice a week. Because I work out a lot.  Oh and btw, my mother always said "You WASH clothes and Shampoo hair."  (thought you get a kick out of that, because I always say, "wash my hair."

lol@ your mom

and taggi-- the EO mixture sounds good.  It won't clog your pores either.  A light coating will do the trick

lol! yeah that is funny. i guess saying 'wash my hair' sounds too rough for hair. i couldnt imagine putting my hair through what my clothes goes through. im really looking forward to taking my hair down to start a good regimen and begin washing more. i also work out a lot and i hate having a sweaty,itchy head. i just wish i hadnt wasted my money on prenatal pills to assist in my hair growth. i still dont know if they will work.

thanks sistaslick,and again i love your hair

sistaslick, i just ordered an 8 oz. supply of the rosemary oil and i will start using it as soon as it comes. yay!!! can i use it now on my braided hair under the weave or should i wait until i take it out?

cookiesnkream wrote: washing evryday is a HUGE NO NO and theres no doubt about it in my mind,, if u have curly or frizzy or kinky and or dry hair,,, such hair NEEDS weight and all the natural oil and moisture it can get,, even washing twice a week i notice that my dry curly hair gets dry to the point where it looks like a haystack afte its been straightened out,,,I definitely believe in a once weekly wash or more often with a very very gentle shampoo but any more than that just doesnt really work for our type of hair,, and i think even some causasian hair would benefit from less wahsing,, i've seen to many bleached dyed an such white women with hair that looks no different from my own on a bad day....

I agree with you cookie.  I will not wash my hair more than once a week and it's not because of myth.  I tried that everyday wash thing in the past and almost ruined my hair.  Most of the time when I wear my hair straightened I wash every week and a half or two weeks and when natural, every week because that's what works for me.  When I wash my hair it goes through so much manipulation and not to mention drying time!  I just don't have that much time on my hands.  If anyone can wash their hair everyday with no problems then go for it but it won't be me.

shoot,  a year and a half ago once a week washing would have been considered frequent to me girl     Back in the day, I was probably washing every 3-4 weeks and wondering why my hair never grew from that point  Now without at least 2 washes in the week my hair is feeling dried to a crisp . . . especially the new growth.

The thing to remember about any hair care regimen for any race is that "one size does NOT fit all."  It's one thing to speak about a regimen and say "This works for me."  It's a wholly different matter to say "This will work for you."  I think that the only regimen that has universally worked for growing hair is drinking more water.

I think that the best thing you can do for yourself as far as hair care goes, is to take all advice with a grain of salt.  Be willing to try it, but be willing to accept that it may not be right for you.

Sistaslick wrote:   I think curly and kinky hair types thrive from frequent washing.  I wouldn't recommend daily or even weekly washing with an SLS type shampoo-- but washing during the week with a gentle shampoo or a "conditioner wash" is VERY beneficial to our hair types.  Washing and conditioning does moisturize the hair.

I totally agree with Sistaslick . once i started to let me hair get slightly wet in the showers , washing twice a week i noticed it became more soft and healthy . hair loves water , as long as we use the right products and keep it moist .

I believe that both canbe true depending on who you are. For me, frequent washing keeps my hair soft and manageable,especially in the last few weeks of stretching my relaxer. I know because since it's been colder, I have gone down to washing once a week and my hair is so dry at the end. It doesn't absorb the moisturizer as much and it winds up dry. I was sick with bronchitis and sinusitis a few weeks ago and couldn't wash my hair for 2 1/2 weeks until I was better and my hair suffered greatly. But, I believe there are those who can go 2 weeks and their hair does just fine or better. We don't all fit neatly into one little category which is why this board is so fun and interesting! As for the myth, I say the only way to know if it's true for you is to try it or go against it. Then, you will know what is true for yourself!!

I agree with Supersugar also.

I only wash my hair once a week, but that's only because I don't have much time with my infant son with me.

Also, the length matters. When my hair was very short, I would wash every day and only condition once a week, and that was even while using a drying hair gel. Now that it's longer, washing that often would dry out my hair, the hair gel would dry it out even more, and I have to condition every time I wash.