Have you ever just washed your hair, deep conditioned, rinsed, and went about your way? That’s right, no styling products, no gels, and no leave-ins and just lived? No? Me neither, but what if you did? What do you think you would end up with? A hot mess, right? Yea, that’s what I would think too, but if we haven’t tried it, how do we know it won’t work? We spend a lot of time just working on or with our hair. From cleansing to conditioning to styling we are using anywhere from 3-6 products and while some may manage with just one or two, the vast majority of us are overloading our hair. Well, here are a few reasons why going naked may be a great way to not only see your hair for the first time but to really find what it needs.

To see what it looks and feels like

What better way to determine what your texture is than when it is washed, conditioned, dried, and in its natural state, completely naked of product? This will also allow you to see if you have several textures and where, since you will be able to see the hair in its true natural light. It will be easier to assess what products you need to give you the style you prefer. Going naked was beneficial for Tiajonay to determine what her hair needed and that she had different textures.

Give your hair a break from the products

Sometimes we need to reboot from school, work, or even family and that goes double for our hair. You do not have to apply product every single day. Giving your hair a break from all the ingredients we add to it will be a nice reboot to your scalp and hair.

Assess what may be causing your hair issues

From time to time we suffer from hair issues like irritants to the scalp, dry ends, or even oiliness. There is no better way to determine what is going on than by removing all products from your hair and see what is causing the problem. You can start with naked hair and add a new product, whether it be a styler or conditioner, to see how it works with your hair. Remember, seeking the help of a professional like a dermatologist or a trichologist is always a good idea if suffering from hair and scalp issues.

Find your holy grail

Removing all products from your repertoire may help you see what is ailing you, and similarly adding them back one by one can help you discover the Holy Grails that are really making a difference. It is hard to see what actually works or what does not work when you have several products in your hair all at once, but adding them individually will allow you to determine which work well with your hair. This is also a great way to find out which products play well with one another too. Starting from fresh, naked hair allows for optimal conditions for a product testing outside of a lab since the environment is not completely controlled.

You might just like the naked look

Who says you need to have your hair covered in product all of the time? Our hair is beautiful. Every single coil, curl, and wave is lovely and while we slather tons of product (whether DIY or OTC), we never get to see what it looks like just au naturale. What if you love the way it looks or it gives you the style you have been hoping for all along? Dez Naomi did an experiment to see what her naked natural hair looked like and ended up not only surprised but excited to see her hair was not only softer but has the shape she thought she did not have.

So, have you gone naked?