Shampoo contains detergents that strip your hair of its natural oils and many curlies do not like that, and rightly so. Who wants their natural oils to be stripped? The main reason I see that some curly and coily-haired women forgo shampoo is to retain as much moisture in their hair as possible. Nothing wrong with that, right? I do not think so, but just like finger combing, just because it works for some, does not mean it will work for all.

There is this notion that shampoo=clean and using anything other than that leaves some people insecure as to whether or not their hair will be clean. I am in the latter situation. I do not feel that my hair is very happy when I do not use shampoo—the life dissipates from it.

Shampoo is essential for me. As a curly-haired woman, I use my fair share of product, and that product likes to sit on top of my low porosity hair. Sure, I have tried alternative methods, but find that my hair does not feel or act the same if I do not use shampoo followed by a deep conditioner. No-poo methods I have tried: baking soda, Dr. Bronner’s soap (diluted), conditioner only, co-washing conditioners, and acv rinsing in place of a shampoo. These methods can work well enough for me in between shampooing to remove some buildup, but they do not stand very well on their own if I wanted to forgo the shampoo.

I am a firm believer in keeping an ultra clean scalp to maintain optimum hair health and to help promote hair growth. I minimize my shampooing to just one time per week and deep condition right after to put moisture back into my hair. I also co-wash in between shampoos if I need to redo my hair or it will start to look a little dry for my liking. If I feel I need a more thorough cleaning after already shampooing that week, I like to use As I Am Coconut CoWash. After that, I am back to using my shampoo in order to get my hair back to square one.

Shampooing works best for me. My hair feels lighter, cleaner, and looks healthier, but I do realize for some, it could have the opposite effect. So, to shampoo or not to shampoo, that is the question. In the curly hair world, it is best to try everything you can to see what works best for you. Do not start or discontinue using shampoo just because someone else does.

Do you shampoo your curls? How often?