Hair loss: Reasons and how to take care of your curly hair. Part 2: Cleansing

Cleanse

A clean scalp is crucial for healthy hair. Build-up of dirt can clog pores which can inhibit the growth of hair follicles and can cause ingrown hairs and painful bumps. A dirty scalp is also not aesthetically pleasing and is a prime attraction for germs, flaking scalp and dandruff.

Less is definitely more when it comes to how often you need to wash your curly hair. You don't want to strip your hair of its natural essential oils. For tightly highlighted hair, we recommend no more than once a week. If your lifestyle exposes your hair to so much dirt, consider co-washing your hair between shampooing.

Some tips on finding the right hair cleansing routine :

What you should do:

• Use SLS free Shampoo. Damaged hair is negatively charged. Avoid anionic shampoo with net negative charge, aka shampoos formulated with SLS as it can lead to even more damage and frizz. The twists along the hair shaft make curly hair more susceptible to losing hair fiber lipids. Anionic shampoos disrupt this barrier functions thereby weakening the hair further. The Ikemian True Wash is our recommended shampoo if you have curly hair. Its mild surfactant system cleanses but does not strip the hair of its essential oils. Use SLS free Shampoo. Damaged hair is negatively charged. Avoid anionic shampoo with net negative charge, aka shampoos formulated with SLS as it can lead to even more damage and frizz. The twists along the hair shaft make curly hair more susceptible to losing hair fiber lipids. Anionic shampoos disrupt this barrier functions thereby weakening the hair further. The Ikemian True Wash is our recommended shampoo if you have curly hair. Its mild surfactant system cleans but doesn't strip the hair of essential oil.

• If your hair is particularly dry and damaged, consider pre-shampoo treatment before shampooing. Do invest in high quality virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil is particularly recommended as it has very high affinity for hair proteins and therefore reduces protein loss than most other oils .

• Stimulate your scalp. Blood flow supplies the hair follicle with the nutrients to grow. Since you know that curly hair grows the slowest due to its smaller elliptical shaft, it pays to support blood circulation on your scalp. You can use your fingers or a high-quality scalp brush during shampooing/styling .

Our recommendations on what you should avoid

• Alcohol. Yes, you heard me. Alcohol will cause your curly hair to dry out even more. Since curly hair is already prone to dryness, adding more drying ingredients is counterproductive. Alcohol finds its way into many products, including those marketed for curly hair, because it is a cheap emulsifier that holds water and oils together.If you see alcohol, eg: ethanol, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, Alcohol denat, Propanol, Propyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol, in the first 5 ingredients, reconsider!