Minimalism is living with less or clearing the clutter from one’s life path, and that can be implemented within all aspects of one’s life from health to hair care. We discuss the importance of cleansing, conditioning, deep conditioning, and protein treatments all being vital components of healthy hair care, but what if that is not necessary for all curly girls? NaturallyCurly reader CurlyMe3C inquired about this in our Curly Q&A and wondered if she was missing something in her hair care routine.
Question
I only ever use one product on my hair, is this a good or bad thing?
Aside from using conditioner on my hair as a co wash and hardly deep conditioning my hair, I only use one product which is a moisturizer that leaves my hair completely soft and moisturized!! The moisturizer I use is called Sofn’ Free Curl Moisturizer with Vitamin E and Panthenol 2-in-1 Activator, this product has been helping my hair grow – before I had found this product no matter the regimen I had my hair would always feel very dry by the end of the day. I would love to know if this is a good or bad thing to only use a moisturizer with no leave in conditioner. I also sometimes apply JBCO after my moisturizer. The ingredients of the product are also listed below – please let me know if any of the ingredients is harmful to my hair.
Answer
Never feel you have to be using everything mentioned or recommended as we all have unique hair. Not every regimen or product is necessary or even a good fit for each and every curly girl, so if you are making it work with a conditioner (as a co-wash and conditioner”> and a moisturizer as your leave-in, then you are a minimalist at heart.
You are in good hands by using an activator for a moisturizer because they are superb moisturizers, detanglers, and even curl enhancers. Humectants are the reason activators are superior at moisturizing, and quite often that humectant ingredient is glycerin.
Read more: 10 Curl Activators that Won’t Dry You Out
Here are the first 6 ingredients in the Sofn’ Free curl moisturizer with Vitamin E and Panthenol 2-in-1 Activator:
- Water: hydrating
- Glycerin: humectant
- Propylene glycol: effective moisturizer
- Behentrimonium methosulfate: mild hair detangler
- Cetearyl alcohol: fatty alcohol
- PPG-10 cetyl ether: emollient
You cannot go wrong with a top ingredient list like this one where moisturizing is its #1 purpose. Dimethicone and cyclomethicone are equally popular and liked silicones that also aid in detangling so the consensus is this product is great for giving you what your hair needs. If no other product is needed for fighting frizz (if that is what you want”> or styling then you are not in need of anything. I do suggest a few things:
Do not use your regular conditioner as a deep conditioner
They have different ingredients because they have different purposes and you will not be getting the proper effects of a deep conditioner in that way.
Read more: Daily Conditioner vs. Deep Conditioner
Enlist in a deep conditioner
Deep conditioners have ingredients that can penetrate the hair shaft unlike traditional daily conditioners. Try to use at least monthly to make sure you are protecting all layers of the hair strand from damage.
Read more: Top 20 Deep Conditioners
Check for dryness in the future as you may need a protein treatment
If you ever see a difference in your hair, then a protein treatment might help. Maintaining a good moisture-protein balance is essential to healthy hair. You have a great regimen that may occasionally need some of these other products mentioned, but if it is working then by all means do it and do not worry about anything else.
Read more: The Must-See Guide to the Best Protein Treatment for Your Hair
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