Shampoo Before Conditioner
To continue the tried-and-true method of cleansing before conditioning would mean you would cleanse the hair with your shampoo, removing dirt oil and buildup followed by the a surface conditioner. You should end up with clean, well-conditioned, manageable hair. As your cuticle becomes slightly raised by the water and shampoo, your conditioner instantly counteracts, smoothing the cuticle for the ideal pH balance for healthy hair.
The Facts
Wavy hair types might be tempted to utilize the reverse shampoo method, but this has the high potential to bring extreme damage to kinky curly textures, due to the swelling of the hair strand from the alkaline pH without a balancing follow-up. Regardless of hair texture, a raised cuticle is not the ideal state for the hair. A cuticle in it’s raised state is more susceptible to damage from the elements and daily styling, making it more prone to chipping along the hair shaft which leads to breakage.
Obia, owner of Obia Natural Hair Care, chimes in: “If you are not getting great results with your current shampoo-conditioner, you need to get a new product. There is a scientific reason for shampooing before conditioning. Ideally, your shampoo will have a higher pH balance and your conditioner will have a lower pH to bring your hair back into the appropriate moisture balance. Your products should have a pH of 4.5-5.5. The right formula will produce the right result. In other words, if it doesn’t make sense scientifically, it will not make sense practically.”
The Final Verdict
Is this an acceptable practice? Well, to each his own. It may work for someone, but not without great risks. Instead of risking it all for added volume, try a product with a low molecular weight, one that will not add weight to the hair, such as a leave-in conditioner in place of your rinse out conditioner and shampoos containing light oils rather than derivatives of castor oil and the like (check your ingredients”>. For the curly that craves more moisture or strength from a shampoo ritual, add pre-poo to your regimen before you shampoo and conditioning. This is proven to reduce swelling of the hair shaft.
Pre-Pooing
Will Williams, an education director of new products, and research and development of M & M products recommends the following:
- Allow your coconut oil to sit on your hair for a minimum of 15 minutes or overnight (pre-poo”>
- Cleanse with a sulfate-free shampoo followed by a rinse out conditioner
- Apply a leave-in conditioner
- Seal your tips with a very light oil
Looser textures can also benefit from the same regimen by simply using lighter versions of products.
Do you shampoo before conditioning? Do you condition before you shampoo? Have you tried both? What was your experience like?
