by DHA's DIY | Aug 30, 2022 | Super Low Porosity, Natural Hair
The worst curly hair advice possible if you have 4C hair? When 3B/C curl tips gets tossed out as general, one-size-fits-all curly wisdom.
This Type 3-obsessed curl dogma has taken over the way we talk about and treat all curly hair, even creating dogmatic 4C hair myths when it doesn’t apply. These general “curly methods” can even be damaging, especially when it comes to 4C hair.urly e
curly hair advice
4C hair: Can you get good advice from a 3B?
It’s a familiar 4C rite of passage: you spend hundreds of hours in your bathroom, struggling to implement the often well-intended, but ultimately time and money-wasting curly hair advice you picked up on YouTube, until something finally clicks. It’s not working and it’s probably never going to.
Instead of pushing valiantly on, trying to make this useless advice perform somehow on 4C hair, we’ve decided to give up and call BS on these 4C hair myths, some of the most ridiculous and misleading – however well-meaning -Type 3-centric curly hair advice, that just won’t work on 4C hair.
curly hair advice
4C Hair Myth 1: “It’s not the product, it’s the method.”
This has to be one of the most cringeworthy pieces of curly hair advice ever offered when it comes to 4C hair. Of course people with type 3 hair can afford not to differentiate between products; most curly hair products are designed for type 3 hair. Many 4As can also get away with this approach though, so it’s little wonder it became so entrenched into 4C hair myth status.
On 4C hair, the product matters as much as the method. Image by Lindie Wilton.
But for 4C hair, it is the product. Why? 4C hair typically has a much less absorbent surface than your average, say, 3C, hair. It’s very picky and choosy about what it will absorb, so not all products can get in. Most products for curly hair are designed with the highly absorbent textures common on Type 3 hair in mind, which means that what looks like a slight difference in performance between products on 3C hair can show up as complete non-performance on 4C hair.
In fact, the wrong product can change everything on 4C hair, from giving you stiff strands that won’t respond, to inflicting build-up for days and even breaking off the ends of your hair.
This doesn’t mean that method doesn’t matter on 4C: the right techniques, done consistently, are essential to successful 4C haircare. But without the right products, you’re fighting a losing battle.
curly hair advice curly hair advice
curly hair advice curly hair advice
4C Hair Myth 2: “4C hair needs oil.”
Do oils work on 4C hair? Not often. Image by Kelly Sikkema.
Most 4C hair hates most oils.* For some reason, that hasn’t stopped hair bloggers (Type 3 and 4 alike), traditional hair media, and well-meaning aunties pushing the virtues of oils on 4C hair, spreading one of the biggest 4C hair myths. But despite the near-sacred belief in oils as a universal good for all hair, most 4C hair still can’t stand most oils.
Why? 4C hair usually has super low porosity. Not just low, but super low. Not only does your average 4C strand refuse entry to oils, it often bristles when the oil hits it, too. Seal your hair with oil? It’s probably just going to roll off. Even if it doesn’t, it’ll likely sit in globs on your hair shaft, ruffle up your cuticle scales and leave grease stains all over your house, your car and your job.
So if you’ve tried straight oils on your 4C hair and the reaction was a snap, crackle and pop, plus the odd oil patch on your brand new shirt, just know that they’re not for your hair type. And that is just fine.
*Some 4C hair does do well with oils. If this applies to you, don’t stop doing what works.
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curly hair advice curly hair advice
4C Hair Myth 3: “Apply your products on wet hair.”
Should you apply products on wet hair? Not if you have 4C hair. Image by Anne.
Type 3-centered curly hair advice always has you applying product on wet hair to ‘lock in the curl’ — a big 4C hair myth!. On 4C hair, there is no special wet hair curl effect to lock in. 4C’s super low porosity means it doesn’t take in enough water to create major definition the way other hair types do when wet. So applying your product on wet 4C hair won’t give you the same results your Type 3 counterpart gets.
On top of that, sticking with this Type 3-centered curly hair advice, you’ll also run the risk of seriously annoying your 4C hair. Wet 4C strands barely have any space for water, so if your hair is full to capacity with all the moisture it can take, best believe there is no room in the inn for some product.
And if your wet 4C hair tends to go brittle or squeaky as soon as you apply product to it, this is a sign your strands are oversaturated, which can be extremely damaging. That’s without even mentioning the weird shrinkage and awkward drying patterns that applying product on wet 4C hair can bring.
4C Hair Myth 4: “A little goes a long way.”
On 4C hair, you might need a lot more product than the label advises. Image by Taisiia
A teaspoonful/50p/quarter-sized/[insert other ridiculously small amount] of product might go a long way on some Type 3 curls but it won’t go very far at all on most 4C hair. All things being equal (that is, on hair with similar length, density and strand diameter), 4C will typically require more product input than 3A, B or C, and 4A, too.
Shrinkage is one cause: the spring factor that comes with having more curls per inch means a greater weight capacity, so you can apply quite a bit before product feels “detectable” in the hair. And since many 4Cs try to limit shrinkage, trading some volume to get it might not even be an issue.
But the biggest reason behind this 4C hair myth is porosity. While low porosity occurs on all hair types (it’s actually very common on Type 1 straight hair), the super low porosity that often comes with 4C hair is another thing altogether. It means this hair type is several times less absorbent than most other curl types, and that has a huge impact on how much product you’ll need to use.
Since it’s taking in less product, you need to apply more to get the same effect – whether that’s moisture, smoothness, curl definition, hold, slip, shine, or pretty much any other factor.
So don’t let people who think they know better pushing these 4C hair myths (but don’t), make you feel like you’re being wasteful when you need to apply more than they do. But if you see your money going down the drain in gobs of styler, you might want to think about how to apply product to get it to absorb on your 4C hair more efficiently.
curly hair advice curly hair advice
curly hair advice curly hair advice
There’s even more shaky advice out there…
With so many Type 3-centric tips scattered all over the web that are totally non-productive on your 4C curls, we had to create part 2 of this, with 3 more tips of popular 4C hair myths you might want to avoid like the plague.
curly hair advice curly hair advice
For more 4c hair secrets, check this out.
by DHA's DIY | Apr 19, 2022 | Natural Hair, Super Low Porosity
Can you treat 4C hair the same way you treat 3B hair? If you listen to most curl tips, it would be easy to think Type 3 curly hair advice is universal. But it isn’t.
Following certain 3-centric curl tips on 4C hair could be what’s making your hair seems unmanageable or difficult right now.
We just need to jettison some of the “rules” that don’t work for this hair type at all. Rules like:
Tip 1: “Curly hair should be washed in cool water.”
If you wash your hair with cool water, you’re missing out on softer, shinier, more hydrated, cleaner, healthier 4C hair. In other words, everything.
Hot water has more energy, it penetrates the strand better, which means you get more moisture and more flexibility. Micelles, the surfactant molecules that cleanse in shampoo and condition in conditioner, tend to perform better in warmer water, too. Hotter water is also better at melting oils, and removing product residue and other similar buildup from your hair and scalp.
There’s no need to go overboard, though; excessively hot water is damaging to your scalp and drying to your hair. But you can safely turn up the temperature to the hotter side of warm, and skip the chance of that mystical ice cold water rinse-induced shine, that never worked on your 4C hair, anyway.
Tip 2: ”Leave in some of your conditioner.”
4c has very little free space, which means leaving in conditioner is usually a no-no. Picture strands that are full to the brim internally, plus a clogged surface, and you’ll see why conditioner left in tends to mean stiffer, less cooperative hair.
Never leave in conditioner on 4C hair. If your conditioner is strong enough, you won’t need to.
Being full of left in conditioner also makes it harder to take in other leave ins or stylers once your hair is dry. Add a thick coat of dullness and embarassing buildup, and aesthetically, there are few reasons to continue this practice on most 4C tresses.
More worryingly, a lot of conditioners are formulated with ingredient levels that are safe to use as rinse out formulas, but can be irritants when left in. For Black women in particular, who tend to use higher amounts of product than estimated by manufacturers, this can sometimes mean serious health concerns.
If you use a strong deep conditioner, there’s no need to leave in a conditioner.
If you’re using a good conditioner for 4c hair – one that is strong enough to soften, hydrate and smooth this hair type – then you won’t need to leave any of it in, especially if you work in your conditioner, and give it time to penetrate. In fact, good conditioners tend to work better when you rinse them out thoroughly with warm water.
There are some formulas which are actually both leave in and rinse out conditioner in one. In this case, leaving it in shouldn’t pose any health concerns. Still, to avoid the strand problems mentioned above, it’s usually best to rinse them all the way out, then reapply on damp to dry hair.
Tip 3: “Do twistouts, braidouts and rodsets on wet hair.”
Twistouts work better done from dry hair if you have 4C hair.
4C hair deforms a lot less easily when wet than other hair types. So there’s usually very little to gain from trying to set the hair into a new curl when it’s wet. In fact, as tightly-curled 4C hair dries, it’s also resetting its own, strong patterns. It’s definitely not a good idea to try to impose some new ones while this intense shrinkage is underway.
Plus, if you’re using products to add hold, there’s a risk that your wet 4C hair will refuse to let the product into the strand or even adhere to its surface, which can mean the product doesn’t work at all. Wet styling 4C hair all too often means so-so results, buildup, formless curls, and awkward shrinkage. Instead, wait until your hair is damp to dry, when it’s a lot more absorbent and cooperative. Then start your braidout or twistout and avoid it going wrong.
4C hair needs its own curly girl rules
Suffice it to say, on 4C hair, the best advice is often opposite to what works on Type 3 hair. Except of course, when it’s not – some fine 4C textures are more absorbent and tractable, and thus don’t strictly play by typical 4c rules. And some 4C hair will break some of these patterns and follow others. Sigh. Such are the complexities of curly hair.
To deal with the #1 4c hair problem – dryness – take a FREE moisture training course.
by DHA's DIY | Apr 6, 2022 | Conditioning, Low Porosity, Natural Hair
Most natural hair bloggers like to emphasise routines over products.
But if you have true low porosity hair, you already know products make all the difference. Especially when it comes to conditioners.
Here’s our guide to the top 5 conditioners and treatments that penetrate and smooth the surface of low porosity hair.
Low porosity hair: the right conditioner changes everything
The right conditioner can make your low porosity hair. The wrong one can literally break it.
If you have low-po hair and have already gone through the circles of conditioner hell, from the formulas that did nothing, to the ones that made your hair feel worse than your shampoo, to the ones that literally broke little pieces of your hair off right before your eyes, then you more than know this.
Low porosity hair is famously finicky about what it’ll let into its strands – which is why so many products flop and so few actually get to work on this hair type. This means that, while the right routine is important, it’s a non-starter unless you’re using decent products that can perform on your very unique hair.
Good conditioners are the cornerstone of natural haircare – the performance of every other step in your routine depends on how effective your conditioner is.
Combine the right routine with the best conditioners and a good dose of consistency (very important) and it’s golden.
The best conditioners for low porosity hair
Here are the 5 best conditioners for low porosity hair types. All of our top picks are superconditioners – read here for what exactly those are, and 4 of the 5 are treatments or hair masks. To compile this selection, we tested our shortlist on a range of low porosity hair types, from moderately low porosity to super low porosity hair that barely takes in water.
We’ve chosen these 5 for their ability to penetrate into resistant low porosity cuticles, but also to cling smoothly yet weightlessly to the surface. That way, when you rinse your hair is silky and – so important for compact, tightly-closed strands – there’s no residue that gets in the way of the next steps in your regimen.
Keep reading to see how we break each of the 5 conditioners down by their main benefits, too – including moisture, detangling, protein levels, strengthening, and curl definition.
atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment
This deep conditioner is hands down the most hydrating treatment we have tried. It penetrates quickly and silkens, even on extremely low porosity hair that won’t absorb anything. Try this, especially if you’ve been told you have “hard hair” all your life and nothing works. This one will.
atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment has a universal formula that has worked on every hair type and texture we’ve tested it on, from straight 1A hair to supercurly 4C hair, high porosity to super low porosity. It’s designed to works on every one because it has a formula that adjusts automatically to your hair’s needs.
atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment is all moisture: it softens deep down into the strand, giving your hair loads of stretch, and it smooths the cuticle so your strands feels slippery to the touch, even after you’ve rinsed and dried. This treatment adds shine by the kilowatt and even enhances curl definition. The intense hydration it delivers also has a strengthening benefit because it makes hair less brittle.
You’ll notice a change in your hair from the first time you use this. To truly transform your texture, use it back to back, 3-4 times in a row, spacing your treatments no longer than a week apart. It’s great for moisture training resistant, dry hair, fast.
atrActiva Multivitamin Treatment:
Type: High moisture
Main benefits: Intense hydration, softening, flexibility, breakage prevention, shine, curl definition.
How to use: Start with a clean base for best results. Use a clarifying shampoo to clear any surface residue that could block its penetration. Be generous, especially the first time you use it, so you get the most dramatic results upfront. Work it in well and leave it on to work before rinsing. Here are our blow-by-blow instructions on how to use atrActiva Multivitamin.
Capilo La Aplanadora Treatment
This treatment brings protein (keratin) and moisture in one, so it’s great for maintaining your protein-moisture balance in a single step. The hydration is what hits you first: the moisture penetrates strands almost instantly, then after a few minutes you feel how the protein packs out your strands so they look and feel fuller.
Capilo La Aplanadora Treatment is an excellent detangler, too. Once it absorbs into your hair it will melt some of the roughest knots apart – the slip is that intense. Since it’s also moisturising, there’s no need to follow up with a moisture conditioner; you can skip this part of your routine and just go straight to your leave in.
Capilo La Aplanadora Treatment:
Type: High protein, high moisture
Main benefits: Dramatically strengthens damaged hair. Moisture and protein balance in one. Powerful detangler. Stretches hair. Leaves strands feeling and looking fuller.
How to use: 1-2 times monthly, if you’re maintaining healthy hair. If your hair is damaged try this: Apply La Aplanadora Treatment 3 weeks in a row, to build up strength fast. As the protein is so intense, switch to an all-moisture treatment after your 3 weeks. Follow with a few weeks of moisture only, then start using La Aplanadora 1-2 times a month – don’t be afraid to tweak the frequency to your hair’s response. For step-by-step details on how to use La Aplanadora Treatment, read here.
Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment
Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment is the most penetrating formula in the Silicon Mix line, which means it works really well on low porosity hair. Bambu has a more golden hue and a lighter consistency than the original Silicon Mix Treatment, while still conserving that characteristic glossy cream texture.
This treatment smooths away roughness on the surface and also absorbs well into the cuticle. Bambu does some light strengthening work too, thanks to its mix of bamboo extract, ceramides and keratin.
Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment:
Type: high moisture, light protein
Main benefits: softening and protecting hair; smoothing
How to use: Apply as a conditioning treatment right after shampooing. Brush, comb or fingercomb in, leave on to work, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
atrActiva Keratin Rich Conditioner
Need to strengthen your hair but can’t stand protein? Then try atrActiva Keratin Rich Conditioner. Despite the “keratin” in the name, it doesn’t actually contain any proteins; instead it strengthens your natural keratin by plugging in the little holes left by damage, using tiny ingredients known as ceramides.
This is a light, fluid conditioner, which makes it super easy to work into resistant strands and completely weightless on fine hair. While it doesn’t pack the immediate strengthening punch of an intense protein treatment like Capilo La Aplanadora, the cool thing about atrActiva Keratin Rich is the way, with repeated use, your strands gradually become more flexible and resilient, and the surface smooths out as it gets filled in.
atrActiva Keratin Rich Conditioner:
Type: Moderate strengthening (protein-free), light moisture
Main benefits: Exceptional penetration on even resistant, low porosity hair. Good at delivering moisture to stiff, dehydrated hair that has not been moisture trained. Enhances elasticity and curl definition. Great for protein sensitive hair.
How to use: Use weekly to slowly build in elasticity and smooth strand surface. Expect changes from 3-4 weeks of weekly use. You can layer this under a moisturising deep treatment, like atrActiva Multivitamin from the same line or Silicon Mix Bambu Treatment for maximum hydration. For the nitty-gritty on atrActiva Keratin Rich and how to use it, see this page.
Halka Baba De Caracol Treatment
If you speak Spanish, then you already know: this treatment contains snail slime. That’s right, the mucus secretion of Helix aspersa, aka the common garden snail, is the star ingredient in this powerful treatment. Don’t worry; the light floral fragrance and creamy texture give very little hint of it.
Snail slime has been used for centuries as a skin treatment and beauty aid. It has documented skin regenerative properties, and contains natural humectants like allantoin, plus glycolic acid, which can help your scalp exfoliate. On your hair, its natural proteins and polysaccharides work by filling in the gaps that make your strands weak, and then creating a slippery smooth layer that protects them and locks in moisture. Oh and it adds a ton of shine, too.
Halka Baba de Caracol Treatment:
Type: Moderate protein, high moisture
Main benefits: Hydrates and smooths. Increases curl definition. Reduces breakage at ends.
How to use: On low porosity hair, applying the matching conditioner, Baba de Caracol Rinse first is a must. It prepares the hair surface and makes it easier for the treatment to absorb. There’s no need to rinse in between; just apply Baba de Caracol Rinse on freshly shampooed hair, and layer on Baba de Caracol Treatment. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use this.
How to apply conditioners on low porosity hair
Once you’ve matched your low porosity treatment to your hair’s needs, you need to apply it properly to get best results. On low porosity hair, products need to be worked in so they absorb or adhere to the hair strands properly, and don’t just sit on the surface.Don’t be afraid to use a seamless wide tooth comb, or a silicone or polished all-wood brush to work your conditioner in. You can also do some serious work just using your fingers to rake and smooth it into your hair. You’ll know it’s all the way in when your
hair starts to feel seaweedy and your curls start to pop a little bit. Then just cover and leave it in for a few minutes to soak right into your low porosity hair and give it the pampering it’s been waiting for.
The Super Low Porosity Survival Kit
We’re putting the finishing touches on our first batch of the DHA Super Low Porosity Survival Kit. It’s a compilation of the products that really work on super low porosity hair – the most extreme kind of low porosity hair out there – and a free course on how to care for this hair type. You can preorder your kit via the link below. Press the pink button for details.
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by DHA's DIY | Apr 3, 2022 | INCI: all about the ingredients, Natural Hair, Shampoo, Shampoo Alternatives, Sulfates
sulfate shampoo sulfate shampoo sulfate shampoo sulfate shampoo sulfate shampoo
Are sulfates good or bad?
What do they do to natural hair?
Does sulphate-free shampoo make hair greasy?
Sulfates are the most controversial ingredients in haircare, but most of us don’t know why we hate them so much.
Think you know all there is to know about these ingredients? Well here’s the whole truth about sulfates.
sulfate shampoo sulfate shampooSulfate Shampoo:
Why sulfates became one of the most hated ingredients
Think you know all there is to know about these ingredients? Well here’s the whole truth about sulfates.
Once upon a time, almost everyone washed their hair with shampoos powered by small, but potent cleansers. These frothy soap replacements were easy to rinse from the hair, produced tons of lather and left hair squeaky clean. They were nicknamed “sulfates” by formulators, but pretty much no one else had ever heard of them
Sulfates are often blamed for dryness in curly hair. Image by the Collab.
Until 2001, the year sulfates were officially designated Public Enemy No. 1. The alarm was raised by an influential curly hairstylist who had just dropped her first book. In it, she blamed sulfates for the frizz and dryness that many people with curly hair struggle with. And little by little, natural hair sites and beauty magazines started turning on the ingredients they had been using for years.
By the 2010s, strange words like “no poo”, “co-wash” and “CG-friendly” had crossed into mainstream beauty speak. Soon nearly everyone was asking, “Is that sulfate-free?” at the hair shop – whether they knew what sulfates were or not.
First off, ‘sulfate’ isn’t a single ingredient. When an ingredient has sulfate in its name, it means part of that molecule contains a little group composed of a sulphur atom joined to 4 oxygen atoms. Lots and lots of very different ingredients have sulfate groups – everything from natural minerals used to make plaster, to dyes, to magnesium sulphate aka Epsom salts – which by the way, can be very good for your scalp.
On natural hair, sodium laureth sulfate is a more moderate sulfate cleanser. Image by Edgar181.
But the sulfates people are usually talking about when it comes to hair are the kind that clean your hair; the anionic surfactants. These ingredients are molecules with a water-loving head and an oil-loving tail. Their superpower is that they can make two ingredients that usually hate each other – water and oil – join together. Sulfates use this superpower to work as cleansers, the most popular type in shampoos.
Not all ‘sulfate’ ingredients have any effect on your hair at all. Sodium sulfate is used in cosmetics to thicken the product itself, without actually acting on your strands. Others, like magnesium sulfate, are rarely included in haircare, but tend to show up in products with an emphasis on scalp care.
So even if you’re going ‘sulfate free’, don’t panic if you see the word sulfate on an ingredients list right after ‘sodium’ or ‘magnesium’. It’s not what people are talking about when they say ‘sulfate shampoo’.
What they are talking about are these ingredients:
- sodium lauryl sulfate
- sodium laureth sulfate
- ammonium lauryl sulfate
- ammonium laureth sulfate
These are the main four cleansing agents, called sulfates for short, which have become so controversial in recent years. So are they bad? Some sulfates are good to your hair, some are somewhere in the middle, and some can be pretty bad for hair. How can you tell them apart? We’ll get to that in a minute.
What does sulfate do to natural hair?
The main thing sulfates do to natural hair is cleanse it. The problem is, sometimes, they do this job a little too well. When sulfate concentration is too high in a shampoo formula, it can remove more from your hair than just the dirt, product buildup and grease you want it to remove.
At high concentrations, sulfates can strip your hair of its bound lipids – oils that are naturally stuck to your cuticle, and whose job is to sit tight on the surface and protect it. Over time, this leaves your hair dried out, brittle, frizzy and rough.
Scarily, the most overzealous sulphates actually create little holes in your strands, as they go deep to remove oil, leaving hair weaker and more porous. The sulphates that do this are the smaller, harsher sulfates, the ones with lauryl in their name – like sodium lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate.
Avoid using sodium lauryl sulfate on your natural hair. Image by Lucas Lenzi.
But not all sulfates do this. Laureth sulfates are chemically modified to be milder. The same goes for the lesser known myreth sulfates which are also bigger, way too large to penetrate the strand, and so way gentler, too.
If you’re planning on using a sulphate shampoo, formulas that say sodium laureth sulfate, sodium myreth sulfate or ammonium laureth sulfate on the label should be able to cleanse your hair without completely stripping it.
What’s the difference between sulfates and sulphates?
Nothing! Chemically, they’re exactly the same. Sulphate is simply the ‘British’ (Or Jamaican or Canadian or Australian…) spelling, while sulfate is the way it’s spelled in the US. We’ve used both interchangeably in this article.
What’s the best sulfate shampoo for natural hair?
The best sulfate shampoo for natural hair will contain a laureth sulfate or myreth sulphate, whether that’s sodium laureth sulfate, sodium myreth sulfate or ammonium laureth sulfate
The best sulfate shampoos contain laureth or myreth sulfate, as used in atrActiva Anti-Stress Shampoo.
Avoid lauryl sulphates if you don’t want to overcleanse or create minute cracks in your cuticle surface. While you might be able to get away with using them occasionally in a well-formulated shampoo, they shouldn’t be part of your regular natural hair regimen unless you have seriously robust hair.
A good sulfate shampoo won’t be too concentrated, either. If it’s well-formulated, the shampoo should be strong enough to remove stubborn residue, including product buildup, grease and pollution – but balanced, to avoid being too harsh on your hair.
One more thing; the ideal sulfate shampoo will also cleanse without leaving buildup. On low porosity hair in particular, which has the lowest tolerance for residue, it’s best to avoid any shampoo that dumps a ton of unnecessary ingredients on your hair that you can’t rinse away.
A residue-free cleanser will allow your conditioner the space it needs to work to maximum effect, instead of having to compete with bits of leftover shampoo. And most importantly, it means your scalp can breathe!
Shampoos we’ve tested that fit the ideal sulfate shampoo criteria include atrActiva AntiStress Shampoo, which recently won the Award For Best Clarifying Shampoo, and Capilo La Aplanadora Shampoo.
Both of these are deep cleansers, meaning they’re suited for use as clarifying shampoos to remove weeks of buildup, or as a once weekly cleanser if you use a fair amount of product.
A moderate cleanser for more frequent use is Silicon Mix Shampoo, which you can use multiple times a week without overcleansing.
Does sulfate-free shampoo makes hair greasy?
Since the backlash against sulfates began, sulfate-free formulas have become more popular. Unfortunately, some sulfate-free shampoos do leave hair feeling greasy. Sometimes, it’s because they’re based on milder cleansing agents which can struggle to remove greasy buildup already on the hair.
And because these cleansing agents are so mild, they might have to be used at a higher concentration, which can be drying to the hair and scalp – causing your scalp to overcompensate by producing more oil.
Sulfate-free shampoos can leave hair greasy as they contain weaker cleansers. Image by Barbara Asboth.
The last reason why sulfate-free cleansers can leave your hair greasy might be disturbing for anyone avoiding sulfates because of their rep as harsh cleansers: Some sulfate-free shampoos contain cleansing agents that are actually harsher than most sulfates.
To mask their effect, manufacturers often include a lot of conditioning ingredients in the formula so you can’t actually feel that your hair is drying out. These ingredients can build up on your hair, leaving it feeling greasy instead.
That said, there are sulfate-free shampoos, for example, Halka Baba de Caracol Sulphate- Free Shampoo, which don’t do any of the above. Good sulfate-free shampoos will clean hair well without overloading it with grease or overcleansing it, but in practice, it’s very tricky for formulators to get the balance right, which is why it’s so hard to find a good sulfate-free shampoo.
Are sulfates safe for your health?
There are studies out there which link sulfates to skin cell damage. However, these tend to be based on sulfates used at higher concentrations, and leaving the ingredient on your skin, which you wouldn’t ordinarily do with shampoo.
The safety of every ingredient is “dose-dependent” and even sulfate-free cleansers and conditioning agents have maximum levels above which they should not be used in products for safety reasons.
That said, the evidence for lauryl sulfates and irritation is pretty compelling. These cleansers can be pretty harsh even with normal use, because of the way they disrupt the epidermal structure. They’re often used to purposely induce contact dermatitis in scientific experiments, for example.Finally, like any other ingredient, some people can be allergic to sulfates. If you are, definitely don’t use them..
Are there naturals who use sulfate shampoo?
Despite the widespread fear of sulfates in the natural community, there are tons of naturals who use sulfate shampoo. Some of them are recent re-converts to sulfate shampoos, like Jonell Sequira, others, like NappyFu – who has a really informative video on the topic – never left.
There are a couple of major reasons why they do. Since people with natural hair tend to use a lot more styling butters, oils and custard or pudding-type stylers, they tend to need better buildup removal than people with other hair types. The ingredients in these products can be hard to remove with co-washes, hair teas, or sulfate-free shampoos.
The rich butters used by many naturals can be hard to remove with co-washes, clays and sulfate-free shampoos. Image by Crishna Simmons.
Can you use sulfates on low porosity hair?
You can definitely use sulphate shampoos on low porosity hair. Sulphates are great at removing the type of debris that other cleansers leave behind. They’ll pick up a lot of the product residue these alternatives miss, as well as more of the usual stuff like dirt, sweat, sebum and pollutants.
When you have natural low porosity hair – especially 4C hair, which tends to have super low porosity – this level of effective cleansing has especially high value.
Why? The surface of low porosity hair is less absorbent and more prone to buildup, so shampoos that don’t effectively remove surface residue can actually block the effects of conditioners, interfere with styling, and affect the way hair feels. Since they’re so good at this step, sulfates can eliminate this problem, making low porosity hair easier to condition, moisturise and handle
Sulfates: One thing you should never do
Warning: sulfates are potent cleansers. Skipping conditioner afterwards, even if the sulfate shampoo you used says “2-in-1” or “moisturising” on the label, is a no-no. Following sulfate shampoos up with a good conditioner is a must if you don’t want your hair to dry out.
And since they clean the surface so well, treatments – especially moisture treatments – usually work better after using a sulfate shampoo than other cleansers, so there’s no excuse to skip conditioner, ever.
In fact, when you’re using such powerful shampoos, it’s even more important to have a washday routine that’s super gentle and kind to your hair.
Use this washday checklist to make sure you’re treating your curls as gently as they deserve, whether your cleanser contains sulfates or not.
by DHA's DIY | Mar 31, 2022 | Cowash, Natural Hair, Shampoo Alternatives
Are you co-washing or just co-rinsing? Or none of the above?
It’s a distinction that can flummox newcomers and natural veterans alike.
But not knowing the difference could mean doing your hair a disservice.
Co-wash: The Process
One of the first passages into nurturing the full possibilities of your natural texture, or simply taking more gentle care of your hair is the co-wash: washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo.
However, the cleansing is not in simply applying conditioner to the hair. Co-washing is a process – if you do it right, your hair will come out both conditioned and clean at the other end. Get it wrong, and you could be left with musty hair and buildup that’ll have you scrambling for the first bottle of clarifying shampoo you can get your hands on.
Cleansing with conditioner
The gentler surfactants, cleansing agents, in conditioners remove dirt from your hair without stripping it the way shampoo can all too easily do. While the conditioners themselves double up as cleansers, however, the method is still intended to be a two-step, rather than a 2-in-1, with the co-wash conditioner replacing the shampoo alone, not the shampoo and the conditioner.
Why? Well, those particles in the conditioner that do the cleansing work and the conditioning work are usually one and the same.
If applied to dirty hair, those same surfactants are too busy forming micelles with the dirt and grime on your strands – and rolling off your hair with them once you rinse – to do much in the way of conditioning.
On cleaner hair, the conditioner can adhere to the surface of your hair better, instead of just hooking onto the dirt, and thus can provide your hair with the thorough conditioning it needs.
Co-rinse v co-wash
If you simply rinse-condition-rinse what you’re doing is a co-rinse. This only provides a shot of moisture and emolliency to your hair – it doesn’t cleanse. Without working the conditioner into your scalp to lift away dirt, smoothing the resultant lather down to the ends, leaving it in for a couple minutes to do its work, and then rinsing thoroughly, you’re not cleansing your hair enough to call it co-washing. However, this is perfectly fine to do between washes when all you want is an intense dose of moisture, smoothness or combability.
Step by step: an effective co-wash
To perform an effective co-wash, you have to recognise the difference between the cleansing power of the conditioner you’re currently working with and the shampoo you were probably raised on. The surfactants in the conditioner are much less powerful. While they are often superior at removing oil-based debris compared to those used in conventional shampoos, what you gain in gentleness you tend to lose in potency. This means that the conditioner usually needs a lot of assistance from you in getting your hair clean.
To get your hair clean with conditioner, you need to start by rinsing thoroughly.
Drench your hair in warm water for 2-5 minutes, making sure you open up unexposed sections of your hair and scalp to the flow of the water, especially if you have particularly dense hair, to ensure no part goes untouched.
Next, apply a generous amount of conditioner – usually a palmful, some hair may need more – to your scalp.
Using the pads of your fingertips, massage this into your scalp all over, from your hairline to your nape, gently but effectively lifting dirt and debris from your scalp. This should take a minimum of 2 minutes. Next, squeeze this lather down to the ends of your hair. If there’s not enough, then quickly dip your hair under the water and apply some more conditioner. This will help ensure you get a good dense foam that’s easy to spread through your strands and thoroughly cleanse your hair.
Next, leave the conditioner in your hair to do its work for at least 2-3 minutes. Remember, the cleansers in conditioner lack the power of those in shampoo and so they need a little extra time and effort to get the job done.
After letting the conditioner do its magic, now it’s time to rinse the hair thoroughly, for a few minutes, to ensure every last drop of dirt and debris-saturated conditioner is removed.
Now you have clean, co-washed hair, the perfect canvas for the moisturizing and smoothing your hair needs. To make sure your hair gets adequate conditioning, follow your cleansing step with a separate application of conditioner. You can use the same conditioner you used to co-wash, or, for more intense conditioning, select a richer conditioner or even a treatment.
What about leaving my co-wash in?
It is common to leave in conditioner to help tame strands as they dry. However, if you do this with the same application of conditioner you used to wash your hair, then your hair isn’t clean. Not only is this not co-washing, it’s also a tad unhygienic, as all of the dirt you’ve removed from your scalp just remains stuck in your hair. This will eventually accumulate, causing dullness, brittleness and tangling, and might lead to you relying on clarifiers much more than your delicate strands would prefer.
If you want to get the benefits of leaving conditioner in, provided that works for your hair type, then rinse all the conditioner you used to co-wash your hair out, and only then reapply the conditioner you want to use as your leave in.
If you only want to leave in some of the conditioner, then you can rinse it out partially and then proceed to styling. But don’t make the mistake of leaving in the grime-laden stuff you’ve just used to clean your scalp and hair.
And remember: only do this with conditioners that you know for sure are safe to leave in. Often the permitted levels of ingredients like essential oils and certain surfactants are a lot lower in leave ins, because of the risk of irritation. So unless you get confirmation from the manufacturer that a conditioner is fine to leave in, it’s best to assume it isn’t.
Getting it right feels so good!
Co-washing can be a lifesaver for fragile or damaged hair, whether curly, straight or somewhere in between – as long as you get it right! Sometimes, the so-so results from making the mistakes listed above can be misleading, and leave you thinking this gentle method is not for your hair. Getting it right means you can stack up the benefits for your hair, leaving you with strands that feel smoother, are stronger, and grow longer.
To make sure you get all those benefits of gentler cleansing, just use this washday checklist.
Image Credits
|Lucy Loomis| Jaime |Jef Harris |Steven DePolo|
by DHA's DIY | Mar 31, 2022 | High Porosity, Low Porosity, Natural Hair, Natural Methods, Shampoo Alternatives
These days, hair trends spread like wildfire on social media.
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But most information isn’t passed on by experts, and many people who share fail to check the facts first.
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All this means the fallout from dodgy beauty remedies and dangerous natural hair trends can be pretty bad.
Dangerous natural hair trends:
These viral hair trends could destroy your natural hair
Back in the day, most natural advice online could be found on large haircare forums with thousands of threads dedicated to curly hair. These forums were the main hubs of haircare information, bubbling with different curly hair perspectives. These days, hair advice is more diffuse, with the sources scattered across the Internet, including social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.
One downside of this is that we can end up in social bubbles, where the information spread into each community is less likely to get checked. That makes it easier for harmful trends to take root and do some serious damage before they get debunked.
Like the following trends currently circulating online. None of them are worth losing your hair over – feel free to avoid them like the plague.
Hair Myth #1: “Use dishwashing liquid instead of shampoo.”
This scam is currently being peddled all over the Internet by a host of unscrupulous bloggers and Instagrammers. Aiming to stoke controversy and thus increase engagement and stack influencer cash, these individuals advocate replacing your shampoo with dish soap to save money.
Apparently, we’ve been getting tricked all along – shampoo and dishwashing liquid are the same thing, the only difference is the price tag and the bottle.
Some have even posted videos of themselves using dish soap to wash their hair.
Some social media influencers advise followers to wash their hair with dish soap. Image by Marco Verch.
One of the hooks they use is to claim that dishwashing liquid has the same ingredients (sulfates) as shampoos. They even go for an emotional touch, pointing to videos of cute ducks rescued from oil spills being washed clean of crude oil with a popular dishwashing liquid. It must be safe if the ducklings can use it, right?
Not right. There’s so much wrong, we had to put together a whole article to warn people of the dangers of washing their hair with dishwashing liquid. Here are a few reasons why it’s not that smart: For one, dishwashing liquid and shampoos don’t have the same ingredients: dishwashing liquids use a harsher detergent (sodium lauryl sulfate) than the type of cleanser commonly used in shampoo, sodium laureth sulfate.
The amount of surfactant used in dish soap is several times higher than shampoo, and it can also trigger contact dermatitis.
Dishwashing detergent is several times harsher than shampoo. Image by DreamS Hair Salon圓夢髮藝
And while certain posters claim using dishwashing liquid hasn’t damaged their hair, it’s worth questioning whether they really know that for a fact. The sodium lauryl sulfate in washing-up liquid not only strips oils indiscriminately, it erodes the surface of your hair. This happens every time you use it, on a microscopic level, so you won’t see the damage until it accumulates.
But what about the baby ducks? Dishwashing detergent did a fine job of removing crude oil from ducklings, but is that relevant to you washing your hair with it? The ducklings weren’t getting scrubbed with detergent as part of their weekly bubble bath – it was a desperate, one-off intervention to remove crude oil from their feathers and save their lives.
Grebe partly covered in crude oil following oil spill. Image by Ingrid Taylar.
If you have anything as thick and sticky as crude oil, or even as unctuous as the contents of a greasy, deep fryer to remove from your hair, it might make sense to use dishwashing liquid.
But if the level of grease this detergent is designed to remove isn’t there, it’s coming for your strands instead.
The spreaders of this misinformation don’t mind trying every trick in the book to get more traffic. The end goal is to entice companies to pay them to shill on their behalf – and they definitely don’t care if your hair has to suffer to get them there.
Hair myth #2: “Use bleach to clean your scalp.”
You might have seen the tragic news reports about people in poorer countries being duped into giving their sick children bleach water to drink as a supposed cure-all. Back in the West, droves of people with Google at their fingertips have decided that bleach will cure all that ails their scalps. This myth is spreading through social media, as ever, helped by sketchy posters hoping to use controversy to propel them to Internet fame.
Household bleach is chemically different and much harsher than that used in salons. Image by Afromztoa.
Hair myth #3: “Use keratin straightening to smooth and strengthen your hair.”
Now here’s a myth that gets pushed through hairdressers and online. It’s yet another example of how a little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing. We all know that hair is made of keratin and that tiny pieces of keratin can be used to temporarily repair damaged hair. Keratin straightening is not the same thing.
Keratin straightening, aka keratin smoothing treatments, aka the Brazilian Keratin Treatment, is a semi-permanent way of straightening hair using a combination of chemicals and heat. Initially, the main ingredient in these formulas was formaldehyde, but after some well-publicised cases of hairdressers and clients becoming seriously ill from the fumes, a lot of the products were banned. Manufacturers started reformulating with other aldehydes at lower concentrations.
Keratin straightening smooths the outside but destroys the inside of hair strands. Image by Angela Litvin.
While they do contain keratin, it’s very unlikely keratin is what’s giving hair its initial smooth, strong appearance following the process. That smoothness comes from the intense blowdrying and ironing, and the aldehydes forced onto the hair at high temperatures. This creates an illusion of strength with an unnaturally glossy coating. That coating wears off over the following months.
After a few treatments, the damaged fibre becomes more apparent and getting more treatments won’t hide the thinness of the destroyed hair shaft.
This is definitely not the way to go if your aim is stronger hair..
You can build up the health, shine and strength of your hair naturally, by alternating protein and moisture treatments on a regular basis. Go for actual conditioning treatments which don’t chemically alter your hair, whether at home or in the salon.
Check out our article on the best types of deep conditioning treatments for healthy hair.
Hair myth #4: “Using texture softeners won’t damage your hair.”
Similar to the BKT conditioning claims, this is another piece of marketing hype that comes straight from the manufacturers. Texture softeners are basically watered down relaxers, smothered in conditioner and grease. Read the labels and see for yourself: most contain common relaxer ingredients, such as calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate.
Texture softeners are similar to relaxers and can damage children’s hair. Image by Carsten ten Brink.
Texture softeners don’t get hair all the way straight, but they work in exactly the same way as relaxers; by breaking the bonds that hold your hair together, leaving you with fewer curls. They pose similar risks for scalp irritation and permanent damage as relaxers, especially on a child’s delicate scalp.
These products are often pushed at stressed, time-poor mums who don’t realise they’re giving their children a relaxer on the low. Their marketing is designed to make you think the only way to soften your child’s hair is to alter it to look like someone else’s.
But if you’re struggling to make your child’s hair softer or more manageable, you don’t need to change the texture. What you do need is a solid routine and some serious hydration from more powerful conditioners than the one you’re using.
Good conditioners and routines will make your child’s hair easier to handle. Image by Tregg Mathis.
These two elements are all it takes to give your child softer, manageable hair – hair that will grow longer, too. You won’t need to worry about scheduling touchups or dealing with chemical damage to your child’s scalp or hair, either.
Hair myth #5: “Use oils as heat protectants instead of silicones.”
Silicones got hit by the same bandwagon that decided to take out sulfates. Despite all the misinformation surrounding them, silicones are not bad for your hair.
You should avoid non-water soluble silicones when you’re on a No Poo routine because conditioner won’t be able to remove them from your hair, which will lead to buildup. But silicones themselves don’t actually damage your hair.
When it comes to heat straightening, they’re much better at protecting your hair than oils. One silicone in particular, dimethicone, resists heat up to 300 degrees Celsius (that’s 450 degrees Fahrenheit). Most oils have low heat stability and smoke points, which means they break down at normal straightening temperatures and can’t protect your hair. You might even be increasing the level of heat your hair is exposed to by using certain oils.
Hair myth #6: “Use baking soda to clarify your hair and scalp.”
Baking soda has a much higher pH than the natural pH of your scalp. Image by Eva Octel.
This has been a popular one on the Internet for a while. Pushed as an alternative to sulfate shampoos for people on ‘No Poo’ routines, baking soda is touted as the gentle way to clarify.
Hair on No Poo needs to be clarified every so often because washing your hair with conditioner only is not enough to remove all residue from your strands. Baking soda’s job is to clear the buildup once it gets too crazy.
The irony is, baking soda is a lot harsher on your scalp and hair than the average sulfate shampoo. Baking soda has a pH of 8.3 while your skin’s natural pH ranges from 4-6, making it way too potent for your scalp and seriously drying to your hair, too.
For some reason, over a decade on, the Internet still can’t shake this myth.
How to spot fake beauty advice online
Not everyone sharing information online has your best interests at heart – and even more innocently don’t know what they’re sharing. The best we can all do is try to verify information we receive – which is why this post links to actual scientific research.
Check the facts for yourself – then share your knowledge to save family and friends getting hoodwinked by the latest hype.
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