Gentle Cleansers

One of the major tenets of the Curly Girl Method is to use specific products that retain a moisture/protein balance. A great way to do that is to incorporate shampoos or low poos that contain gentle cleansing ingredients rather than harsh sulfates into your routine.

Typical shampoos contain sulfates that strip the hair of its natural oils while also causing dryness and irritation on the scalp. This is especially detrimental for curly hair because curls thrive on moisture.

Gentle cleansers create a subtle lather and cleanse the hair without stripping it. This is especially effective for fine hair wavies because a co-wash only routine tends to be too heavy and can weigh their hair down. A co-wash/no poo routine works better for those with thick, dryer curly/kinky-coily hair.

That doesn’t mean that you should use a low poo every time you jump in the shower. Your hair does not need to be washed that often despite what many of us learned growing up. It’s a great idea to mix up your hair routine between low poo-ing, co-washing and just rinsing and conditioning.  A lot of times, I find my hair does not need a full wash but just needs to be rinsed and detangled. Of course, like many aspects of the Curly Girl Method, a lot depends on your individual needs and the best way to figure that out is through trial and error.

One thing to keep in mind is that low poos are not strong enough to remove silcones or build-up from the hair and scalp. That’s why it is not advised to use products that contain silicones with a sulfate-free routine. Also, using a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month followed up by a deep conditioning treatment is a great way to keep build-up at bay.

Gentle Cleansing ingredients include:

*As is with all ingredients in hair products, there are many variations and synonyms to the ingredient names. If you see a discrepancy with the ingredients listed above, please contact us. Please site a source for the information.