Di Dumbs It Down

Pregnancy is a magical period of time. Your body actually grows another human with their own DNA, personality and bright future. For nine months, you have two (or more, with multiples!) hearts beating in harmony within your body. Every action you make can impact this vulnerable creature. Your body changes drastically, which is both beautiful and challenging. Your hair grows thick and shiny. Your skin sometimes looks better than ever, but sometimes teenage-like acne makes an unwelcome return. Labour and delivery are the hardest physical activities you’ve ever dreamed of doing. The pain you endure, whether vaginally or by Caesarean, a re unrivaled. Your beautiful, perfect angel arrives in your arms and your heart is suddenly beating outside of your body. This extension of you becomes more important than your own comfort or your own life.  And you may not have noticed right away, but your hair starts to change again. It falls out, seemingly, in clumps. It’s dull, tangled and matted.

Itchy... What? These refer to preservatives, usually listed near the end of an ingredient list, that are long and start with the letter "M." The common ones are Methylchlorioisothiaolinone and Methylisothiazolinone. Basically... if it begins with Meth  and ends with One , it's an Itchy M. What do they do? They are preservatives that keep your products from going bad. They are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, so they keep your conditioner and other bath products safe in a hot and humid climate. But, they can seriously irritate your skin . Many people get scalp itch, irritation and pain from using products with Itchy Ms. If you have skin allergies, it can be quite serious. So, what should I do? It's generally a good idea to avoid co-washing with Itchy M ingredients. I don't use them as a co-wash, as I have psoriasis. But, I do occasionally use them as a conditioner (Suave Essentials and Beauty & Planet, for example). If you use them as a condition

Feeling greasy? Sulfate is silicone's partner in crime. Many shampoos have it, which makes cowashing/using a low-poo an easy choice for me. So, silicone has coated your hair, preventing moisture from getting it. Sulfate removes silicone, but... What else does sulfate remove? Your scalp's natural oils. Then, your scalp works on overdrive to replace the oils - often, overproducing! This is why you may feel you need to wash your hair every day ( grease) It's a vicious cycle. Shampoo to beat the grease... when shampooing creates  the grease. Other than your final wash, steer clear of sulfates. Avoid SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) like the plague for a healthy scalp! Conditioners have cleansing ingredients. Sulfate-free shampoos exist too (known as low-poos)

Cowashing is short for Conditioner Washing Which means... washing your hair with conditioner! That's right. You can use a Curly Girl (CG) approved conditioner (no sulfates or silicones!) to wash you scalp and hair. Why is that? There are cleaning agents in your conditioner. Really! But even though conditioner has cleansing agents in it, you can't just suds it up with a few quick rubs as you would with a sulfate-rich shampoo. To clean your hair, you gotta work! The cleansing ingredients, plus your manual labour, work in tandem to clean your hair without stripping your scalp of its natural oils. Step One Apply a generous amount of conditioner to your scalp Step Two Rub and scrub every square inch of your scalp. Rub your fingers in circles all over your scalp for at least two minutes - ideally, five. Rub your scalp until your arms hurt! Run your down your hair as well. Step Three Rinse completely and continue to rub your scalp and your hair as you rinse. This gets i

These are the steps you follow when you follow the CGM.... Step One: Final Wash This step is very important! Your hair may be full of silicones, waxes and other nasty fellows that don't allow moisture to penetrate into your hair. We want to get rid of them so we can rehydrate your very thirsty hair. For this, we need to use a shampoo with sulfate in it (sodium lauryl sulfate or SLS is the main one). Check the ingredients of your current shampoo. If it has SLS and is silicone-free, go for it. Many baby shampoos also work well. Once again, check the ingredients list for sulfate if you're not sure. * Controversial * Dish soap is easy as you already have it at home. Dilute it with water as it's super harsh. Dish soap (I used Blue Dawn) is a contentious issue in the hair community. Whatever you use, RINSE! Step Two: Condition the Heck Out of Your Hair You know how the label on the conditioner bottle always says, "use a small amount?" Forget that. Apply a