Silicone & Shampoo Free: One Week In

Last week, I wrote about the Curly Girl method, which hypothesises that curly hair does better without shampoo, as the most common cleanser in shampoo, SLS, is too harsh for delicate curly hair. In order to cut out shampoo, one has to also cut out anything that'll build up on the hair - silicones and polyquatariums.

I started off my shampoo free routine with one last shampoo - without silicone - to rid my hair of any build up before I began. I used Aussie Miracle Moist, which is silicone free and actually rather nice. It's been donated to my husband, now though, as after conditioning with Original Source White Pear and Avocado conditioner, I was free of silicones and ready to start co-washing.

For my next wash, I applied a palmful of conditioner to my scalp, and massaged with my fingers as I used to do with shampoo. Obviously, I didn't get any lather, which was a very strange feeling. After rinsing thoroughly, I applied some more conditioner to the lengths of my hair, and then I was done. I was very surprised by how clean my hair felt and looked after a rubdown with just conditioner; easily as clean as with shampoo. My hair also immediately started feeling softer and less dry.

A week on, my curl definition has improved, and although I'm still somewhat frizzy, I think it's less so than it used to be. I have noticed that my fringe gets greasy much faster - I think I'm probably using too much conditioner on it, so I'm trying to tone down. My big fear, that I would end up looking lank-haired and greasy, seems to have been unfounded thus far. So far so good!

I'll report back soon, and hopefully will have some before and after photos to compare too.