Why Co-Washing might make you go bald.

Years ago, cleansing conditioners came into my world and things were never the same. The idea that I can apply a conditioner-like "shampoo" to cleanse my hair seemed too good to be true.  Cleansing conditioners were an amazing addition to my regimen.  No more stripped, dry hair.  Hair One was the first cleansing conditioner that I fell in love with.  Then everything rose to a new level once I bit the bullet and invested in WEN.

WEN was more that I could ask for.  Honey Fig's moisturizing qualities rivaled that of some of my favorite conditioners.  Everything seemed perfect.  That is until, I received the results of a hair analysis that revealed the excessive product build up on the strands.  The recommendation was that I cleanse subject my hair to deeper cleaning via shampoo.  I didn't resist the advice because deep down, I knew that clarifying only benefited the hair.  Looking back, I'm really grateful for the reminder because it may have prevented the unfortunate side effect of excessive product build up.

It seems that a percentage of WEN users have experienced our worst nightmare.  Hair loss.  There's even a class action suit against WEN from all of the unhappy customers who've lost their hair.   Although the root cause of the hair loss isn't clearly determined, we can learn from their experience and try to avoid the negative effects of a no-poo regimen.

What if some of the hair loss could be attributed to excess build up on the hair and scalp?  I think back to a post I did years ago where I linked to images of the harmful effects of excessive scalp build up.  Basically, when the scalp gets overloaded with gunk, it puts too much stress on the follicles causing shedding and breakage.

Looking back, I've had a lot of issues with excessive shedding and tangles.  I have crazy scalp issues any way (seborrheic dermatitis).  Allowing dirt, oil and excess product to build up on the scalp only makes things worse.   The scalp likes to be clean. A clean scalp is a healthy scalp.   If we allow the sebum to build up, we promote the possibility of yeast growth, infection and hair fall.

If you're someone who washes once a week, like I did, only used cleansing conditioner, week after week, the possibility of product build up is pretty certain.  If the build up continued, hair loss would be highly probable.  Nowadays, I clarify my scalp with Neutrogena Anti Residue.  I've run out of WEN and have replaced it with Keracare's Sulfate Free Detangling Shampoo for now.  I'm not giving up WEN for good, but I'll be more conscious of how I use cleansing conditioners from this day forward.

Since the weather is warming up, it's extremely important to keep the scalp clean.  We're sweating more than ever. Skin cell turnover is increasing and sebum production rises in the summer months.  So deeper cleansing is a must.  Too keep moisture levels in check, I vow to commit to steam sessions each wash day.  I made the mistake of not steam conditioning last wash and the difference in my hair was really obvious.  It's been a couple weeks since I've reimplemented shampoo to my routine and already noticed a reduction in shed hairs.

Everyone, please head my words and focus on a clean, happy scalp.  Although ACV is a good addition to your wash routine, it won't rid the scalp of build up like shampoo can.