How often do we wash curly hair?

You've tried it all - washing your hair everyday, every other day..once in a week ! Some work really well for some people but for others like me, dry, frizzy hair is all we got ! I tried it all. I started with washing my hair everyday. The reason? Well, my curls seemed more defined and frizz-free at that time. It soon dawned on me that washing my curls everyday was ripping off the natural oils that keep the curls intact and protect the hair from frizz. And why do we need to wash our curls everyday anyway?

So,  then I ended up washing my hair every other day and now I wash my hair every three days. I think my hair is now the healthiest it has ever been. Length is finally catching up. It is clean. And I have learned ways to preserve my curls.

Curly and Indian !

There are curly-haired women in India. Of course, they are probably a minority. Why? Well, the beauty industry in India seems to be  flourishing only "straightward". Like every other curly girl, I grew up hating my curls. I wanted straight shiny hair like every other kid. Like my friends who could actually tie a pony tail to look like one and not like mine which was forcefully brushed and bruised and yet defied gravity !
High school went by but my fight with my curly locks never seemed to end. And then college came and yes, I relaxed my hair. I loved it ! I loved the length of my hair, which I never knew existed. I loved the fact that straight hair was non-fussy ! And yes, people loved my "transformation". But then, a few months into it and I started losing hair. When my curls grew a bit, it looked tacky having two hair textures in one strand of hair !
I eventually outgrew the craze for straight hair.
Then came the quest for that perfect shampoo for my curls. I tried everything. It didn't take me too long to realise that there wasn't in fact any shampoo (atleast not  in India) that would do me good. That's when I started researching online. I found numerous shampoos specifically for curly hair but they were all from various countries and were quite expensive too. I then came across Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl Handbook online. Everyone was talking about it online. It seemed to be a huge deal for curlies all around the world.My mom gifted it to me. And I was the happiest ! It was an eye-opener of sorts. According to Lorraine Massey, it's simple : want lovely curls-ditch the shampoo altogether ! Yes, I did. I stopped shampooing my hair altogether.Conditioner was all I used. I know it sounds disgusting. And my hair looked terrible for the first couple of weeks. But then, I saw the improvement. People started noticing my curls. They started complimenting me on how lovely my hair looked. Other curlies started approaching me for advice !Soon I discovered different ways to cleanse my hair. For example I started using shikakai powder and that worked like a charm!

Curls are a huge part of my personality. It makes me stand out. I no longer try to control them. They are wild and free !