Just hand over the conditioner, and nobody gets hurt.
Welcome to "Two Weeks Without," where Yours Truly goes without an item for a certain amount of time and reports back with the possible benefits (or disadvantages) of that particular item. This time, I went without a proper hair care routine.
Gather 'round, boys and girls, while I tell you the pros and cons of doing a minimalist hair care routine. These past two weeks, I only used shampoo (no conditioner), I didn't use a hairdryer, and I made my own hair spray. First, let me introduce my hair and explain why I would cut down my hair care routine.
Courtesy of Element5
From an early age, hair care became a serious thing for me. Why? I have extremely thick and incredibly fine hair. Nearly every hairstylist I have ever been to has taken one look at my hair and backed away slowly. I had to learn when I was little how to make it not look like a bird's nest on my head, so little things like using conditioner and cleaning it every day became normal.
I have cut down my hair care routine before, and there could be a few reasons for this: my favorite hair care products were out of stock, my hair needed a rest, and finally, being strapped for cash. I am probably not the first to say this, but I understand that beauty costs money. Especially, hair care costs money. Now let's get down to brass tacks, or as my mom put it: "What are you doing to your hair?"
Minimalist Hair Care:
No conditioner (leave-in or wash out), no detangler, no 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner. Just shampoo. And not the amazing, fancy stuff made of argon oil and unicorn tears. I used Head and Shoulders because it was cheap, and it's not a bad shampoo.
No blow dryer. This was the worst part for me. This meant I had to shower at night, and as easy as that sounds, the shower wakes me up, so if I shower at 11 p.m., I'll be awake until 2:30 a.m... Needless to say, melatonin was a big help these past two weeks.
DIY hairspray. Normally, I use a detangling spray because tangles happen. I once bought this fancy stuff that made my hair smell like a cupcake, but it was $20 for 10 ounces, so that didn't happen again. I put hot water and coconut oil in a spray bottle and mixed it up; that was my detangling spray for the past two weeks. It worked pretty well.
Results:
The good things I noticed about a minimalist hair care routine?
My hair relaxed. I have been blowdrying it every day for more than 10 years now, and it was nice to have my hair dry naturally. I also noticed that my hair had more texture to it. A few weeks ago, I noticed my hair would slip out of braids while I was still braiding it and putting it up in a bun only lasted for about 10 minutes before it unraveled. Now, It sticks pretty well. So maybe conditioner is more like a twice-a-week thing, not an everyday thing.
Here are some downsides to a minimalist hair care routine:
Everybody has their own beauty routine. We all adopt and adapt techniques that are tailor-made to our hair, face, and body. Someone might just use shampoo on their hair and call it a day. Someone else might need to use 12 different bottles of stuff to get their hair to do what they want. For me, this shampoo-only routine dried my hair out a lot. Tangles happened more frequently. And fighting my cowlicks became part of my morning routine.
Would I do it again? Probably not. Personally, I like that my messy buns don't unravel, but I miss showering in the morning. If Mandy, my hair stylist, is reading this, I might be calling you soon.
What is your hair care routine like? Do you tend to let your hair do its own thing or do you tame your mane? Have you tried cutting back your beauty routine before like I have? What else should I go for two weeks without? Let us know in the comments, and stop back by in two weeks when I tell you how I managed without coffee.
