My Failed Attempt at Teaching my Mom about Cowashing

Both my mom and younger brother have scalp issues. My brother washes his hair every night with a dandruff shampoo while my mom gets her hair done at the salon weekly. Lately she's been washing her hair at home and letting it air dry with a little mousse or gel if she just can't wait for the salon. My mom's relaxed hair is fine in texture and comes out okay using this method.

So, the other night, she and my brother were fighting over the dandruff shampoo. She wanted to use it and he said that he needed it and that she doesn't know how to share. Granted he had no business saying that to our mom, but she really doesn't put things back where they're supposed to go. Anywho, I offered up my shampoo. She turned it down saying that she needed dandruff shampoo. I gave her the whole speech about shampoo containing harsh ingredients similar to those found in dish liquid and how dandruff shampoo is just as harsh as any other shampoo. I then told her that she could wash her hair with conditioner and I produced an unopened bottle of Vo5. She said okay and I put both the shampoo and conditioner in the shower in her room.

The next morning, I go to the bathroom to find the conditioner level significantly lower, and a huge punch in the side of the shampoo. It was at this moment that I realized what she had done. She had washed her hair with conditioner alright, but WITH as in ALONG WITH or IN ADDITION TO shampoo. I guess she didn't get that I meant for her to wash her hair WITH as in INSTEAD OF shampoo. I failed at this cowashing lesson, miserably. Haha! Anyhow, I just wanted to make this post to tell this funny story and to preach about product abuse. Yeah, product abuse.

I feel as if so many black people "punish" their hair for "being bad" by gobbing a bunch of product onto it. By the looks of the shampoo and conditioner, my mom had been heavy handed with the product. However, she is heavy handed with most things. Her toothpaste looks like it's crying for mercy and her toothbrush looks like the bristles are leaning away for fear of the center of the brush! Some of my closest friends either use a bunch of products at once or run through them like nobody's business because they're using too much. I just feel like if we, black people, were to use less product our hair would thrive. I never used product on my hair in between salon visits when I was coming up and I feel my hair was better for it. Granted, I wished I would have moisturized and sealed my ends because my hair seemed stuck at APL, but my hair was never dry, brittle, or unmoving. People would ask "what do you do to your hair" and be surprised at the simple answer of "nothing".

Okay, I'm done. Stepping off the conditioner box.

 ♥ KAYLA