Pre-shampoo
Pre-shampoo is a conditioning treatment that is placed in the hair before you shampoo. This treatment can either contain conditioner and oils or just different mixture of oils.
This treatment works by coating the hair strands and forms a protective barrier over the cuticles and keeping the hair smooth. Black hair tends to be kinky and curly which makes it prone to tangles and knots which lead to breakage.
Please not this treatment can be used by everybody regardless of your race and skin colour and either you have natural or relaxed hair. Washing your hair with shampoo is good because it gets rid of dirt; however shampoo contains lots of detergents/surfactants which tangle your hair and dry it out by getting rid of all the moisture in the hair.
Avoid using shampoos that contain sodium lauryl sulphate, tetra sodium EDTA, propylene glycol. However people who have normal or oily hair can use shampoo that contain all these detergents and won’t experience damage to their hair as much as people with dry hair.
In order to avoid your hair from getting excessively dry after washing do pre-shampoo treatment. Applying oil to your hair and scalp makes it easy to detangle the hair therefore less breakage. You can use a mixture of different oils to do this treatment by either warming up your oil in a saucepan (makes sure the oil is not too hot when applying on your hair to avoid burning you scalp) or you can either apply the mixture of oils in your hair and cover up your head with shower cap and warm towel and stay for at least 30 mins-1hour before washing your hair.
Choosing the right oils is also essential for this treatment. Coconut oil & avocado oil are best for pre-shampooing as they are rich in saturated fats make them easy and faster to penetrate into the hair shaft. Try as much as possible to use pure oil for this treatment
My pre-shampoo treatment mixture:
My pre-shampoo oil mixture tend to contain coconut oil (get absorbed into the hair faster), castor oil (strengthens and makes the hair thick), grape seed oil (encourages hair growth) and extra virgin oil (good for moisturising, nourishing, and improves the strength and elasticity of the hair). I mix the oils together and apply on my scalp and hair strands. I sometimes add a dap of conditioner to my oil and apply on my hair.
I then place a shower cap over my hair and stay with it for 30minutes to 1 hour before rinsing my hair with warm water and shampoo.
Pre-shampoo softens and strengthens your hair; always do this treatment before shampooing your hair.
