Saturday, April 21, 2012

S is for...

Shampoo:

I don't use the stuff. Or rather I can't use the stuff.

I have a condition called hyper keratosis or keratosis pilaris. Its not like a disease, but more like a certain skin type.

This keratosis thing means that my body produces toooo much keratin which is a protein. The symptoms include bumps on my skin where the protein builds up in my hair follicles, skin that is incredibly resistant to exfoliation, extremely dry skin that cracks especially on my feet, and dry hair. I could take a bath in vaseline and still come out a little dry lol.

Anway, most shampoos have sulfates and sulfates dry skin. (sulfates are what make your dishwashing liquid work) Drying agents like sulfates exacerbate my skin condition.

So as an alternative I wash my hair with conditioner that doesn't have any silicons in it. Water can't dissolve synthetics like silicon.

I slather conditioner on my scalp and scrub, let it sit for a while, scrub and rinse. I put a higher quality conditioner on my ends. Every once in a while I use vitamin E oil on the ends as well to keep everything hydrated.

Have you ever considered going without shampoo? It is healthier for almost everyone even if you don't have my crazy skin problems.

3 comments:

  1. yes, i want to stop using shampoo too (or only use 'green' shampoo). I just heard a story on the radio about how most beuty products in this country have toxin's in the, some which cause cancer. that is one reason i do not wear make-up. what conditoner do u use? do u use a certain brand?

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  2. I have considered doing that, but what's the alternative? Conditioners are filled with chemicals too!

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  3. Sorry to hear about your condition sis insha'allah it doesnt effect you to much.. I have a really dry scalp and constantly get dandruff I really need to find a gentle shampoo

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