Throwing Out The Washing Schedule???

One thing I always heard about curly/biracial hair is that you are only supposed to wash it once a week, with the exception of a CO wash one day a week if needed. I started following that 'hair rule' around the time C turned 3 and stopped getting food and play-doh, etc. stuck in her hair everyday, forcing me to wash it more often. 
The thing that got me wanting to throw out our washing schedule is this one simple reason- C's hair is hydrated and healthy looking when it is freshly washed! I used to think that it was gross not to wash your hair everyday or at least every other day! So that was how often I washed C's hair. When I washed C's hair everyday/every other day, it looked and felt much more moisturized and healthy than it has been since I started the once weekly washing schedule.
Lately I've been wondering if this is really the 'right' way to wash hair, and have been thinking about changing my washing schedule.  I decided to do a little research before I start C's new washing routine, and here's what I came up with...

Excessive washing of hair causes hair loss/dryness
FALSE: Frequency of washing doesn’t harm hair. Wash it as often as you like, although the recommendation is three times a week. The right shampoo for your hair type and texture will actually add moisture, body and beauty to your hair.
Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/health/dermatology/hair/hair-care.php#ixzz1HHz8JpiG

I actually found several articles saying the same thing, and I have decided to switch C's routine, at least for this week, and see how it goes.

I washed C's hair last night (Sunday) and this morning it still looked beautiful and moisturized. By the end of the school day, it still looked good.

*I let C have her hair down once a week (I like to do it Monday's since her hair gets washed Sunday nights and that's when her hair looks its best!) So I'm thinking this will work best if I keep her hair half down or partially down this week.

For this week, C's hair routine will be this...

CO wash daily and add extra conditioner for a leave in. Spray her hair with Garnier Fructis Triple Nourishing Oil Spray, band up to prevent tangling over night.  Freshen her hair each morning by spritzing with water and adding hair lotion. *I'm currently using a cheaper brand that I switched back to (since the expensive products do no better for C) called BB Oil Moisturizer. I like this product and I'll do a review another time.

*I'll be doing the banding to keep from detangling every night.  I always freshen C's hair with water, so I figure I might as well CO wash! If you don't already know, CO washing is where you just wash your hair as you normally would, except you only use conditioner and leave out the shampoo. 
Whenever I wash or CO wash C's hair, I do the Tightly Curly Method.  To do a CO wash, all you do is
apply a generous handful of conditioner to your scalp and squeeze it down to the ends. Once it is rubbed into your scalp and squeezed through your ends, rinse it out as you would do the shampoo, always keeping your ends hanging loose. The conditioner will do what the shampoo would have done, which is to grab dirt and hold onto it while it is rinsed away with the dirt.
When you are done with the CO washing, you can start the Tightly Curly Method.  What you do is, first part your hair off into several small sections and tie each section off with a clip or pony tail holder. 
What you want to do next is get about a handful of conditioner and work it through your hair, one section at a time.  This is when I do my finger detangling (pulling apart knots gently with my fingers) After that, I squeeze the hair lightly to work the conditioner in more, then I pinch off a small amount of hair (about the size of your normal curls or smaller) and smooth the conditioner  all the way down to the ends.  I do this until I have gotten through all the hair and then I take all the sections loose and comb with a wide tooth comb.
When this is done, you have several options...

You can choose to band the hair- this is done by parting hair off into several sections (I usually do 8), and add a pony tail holder to the base of each section.  Then, add another pony tail holder about an inch or so below the base pony tail, until you reach the end.  If you're working with thin hair (like C's), you can use smaller pony tail holders or twist the ends so that they dont tangle.  What I like to do is tuck the end under and add it in with the last pony tail holder, so that there is no loose hair at the end.

You might choose to style your hair-  if you do, I recommend that you wait until the hair dries slightly, and then style with your normal products.  If you need to, you can spritz your hair with some water to keep it from drying out while you style.

Or maybe you just want to let your hair be free!  I do this a lot with C's hair when I want her to wear it down and it helps it to stay looking beautiful and hydrated!   :)


I wont be leaving C's hair down everyday, I will be doing some simple, low manipulation styles to keep her hair from knotting.

So, that's going to be C's hair washing schedule for this week. Hopefully we can get up early enough to have time for a photo each morning! :)