The Quest for the Perfect Moisturizing Shampoo: Introduction

Yes, these are actually all shampoos that I have used in the past, including while I was still getting perms. PJ much?! lol

One of the most important things to learn in any hair journey is what your hair likes, what it doesn't like, what it needs, and what it could do without. Now that I am nearly 8 months post relaxer, I have enough new growth to get a feeling for some of the wants, needs, likes, and dislikes of my hair. The biggest need of all is more moisture.                                                            

I have come to learn that my natural hair does not retain moisture well (my relaxed ends on the other hand seem to hold water for days....). It is therefore important for me to create a hair regimen that involves both retaining and restoring moisture to my hair. Because of this need, my ideal hair regimen involves regularly washing with a gentle, moisturizing shampoo.            

As my luck would have it, this seems to be the one product that keeps evading me. The self-proclaimed moisturizing shampoos that I have tried in the past were still harsh, and drying on my hair--the complete opposite of what I want in a MOISTURIZING shampoo. So, now starts the great Quest For the Perfect Moisturizing Shampoo (QFPMS). 
My requirements for this ever elusive product are quite simple. It must be:

1. Sulfate free: Sulfates, such as sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate, are detergents commonly found in many hair care products. While sulfates are beneficial for those with oilier hair, my hair is on the drier side and doesn't need something this strong to get it clean. As such, I am opting for a much less potent shampoo.
2. completely compatible with my hair (i.e. my hair loves it!)

This is the first post in a series relating to this quest. Other posts in the series will be product reviews on the shampoos that I have tried, including some of the shampoos pictured above. The series will be ongoing until I find a moisturizing shampoo that I love.

{Side Bar: There is a difference between moisturizing shampoos (the one's meant to be used on a regular basis) and clarifying shampoos (the one's meant to be used once every 4 - 6 weeks). I am only looking for my staple moisturizing shampoo at the moment. I also realize that some of the products pictured above do not claim to be moisturizing shampoos. It is merely a picture of shampoo bottles that I had at the time the picture was taken and nothing more.}

My HAIRstory

For as long as I can remember, I have been using that creamy crack to permanently straighten my hair. In fact, up until my tenure at Howard University, I had no idea that there was any other way for a Black woman to do her hair. I assumed that it was a right of passage to Black womanhood, that every 4-8 weeks all Black women traveled to their respective stylists and got a relaxer. Now, of course I saw many women with gorgeous curls and 'fros, but at the time I just assumed that it was a mere styling choice...some sort of a set after their hair was relaxed. Yea, I know, I was rather naive...and possibly in denial.

Quirky Girl Tips: The Mental Transition

I learned rather quickly that transitioning to natural isn't just a physical transformation, it's a mental one as well. Here are a few tips and tricks that helped me overcome those frustrating days when I mentally couldn't handle it.

1. Find Your Natural CURLspiration. There will be days when you really ask yourself, "why am I doing this to myself??". The only way that I have been able to pull through these occasions is to go to my favorite blogs and look over the many natural hair journeys of others. Seeing the before and after shots of these curlicious divas gave me the drive to press on. If they could do it, I could do it too.
2. Be Patient. If you are like me, then when you really want something, you want it right now. Like, RIGHT NOW, right now. When transitioning, there is no snapping of fingers and *poof* kinktastic afro. It takes a lot of time to grow out your straight ends and to obtain your dream length. There is no such thing as a magic product that will miraculously make your hair grow 3 inches in one month. So to get through those impatient moments, I went back to an oldie but a goodie: "Good things come to those who wait." In time and with good hair care practices, your hair dreams will be a reality.
3. Master at least one transitional style. There are TONS of styles to rock on a day to day basis, but every so often, your transitional hair will just not do what you want it to do. Your new growth won't remain sleek enough to blend with your relaxed ends for straighter styles, and your relaxed ends won't curl enough to blend in with your new growth for curlier styles. To keep frustration at bay in times like these, I always go back to my good ole trustworthy style: the twist-n-curl. Knowing this particular style in and out makes it easy for me to fix my hair even on the worst of bad hair days. 
4. Be Confident In Your Hair Plan. You have absolutely no idea the number of times that someone has tried to convince me either to go back to that creamy crack or to do my BC. Although I know that these people have the best of intentions, at the end of the day only I will have to live with my hair. Not anyone else. The only person that knows exactly what would make me happy with my hair is me, so I will not do anything that I know for a fact will not make me happy with my hair. Don't let anyone sway you  into doing something that you don't really want to do. Be confident in what you want and stick with it.