HOW TO WASH WITH MONAT - THE SHAMPOO

SHAMPOO - THE HOW

Using Monat is a different experience to what you are used to with other shampoos, so please follow the below carefully. 

1. Shake the bottle well.
2. Pour a 10 cent piece sized dollop onto your palm.
3. EMULSIFY VERY WELL (rub it together) FOR 20-30 SECONDS, until it goes thick and white. DON’T SKIMP ON THIS STEP.
4. Make sure your hair is saturated with water. 
5. Apply to scalp only - I find it helps to sort of pat it over the head before massaging in. 
6. Massage in well.
7. Leave for 2-3 minutes (as stated on the bottle).
8. Rinse well for 2 minutes.
9. We always shampoo twice, so repeat the above steps. 

NOTE: you may not get a noticeable lather on the first application, this is normal. The second application should get nice and sudsy. If it doesn’t, you may just need to add a bit more water to your head (quickly dunk your head under the shower). The product is very concentrated (60% product, 40% water - compared to other brands which are 20% product, 80% water!!).

SHAMPOO - THE WHY

1. Monat is a more natural product and some separation can occur, so we need to shake the bottle very well and mix all those lovely ingredients back together. 
2. A 10 cent piece sized dollop is all anyone needs, even if your hair is crazy thick, because the scalp surface area is pretty much the same size on every adult... but hey, you do you - but remember, the product is SUPER concentrated, you will be surprised at how far a little bit goes. If you are not getting much of a lather, add more water to your head (see above note). Your shampoo will last you AGES (the way it’s meant to - guess what?!? - there are 120 washes in each bottle), as long as you follow the steps correctly.
3. With other shampoos, you may already be used to emulsifying the product a little before you apply it. With Monat, you want to emulsify A LOT LONGER than what you have been accustomed to. Monat is so natural and so low-tox, that it doesn’t even contain ingredients that help to make it frothy - that’s OUR JOB. Emulsifying the product essentially ACTIVATES the product. Not only will it help to cover more surface area of your scalp, it will also lather up a lot better. I guarantee you, if you skimp on this step, you won’t get the results you want. 
4. Monat is SUPER CONCENTRATED - very little water is actually in the bottle itself, so making sure our hair is very wet and even adding more water to our head during shampooing (just a quick dunk under the water) helps to make the product spread further*.
5. Unless you have been rolling around in dirt and grime, or had some sort of mishap, you only need to shampoo your scalp. Your shampoo will gently cleanse the rest of your hair as is it rinsed out. Shampoo is for scalp health - conditioner is for hair health (quite simply). But don’t stress if a bit of shampoo gravitates towards your ends - just as long as you’re not actively massaging it in to the rest of your hair. The hair from the mid-lengths down is older and dryer hair, and will not respond happily to being shampooed. 
6. Monat is a more natural product, so a little more manual labour is required - really focus on massaging it into your scalp well, with good pressure to get it in deep - otherwise you run the risk of leaving behind excess dirt and grime, and buildup. Instead of using your palm, which will matt the hair together, use your fingers or an in-shower scalp brush to gently stimulate the scalp and spread the shampoo across your hair. This will exfoliate the scalp and get rid of dead skin cells and excess sebum that might cause dandruff or scalp acne. Be firm but not too vigorous. Use your fingertips to rub the scalp firmly, but not hard enough to hurt yourself. You want to avoid damaging delicate strands of hair and pulling any out. Treat yourself to at least 60 seconds of scalp massage to really see and feel the benefits - another plus side of scalp massage is that it promotes blood flow to the hair follicles, encouraging hair to grow faster and healthier.
7. Leave on only for the amount of time specified on the bottle - less time is ok, more time is not necessary. This give the botanical extracts a chance to really work their magic on your scalp health and hair follicles. 
8. Rinse well (1-2 minutes). Get under the nape of your neck and get rid of all the suds - this will improve hair texture and really get the gunk out. You don't want to leave any residue in your hair as this can dull the natural shine of your hair. Be wary of your shower pressure though, a forceful shower can damage your hair while it's at its most delicate so rinsing for longer with less water pressure is best.
9. To properly dislodge product, oil, and any other sort of build-up from your scalp, we want to do a double shampoo. The first wash breaks down environmental and product buildup, the second wash deep cleanses. Think of it like mopping the floor, first you prepare by sweeping the floor of excess dirt, then you proceed to mop the floor to give a deeper clean. 

*COOL FACT:Monat uses only R.O. (Reverse Osmosis) USP Pharmacopeia (https://www.usp.org/about) grade water as the base for all of their products. Using R.O. water assures that the products do not contain contaminants. These contaminants include heavy metals, pesticides and other things found in our water. By using R.O. water, MONAT is able to use minimal amounts of preservatives in their products. R.O. water acts as a sponge. It contains empty water molecules looking for something to absorb. These molecules absorb the botanical extracts and vitamins that we add in the manufacturing process, which also provides consistency and superior texture.

See How to Wash - The Conditioner