Better than a less harsh shampoo is a less harsh shampoo and using it little as possible.... I resisted for years - I have dry curly hair, but I still thought my hair would be oily and unruly if I did not wash it every day. Turned out to be far from reality. Now that I only wash it a few times/week it stays in so much better shape - no more split ends! It used to split so bad one hair would have 5 or 6 splits up the hair shaft. I still shower every day, and I condition every day, but I only shampoo when it truly needs it and I try to keep the shampoo off the ends as much as possible. I can't use a super heavy conditioner... or it does look oily quickly, but without so much shampoo I don't need to. I also don't ever rub with a towel or use heat on my hair - turns into a big poof if I do.