Wash Day!!! (And all the dirty deets!!!!)

Wash day is a vital part of every kinky girl's regimen.

I love wash day!!  I actually look forward to it all week.  There is something very therapeutic about going through the steps, and taking good care of my hair.  I can practically hear it thanking me.

I usually wash my hair once a week.  Every 4th week, I use a clarifying shampoo (to get rid of product build up) and add a deep protein conditioner (to build strength). 

 

The following is a step-by-step outline of how I was my hair weekly.

1. Pre-poo (or pre shampoo).  Get extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil (melted down in a cup of hot water), a spray bottle with water, and a cheapie moisturizing conditioner.  Section your hair into 6-8 sections.  Grab one section, spray it down with water, and generously add the oil to your hair.  Carefully detangle hair with your fingers, making sure oil is saturated throughout the section.  Once detangled, add a generous amount of conditioner to the section.  At this point, you can comb thru w/ a wide tooth comb to finish the detangle and distribute the conditioner.  Once that's done,  You can make a chunky twist or braid with that section.  Repeat for all the other sections.  Once they're coated and detangled, pin the twists up (2 together is fine), and slap on the shower cap.  Either sit under the dryer/heat cap for 15-20 minutes, or cover your head with a towel, and allow your body heat to do the work.  Let it cool down before you rinse.

 Washing - So you're going to want to wash that out of your hair.  Take out the pins, and leave the twists in tact.  Saturate your hair with warm water in the shower.  Let it wash all the oil and conditioner out.  You can squeeze the twists as water runs through.  Once you're done rinsing, take your shampoo, and put a small dollop in your hand.  Rub it into each section.  You will notice how little shampoo you actually need.  If it's easier, you can take out the hair section by section to work the shampoo thru, and retwist when you're done.  All this twisting keeps the hair from tangling (which leads to breakage).  Also, wash hair in a downward motion, as not to disturb the direction of the cuticles.  Once all sections are done, rinse shampers out.

Deep conditioning - Cover the hair with moisturizing deep conditioner section by section.  Remove twists section by section, saturate hair w/ conditioner (with heavy emphasis on the ends), pin back up again, throw on the plastic cap, and sit under your dryer for 30 minutes.  Or, you can do body heat, or you can soak a bath towel in hot water, and wrap your head with it.    ****Please note, on protein conditioning days, do your protein conditioner and sit under the dryer for 15-20 THEN do your moisturizing deep conditioner.  Protein builds and strengthens hair, but can also leave hair dry and brittle.  You must chase the protein with a moisturizing deep conditioner.




Final Rinse - Once that's done, let your hair cool down for a few minutes, then rinse your hair with cool water.  If you want to get fly with it, get a bottle of apple cider vinegar.  Put 2 tablespoons in 2 cups of cool water.  Dip each twist in the ACV, then pour the remainder over your head.  It really stinks, and it stings your eyes, so be careful.  Rinse that with cold water....as cold as you can tolerate.  The acidity of the AVC, and the coolness of the water help lay your cuticles down, and increase sheen.

Moisturizing - Whew!  Now you have to moisturize your hair.  Use a leave in conditioner (spray or cream), a water-based moisturizer (water being the 1st ingredient), and seal it with the butter or oil of your choice.  Mine is shea butter.  Once that's done, twist it up, or braid it or style it as you normally would.   Depending on the needs of you hair, you can moisturize every 2-3 days, or everyday.  It all depends on climate, moisture retention, etc.  Also remember, oil does not moisturize your hair.  It doesn't penetrate the hair shaft.  It sits on top, and blocks water from coming in.  Once a water base moisturizer is applied, the oil (shea butter) on top locks in the moisture.

Everyone has different needs for their different hair.  My regimen may not meet the needs of the next kinky chick.  This is just a guide for those who may not have a wash day regimen, or may not know how to approach building one.  Once you lock down a regimen, you can start figuring out which products and methods will work best for you. - YB