Wash Day Tips and Tricks

Wash day is essential. As I am someone who has naturally dry hair and very tight coils, I have to maintain my hair with extra diligence. Listen, I completely understand that there’s times where you go weeks without washing your hair, or that you've been rocking the same conservative style for so long your curls need to breathe. No matter what you do, always give your hair the nutrients it needs, and always wash it to fully maintain it.

As you go about life, you are constantly adding products to your hair. Whether being a cream, butter, oil, gel, you name it. Your hair is taking in these products and the buildup is happening, for sure. Wash days allows your curls to breathe and be rejuvenated. There are some key factors for wash day that you should consider.

With consistency and a diligent hair regime you can overcome what you dread most about wash day.

Below are a few key points I follow when doing wash day. These points have helped me by preventing hair loss, allowing the wash process to be well ordered, and ensuring that my hair grows thick and healthy.

• DO NOT RUSH DETANGLING YOUR HAIR: This step is extremely crucial, which is why I put it first. I can't express this enough. Improperly detangling your hair will cause your hair to fall out, or even worse, you could pull it out! This one step will change your view on washing your hair, I promise. Once I got through properly detangling my hair, my wash process was less troublesome. Also, I started to see my hair grow tremendously. The most identifying way I seen if I was detangling properly, was that less of my hair comes out during the whole wash process. Never detangle your hair dry. Y'all know the videos of little girls getting their hair done and their mom/grandma is combing their dry hair? Yeah, that brought back some memories, right? Make sure your hair is wet when detangling. Also, proper detangling will prevent scalp inflammation. Start from the ends and work your way up to the root. Part your hair into sections so that you are able to detangle every strand. Personally, I detangle my strands with my hands first. This allows me to feel for the knots in my hair and carefully remove them. You can also use a wide tooth comb to assist with detangling the big knots, but feeling for the knots with your hands will help locate them. You can then use a Denman or EZ detangler brush to help detangle the strands fully.

• Use both a clarifying shampoo and a conditioning shampoo: There are two types of shampoos that should be use for dry hair. A clarifying shampoo and a conditioning shampoo. A clarifying shampoo is essential to fully cleanse your hair. No matter the hair texture, I believe everyone should use a clarifying shampoo. This shampoo will remove all product buildup and refresh your hair follicles. I always use a clarifying shampoo as I add butter, leave-in conditioner, and oils to my hair. If you have had a conservative style in for a while, a clarifying shampoo is a must. A conditioning shampoo will help cleanse your hair, but not fully. Conditioning shampoos helps conditions/softens your hair follicles to be manageable while cleansing. This is ideal for hair that is super thick and has tight curls. I usually finger detangle during this step too as clarifying shampoo can make my curls tight. For a long time, I confused Co-wash products to be conditioning shampoos. Although not the same in literal terms, I always felt as though the concepts of both products are similar, so a clarifying shampoo is key. The conditioning shampoo can help manage your curls if the clarifying shampoo tightens your curls.

• Incorporate deep conditioning into your routine: Deep conditioning is a key factor to your hair growing and being healthy. This one step will help dry hair get the nutrients it needs and help train your curls. You can deep condition with or without heat. I do it with heat to help the nutrients penetrate deep into my hair and I do this for 20 min. Simply separate your hair into sections and apply the deep conditioner to each section. Once done, cover your hair with a shower cap. You can use one of the following choices to help apply heat to your hair:

  • Bonnet hood dryer (Retail price: $25)**

  • Microwaveable heat cap (Retail price: $20-$30)**

  • Hood dryer (Retail price: sits on table - $40+ , stand with/without wheels - $80+)**

  • A scarf with a silk lined hat - the classic way with no heat. Honestly, I do this way most of the time, especially when I busy and cannot sit still. Simply wrap the scarf around your head (with the shower cap on) and go about your business.

My DIY deep conditioner lasts me 2 washes, and I preserve the remaining amount in the freezer after the first wash. When ready to use the remaining amount, pull the DIY out of the freezer the night before your wash. For my DIY, I use:

• 2 avocados

• 1 aloe vera leaf

• 1 tbsp of raw filtered honey

• Jamaican Black castor oil, olive oil, moringa oil, hempseed oil (I eyeball my amounts, usually around a tbsp each. You can use whatever oils you prefer)

• 1 banana

I've been using this deep conditioner for 7 years. Consistency is key.

• Blow dry accordingly for your hair. Please, use a heat protectant. I can't express this enough. Without it, you risk damaging your hair. Due to my hair having tight curls and tends to dry fast, I have to blow dry my hair in a timely manner. Once it dries up, I have to wet it again to blow dry it properly. I have invested in a blow dryer brush, and I truly love it. I work the blow dryer from my ends and work my way up to my roots. As I cannot speak for all hair types when blowing them, this way works best for me. Again, my coils are tight and needs hydration before manipulating them.

• Try the stretching method when blow drying your hair: Some people are not fans of blow-dryers. This can be due to sensitivity or just not being a fan of it overall. All the combing and pulling that is done when blow drying your hair can be torture sometimes (If this is the case, ensure your hair is in good condition. This tends to happen to me when I need a trim). To give yourself that stretch you wish to acquire without that pain, you can do heatless stretch methods. First, ensure your hair is wet and apply heat protectant. Second, gently pull your hair and sweep the blow dryer along the section you are holding. When doing your ends, use a Denman, EZ detangler, or round brush if you want your ends to be blow out fully. Don’t forget that heat protectant!

• Don’t believe the hype – you don’t need all day to wash your hair every time you do it: Find a regime that will allow you to wash your hair in a timely manner. For instance, when I need to do a full wash, it generally takes me about 6 hours to wash and do my hair. If I just need a quick wash, it’ll take me 2-3 hours to wash and do my hair. The quick wash day can consist of 1-3 products that you find truly essential for you out of your whole regime. On a quick wash day, I'll pre-poo, shampoo and deep condition my hair. On a full wash day, I do the whole process: pre-poo, mask, shampoo, and deep condition with heat, respectively. Figure out what products works well with your hair and try to maintain a hair regime for every week or every 2 weeks. Yes, by figuring out what's best for you, you have to try different products or create your own!

  
  

  For my full wash days, I do go to a salon (Shout out to Queenstylistas in Ardmore, PA and to Ms. Jamilah!!) I get a wash, hair treatment, and style of choice. I'll do a quick wash about 2-3 weeks later from my appointment. This regimen timeframe has help me a lot with maintaining and improving my hair health.

  
  

• Last but never the least: DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! I know there are times that asking for help is impossible. After 8 years of being natural, I finally went to a salon to ask for help on how to improve my hair health. By far, it has been one of the best decisions I've made. I received the proper trim, improved and altered my hair regimen to be beneficial for my hair, and I no longer have to do this journey alone. Does every have money to go to a salon? No. Does everyone trust salons? No. But I do believe that having someone who is licensed and specializes in your hair type can be beneficial to you. My shop is listed in the paragraph above. There are so many natural hair salons that you can search within NJ and PA. Don't settle for any salon and trust your gut!

I hope these tips help, my beautiful Sunshines! If you have any questions or concerns you wish to ask me, please feel free to comment down below. Good luck with wash day!

Remember to nurture it, love it, and revel in it.

Much love,

Ashley

PLEASE NOTE: Prices with ** are average pricings based on multiple brands' pricings. You can probably find these same products for a lesser price.