WASH DAY RUN-THROUGH
What is the key to a successful Wash Day? Let’s find out!
Cleansing
Before diving straight into Wash Day we must spend a little time discussing shampoo. Contrary to popular belief you can and should shampoo your curly hair. Scalp, curls, the whole head. At one time even I was on the “No-poo” or “barely-poo” hype. This was back in 2013 when all we really had to rely on was whatever the most watched natural hair tutorial on Youtube was. At the time they were preaching about the necessity of tossing out the shampoo, or if you DO use shampoo, to make sure you’re only shampooing your hair once a month- and only the scalp!
*gasp*
Did this advice from the curl influencers of Youtube work for me? I thought it did. However, as time went by I realized all I was really doing was giving myself tons of product build-up, an itchy scalp, and thirsty curls that were never actually getting hydrated (Good ole H2O). Excess buildup from products and sebum (produced by your sebaceous glands) and NOT cleansing your scalp can cause a plethora of issues including dandruff, folliculitis, eczema, hair loss… the list goes on.
Fast-Forward to 2022: A vast majority of curl friends are still trying to figure out if they should shampoo, how to shampoo and what shampoo to use. When it comes to what shampoo to use, your chosen Curly Hairstylist will be able to give you product recommendations tailored to your specific needs. The basics I look for in a shampoo is one that is sulfate free and color-safe. Mainly because I have lightened hair and would like to preserve the color as much as possible. However, if you do not have color treated hair or sensitive scalp, a shampoo with sulfates will do you just fine.
I know what some of you are thinking. “What!? A shampoo WITH sulfates in it!? She can't be serious!”
We will dive into the sulfate debate in a different article.
How Do We Shampoo?
Step 1. Allow your hair to get completely saturated with water before reaching for the shampoo and I mean completely.
PRO TIP: For hair with high density, pre-section your hair for better access to your scalp.
Step 2. Put a quarter size amount of shampoo in your hands
Step 3. EMULSIFY, EMULSIFY, EMULSIFY. Rub those hands together until your shampoo is sudsy and ready-to-go
Step 4. Take your fingers and go straight into your scalp. Instead of moving your hands in circular motions around your head and creating knots, rake your fingers up and down.
Density
Hair density refers to how many strands of hair grow per square inch of your scalp.
I start at the front of my hairline, rake my fingers just past the crown of the head. Then I take my hands and place them at the base of my head and work my fingers upwards. With the same motion, place your fingers behind your ears and work up.
*Using a scalp scrubbing tool is a wonderful alternative to getting a good scrub without using your fingers as much*
Step 5. With the remaining shampoo or one pump more (don’t forget to emulsify) I section and rake the shampoo through the lengths of my hair
Step 6. Rinse & repeat if needed. (Yes, you can shampoo more than once.)
How Often Do I Need Shampoo?
This may vary slightly depending on your lifestyle but you should cleanse your hair every 5-7 days. Quite a few of my clients opt to wash every 3-4 based on lifestyle, scalp health, and overall preference.
What about Co-Washing?
Opting for a “cleansing conditioner?” Is it cleansing or is it conditioning because it’s definitely not doing either very well. Co-washing is not going to get your hair or scalp as clean as it needs to be. You may be just adding more build-up.
Cleansing Re-cap
DO THE POO (shampoo that is)
2. Consult with your Curly Hairstylist to find out what shampoo would best work for your specific needs
3. Shampoo your hair every 7-10 days
4. Skip the co-wash
Conditioning
In this step by step I am not going to go over what conditioner you “should” be using because that question is best answered by your Curl Stylist. However we will highlight what the conditioning process should look like so you can get the most out of it.
Grab a quarter-sized amount of conditioner
In the same sectioning you used for your shampooing, work your conditioner into your section from ends up, staying off the scalp.
ADD WATER. If you’re doing this in the shower, lean back so you can add some water into your section.
Take your brush of choice (preferably the Felicia Leatherwood Brush) and gently, working from the ends up, comb your section or work your conditioner into the strands using your hands.
Using low water pressure you can continue to add water by letting it trickle onto your sections.
Work your way through the whole head. You are aiming for an almost seaweed-like texture to the hair. (SLIMY)
RINSE your conditioner all most completely out of your hair.
Objective
We want to work the conditioner into the hair adding water as we go. Using your hands, push the conditioner into the hair. This will be much more effective than coating the hair in conditioner and waiting 10 minutes.
P.S. When you are using high quality products they will be more concentrated. Meaning you do not have to use a large amount to get the desired results.
Styling
You’ve come a long way and you’ve made it to the finish line, STYLING.
Your styling should be done on soaking wet hair, whether you’re doing that in or outside of the shower is totally up to you. If you’re adding in your products outside of the shower it would be ideal to have a spray bottle handy nearby to resaturate your curls as you work your way through your hair. Working through your hair in sections, adding water as you go will ensure consistency in your results on each wash day.
We only RECEIVE hydration from water.
MY go-to sectioning: Take section ear to ear, separating the back from the front. Split the front section in half (I take a triangle section to separate my bangs from the rest of my hair, you can take yours off of wherever you part your hair). I then take horizontal sections starting from the bottom and work my way up. At home I like to use butterfly clips because you can get a lot of them for a decent price.
Take your section and work in your gel or cream of choice. After applying your desired product, comb through your section with your Felicia Leatherwood brush.
2. Work your way through all the sections. If your are noticing frizz while your hair is wet that is an indicator you need to be adding more water to your hair. Frizz while wet will turn into even more frizz once your hair is dry.
For added hold my go-to is to take a few pumps of foam and prayer-hands over my hair while leaning forward.
3. Assess how squishy your curls are. Can you really hear all that moisture in the hair? You can? GOOD. That's what we’re going for.
To achieve more lift at the root you can utilize curl clips before diffusing
4. Lean forward, take your handy-dandy microfiber towel and gently squeeze out the excess water from your curls. The goal here isn't to dry the hair, it's just to remove some of the water so we’re not dripping everywhere and drying doesn’t take 500 years.
Diffusing
Grab your diffuser, set it to low to medium on the fan speed and low heat (yes, HEAT.) and hover 4-6 inches away from your curls continuously moving your diffuser in circular motions focusing primarily on your roots-length.
2. Do this all around your hair. Once you feel your products creating a “cast” (probably 15 minutes from your starting time) you can start to move your hair. Flipping forward then side to side. Making sure no curly wet roots are hiding anywhere.
Dont’t forget your heat protectant
If your hair is very dense your can gently open sections of your hair (remove the diffuser attachment), facing the airflow down and direct it onto your roots or any additional damp spots. Make sure your diffuser is on the low heat setting.
3. If you wish to encourage the curls more and create additional volume, when your hair is close to being completely dry you can gently bounce your diffuser in and out of your hair.
*You do not need to put the diffuser straight into your hair and hold it there*
4. If there is still some slight crunchiness to your hair - lean forward and with open product-less palms, scrunch the cast away.
YOU’VE COMPLETED A SUCCESSFUL WASH DAY.
This article is meant to be a simple overview of what a basic wash day can consist of. As you become more consistent in your routine and maintenance, your wash day will become easier and probably a lot faster. One of the most important tools in your Natural Hair journey will be to partner with a curly hairstylist who can help you weed out fact from fiction and provide you with a tailored routine that will work best for you, your lifestyle and your curl.