Today’s post will focus on the important steps that should be incorporated into every wash day regime. Every step has its own benefits but overall, they work together to maintain healthy hair, maximise growth and minimise breaking/shedding.
- Pre-poo– applying an oil to the air prior to washing. For extremely dry hair, you can opt for a hot oil treatment for deeper penetration. Pre-pooing is every important because it protects against hydral fatigue and helps to keep your hair moisturising during the cleansing process. Try the Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Hair Oil for this step. DIY oil mixes are excellent for pre pooing.
- Cleanse– are you more of a shampoo or co wash type of natural? It is important to properly cleanse your scalp to get rid of excess oils, product build up and dirt. You can cleanse using a shampoo, try for a sulfates free shampoo like Crown Pride Olive Conditioning shampoo or Shea Moisture Super fruit Complex, a cowash or a clay wash
- Deep condition– after cleansing, it is important to deep condition to soften and moisturise your hair. This helps to prep the hair for the styling but it’s also important for reducing shedding and breakage. If DIY conditioners are not your thing you can try the Curl Harmony Intensive Repair Conditioner, this is super thick and perfect for 4c hair! ( check my review on CH products in my Review Index, discount code at the end of the post) Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil treatment masque ( perfect for heat or colour treated hair) or the Super fruit complex masque
- Moisturise – moisture, moisture moisture! Whether you use the L.O.C method or just a leave in conditioner. This step is important for preventing excessive dryness which will lead to breaking/shedding. I swear by the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor oil leave in conditioner which leaves my hair soft and well moisturised.
- Styling– this step is optional. After moisturising, you can ether prep your hair for a protective style, or allow to air dry on its own. You can also style ( braid/twist/bantu knot outs etc) for curl definition using a curl gel/butter etc. I usually skip this step but a lot of naturals swear by the TGIN Twist and Define Cream or the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Of course detangling is very important on wash day! I didn’t add it as a separate step because you can either do it through out wash day, or dedicate a step to it. Find out which works best for you? Do you prefer detangling before or after you cleanse? Or do you prefer to detangle as you go along your wash day? Whichever way you choose, make sure you detangle properly and are using products that give you ‘slip’ to prevent excessive shedding/breaking.
I tried to give some product recommendations if you are in the market for new products to try. Click on the links to take you straight to the products! I have tried and tested most of the products mentioned, be sure to check my Review Index for all the reviews!
Curl Harmony discount code- SARAH
Catch you soon!
sarah fynn 