7 Pro Tips To Make Your Wash Days A Whole Lot Easier

All my natural sisters know how draining wash days can be. As much as I've been growing my natural for almost a decade now, I've only been giving it my all for less than a year. Not because I didn't care about it before, but because I found it difficult to maintain. This was of course before I learned a few things that helped make my wash days more enjoyable. So because I'm a nice girl who believes that sharing is caring, I've decided to publish a post with a few tips and tricks on how to make your wash days a whole lot easier. These are tips I've been using and have found beneficial. Enjoy!

1. Pre-pooing

This is a tip I only started implementing earlier this year and have been utilising ever since. Pre-pooing your hair before washing it will help melt away knots caused by product build up, making your detangling process a whole lot easier. It also helps moisturise your hair, preventing it from drying after, and during the wash.

You can pre-poo using:

- Coconut Oil : as annoying as the process of liquidating solid coconut oil is, it is still my favourite pre-pooing product. Coconut oil is the holy grail for natural hair. It makes hair softer, more manageable and gives it a healthy looking shine. I also like the fact that it's affordable.

- Olive Oil : my first pre-pooing experience was with olive oil. It worked wonders for my tangled and dirty hair which had been in box braids for two months. I'm not sure if there's a specific olive oil for hair usage since I used the one that is used for cooking. I don't use olive oil anymore because it's a little on the expensive side (well for me) and my mom would burry me alive if she found out that I'm using her cooking oil on my hair.

Here's how I pre-poo my hair:

- I part my hair into four equal sections
- I apply a sufficient amount of coconut on each section
- I then cover my hair using a plastic bag for at least half an hour before getting started with washing my hair.

Make sure to rinse off all the oil from your hair using lukewarm water before washing your hair.

It's summer now so the struggle of having to melt coconut oil before using it is over. It's under R40 at Dischem so put yourselves on.

2. Work in sections

Working in sections is one of the best natural hair tips I've ever implemented till date. It allows you to have control over your hair since it's easier to work on a small section than having to work on washing all the hair at once. Working in sections will also help you rid product build up thoroughly.

Here's how I work on each section:

* My hair is usually already in four sections since I section it before pre-pooing.

- I apply a sufficient amount of shampoo on the section I'm working on
- In circular motion, I wash the hair,  focusing on my scalp
- I then rinse off the shampoo thoroughly

When washing, massage your scalp to promote blood flow for hair growth.

3. Use rinse off conditioner

Despite being rinsed off after a minute or two, rinse off conditioner moisturises and softens hair beyond measure. Just like shampoo, it's advised that you use a paraben and sulphate free rinse off conditioner.

Sulphate and paraben are said to dry up hair making it brittle and prone to breakage. However, we all have different hair types so this could be untrue for your hair type, just like it is for mine. It's also important to avoid applying it on your scalp as it is bad for your skin (this includes your scalp).

I use Revlon's Aquamarine rinse off conditioner. It consists of sulphate so avoid it if you have low porosity hair.

Make sure to rinse off the conditioner thoroughly.

4. Detangle using a wide tooth comb

Instead of waiting after washing, detangle your hair during the wash. I use a wide tooth comb as well as my fingers to do this. Detangling your hair during the wash is best since it's easier to manipulate wet or damp hair. Just like with washing, it's advisable to detangle in sections. This gives you more control making it easier for you to get rid of every single knot.

Be gentle when detangling. Treat your hair well so it can return the favour.

5. Use a T-shirt to dry your hair

Using a T-shirt to dry your hair will save you so much time. Unlike a towel, a T-shirt is made of light material (cotton) which absorbs water quicker and more efficiently. A T-shirt also makes it possible for you to massage your scalp while drying your hair which promotes blood flow and in turn, hair growth.

Make sure to use an old t-shirt. One that you don't mind damaging.

6. Moisturise on damp hair

After washing, it's important to moisturise almost immediately, unless you're doing a wash and go. Moisturising your hair using products that are suitable for your hair after washing is a great idea since it is easier to lock in moisture on damp hair. When moisturising, work in sections to have more control.

This is how I do it:

- I use coconut oil first
- Then, I use a cream based moisturiser to seal in the moisture

If I am unable to do my full moisturising routine immediately after drying my hair,  I spray my hair with some water to dampen it before applying any products to it.

I don't use hair food as much as I used to since I no longer use heat on my hair. I feel that hair food is saturated and would be difficult to apply without any heat.

6. Style your hair into a protective style of your choice

After moisturising, style your into a protective style you prefer.
When styling, make sure not to pull your hair too hard, especially your edges. For your hair to stretch to perfection, twist your hair in small sections. I also use caster oil on my edges after styling my hair.

Here are a few protective style you can try out:

- Flat twisting: this is styling your hair into conrow like twists.

- Normal twisting: this is twisting your hair into loose twists.

- African Threading: this is my favourite protective style. For this style you'll need thread. I like this style because it stretches my hair and doesn't curl it much.

Don't leave the twists in for too long. It's important to renew them regularly for healthy and manageable hair.

7. Oil your scalp

Oiling your scalp will keep it moisturised preventing dandruff. Moisturising your scalp is also a chance for you to moisturise your roots. I use coconut oil to moisturise my scalp after threading my hair.

Oiling your scalp also ensures that it's getting all the nutrients it needs. Remember, healthy hair can only grow from a healthy scalp. After oiling my scalp, I use hairspray to soften my hair.

I didn't include a blow out routine in this post because I no longer use heat on my hair. If you do use heat, make sure to keep it at a temperature that won't damage your hair.

I hope you try to implement these tips into your wash day routine. I can't guarantee that they'll all work but I know that a few of them definitely will. Also remember that patience is what's important when it comes to maintaining natural hair.

If you have any tips and tricks you think would help me please do share them with me in the comments. Take care.